Run of show vs cue sheet
The two words get used for the same document all the time, and on a small show that's fine. On a bigger one they're different things, and it helps to know which one you're being asked for.
A run of show
A run of show is the whole event in order, from doors to the end. Every segment is there with its start time and length, so anyone on the crew, the client or the talent can see what happens when. It's the document the producer owns and the one that gets locked and versioned before the day.
A cue sheet
A cue sheet belongs to one department. Lighting has one, sound has one, video playback has one. It lists that department's numbered cues, what each one does and what triggers it: a line of script, a moment on stage, or the caller saying GO.
Where they meet
| Run of show | Cue sheet | |
|---|---|---|
| Who reads it | Everyone | One position |
| One row is | A segment or moment | A single cue |
| Timing | Clock times and durations | Triggers and standbys |
| Owned by | The producer | The department head |
Most corporate sessions, game days and school events don't have a separate caller and departments with their own books. They work from one sheet: one row per moment, a time and a duration, and a column for each position saying what it does at that moment. That's a run of show with the cue sheets folded in as columns, and it's the format this editor uses.
If your crew does keep separate cue sheets, a column per department in the run of show still helps. It shows the caller what everyone is doing without opening five documents.