If you've ever worked in a theatre, you know the importance of having a reliable communication between teams, including the performers. I have always needed a simple way to communicate timecode and countdowns to the performers onstage. I have tried many different solutions, but none of them were quite right. I wanted something that was simple, OSC controllable, and cross-platform. That's why I created Stagecon.
Stagecon is an open-source app that provides a standalone stage-facing display that can be controlled via OSC commands sent from QLab or any other OSC-enabled software. It is cross-platform and built on Flutter.
The app offers a range of features that are customizable to suit the needs of each production. Users can create multiple timers, name them, and specify their duration in milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, or days. The app also includes stopwatch functionality, as well as the ability to display stage messages and overlays over the timers.
One of the main requirements that I had was that it needs to be freestanding without the need to be listening to updates from an OSC controller or connected via a wire. QLab has the ability to create timers and display them but it requires a screen that is directly connected to QLab and I wanted something a little more flexible. I ended up using it recently at a dance competition I ran lighting and sound for. Having the flexibility to put the computer anywhere (including backstage in the wings) made the show run a lot smoother.
The app was built using Dart, making it compatible with multiple platforms. The iOS and macOS builds are currently available on TestFlight, with the other platforms expected to be released soon. Once released, the app is free to download from the it's website, but the app store versions will be paid.
Why the name?
Back in high school I created something similar but required an active internet connection to Firebase in order to work. Needless to say, the internet went out and we resorted back to using coms. But it was also called Stagecon so I figured I'd reuse the name.
Version 2 is in the works and will be released soon. It will include a lot of new features and a new design. Stay tuned for more info.
Links
This project is developed under HassellHaus LLC.
This project is not affiliated with QLab or Figure 53. QLab is a registered trademark of Figure 53.
Hero and thumbnail background photo by Jorik Kleen on Unsplash