Set length

The duration of a performance segment.

How it works in practice

Each kind of act has a length that suits it, and pushing past that length rarely helps. A stage act that runs too long loses the room. A strolling act booked for too short a window reaches only a fraction of the guests. When you book, you are really buying the right length placed at the right time.

Set length is also contractual. Performers quote by duration and often by the span of time they must be on site. A 30-minute stage set might involve two hours on site for load-in, sound check and reset. Know which number the quote refers to.

Worked numbers

These are typical working ranges in our experience, not fixed rules. Close-up magician pricing in the GTA for two hours runs a typical range, 2026, of $600 to $1,500.

How to handle it

1. Work backward from the program. How many minutes are actually free between courses, speeches and the ask?
2. Book the act for that window, with a short and a long version agreed in advance.
3. Write the start time, the set length and the call time into the contract separately.
4. Ask the MC to hold time cues: a visible signal at five minutes and one minute remaining.
5. Plan the breaks. A band playing two 45-minute sets needs music during the gap, or the floor empties.

Questions to ask

• What is the shortest version of the set that still works?
• What is the overtime rate, in 30-minute blocks?
• How much reset time does the act need between sets?

For longer evenings, the entertainment hours planner maps sets against the program. See also strolling act and headliner.