Director controls: running a live show

The director panel is your control room for the night. From one screen you can start and stop the timer, adjust time on the fly, push messages to every display in the room, and march the show through each performer until the final "Thank you." Every action takes effect live — the projector and backstage monitor update on their own within a second or two.

Opening the director panel

The director URL follows this pattern:

nextset.ca/<your-venue>/<event-slug>/director

For example: nextset.ca/the-marquee/fri-night-showcase/director

You must be signed in to the account that owns or staffs the event. Accounts that can open the director panel:

• The venue owner
• Anyone added as venue staff
• A sound engineer assigned to the specific event

If you see a "Forbidden" message after signing in, your account hasn't been given access to that event yet — ask the venue owner to add you as staff or assign you as the sound engineer.

Bookmark the director URL before show night so you're not hunting for it when things get busy.

The director panel at a glance

When the panel loads you'll see four main areas:

• Timer display — large countdown in the center; shows the current mode (Set, Changeover, Intermission, etc.)
• Show rundown — the list of performers and items; the active one is highlighted
• Quick messages — pre-set and custom messages you can push to screens
• Overlay controls — toggle sponsor or event graphics onto the projector

Starting the show

1. Make sure your rundown has at least one performer or item listed.
2. Click Start Set (or the equivalent button for your first rundown item). The timer begins counting down from that item's planned duration.
3. The projector flips to the live countdown automatically — nothing else to configure.

If your event uses a competition draw, click Start Draw Countdown first. A countdown runs, then the draw begins and performers are assigned their order. Once the draw finishes, proceed with Start Set.

Pausing and resuming

Click Pause at any point to freeze the clock. The display holds on the frozen time. Click Resume and the timer picks up exactly where it left off — the end time shifts forward to account for the pause, so the performer still gets their full remaining time.

Adding or subtracting time

Use the + and − buttons to adjust the running clock without restarting it. Each tap typically adds or removes one minute. Use this when a performer needs a bit more time or you need to claw back a few minutes to stay on schedule. The change applies instantly and the projector updates live.

Advancing to the next item

Click Next to move to the following item in your rundown. The timer immediately starts a fresh countdown for that item's planned length. The projector and backstage monitor flip to the new performer's name automatically.

If you need to skip ahead, find the item in the rundown and use Skip to — it jumps directly to that item and starts the correct timer for it.

Sending a message to the screens

The quick messages section lets you push text to your projectors and monitors in one tap.

Using a canned message:

1. Find the pre-set message you need ("WRAP IT UP", "30 SECONDS", "LAST CALL", etc.).
2. Click it. The message appears on the targeted screens immediately.

Sending a custom message:

1. Type your text in the message field.
2. Choose which screens to target: All, Main (front-of-house), Backstage, or Onstage.
3. Click Send.

Click Clear Message to remove it from all screens.

Messages update live on every connected display — there's no need to refresh the projector.

Toggling overlays

NextSet supports up to three overlay slots you can layer on top of the projector display — typically used for sponsor graphics or show branding. Each slot can be turned on and off independently with a single click from the director panel.

The overlay image for each slot is set up on the event before show night. During the show you just toggle them on or off as needed.

Ending the show

When the last item is done, click End Show. The projector switches to the Thank you screen, which counts up from zero so your audience can see how long you've been celebrating. The director panel stays active in case you need to send a final message or clear the displays.

Common problems

Commands not applying — the button does nothing or spins forever. You may have been signed out during the show. Refresh the director page and sign back in. Once you're signed in and your account has access to the event, commands will go through normally.

"Forbidden" error when you open the director panel. You're signed in, but your account hasn't been granted access to this specific event. Ask the venue owner to add you as venue staff or assign you as the sound engineer for this event. Owning a separate event at the same venue is not enough — access is per-event.

A message you sent isn't showing on a specific screen. Check which display type you targeted when you sent it. If you chose Backstage but you're looking at the Main projector, that screen won't show it. Resend the message with All selected to hit every display.

The projector is showing a different time from the director. A second or two of drift is normal during a reconnect and corrects itself. If the gap is large and doesn't close, reload the projector page — it re-syncs immediately on load and then stays live.

Timer ran out but the show isn't over. The timer shows the overage (counting up past zero) rather than stopping. This is intentional so you can see how much the act has run over. Click Next to move on or Add Time if you're intentionally extending them.