Event run-of-show template: a worked example for a ticketed event

An event run-of-show template tells your crew when each part of the show happens, who owns it, which cue starts it and what to do when the plan changes. Build yours around the times you have promised, then add the stage, sound, lighting and front-of-house handoffs needed to deliver them.

For a paid event, those handoffs matter to the product people bought. A missed microphone change can interrupt the headline interview. An unplanned overrun can eat into the audience Q&A or push you past the venue's agreed finish. You need a document your team can actually run the show from.

Below is a copyable template, a complete worked running order and an eight-minute delay scenario. All event names, people, timings and calculations in the example are fictional planning assumptions. They are not staffing standards or a customer case study.

What belongs in a run of show?

Your audience needs to know when the headline guest appears. Your crew also needs to know who gets them into position, which microphone they use and what the sound operator should hear before opening it.

Keep these documents connected:

• The event program tells attendees what they can expect, including sessions, speakers and useful venue information.

• The event logistics plan covers the wider operation, including deliveries, setup, admission, supplier deadlines and venue handback.

• The run of show turns the live program into timed actions, transitions and cues for the people delivering it.

A cue is a specific instruction to do something, such as start a playback track or change the stage lighting. A cue number gives everyone a precise reference. "Sound S04" is much easier to confirm than "the music after that bit with the host."

For a scripted performance, the detailed calling script may contain far more cues than the event's main running order. Reference it by version rather than cramming every lighting change into a master schedule nobody can read.

Copy this event run-of-show template

Start with a document header that makes the current version obvious. Then repeat the entry below for each program block and transition. You can put these fields into spreadsheet columns or keep them as short entries in a document.

Document header

• Event and room: [name and exact location].

• Event date and time zone: [date, zone and clock format].

• Version and issue time: [version, date and time].

• Document owner and show caller: [names and contact route].

• Doors, advertised start and planned finish: [times].

• Hard stop and reason: [venue agreement, broadcast commitment or other confirmed limit].

• Related documents: [current cue script, technical plan, contacts and emergency plan].

• Change approval: [who can change content, timing and technical actions].

Repeatable running-order entry

• Entry ID and segment: [stable identifier and plain description].

• Planned start, end and duration: [clock times and elapsed minutes].

• Actual start and end: [complete during the event].

• Owner and location: [one accountable person and where they work].

• Ready conditions: [what must be confirmed before starting].

• Cue and trigger: [cue ID, action and the word, movement or confirmation that starts it].

• Technical references: [microphone, lighting cue, media file and script version].

• Handoff: [who takes over and what they need to hear].

• Flexibility and fallback: [approved adjustment, decision owner and next check].

The fallback should describe an action someone can take. Events Authority's producer-written run-of-show template also includes a named owner, audiovisual cue and fallback for each segment. Use that level of specificity when you fill yours in.

Keep cue IDs stable when something moves. Changing the time of Q&A should not silently turn S08 into S07. Mark a cancelled cue as cancelled so an older printout does not become an instruction to fire it.

Make the technical references usable

The cue list behind the running order needs the actual instruction. For this example, S04 means fade out the approved transition track and bring microphones A and C into the interview sound setup. L04 means change to the lighting state rehearsed for the two interview chairs. Sam and Jo record the settings in their technical documents; Leo needs the cue IDs, trigger and confirmation.

Attach the exact media filename and revision where playback is involved. "Intro video" leaves room for someone to load yesterday's edit. "Opening-film-v3-approved.mp4" identifies one file, but the playback operator still needs to check its duration, picture, sound and ending against the calling script.

Agree what happens at the end of a clip. Does it stop on a still image, fade out, or hand straight to a microphone? If the host starts speaking over the final music, that overlap belongs in the cue instructions. Test it at rehearsal rather than discovering the conflict in front of paying attendees.

Avoid using colour as the only way to tell departments apart. A printed grayscale copy should still identify S04 as sound and L04 as lighting. Keep long notes off the line the caller needs to read while watching the stage.

