Reference chart
The production terms Rosetta Stone
Corporate AV, concert touring, theatre, and broadcast run the same show with four different vocabularies. The person who says "rundown" and the person who says "calling script" mean the same document. This chart translates the terms that trip up crews crossing between worlds.
The documents
| Concept | Corporate AV | Concert touring | Theatre | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The timed show sequence | Run of show / show flow | Set list + cue sheets | Calling script / prompt book | Rundown |
| The daily schedule | Production schedule / agenda | Day sheet | Rehearsal call / daily call | Day-of-air schedule |
| Technical requirements doc | Technical rider / AV spec | Tech rider | Tech spec / venue spec | Facilities request |
| Who-is-where staffing doc | Crew grid / staffing plan | Crew list | Contact sheet / staff list | Crew assignment sheet |
| The stage drawing | Stage plot / room diagram | Stage plot | Ground plan | Studio floor plan |
The people
| Concept | Corporate AV | Concert touring | Theatre | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs the show minute by minute | Show caller / producer | Production manager (show runs itself) | Stage manager (calls the show) | Director |
| Owns the whole production | Executive producer / PM | Tour manager + production manager | Production manager | Executive producer |
| Head of audio | A1 | FOH engineer | Sound designer / head of sound | A1 / audio supervisor |
| Head of lighting | L1 / lighting lead | Lighting director (LD) | Lighting designer + master electrician | Lighting director |
| Head of video | V1 / video lead | Video director / crew chief | Projection/video designer | Technical director (switches!) |
| Moves talent around | Stage manager | Artist liaison / TM | ASM / deck stage manager | Stage manager / floor director |
The schedule phases
| Concept | Corporate AV | Concert touring | Theatre | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build the rig | Load-in / setup day | Load-in | Load-in / fit-up (UK) | Rig / setup |
| Technical run-through | Rehearsal / tech check | Soundcheck | Tech rehearsal / cue-to-cue | FAX check / run-through |
| Final full run | Dress rehearsal / speaker rehearsal | Soundcheck (again) | Dress rehearsal | Dress / full FAX |
| Audience enters | Doors / walk-in | Doors | House open | Audience load-in |
| Take it all down | Strike / load-out | Load-out | Strike / get-out (UK) | Strike / de-rig |
The places
| Concept | Corporate AV | Concert touring | Theatre | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mix/control position in the room | FOH / tech table | FOH | Mix position / booth | Control room / truck |
| Where monitors get mixed | Monitor world (if separate) | Monitor world / monitor beach | Not typical (foldback from FOH) | Audio control |
| Backstage crew zone | Backstage / green room | Backstage / production office | Wings / green room | Green room (literally the origin) |
| Video engineering area | Video village | Video world | Projection booth | Video shading / engineering |
None of these columns is more correct than another; each dialect evolved around its own workflows. What matters on a mixed crew is establishing early which vocabulary the show runs on, and translating without condescension when a theatre ASM and a touring PM meet in a ballroom. The chart above is a starting point; the linked dictionary entries carry the nuance.
Frequently asked questions
Is a run of show the same as a rundown?
Functionally yes: a timed sequence of segments with cues and owners. Corporate says run of show or show flow, broadcast says rundown, theatre encodes the same information in the stage manager’s calling script.
Why does broadcast call the switcher operator a technical director?
Historical division of labor: in US broadcast the TD physically cuts the show under the director’s calls. In theatre and corporate production, technical director means the person responsible for technical planning and execution, nowhere near a switcher.