Advance Sheet and Night-Of Runsheet Templates

The week-of advance, the minute-by-minute runsheet, and the post-show wrap — the paperwork that makes a show run itself.

A well-run show looks effortless from the floor because the work was done before the doors opened. This appendix gives you the three documents that carry a show from the week before to the morning after: the advance sheet you complete in the days ahead (times, people, tech, hospitality, marketing), the night-of runsheet that puts the evening on a minute-by-minute schedule, and the post-show documentation checklist that captures what happened and what to fix. Together they turn a show from an improvisation into a routine — the production discipline of Chapters 24 and 25, made into paperwork.

Fill in the fields like [this] and the blank lines as you advance the show. Adapt freely: a recurring weekly night may need only a light version, while a featured show or showcase (Chapters 8 and 10) earns the full treatment. The point is not the form; it’s that nothing important gets left to memory on a busy night.

⚠ HOW TO USE Complete the advance sheet in the days before the show, print the runsheet for the night and put it in the hands of whoever’s running the show, and work the post-show checklist before you leave or the next morning. A separate clean, fillable version of all three (no cross-references) is available as its own file. These are operational planning aids, not legal or financial documents.

1. The Week-Of Advance Sheet

Complete in the days before the show. One per show. (Ch. 23, 24, 25)

Show Basics

• Show/night name:

• Date:

• Day owner / show runner: (Ch. 22)

• Artist(s)/act(s):

• Artist contact (day-of cell):

• Agreement signed and on file: (Appendix B)

Key Times

Item Time Notes Crew call / staff in ____ ____ Artist load-in ____ ____ Soundcheck ____ ____ Doors ____ ____ Support / opener set ____ ____ Headline set ____ ____ Curfew / last call ____ ____ Out / load-out done ____ ____

Personnel

• Sound engineer: (Ch. 24)

• Door staff: (Ch. 27)

• Bar staff: (Ch. 22)

• Security:

• Host / MC: (Ch. 19)

• Content capture: (Ch. 26)

Technical

• Backline provided by venue: (Appendix F)

• Artist’s tech needs / input list / stage plot received: (Ch. 24)

• Special production (lights, fog, extra PA, etc.): (Ch. 25)

• Power / stage / layout notes:

Hospitality

• Green room / artist space: (Ch. 23)

• Drinks / drink tickets:

• Food / meals:

• Parking / load-in access:

• Guest list / comps:

Marketing

• Promotion status (what’s gone out): (Ch. 28; Appendix D)

• Tickets sold / projected draw:

• Day-of posts planned: (Ch. 32)

• Capture plan (who shoots what): (Ch. 26)

• Press / photographer attending: (Ch. 31)

Money

• Pay model and amount owed: (Ch. 17, 35)

• Cover charge: $

• Payment method / who pays out / when:

2. The Night-Of Runsheet

Print this and hand it to the show runner. Fill in real clock times in the left column. (Ch. 19, 25)

Show: [name] — Date: [date] — Show runner: [name]

Time What happens Who Done ____ Crew arrives, room check, power on Show runner ____ Sound system on, line check Engineer ____ Artist load-in, stage set Engineer / artist ____ Soundcheck Engineer ____ Stage reset, room final check, bar ready Show runner ____ Doors open, music on, door staff set Door / bar ____ Host welcome / announcements Host ____ Opener set Host / engineer ____ Changeover Engineer ____ Headline set Host / engineer ____ Set break / between-set music Show runner ____ Encore / set ends Engineer ____ Last call / closing announcements Host / bar ____ Artist payout Show runner ____ Load-out Artist / engineer ____ Room secured, cash counted, lights out Show runner

⚠ NOTE Build between-set music, the changeover plan, and bar-coordination timing into the runsheet rather than leaving them to chance — those transitions are where a show’s energy is won or lost (Ch. 25).

3. The Post-Show Documentation Checklist

Work this before you leave, or first thing the next morning, while it’s fresh. (Ch. 26, 35, 38)

Money and Numbers

❑ Door count and cover revenue recorded (Ch. 27, 35)

❑ Bar sales for the night recorded (Ch. 35)

❑ Artist paid; payment documented (Ch. 17; Appendix B)

❑ Other expenses logged (sound, security, etc.)

❑ Attendance noted against projection (Ch. 29)

Content and Press

❑ Captured photos/video collected and backed up (Ch. 26)

❑ Best clips flagged for posting (Ch. 32)

❑ Any press/coverage noted and saved (Ch. 31)

❑ Thank-you / follow-up to artist sent (Ch. 23)

Operations and Lessons

❑ What worked / what didn’t, noted while fresh (Ch. 38)

❑ Any equipment issues or repairs needed flagged (Ch. 24; Appendix F)

❑ Any incidents (safety, conduct) documented (Ch. 22, 37)

❑ Staff debrief points captured (Ch. 22)

❑ Follow-ups assigned with an owner (Ch. 22)

For Next Time

❑ Rebook conversation, if warranted (Ch. 23)

❑ Adjustments for the next instance of this night noted (Ch. 34, 38)

❑ Advance sheet filed for reference (this appendix)

⚠ NOTE Over time, your filed advance sheets and post-show notes become a record of what works at your room — the raw material for the honest diagnosis of Chapter 38 and the economic reading of Chapter 35. The paperwork isn’t bureaucracy; it’s institutional memory.

⚠ HAVE YOUR ATTORNEY REVIEW THIS Where these documents touch money, payroll, incidents, or safety, the underlying obligations are real — see Appendix H and consult your CPA, attorney, or insurer as appropriate. These are operational templates, not legal, tax, or financial advice.