The Show Kit

The timer

1. 1

   Open Timer. It is a big red digital clock on a black screen. Pick 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 minutes (or Custom, such as 7:30), or switch to Stopwatch. Tap the digits, press Space or press Start to begin and pause. The controls at the bottom fade away while it runs and come back when you tap, move the mouse or press a key. Keys: Space starts or pauses, R resets, up and down add or remove a minute, F is full screen.

2. 2

   The colour is red unless you choose amber, green or white (the sliders button; we keep the choice on that phone). With “Change colour as time runs out” on, a countdown goes amber in the last minute and flashes red in the last 10 seconds. If your device is set to reduce motion, it changes colour without flashing.

3. 3

   Lock stops a tap in your pocket from changing anything: hold the button for a second to unlock. The timer keeps running while it is locked.

4. 4

   We ask the phone to keep the screen on while the timer runs. If it cannot, a note says so and gives the steps: set Auto-Lock (iPhone) or Screen timeout (Android) to the longest for the show. The buzz near the end works on Android only.

Suggestions by type

1. 1

   Press a type (location, relationship, occupation, object, emotion, genre, era, first line, play title or word) and a suggestion of that type shows, big, in the middle. Press it again for another. On a keyboard, 1 to 0 pick the types and Space gives another of the same.

2. 2

   “No repeats this session” shows each one once; “Family-friendly” (on by default) leaves out the grown-up ones. Full screen shows the suggestion as big as it goes, to hold up to the audience: tap anywhere for another.

The live box

1. 1

   Open Live and tap “Open the box”. Only a signed-in person can open one. Show the QR code, full screen on your phone or on a projector: the audience scans it and types a suggestion on their own phone. They need no account, no app and no name.

2. 2

   You see what comes in, merged and counted (“film noir” and “Film Noir” are one, ×4), and it updates by itself every few seconds. Tap a row to pick it, tap the eye to hide it for everyone, “Mix in 3” adds made-up ones, “Pick one for us” chooses for you.

3. 3

   “Open screen” is the big-screen view: the picked word huge, or the QR code with the leaders while people are still sending. Each phone can send up to 1, 3 or 5 (your choice), and we filter slurs out before you see anything.

4. 4

   A box closes 6 hours after you open it, or when you tap Close box, and we then delete what was sent. We never ask the audience for a name.

Running order

1. 1

   Pick tonight’s show on the Show Kit home page and the running order loads from its lineup: who is on, for how long, and when. Or make a set list by hand for a rehearsal or a jam: add acts, games and breaks with a length. Signed in, a set list is kept with you or with your group; an organiser edits the group’s.

2. 2

   Tap Next and the timer loads the next item’s length and waits. Tap Start when the lights go down.

Playlist of links

1. 1

   A playlist is four lists, Walk-in, Interval, Walk-out and Stings, kept with you or your group. Paste a link to a song from Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, YouTube Music, Deezer, Tidal or SoundCloud, name it, and say which list it belongs to. Everyone in the group can add songs, and you see who added each.

2. 2

   The kit does not play music. “Open in Spotify” (or the service the link is from) opens the song in that app, and you come back and tap Next for the next one. We store the link, never the song, and we show no embedded players.

3. 3

   You can remove your own songs, and organisers can remove any.

Share a playlist as a QR code

1. 1

   Under the lists, “Add a shared playlist”: paste the link of a shared playlist (Spotify, YouTube Music, YouTube, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal or a SoundCloud set) and, if you like, a caption such as “Add your walk-in song!”. We show it as a big QR code on your phone and on the big screen.

2. 2

   On Spotify, “Invite collaborators” makes a link other people can add songs with: paste that one and anyone who scans the code can add to the playlist in Spotify. We keep only the link and the caption and never open the playlist.

Good to know

What it doesn't do yet

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