Check the promise before deciding what is flexible

Read the ticket page, performer agreements and sponsor commitments alongside the draft. If buyers paid for a named workshop, quietly removing it to catch up changes what they receive. If a sponsor has an agreed introduction, the host cannot treat it as optional chatter.

Ask each content owner which material can be shortened and where the clean ending is. Write the approved shorter version before the event. A five-minute reduction in Q&A is executable when Alex knows when to take the last question. "Make up some time" gives him no useful instruction.

Also check who may approve extra time and what it would cost. A later finish might affect crew calls, transport or venue access. Record the relevant agreement and contact instead of assuming that an unused room or willing performer means the extension is available.

These checks turn your flexibility notes into actual choices. Some blocks can move, some can shrink and some must stay intact. The caller needs to know which is which before a delay starts.

Worked example: a ticketed live interview evening

Our fictional event is called After Hours: Stories on Stage. It has one stage, host Alex, opening speaker Nia and headline guest Daniel. The advertised start is 19:00, with doors at 18:30 and the event finishing by 21:30, all in the venue's local time.

The planned program ends at 21:20. The remaining ten minutes are unused timing reserve before a contractual 21:30 program curfew. Audience departure, packing equipment and venue handback have their own agreed timings in the logistics plan. A program curfew does not mean the building is instantly empty.

Name the people before assigning the cues

For this example, these are the responsible leads. The list is a set of roles for the scenario, not a recommendation for total crew numbers.

• Maya, producer, approves content changes and any use of the delay plan.

• Leo, show caller, maintains the running order and calls the agreed production cues.

• Priya, stage manager, confirms speakers, microphones and stage positions backstage.

• Sam, sound operator, runs microphone and playback cues.

• Jo, lighting operator, runs the approved lighting states.

• Erin, house manager, coordinates audience readiness, admission and late seating.

• Alex, host, delivers introductions and keeps the conversations to the agreed timing.

Document cover for breaks and absences so nobody assumes the caller will also leave the desk to find a missing guest. Use the event staff guide to work through responsibilities beyond the calling team.

Before the audience comes in

These are checkpoints for this example. Supplier setup, technical testing and staff breaks sit in the production schedule and must have realistic time before them.

• 17:30 to 17:50: Leo leads a cue-to-cue rehearsal with the relevant operators, Priya and Alex. They practise the opening, chair reset, return from interval and closing.

• 17:50 to 18:10: The team resolves rehearsal notes and retests affected cues. An unresolved issue goes to Maya; it does not disappear because the next time has arrived.

• 18:10: Leo issues the approved running order, version 1.0, with the matching cue list.

• 18:20: Priya, Sam, Jo and Erin report readiness through the agreed communication route. Leo records anything outstanding.

• 18:25: Maya and Erin review readiness for admission with the venue contact. If admission cannot proceed, Erin implements the agreed audience communication plan.

• 18:30: Erin opens admission once the required approval is given. Sam runs the preset walk-in audio and Jo the approved house lighting state.

• 18:55: Leo checks house status with Erin and stage readiness with Priya. Any proposed start delay goes to Maya, and Erin receives the decision.

R01: welcome, 19:00 to 19:05, five minutes

Owner: Alex, on stage. Priya confirms Alex is in position with microphone A. Erin confirms the audience is ready for the start. Leo calls S01 and L01 for the rehearsed music fade and opening lighting state, then sends Alex on the agreed stage cue.

Alex gives the welcome and approved venue information. The final introduction is the trigger for R02. Fallback: hold the opening if a required readiness confirmation is missing; Leo gives Maya the reason and the next review point.

R02: opening talk, 19:05 to 19:35, 30 minutes

Owner: Nia, coordinated by Priya. On Alex's introduction, Leo calls the rehearsed S02 and L02 change. Priya sends Nia with microphone B after the route and position are ready.

The speaker receives the agreed remaining-time signals from Priya. The talk finishes on its rehearsed closing line. Fallback: Priya has a tested spare microphone available, with the substitution procedure agreed with Sam. Leo records any time lost.

