THE COMEDY WORKFLOW / 03

Build the set.
Make it yours.

You know the material. Choose what fits this room, put it in an order that makes sense to you, and keep the list clear enough to use on stage. Red keeps your bits, their order, estimated length and cues close to the writing.

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Choose the material → build the order → keep the list useful

Choose the material

Start with this room and this spot.

A short club spot, a longer headline set and a show for a particular crowd can call for different choices from the same body of material. Start with the time available, what you know about the audience and what you want to do with the spot. Choose the bits that serve that show.

Keep your current purpose clear. You might want a familiar opener, a place for a newer bit or a run of material around one subject. That is a decision about the set you are building, rather than a verdict on every bit you leave out. The rest can stay available for another room.

In Red: the Material shelf

Review a bit and send it to Sets’ Material shelf when you want it available for set building. Choose material from there to build the set. Your writing and your set preparation stay close together.

Watch a set being built in Red

Build the order

Put related material in useful company.

Look for bits that share a subject, an attitude or a detail you can return to. Thinking of them as a group can help you decide what belongs next to what. Then look at the larger run: where do you want continuity, where does a change help, and what do you want to leave the audience with?

This is an editorial choice you make while planning. Try a few possible sequences, decide which serves the room and arrange the selected bits in that order. A bit can be strong on its own and still work better in another place in this set.

In Red: Sets

Choose your bits, change their order and watch the estimated length. Enter a bit’s length to help plan the run. You control the selection and sequence; the estimates help you see the time you are allowing for the material.

Leave room for the way the show actually runs. Pauses, audience responses and the way you tell a scene can change its length. A total is a planning aid, rather than a promise about the clock.

Keep it usable

Keep a setlist you can recognize at a glance.

When you keep more than one setlist, give each a name that tells you its purpose. A room, a date or a running time can be more useful than another “new set.” Return to the list you mean to work on and check the selection, order and estimated length before the show.

For stage cues, choose the few words that bring the next thought back. A title may do the job; another bit may need a particular image or opening phrase. Keep the cue specific enough to recognize without turning the list into another full draft.

In Red: setlists and Glance Mode

Keep setlists for the material you want to use, and return to the one you are building. Keep cues in Glance Mode so you have a set you can follow on stage.

After the show, decide whether the order still serves the material. You can change the next setlist without rewriting every bit. If a particular passage needs work, return to its draft or Board.

BEFORE YOU GO ON

Check the list you intend to use.

Confirm the opening bit, the material you mean to include and the place you want to finish. Look at the estimated total and make the cuts you need. Then check that the cues bring back the right thoughts. A useful setlist lets you keep your attention on the audience.

New ideas will still arrive between shows. Capture and organize them so they are ready when you choose the material for another set.

A few set-building choices

How can I group related bits?

Start by considering which bits belong beside one another: the subject, attitude or detail they share may suggest a sequence. That grouping is your planning decision. In Sets, select the bits and arrange them in the order you want.

Will the estimated length match the show exactly?

No. Use the lengths you enter to plan the set, and allow for pauses, audience responses and changes in delivery. An estimated total helps with selection; it cannot guarantee an exact running time.

Do I need AI to build a set?

No. Choose material, arrange the order and keep stage cues yourself. Creative AI is an optional choice in Red, separate from these manual set-building tools.

YOUR WRITING. YOUR CALL.

Bring the idea.
Keep it moving.

Red brings notes, drafts, Board work and sets into one comedy writing workspace. Use the manual tools yourself, with optional AI help when you want another opinion.