Cue to Cue for Teens: What to Bring, How Long, and the 45 minute Pace
A cue to cue is a technical rehearsal that skips the dialogue and the acting to focus purely on testing and timing lighting, sound and set cues. Its main job is to get every department synchronised before actors and technicians ever share a full run, and it benefits the whole company: lighting and sound operators, stage management, deck crew and the performers who need to know exactly when their world shifts around them.
TL;DR:
The rehearsal follows paper tech and dry tech, then checks cues with performers before full technical runs and dress rehearsals begin.
Stage managers call Warning roughly a minute ahead, Standby a few seconds before execution, and Go only at the exact cue moment.
A simple play may clear cues in a couple of hours, while a musical with set changes, flying effects, and microphones can take all day.
When cues repeatedly fail or numbers mismatch, pause, record the correction in the prompt book, and retest before continuing; operators should acknowledge each call.
Actors should mark positions and movements rather than play full scenes, while crew members stay quiet during adjustments and save questions for pauses.
Table of Contents
What a cue to cue is and when you run it
A cue to cue strips a scene down to its technical skeleton. Instead of playing a scene from start to finish, the stage manager jumps between cue points, running only the moments where something technical happens: a blackout, a sound effect, a set piece gliding into place. Everything in between gets skipped, which is exactly the point.
This sits in a clear sequence of rehearsals. Paper tech comes first, where cues get marked up away from the stage. Dry tech follows, running the technical cues without performers at all, just to set looks and levels. Cue to cue is the next step, where performers join the technicians to check timing against real movement. Only afterwards do you move into full tech runs and dress rehearsals.
Typical content for a cue to cue includes:
Lighting changes, such as a sunset fade or a sudden blackout before an interval
Sound cues, including underscoring, sound effects and microphone switches
Scene and set changes, where crew move furniture, flats or trucks between looks
Special effects, like fog, pyrotechnics or flying rigs that need precise timing
Who is involved and their responsibilities
A cue to cue only works when everyone understands their job and sticks to it. The stage manager (or a deputy stage manager) runs the room, calling each cue and keep the prompt book up to date as fixes get agreed. Lighting, sound and deck operators execute those calls, adjusting levels and timings until the technical side feels solid.
Actors are present but not performing full scenes. They mark their positions and movements so technicians can check timing against a real body on stage, moving on and off book as the stage manager instructs. Designers and the director tend to hover close by during set up, signing off looks and sound levels before the room moves on to the next cue.
Stage manager or deputy: calls cues and maintains the prompt book
Operators: execute lighting, sound and deck cues on command
Actors: hit marks and movements without performing dialogue in full
Designers and director: approve technical choices as they are set
Step-by-step: paper tech to dry tech to cue to cue to tech runs
Getting from a marked-up script to a fully synchronised show follows a fairly predictable path, and recognising each stage helps everyone know what to expect on the night.
Paper tech: the stage manager and designers sit together, marking every cue into the script and building the show book, often called the prompt book, that becomes the definitive reference for running the production, as the Emerson stage manager handbook describes.
Dry tech: lighting and sound cues run without performers present, so operators can set levels, timings and looks before anyone steps on stage.
Cue to cue: performers join in, and the room stops and starts at each cue point so technicians can match timing against real movement, exactly the stage management approach that treats this stage as building a reliable technical floor rather than polishing performance.
Full tech runs and dress rehearsals: the whole show runs in sequence, cues and all, with full costume, make up and props joining the mix.
This pattern also applies beyond straight theatre. Dance productions run sections between cue points at a slower pace, giving technicians room to fine-tune lighting and sound against the dancers’ movement.
Pro Tip: Keep a pencil, not a pen, in hand during cue to cue, because every timing fix gets noted and re-noted before the book is locked.
Cue-calling protocol and notation you need to know
Every cue gets called using a three-step protocol: Warning, Standby and Go, a structure that exists because live theatre has no undo button and timing has to land correctly the first time, as outlined in the Emerson handbook.
Warning: called roughly a minute ahead, giving operators time to prepare
Standby: called a few seconds before, hands on the board
Go: the exact moment of execution, and nothing else
Cues are commonly numbered and tagged by department, using prefixes (LX for lighting, SQ for sound), decimals for sub-cues and letters for simultaneous actions, so everyone in the room knows precisely which cue is being called. Cue lights, where used, give a silent visual warning and standby for crew who cannot hear over a live sound cue, and operators should always acknowledge a call rather than assume it landed. Many practitioners restrict casual use of the word “go” on the intercom, informally called the ‘G-word’, reserving it strictly for executing a cue, as Wikipedia’s entry on theatrical cues) notes, because hearing it at the wrong moment can trigger the wrong move.