R03: stage reset, 19:35 to 19:40, five minutes

Owner: Priya. After the speaker leaves, Leo calls S03 and L03 for the transition. Priya coordinates the approved chair and microphone reset and reports when it is complete.

Alex and the headline guest wait for that confirmation before entering. The five minutes are based on this example's rehearsed reset. Fallback: if it takes longer, hold the next entrance and report the revised ready time. Nobody speeds up an unsafe move to protect the schedule.

R04: headline interview, 19:40 to 20:10, 30 minutes

Owner: Alex. Once Priya confirms Alex and Daniel are ready, Leo calls S04 and L04 to end transition audio and establish the interview state. Sam has microphones A and C ready under the agreed sound plan.

Alex follows the interview outline and closes at 20:10. Fallback: use the agreed microphone replacement procedure if needed. The producer must approve any material change to the promised interview.

R05: interval, 20:10 to 20:30, 20 minutes

Owner: Erin. After Alex announces the return time, Leo calls S05 and L05 for interval audio and lighting. Priya coordinates any stage checks while Erin oversees the audience side.

Erin reports return readiness before the next block. Fallback: tell Leo about an audience or venue issue that prevents resuming. This example protects the full interval in its delay plan; it is not a spare twenty minutes to spend elsewhere.

R06: return and introduction, 20:30 to 20:35, five minutes

Owner: Alex. Erin and Priya confirm readiness. Leo calls S06 and L06, then the agreed entrance cue. Alex explains how the audience questions will work while the designated microphone team takes position.

This five-minute block includes the introduction and settling time. Fallback: hold while a required readiness issue is resolved. A cue for house lighting does not instruct anyone to lock exits or override the venue's admission procedures.

R07: audience Q&A, 20:35 to 21:05, 30 minutes

Owner: Alex. Leo calls S07 and L07 at the end of the introduction to establish the Q&A settings. Sam operates the audience microphones according to the rehearsed sequence; Alex selects and closes questions.

Maya has approved a 25-minute alternative for this fictional event, agreed with the guest and consistent with its advertised offer. Fallback: use that shorter version only after Maya approves it and Leo briefs Alex, Priya and the operators.

R08: closing story, 21:05 to 21:15, ten minutes

Owner: Daniel. Alex's handoff phrase triggers Leo's S08 and L08 calls for the closing state. Priya remains available for the agreed microphone support.

The guest delivers the rehearsed closing story. Fallback: a technical hold goes through Leo; Maya decides any content change. This slot stays at ten minutes in the delay example below.

R09: thanks and close, 21:15 to 21:20, five minutes

Owner: Alex. Leo calls S09 and L09 on the agreed handoff into the host's closing remarks. Alex finishes the promised acknowledgements and departure information.

On the final line, Leo calls S10 and L10 for the approved exit audio and house state. Priya clears the stage and Erin leads the audience departure operation. Fallback: use the rehearsed closing wording and keep departure instructions intact.

R10: unused reserve, 21:20 to 21:30, ten minutes

Owner: Maya. There is no extra performance scheduled here. With an on-time finish, audience departure starts at 21:20 under the logistics plan.

The reserve is room for approved timing changes, not permission for an unplanned encore. Leo tracks the forecast finish throughout the show. The 21:30 limit remains fixed unless the relevant authority expressly changes it.

The chart counts the nine programmed blocks only. They total 140 minutes. Add the ten-minute reserve and the full 19:00 to 21:30 window is 150 minutes.

How to call standby and GO

The clock tells Leo where the show should be. The agreed trigger and readiness checks tell him when a cue can run. Firing a transition just because the minute changed can cut off a speaker or send someone onto an unfinished stage.

The University of Washington's stage-management manual describes a warning, standby and cue sequence with GO as the final word. Agree the language with your team during rehearsal. The amount of warning each cue needs depends on the action and the crew; there is no universal countdown to copy.

