How-to

How to build a prompt book

One binder that holds the whole show. Here is what goes in it, in order, and how it earns its keep.

If you're new

  • The prompt book is one binder that holds the whole show: the script, every move, every cue, every contact.
  • The test of a good one: if you were out sick, someone else could open it and run the show.Kent StateTheatrecrafts
  • Build it before rehearsals start and update it every day until closing.Kent StateDavidson

If you're a pro

The tabs, front to back

Nine dividers. Rename them for your show; keep the order.

  1. Tab 1: Title page and contents

    Show, company, dates, and a numbered contents page that matches your tabs.Kent State

  2. Tab 2: Contacts and emergenciesStage management only

    The contact sheet, emergency contacts and a private allergy and medical chart.EmersonDavidson

  3. Tab 3: Calendar and schedules

    The master calendar, this week's schedule and the daily calls, each marked with a revision date.Kent StateLangham CourtIU South Bend

  4. Tab 4: Scene breakdown

    A grid of characters down the side and scenes (or French scenes and songs) across the top, so you can call only who is needed.Kent StateIU South BendEMU thesis

  5. Tab 5: Keys

    Your blocking key (the shorthand for moves) and your calling key (how cues are marked), at the front where a stand-in will find them.Kent StateTheatrecrafts

  6. Tab 6: The scriptThe heart of the book

    Printed on one side only, with a blank backing page or small ground plan facing each script page for blocking and cues.Kent StateDavidsonTheatrecrafts

  7. Tab 7: Plans and plots

    The ground plan and every department's plot: lights, sound, costumes, props.Kent State

  8. Tab 8: Running paperwork

    Preset lists, the shift plot, the run sheet and the pre-show and post-show checklists.ColbyKent State

  9. Tab 9: Reports and logs

    Rehearsal reports, line notes, the script change log and the sign-in sheets.Kent StateEmersonLangham Court

Set up the script pages

  • Print the script on one side of the page only. Punch it so the blank side faces the script when the binder is open.Kent StateDavidson
  • Right-handed and keeping two books? Script on the left, notes on the right, so your writing hand has the open page.IU South BendTheatrecrafts
  • Keeping one book for everything? Some stage managers flip it and put the script on the right, so cues can go in the far margin.
  • Number the lines down each page (1 to 15 works), and key every move on the backing page to a line number.Kent StateColby
  • Pencil only. Blocking and cues change daily.Kent State

Three choices handbooks disagree on

Both sides are right somewhere. Pick by your show.

One book, or two?

AOne combined book holds blocking, cues and paperwork together.Colby

BA rehearsal script for blocking, plus a clean calling script for tech and the run.DavidsonIU South BendEdTA

Which one: Cue-heavy musicals read better with a separate calling script. A small play can live in one book.

Paper, or tablet?

AA ring binder, in pencil, that stays in the theatre.Kent State

BA digital prompt book on a tablet: less paper, faster rewrites.Theatre Green BookTheatrecrafts

Which one: Digital suits new plays with daily rewrites. Keep a paper backup wherever the booth power or tablet rules are shaky.

Musicals: dialogue only, or the dances too?

ABlock the spoken scenes and note entrances and exits during songs.UNI

BRecord choreography in counts of eight, or film the dances.EMU thesisMIT MTG

Which one: If a dance captain tracks choreography, landmarks are enough. If cues fire mid-dance, chart the counts.

The book at work

  1. Rehearsals

    • Write every move on the backing page as it is set, keyed to a line number.Kent State
    • Once actors are off book, log line notes: called, paraphrased, skipped.EmersonEMU thesis
    • Log approved script changes with the date and which cues they touch. Keep the old pages.Emerson
    • File the night's rehearsal report in the book.Kent State

  2. Paper tech

    • Pencil every cue onto its exact trigger, with its standby a little earlier.EMU thesis

  3. Tech

    • After the cue-to-cue, rewrite the calls cleanly so you can run the show without squinting.Kent State
    • Add emergency procedures and every shift as they are settled.

  4. Every performance

    • Call the show from it: warning, standby, go.IU South Bend
    • It stays in the theatre, so a substitute caller can always find it.Kent State
    • Keep it up to date until closing night; it becomes the show's record.Kent State

Keep going

Tech week, hour by hourPaper tech to previews: who comes, what gets done, how long, and when to move on.Your first week as stage managerThe prep-week checklist that builds this book.School, community, pro and UK theatreWho calls the show, what the rules are and what everything is called, side by side.

Sources

Written in my own words from handbooks, guides and rulebooks I read for this suite. Tags beside each point show where it comes from.

Made by Kate Makrigiannis, a theatre-trained product manager who directs and teaches.

Photos: Pexels