What Should a Run Sheet for a Live Show Actually Contain?

The question we are asked most often

Almost every first conversation about a live show reaches the same point. A venue manager or producer asks what a run sheet should contain, and whether the one they already have is good enough. It is a fair question, because the run sheet is the only document that every department reads at the same moment, from the gallery to the stage door.

My answer is usually shorter than people expect. A run sheet is a list of things that will happen, in order, with enough information that someone who has never seen the rehearsal could take over a position and follow it. If it manages that, it is doing its job.

In these mid-autumn weeks, when many venues are planning seasonal broadcasts and evening events, I see the same gaps repeatedly, so it is worth setting out what we put in ours and why each part earns its place.

The columns that carry the weight

Every run sheet we write starts with the same core columns: a running order number, a clock time or duration, the item name, who is on camera or on stage, and the cue that starts it. The cue column matters most. A time tells you roughly when something should happen, but a cue tells you what you are watching for, such as the presenter finishing a sentence or the band hitting the last chord.

Next come the technical columns: which camera or shot is wanted, what graphics or video play-ins are needed, and what the sound department must do, such as opening a particular microphone or bringing up a playback.

We keep wording plain and short. If a line needs a paragraph to explain, it belongs in the briefing, not on the sheet, because nobody reads paragraphs while a show is running.

• Running order number and planned duration
• Item name and who is featured
• The cue that starts it, in words
• Camera, graphics and video needs
• Audio actions and playback sources

How much detail is too much

The second most common worry is the opposite of the first: people fear a sheet so full of detail that nobody can use it. There is a real balance here. A news bulletin with a fast turnaround needs a lean sheet, with one line per story and clear in and out points. A filmed concert with changeovers between acts can carry more, because there is time to read ahead.

A useful test is to ask what the busiest person on the team needs in the three seconds they can spare to glance at the page. The vision mixer needs the next shot. The sound engineer needs the next microphone change. Neither needs the other's notes in large type.

We often split a long sheet into a master version and short department views, so each position sees its own actions highlighted without losing sight of the whole running order.

Cue structures that survive a bad moment

Live shows rarely run exactly to plan. A guest arrives late, an item overruns, a playback fails to start. A good cue structure assumes this will happen and gives the team a way to recover without shouting across the gallery.

We build in fallback lines for the items most likely to slip: a short holding item, a way to trim a segment, or a clear point at which the director may cut something. These are agreed in advance and written down, so the decision at the moment itself is quick and calm.

Standby cues are just as useful. A warning given a minute before a change, repeated in the same words each time, gives everyone time to be ready. The aim is that the sheet removes guesswork, leaving people free to concentrate on doing their own job well.

• Agreed holding items for gaps
• Marked points where a segment may be trimmed
• Standby warnings in consistent wording

The briefing matters as much as the paper

A run sheet handed over on its own is only half of the work. The team briefing is where the sheet becomes a shared plan. We usually run it shortly before rehearsal, walking through the show in order and asking each department to say aloud what they will do at each cue.

This catches more problems than any amount of proofreading. Someone notices that two actions fall on the same second, or that a presenter has not been told where to stand for the opening. Fixing these on paper costs nothing; fixing them on air does.

We also settle who has the authority to change the sheet once the show is live, and how a change is announced. In most galleries this is the director or producer, with changes called clearly over talkback and noted by the person running the paperwork.

What to prepare before you contact us

If you are planning a studio programme or live event and would like help with the workflow, a little preparation makes the first conversation far more productive. You do not need a finished document. A rough outline of the running order is plenty.

It helps to know the format of the show, its approximate length, how many cameras and microphones you expect to use, and which parts are most likely to change on the day. Details of the venue or studio, and who will be in the gallery, also shape the plan.

From there we can draft a run sheet and cue structure with you, agree a briefing time, and make sure the people on the day have what they need in their hands well before the first rehearsal.

• Rough running order and show length
• Camera and microphone numbers expected
• Venue or studio details and gallery team

A good run sheet is short enough to read at a glance, clear about its cues and honest about what might go wrong. It is backed by a briefing in which every department says what it will do. If you would like help writing one for your own studio programme or live event, send us an enquiry through the contact page and we will talk it through.