For R04, the example exchange is:

1. Leo gives the standby for Sound S04 and Lights L04.

2. Sam and Jo acknowledge that they are standing by.

3. Priya confirms the stage, Alex and Daniel are ready.

4. At the rehearsed trigger, Leo calls "Sound S04, Lights L04, GO."

5. Sam and Jo execute the agreed changes. Priya gives the rehearsed entrance signal.

If those actions need different timing, write separate calls. A grouped GO means the listed operators act on the same instruction. Don't group cues merely to shorten the document.

Rehearse the handoffs and issue one current version

Before the technical rehearsal, read the running order with each lead and resolve conflicting assumptions. This is often called paper tech. CUNY City Tech's cue-calling teaching sequence includes preparing a cue list and calling script, attending paper tech and rehearsing the cues before calling a performance.

Then practise the transitions with the people and equipment that will run them. Check the microphone handover, chair movement, host's final words and interval return. Time what actually happens. If the reset needs longer, change the plan before promising that time to someone else.

Give revised files a version and issue time. Ask each lead to confirm receipt, replace superseded printed copies and keep an accessible backup of the issued document. The University of Alaska Fairbanks' stage-manager handbook stresses maintaining current production documents and coordinating performance holds with house management.

Once live, Leo records actual times alongside the issued plan. A spoken timing change is repeated back by affected leads and written into the live record. It should not quietly alter a document that everyone else is reading without telling them.

Agree which clock the team follows and check it before the briefing. Keep the original planned time visible when adding a revised time, so a late joiner can distinguish a change from a typo. Record the decision as well as the result: "Maya approved the shorter Q&A; revised finish 21:23" explains why the next handoff moved. After the show, those notes let you separate a slow transition from a deliberate content change instead of guessing from the final finish time.

Recover an eight-minute delay without guessing

Suppose a non-emergency technical problem holds the opening until 19:08. The problem is resolved and readiness confirmed before starting. Maya approves the rehearsed shorter Q&A. All other program durations stay unchanged, including the reset and interval.

The revised running order is:

• Welcome: 19:08 to 19:13, five minutes.

• Opening talk: 19:13 to 19:43, 30 minutes.

• Stage reset: 19:43 to 19:48, five minutes.

• Headline interview: 19:48 to 20:18, 30 minutes.

• Interval: 20:18 to 20:38, 20 minutes.

• Return and introduction: 20:38 to 20:43, five minutes.

• Audience Q&A: 20:43 to 21:08, 25 minutes.

• Closing story: 21:08 to 21:18, ten minutes.

• Thanks and close: 21:18 to 21:23, five minutes.

Eight minutes lost, five recovered, three minutes added to the planned finish. The show now ends at 21:23, leaving seven minutes before the curfew. The revised program occupies 135 minutes, plus the eight-minute opening hold and seven unused minutes. That still totals 150.

Leo briefs the changed times and the specific Q&A reduction. Alex must know the new closing target before the first audience question. Erin needs the revised interval and finish times, while Priya passes changes to the speakers.

If the revised finish still breaks the limit, Maya needs another approved content decision or an agreed change with the relevant parties. You cannot solve that calculation by assuming faster audience movement, skipping checks or cutting contracted staff breaks.

Write the hold and restart decisions into the plan

A routine production hold and an emergency stop need different responses. For a routine fault, identify who diagnoses it, who decides the fallback and when the team receives another update. For an emergency, follow the event's agreed emergency arrangements and the authority of the responsible people.

The UK's Health and Safety Executive's event incident and emergency guidance calls for defined show-stop responsibilities, agreed public wording and communication tests. Its guidance is a planning reference; your venue and relevant local requirements determine the arrangements for your event.

Keep the audience update connected to the operational decision. Erin needs confirmed wording and a next update time, not a guess passed down a radio chain. If a schedule change is known before people arrive, Loopyah's attendee email tools let you send an event update to ticket holders. Use the venue's agreed live communication methods for people already there.

After the show, retain actual times, holds and decisions with the issued running order. Note which reset took longer and which fallback worked. That gives your next event a better starting point.

Your finished run of show should let each lead answer the same practical questions: what happens next, what starts it, who owns it and what changes if it runs late. Rehearse those answers before the audience pays to see them happen.