Your practical checklist for cue to cue
A cue to cue moves at its own pace, and knowing what to bring and how to behave keeps the room running smoothly for everyone.
Bring a pencil, your script with cues marked, and a torch for reading in a dark auditorium
Expect frequent stops and starts; this is normal and not a sign anything has gone wrong
Stay quiet and attentive during technical adjustments, even when you are not directly involved
Hold questions until a natural pause, rather than interrupting a live cue sequence
Acknowledge calls clearly when the stage manager addresses you directly
Reading your stage directions accurately before you arrive makes hitting your marks during cue to cue far smoother.
Pro Tip: Treat every stop as useful rehearsal time, not dead time. Watching how lighting and sound settle around your position teaches you as much as running the scene itself.
How long does a cue to cue take?
Duration depends entirely on how technical the show is. A straightforward play with a handful of lighting states might clear its cues in a couple of hours, while a musical with set changes, flying effects and radio microphones can easily fill an entire day, as the Toronto Metropolitan production handbook notes.
Sensible scheduling splits a long show into acts across separate sessions, builds in proper breaks for crew and performers, and only moves on to a full dress rehearsal once every cue has been checked and recorded. Our guide to different rehearsal types shows where cue to cue typically sits in a wider production timetable.
Common problems and how to troubleshoot them
Most cue to cue hiccups fall into a handful of predictable categories, and knowing the fix keeps momentum rather than stalling a session.
Headset or comms failure: switch to a backup channel or hand signals immediately, and flag the fault for repair at the next break
Timing drift between call and execution: adjust the warning and standby timing in the script margin rather than rushing the go
Mismatched cue numbers between departments: pause, reconcile the numbering on the spot, and update the prompt book before moving on
Recurring errors on the same cue: stop the run, record the correction clearly in the show book, and retest before continuing
The prompt book remains the single most reliable record through all of this, which is why accurate, inked entries after opening night matter so much for future performances.
How we run cue to cue with young performers at Ocean Theatre
Running a cue to cue with teenagers asks for a slightly different rhythm than a professional adult company might use. We pace ours with built-in breaks every forty-five minutes or so, because concentration dips faster when you are fourteen and standing still under hot lights waiting for a sound cue to settle.
We also train our deputy stage managers and trainees to treat the prompt book as a living document from day one, pencilling in every fix the moment it happens rather than trusting memory. Technical accuracy matters, but so does keeping the room supportive: we would rather stop, laugh off a missed mark, and reset calmly than let frustration creep into a learning environment. That balance, patience paired with precision, is what lets young performers grow in confidence while the technical side of a show gets genuinely solid.
— Andrew
FAQ
What does cue mean in theatre?
A cue is a signal, whether a line, an action or a technical call, that tells a performer or operator exactly when to do something next. It keeps every department moving in time with the story rather than guessing when to act.
What is the etymology of the word “cue”?
The word likely comes from a contraction of the Latin “quando”, meaning “when”, and its theatrical sense is attested from the mid-16th century, according to Etymonline. It has no connection to the unrelated word “queue”.
What is an example of a cue?
A lighting operator bringing up a sunrise state the moment an actor reaches a specific mark on stage is a classic cue. A sound effect of a door slamming timed to an actor’s exit is another common example.
What does the phrase “cued up” mean?
“Cued up” means something, a sound effect, a lighting state or a prop, is ready and loaded, waiting for its trigger. In rehearsal, it signals that an operator is prepared and watching for the standby call.
Sources
Join Ocean Theatre’s company and put your tech skills to work
Learning how a cue to cue works on paper is one thing, but nothing beats standing in a real theatre, headset on, waiting for your cue to land. Through The Company (14-19), young performers aged 14 to 19 across Berkshire train through two full-scale musical productions each year, with professional direction guiding every technical rehearsal from paper tech right through to opening night, and no entry audition standing in the way of joining.
If you would rather watch a cue to cue come together on a real stage before committing, our current production details sit on CRAZY FOR YOU, where you can see exactly how warning, standby and go calls shape a live show. For newcomers wanting a wider sense of theatre attendance and production roles first, the community theatre guide from ExperienceByLocals is a useful starting point. Whenever you are ready to find out more about training with us, our homepage has everything you need to enquire and get started.
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