> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/control-your-show/branch-index.md).

# Control your show

Drive a live show from Captivate: cue and take graphics, edit values mid-show, fire shots from a layout, and operate from a Stream Deck, Bitfocus Companion, a phone, or a tablet.

This section is for the operator at runtime, the person at the keyboard or the control surface during the broadcast. It assumes the production is already configured: graphics designed, data wired, signal chain plumbed. The focus is the cue/take cycle: cue, take, update, recover. Where [Set up your production](/set-up-your-production/branch-index.md) is about configuration, this section is about performance. Open it when you’re prepping a show or in the moments before it goes live.

## Start here

* [Cue and take graphics](/control-your-show/chapter-index/cue-and-take-graphics.md) — use this when you want to learn the live show workflow: queue the next graphic, take it to air, take it off.
* [Live Values tab](/control-your-show/chapter-index/live-data-tab.md) — use this when you need to update text, scores, or names **while** a graphic is on air.
* [Creating shot layouts](/control-your-show/chapter-index-1/creating-shot-layouts.md) — use this when you want a touch-friendly grid of one-button shots rather than driving the Project List directly.
* [Stream Deck direct plugin](/control-your-show/chapter-index-3/stream-deck-direct-plugin.md) — use this when you want hardware buttons under your fingertips with the simplest possible setup.

## What’s in this section

* **Cue & take, live** — the cue/take cycle: cue and take, the Live Values tab, the Values Grid, animating updates from live data, instant search, operating a media sequence, instant replay during the show.
* **Shot Layouts & Shot Launcher** — touch-friendly shot grids, Shot Launcher mode, and the Recall Keypad for numeric recall.
* **Stream Deck** — the direct Elgato plugin, and how to choose between it and Companion.
* **Companion** — Bitfocus Companion setup, project-nav buttons, presets, multi-action stacks, remote operation, Companion via Stream Deck, and the Tables controller in Companion.
* **Dedicated Workflows** — operating Media Manager, Media Tracker, and People as live workflows.
* **Remote control & control surfaces** — phone and tablet remote, plus the supported control surfaces (Stream Deck direct plugin and Bitfocus Companion).

## Related sections

* To set up the signal chain feeding this show (inputs, Program Out, streaming), see [Set up your production](/set-up-your-production/branch-index.md).
* For an end-to-end playbook for a sport, worship service, or hybrid event that wires control surfaces into the rest of the production, see [Solution Recipes](/solution-recipes/branch-index.md).
* When a button stops firing, a Stream Deck won’t connect, or the show goes dark mid-cue, see [Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/branch-index.md). The **Hardware control troubles** and **Nothing on air** sections are the fastest paths back to a working show.


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