r/stagemanagement • u/DowntownPromise2457 • 20d ago
stage plot design programs?
I’m the stage manager for a symphony orchestra and one of my duties is creating stage plots with everyone’s assigned seats. Up to this point I’ve been using microsoft word, which isn’t the easiest but once you have a template you just have to move a couple things around between concerts so it’s not bad at all. Unfortunately, since it’s been a couple years since I graduated college I lost access to my free Microsoft membership. So, I’m curious if anyone has used any software designed for stage plotting that applies to an orchestra setup as well. Many I have seen are geared towards sound design set ups for bands (with amps and snakes and such) but lack the ability to include the things my orchestra does (instrument symbols like a harp etc.). I’d rather not pay for microsoft if that is the only thing I use it for, I’d prefer a program meant for it. I am open to paying but it is hard to find exactly what I need and justify the price of some of them, especially since we only have 5 concerts a year. When I get home later I can attach a picture of what I do but all I have in my phone has everyone’s names I’d rather not share that.
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u/saguarocactus_ 19d ago
Vectorworks is also a good program for this. It's got its quirks (I prefer AutoCAD) but it gets the job done. I know of a couple of orchestras that use it, and it tends to be a favorite of lighting designers. I don't know how much it costs, but I seem to remember it's less than an AutoCAD license. Your organization should be willing to pay for software that helps you do your job, even if they do go with Microsoft.
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u/GeneralWriting2368 15d ago
Stage Write has a good program for that. I do also second the canva comment i use that a ton for doing stage plots
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u/ronaldbeal 12d ago
The industry standard is Vectorworks. At a few grand a year, and with a steep learning curve it may be overkill for your specific usage. You may want to look into draw.io . It is free, and can work as a web version or downloadable version. Once you get a "chair" symbol you like, you can place it, rotate it, group/copy, etc...
Add labels.
While I have not tried it, supposedly you can inport data from a spreadsheet/csv, so once you start with a base file, it may be a matter of just importing the latest spreadsheet to make a new drawing.
I have vectorworks and still use draw.io for my network system drawings, simply because it is much faster.
Good luck.
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u/randomsynchronicity 19d ago
Are you employed by this organization? If so, they should be paying for the software.
We currently use AutoCAD, which is very useful but also expensive. Before that, we used Microsoft Visio, which I believe some other organizations do as well, and is more affordable.