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GUIDE / Event Production
How to Build a Backstage Running Sheet for a Live Event
A backstage running sheet is a working record of who needs to be where, what must be checked before they move and who tells them to go. Build it from the current run of show. For each segment, record the people, holding point, entrance and exit routes, and the conditions that must be confirmed. Name who reports each condition, record what they checked and when, and give open items an owner and a next update. Use the sheet to brief the caller. Release an entrance through the agreed cue procedure.
On this page
Track who moves, what is ready and who releases the next entrance, with a conference example and a template you can copy.
Start with the next movement
Begin with a moment the stage management team has to coordinate. For a conference keynote, that might be getting the speaker from a holding area to the stage and returning them to the correct place afterwards.
Use the segment name or ID from the current run of show so everyone can identify the same moment. Put the planned time beside it for orientation. Add the speaker, their holding point, the agreed entrance and exit, and who will tell them to move. Confirm routes with the relevant people at the actual venue.
The run of show gives the programme sequence and timing. The backstage sheet gives the people working around the stage the information they need to prepare and report on each movement. The show caller uses those reports alongside the agreed cue sequence. If a small team uses one shared document for all three jobs, make those functions clear in the same record.
Decide what needs a separate report
Start with the conditions that affect the movement. An escort can confirm that the presenter is at the holding point. The stage team can report on the agreed route and position. Audio can report the microphone check, and the presentation operator can identify the version prepared for the opening cue. Use the checks relevant to your segment and agree which people will report them.
Keep the report tied to what was checked. “Presenter at the wing” tells the caller where the presenter is. “Audio checked the assigned microphone with this presenter” tells the caller something different. Both may matter before the same entrance.
For each condition, record its status, who reported it, when and what was checked. A simple set of labels is Confirmed, Open and Recheck needed. Use words as well as any colours. Leave a missing report open, with a named person or agreed role to follow up and a time or event for the next update.
During presenter rehearsal, try the movement and the handoff to the caller. Establish who gives the presenter the instruction and how the presenter receives it. A standby prepares people for an action. The entrance happens on the agreed release.
Worked conference example: the speaker is in position
At a fictional conference, the host is finishing a welcome before a keynote. The current run of show, revision 4, identifies the keynote as K02, planned for 10:00. The speaker is to wait at Wing A, enter on the Stage Manager's instruction after the caller releases the entrance, and exit to the escort at Wing B after the keynote. These routes and role assignments belong to this example.
The Stage Manager keeps the backstage sheet and reports to the caller. The audio lead reports on the speaker's microphone. The presentation operator reports which opening deck is prepared. The programme lead can approve a change to the programme timing or the content used. The caller coordinates the agreed cue sequence.
09:58 snapshot
Event and room: Illustrative conference, main room. Sheet: K02, issue 1, 09:58 local. Reference: Run of show rev 4, K02 keynote, planned 10:00. Person and escort: keynote speaker with assigned escort at Wing A. Movement: Wing A to lectern, then Wing B to escort after the keynote. Release: end of the host's introduction and the agreed conditions confirmed, caller to Stage Manager, then Stage Manager to presenter. Open decision: programme lead to confirm the opening deck. Shared with: caller at 09:58.
| Condition and reporting role | Latest report and status | Next action or update |
|---|---|---|
| Presenter at Wing A / Stage Manager | Confirmed, 09:58. Speaker is with the escort at Wing A and knows the entrance instruction. | Keep speaker at the holding point pending release. |
| Entrance route and lectern / Stage Manager | Confirmed, 09:58. Agreed route and lectern position checked after the host took position. | Report any change before the entrance. |
| Assigned microphone / Audio lead | Open, 09:58. Microphone fitted. Check with this speaker still due. | Audio lead to report the result. Stage Manager will update caller by 09:59. |
| Opening presentation / Presentation operator | Open, 09:58. Revision 2 was checked. A late revision 3 has arrived with a different opening slide and awaits approval. | Programme lead to confirm which version to use. Operator to report the opening check for that version. |
The Stage Manager tells the caller, “K02 speaker and entrance route confirmed. Microphone check and deck decision still open. Next update at 09:59.” The caller holds the dependent entrance under the agreed procedure. The speaker stays at Wing A.
The programme lead authorises a short extension to the host's welcome and approves revision 3 for use. The caller communicates the agreed extension to the host through the established channel. At 09:59, the audio lead reports that the assigned microphone was checked with the presenter. The Stage Manager tells the caller that audio is confirmed and marks the approved revision 3 as Recheck needed. The presentation operator then checks the opening slide and its transition before reporting it prepared. The programme decision and the two department reports establish separate parts of the plan.
