Most playbill templates are a Word or Canva file somebody made for last year's show: text boxes that jump when the cast list gets longer, a sponsor ad that won't stay in its corner, and a page order that only makes sense once you've folded it wrong twice. The template below is different — it's a form. You type the show's details, the layout takes care of itself, the booklet grows pages as you add content, and the download is a PDF already imposed for your printer.

What goes in a playbill

Whether it's a school musical, a community theatre run, a choir concert or an awards night, almost every program carries the same parts, and the template has a place for each:

• Cover — who presents what: the school or company, the show title and credits line, cover art or the poster, dates, venue and director.
• Welcome note — a few sentences from the director or principal, signed.
• Running order — acts and scenes, musical numbers, or recital routines, with subheadings for Act One, Intermission and Act Two, and a detail line for who performs.
• Cast — role on the left, performer on the right, joined by a dotted leader. Long names are never cut off. An ensemble or chorus line lists everyone else.
• Production team — director, music director, choreographer, stage manager, lighting, costumes, set.
• Who's who — short bios for leads and seniors. They flow onto as many pages as they need.
• Sponsors and ads — tiers of sponsor names, then the ad artwork businesses sent you as full-, half- or quarter-page ads.
• Back cover — special thanks, what's coming next, the website, and a QR code.

A booklet that grows: 4, 8, 12, 16 pages

A playbill is a saddle-stitched booklet: half-letter (5.5 × 8.5 in) or A5 pages, printed two to a side on landscape Letter or A4 sheets, folded in half and stapled on the fold. That construction means the page count is always a multiple of four — a single folded sheet is a 4-page program, two sheets make 8, three make 12, four make 16. The template counts for you: as the cast list and bios grow, pages are added, and whatever is left over before the back cover becomes an autograph page (a school-show classic) or stays blank. If your printer quoted a fixed size, set a minimum of 8, 12 or 16 pages and the booklet is padded to match.

The print file is built for double-sided printing at actual size. Because printers disagree about which edge they flip on, the maker includes a one-sheet calibration test: print it once, answer one question, and every future program comes out the right way up.

Three designs, one form

Marquee is a bold sans-serif with a dark title band and a gold accent — the look of a theatre program. Classic is a centred serif with spaced small-caps headings and a double rule, for concerts and community theatre. Recital is a lighter serif with a soft plum accent, for dance and music schools. Switch between them at any point; the content stays.

Nothing is uploaded

A school program is full of children's names, and sponsor artwork was sent to you in confidence. The template runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere, there is no account, and the only copies that ever exist are the PDFs you download. The trade-off is that the next production starts from a fresh form; most people keep the standing details — crew credits, sponsor tiers, the thank-you list — in a note and paste them in.

And the digital playbill

Alongside the print booklet you get a second PDF: the same playbill as single pages, for phones. Host it online with a permanent link and the QR code on the poster and tickets never has to change. See a digital playbill with a QR code.