What is StageText
StageText is a free desktop app for displaying subtitles (surtitles) at live performances such as plays and musicals. It runs on macOS and Windows, imports a PDF script, lets you edit it cue by cue, and sends the result to an external display in Show Mode.
At a glance
| Category | Subtitle / surtitle playback app for live performance |
| Current version | 1.6.0 |
| Platforms | macOS 12.0 or later, Windows 10 or later (64-bit) |
| Price | Free, supported by donations |
| File format | .stxt |
| Made by | Pinballz (solo developer) |
| Download | stagetext.app/en/download |
Who it is for
StageText is built for assistant directors and stage managers who run subtitles at small and mid-size theatres, students handling subtitles for a school play or musical for the first time, and operators of foreign-language productions with translated surtitles or accessible performances with captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences. People who have been building show subtitles in PowerPoint pick it up fastest.
What it does
- Import Scripts — Import a PDF script and StageText recognizes which character’s lines they are and drafts the subtitles.
- Bulk Apply Track Styles — Set font, size, color, and position on a track and every subtitle in that track updates at once.
- Customize Line Formats and Prefixes — Fine-tune styles by character and type, and set prefixes such as character names.
- Automatic Word-Based Line Breaks — Lines wrap by word for readable subtitles.
- Multi-Track Support — Place dialogue, sound effects, and translation subtitles in separate positions on screen.
What it is not
- Not a video subtitle (SRT) editor. It is a live playback tool where an operator advances cues during the show.
- Not live speech recognition. It displays a script prepared in advance, in order.
- Not a full show-control system like QLab. It does one thing: subtitles.
Glossary
- Project — All subtitles for one production, saved as a single .stxt file.
- Track — A group of subtitles by type: dialogue, translation, sound effects. Each track has its own screen position and default style.
- Cue — One screen of subtitles shown each time the operator advances.
- Line — One line of text inside a cue. Each line can have its own style and prefix per speaker.
- Edit Mode — The screen where you import the script and edit cues and styles.
- Show Mode — The dedicated output window that sends subtitles to an external display during the show. Supports blackout.
- .stxt — The StageText project file extension.
Pricing
All features are currently free. Core features including PDF import will stay free, and student and free performances will remain free. Some advanced features such as multi-display and NDI output may become paid in the future. Development is sustained by donations.