10:00 update and entrance
Sheet: K02, issue 2, 10:00 local. Reference: Run of show rev 4, K02 keynote, originally planned for 10:00. Person, escort and movement: as in issue 1. Approved change: programme lead confirmed the welcome extension and opening deck revision 3 by 09:59. Current instruction for K02: use this issue alongside run of show rev 4. Use deck revision 3 for the opening cue. Hold the entrance until the host finishes the revised introduction and the agreed cue conditions are met. The caller then releases the entrance to the Stage Manager. Shared with: caller at 10:00, receipt confirmed.
| Condition and reporting role | Latest report and status | Next action or update |
|---|---|---|
| Presenter at Wing A / Stage Manager | Confirmed, 10:00. Speaker remains at Wing A and has been told about the revised timing. | Wait for the caller's release. |
| Entrance route and lectern / Stage Manager | Confirmed, 10:00. Agreed route and lectern position checked again after the hold. | Reopen the check if the route or position changes. |
| Assigned microphone / Audio lead | Confirmed, 09:59. Assigned microphone checked with the speaker. | Audio acts on the agreed cue. Report any change to the checked arrangement. |
| Opening presentation / Presentation operator | Confirmed, 10:00. Approved revision 3 loaded. Opening slide and its transition checked. | Use revision 3 for the agreed opening cue. |
The Stage Manager passes the updated report to the caller and confirms the caller is working from the latest information. When the host finishes the revised introduction and the agreed cue conditions are met, the caller releases the entrance. The Stage Manager then instructs the speaker to move. A row marked confirmed had supplied evidence for that decision. The caller's instruction is what puts the movement into effect.
If the microphone is replaced before the release, reopen the microphone row and tell the caller what changed. The audio lead decides what needs checking for the replacement. Keep the previous result attached to the microphone actually checked. The caller holds the entrance until the audio lead confirms the replacement meets the agreed requirement and the caller receives that updated report. The entrance still follows the agreed cue conditions.
ILLUSTRATIVE SCENARIO
Copyable blank backstage running sheet
Copy the header and table into your working document. Make one set for each movement or transition that needs its own record. Add or remove rows to match the actual requirements. Fill in the reporting roles before show day and replace the placeholders with current reports as they come in.
Event and room: [event / room]
Sheet issue and update: [issue / local date and time]
Run of show reference: [revision / segment ID and name / planned time]
Person or group and escort: [who is moving / agreed contact]
Movement: [holding point / entrance and destination / exit and receiver]
Entrance release: [agreed trigger / who releases / who instructs the person moving]
Exit release, if required: [agreed trigger / who releases / who instructs the person moving]
Open decision or approved change: [scope / decision owner / decision and time / affected cue or document]
Current report shared with: [receiver / time / acknowledgement where needed]
| Condition and reporting role | Latest report and status | Next action or update |
|---|---|---|
| [Person at holding point / reporter] | [Status / time / observed or reported condition] | [Owner / next update or action] |
| [Route and destination / reporter] | [Status / time / route or position checked] | [Owner / next update or action] |
| [Required technical check / reporter] | [Status / time / item and result checked] | [Owner / next update or action] |
| [Content or other dependency / reporter] | [Status / time / version and result checked] | [Owner / next update or action] |
Keep the sheet usable during the show
Choose one current shared copy, or agree who holds the master if people work on paper. When a decision changes a movement, version or cue, tell the people affected. Give them the segment ID, the change, the condition still open and the next update. Bring the relevant run-of-show and department records back into agreement when the programme changes.
Keep responsibility for each report with the people assigned to make it. The backstage sheet records the reports and release arrangements for the movement. Follow the event's wider production readiness process, specialist decisions and venue procedures for matters within their scope.
Related questions
What should a backstage running sheet include?
Identify the current programme segment, who moves, where they wait, how they enter and exit, and who releases the movement. Record the relevant readiness conditions, reporters, timed results, open items and next updates.
How does a backstage running sheet differ from a run of show?
A run of show describes the programme sequence, timing and delivery cues. A backstage running sheet uses that reference to track people, movements, readiness reports and open conditions for the people working around the stage. A team may combine both functions in one document.
What should you update if a backstage readiness condition changes before an entrance?
Reopen the affected condition, tell the caller and responsible team what changed, and record the new owner or next check. Confirm the new result within its scope before relying on it for the entrance.
What information does a stage manager need?
Current programme information, performer details, stage arrangements, transitions, rehearsal timings, communication paths and agreed responsibilities relevant to the role.
What information does a show caller need?
Current programme and cue information, relevant content versions, readiness dependencies, communication routes and agreed change procedures.
Can a show caller change the programme?
Only within the authority agreed for the production. Cue communication does not automatically confer authority over every programme or operational decision.
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