This cue (known as a WARN cue in the USA) lets the technical operator(s) know their cue is coming very soon. Standby cues are written in the script to give the stage manager / DSM the appropriate timing to say the standby. The main requirement is that the cues are marked consistently, and that the stage manager / DSM uses the same verbal command to initiate the cue every time. CuesĮach of the technical departments has a specific abbreviation used to identify cues. Most prefer it to be on the right, as below. Left-handed DSMs may prefer the cue page to be on the left of the folder. The book is usually laid out so that the script is on one side of a folder, and the cues are on the opposite side, with a line between the cue word / line, and the cue itself. It’s rightly known as the production ‘bible’. ‘Clare’s on the book for the next show’).Īs well as the script and/or score of the show, the prompt book also contains contact lists for all concerned with the production, information about the venue(s), show reports, local amenities, emergency procedures and any other information that may be needed during the run of the show.

The member of stage management (often the DSM) cueing the show is said to be ‘On the Book’. It’s sometimes known as the ‘book’, Prompt Copy or Prompt Script. The Prompt Book is the master copy of the script or score, containing all the actor moves and technical cues, and is used by the deputy stage manager to run rehearsals and later, control the performance.

Stage managers script annie jr