Workflow Notes

8 reasons I use numbers instead of letters for cue lists

Here’s something I think about whenever I’m hunched over a tech table, eyeballs glazed from too much headset chatter: letters are chaos gremlins. Numbers are tidy, lovable, beautifully divisible little lanterns illuminating the road from dry tech to opening night. So in the spirit of earnestness, here are eight reasons my cue sheets are numeric forever.

1. Page numbers and cue numbers can be soulmates. If every cue from 160 to 169 fires on page 16, I can locate fade cues faster than I can find that roll of spike tape. No elaborate spreadsheets, no forensic script digging—just look at the hundreds place and boom, you’re on the right page.
2. Decimals are diplomatic. Need to slide something between 17 and 18? “Cue 17.5” is a polite, Swiss-neutral compromise. “Cue Q-and-a-half” sounds like a séance or an algebra problem, neither of which should happen at 10:42 p.m. in a dark theater. Okay, maybe the séance would be kind of cool...
3. Stage managers never have to say “double.” Letters force people to say “Cue double-you” or “Cue double-A,” which is basically an incantation for misfires. Numbers let everyone speak in clean syllables: seventeen, forty-three, two-oh-nine. No doubles, no confusion, just progress.
4. The NATO phonetic alphabet already told us letters are chaos. There’s a reason pilots say “Bravo” instead of “B.” On headset, B, D, E, P, and T all sound like they’re cosplaying each other. Numbers? Crystal clear. Try misunderstanding “cue one-six-eight-go.” I dare you.
5. Math actually helps storytelling. Numbered cues let you block out scenes like chapters. If Act Two is the 300 series, I know at a glance when we’re approaching the big reveal. It’s like arranging mixtapes: the track order matters, and numbers make it obvious what’s next.
6. Digit order doubles as priority tagging. I can reserve the 99900s for emergency backups or special effects, leaving 010–099 for preshow and House to Stage cues. Try doing that with letters unless you really want to label your pyro sequence “cue aardvark.”
7. Notes become shorthand poetry. “Delay 167.2 to 167.4” is instant clarity for sound ops and SM teams. “Delay Q to Q prime” just burns calories we don’t have. Numbers keep the log tiny and the intention loud.
8. Digital tools love integers. Software searches, MIDI triggers, OSC commands—everything is friendlier when cues are numbers. Sorting alphanumerically puts Cue AA after Cue Z, which is a logic rant I don’t have time for in the ten minutes before half-hour.

So yeah: numbers all the way down. They’re snappy, divisible, headset-friendly, and they turn cue sheets into treasure maps instead of crossword puzzles. May all your 167.5s be just the right amount of drama.