Department · 04 · p.52
Stage plot archive — power positions, drawn at scale.
A stage plot is the venue’s geometry with the show’s fixtures, motors, audio, and power positions overlaid. Our copy of the plot annotates the power positions: FOH, USL, DSR, motor distros, follow-spot booths, the audio iso bus. Three sample plots from the current cycle below; the rest in the bound issue at the bay.
Sample plot 1 — Andrew Jackson Hall, proscenium with apron
From PRD-2026-055 at TPAC. Apron + proscenium with the FOH console position marked, the dimmer-rack room offstage, and the follow-spot booths in the upper gallery.
Sample plot 2 — Bridgestone Arena, in-the-round 360
From PRD-2026-058. Country-tour configuration with an in-the-round stage and a hanging audio rig over a 360-degree seating bowl.
Sample plot 3 — CMA Fest Riverfront, Stage 1
From PRD-2026-053. Outdoor day-stage with a paralleled DCA-150 generator bank behind it, Cam-Lok feeder under cable ramps, and a public-access apron in front of the stage.
How a plot becomes a cable manifest
A plot starts as a Vectorworks file from the lighting designer or the production designer. We import the file into our shop drafting tool (we use Bluebeam Revu for markup), trace the venue’s power positions, overlay the equipment, count the circuits, and emit a cable manifest. The manifest is the document that the truck loads against; we print two paper copies, one for the truck cab and one for the bay binder.
Every plot in the archive has gone through this cycle. The plot is the source of truth at advance; the cable manifest is the source of truth on the deck; the daily-log book is the source of truth after the show. The three documents reconcile at strike — any discrepancy is annotated, written into the back of the binder, and reviewed at the end-of-cycle debrief.
References & further reading
- Vectorworks Spotlight — industry-standard entertainment design CAD
- Bluebeam Revu — markup tool used in shop drafting
- TPAC — Andrew Jackson Hall venue specs
- Bridgestone Arena — production specifications
- CMA Fest — production guidelines
- USITT — drafting standards for theatre production
- ESTA — graphic standards committee
- IATSE — local 46 (Nashville stage hands)
- Stage plot — Wikipedia
- MA Lighting grandMA3 — plot & cue interchange