What is a run of show?
A run of show is the minute-by-minute script your crew runs an event from. Every row is one thing that happens: the walk-in music, the voice of God announcement, the MC walking on, the opening video, the keynote, the changeover. Each row says when it starts, how long it runs, who is on stage, where, which cues fire and who owns it. You will also hear it called a show flow, a cue sheet or a run sheet.
The point is that everyone, from the show caller to the lighting op to the catering captain, works from the same page. When the keynote runs 6 minutes long, the run of show tells you exactly what moves.
How to write a run of show
- Fill in the header. Event name, date, venue, crew call, doors, show start, hard out and contacts with phone numbers. The hard out is the time you absolutely must be done by: venue curfew, stream slot, union overtime.
- Start from a template close to your event, or start blank.
- List every segment in order, including the boring ones. Walk-in, announcements, changeovers and breaks all take time. Give each a duration and the start times calculate themselves.
- Pin anything that cannot move with a fixed start: lunch, a livestream slot, a guest who is only there from 2:00. You will see the gap or overlap right away.
- Add buffers before fixed times and after anything that tends to run long, like Q&A.
- Fill in cues and owners. Which mic, which slide deck, which video file, which lighting look, which track. One owner per row, not “everyone”.
- Check the status bar against your hard out, then print, send each crew their view, or open live mode for the stage manager.
Run of show vs agenda
The agenda is for attendees. The run of show is for the people making it happen.
| Agenda | Run of show | |
|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | Attendees, speakers, sponsors | Crew, AV, stage manager, MC, catering, venue |
| Detail | Sessions, times, rooms | Every cue, handoff and changeover |
| Timing | Rounded, often to 15 minutes | To the minute, sometimes the second for streams |
| A 45 min keynote is | One line | Often 5 to 10 rows: VOG, walk-on, video, talk, Q&A, walk-off |
| Changes | Rarely after it is published | Constantly, right up to and during the show |
Cue sheet template: the columns that matter
| Column | What goes in it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Start / end | Clock time, worked out from durations | 09:12–09:47 |
| Duration | How long the row runs, so slippage shows line by line | 35 |
| Fixed start | Only for things that cannot move | 12:00 lunch |
| Segment | What happens, written as an action | MC introduces keynote |
| On stage | Who is on stage or on mic | MC, Dr. Rivera |
| Location | Where it happens | Main stage, lectern |
| Mic | Which mic, and who hands it over | Lav 1, HH2 to aisle |
| Slides / video | The deck, slide range or file name | Deck KN1, VID-02 |
| Lighting / audio | Look or preset, and the track or sting | LX 4 wash, walk-on sting |
| Notes | Fallbacks and what gets cut if it runs long | Cut Q&A to 5 min if late |
| Owner | The one person who calls or runs it | Stage manager |
Show flow terms crews use
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Call time | When a person or crew must be on site and ready to work |
| Doors | When the audience is let in |
| Hard out | The time you must be finished by, no exceptions |
| Walk-in / walk-out | Music and holding slides while the audience arrives or leaves |
| VOG | “Voice of God”: an offstage announcement over the PA |
| Standby / Go | How a show caller warns a cue is coming, then fires it |
| Changeover | Resetting the stage, mics or set between segments |
| Lower third | Name and title graphic on screen or stream |
| Stinger | A short video or audio hit used as a transition |
| IMAG | Image magnification: live camera on the big screens |
Buffer sizes and lead times in the FAQ below are common practice, not official standards. Adjust them to your venue and crew.
Run of show FAQ
What is a run of show?
A run of show is the minute-by-minute script the crew runs an event from. Each row is one segment with its start time, duration, who is on stage, where, the AV cues that fire and the person responsible. It is also called a show flow, cue sheet or run sheet.
What is the difference between a run of show and an agenda?
The agenda is what attendees see: sessions, times and rooms. The run of show is how the team delivers it: every walk-on, mic handoff, video roll, lighting change and changeover. One agenda line like a 45 minute keynote is often five to ten run of show rows.
What should a run of show include?
At minimum: start time, duration, segment, who is on stage, location, AV cues (mic, slides, video, lighting, audio), notes and an owner. Up top: event name, date, venue, crew call, doors, show start, hard out and contacts with phone numbers.
How much buffer should I build into a run of show?
There is no official number. A common rule of thumb is a 2 to 5 minute changeover between speakers who need a mic or set change, and roughly 5 to 10 percent of the day held back as buffer before anything with a fixed time, like lunch, a livestream slot or a venue curfew.
When should I send the run of show to the crew?
Share a first draft as soon as segments and speakers are confirmed, usually a few weeks out, then lock a final version a day or two before the event. Put the version time on every copy so nobody works from an old one. This builder prints the time on every sheet.
Can a stage manager use this on a tablet during the show?
Yes. Live mode shows the current and next segment with a big countdown. In manual mode you press GO on each cue and it tracks how far over or ahead you are. In clock mode it follows the planned times. It keeps the screen awake where the browser allows it and works offline once loaded.
Can I open my run of show in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Export CSV and open it in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. You can also import a CSV back, as long as it has a Segment column. JSON export keeps everything, including the event header.
Is my run of show private?
Yes. Everything runs in your browser and is saved only in this browser's local storage. Nothing is uploaded. A share link holds the whole run of show inside the link itself, so only people you send it to can open it.
Last updated October 2026