Show dictionary · Production Management
Spike Mark
Also: spike · toe mark
A spike mark is tape on the deck marking the exact position of something: a set piece’s corners, a band riser, a podium, a presenter’s toe mark. To "spike" something is to mark its position; spike tape is the narrow cloth tape kept in every stage manager’s pocket.
In practice
Spikes are how repeatability survives changeovers and blackouts: the piece rolls off, the show moves on, and at the next transition the crew lands it back on its marks without measuring. Color codes separate acts, scenes, or bands sharing a deck; a legend lives in the SM’s book.
Glow tape is the low-light sibling, charging under work light and marking edges and marks for blackout moves. The craft is minimalism: enough spikes to land everything, few enough that the deck does not read as confetti from the front row.
How you’ll hear it
"Spike the riser in yellow before it rolls; blue spikes are the headliner’s."
Related resources
Part of the eventools.io Show Dictionary, a free glossary of live event production terminology.