ZasCue

Guides › Schools and drama departments

A free QLab alternative for schools

For school plays, musicals, concerts and end-of-year shows run from Windows computers.

Short answer ZasCue is free for any use, schools included. It runs as a single file with nothing to install — or straight in the browser if the school’s PCs are locked down — and once the show is built, a student can run the whole thing from the spacebar.

Sound for a school production usually runs into the same three walls: the computers are Windows, there’s no budget for software, and the person running it might be a teacher or a student who has never done it before. QLab — the tool most theatres use — is ruled out on the first point alone: it only runs on a Mac, and its full features need a paid licence.

What a school actually needs

Free, with no adminNo purchase order, no licence keys, nothing to renew each year.
Nothing to installSchool PCs are usually locked down. Asking IT to install software takes weeks.
Simple on the nightA student with no technical background should be able to run it.
Reliable in front of an audienceNo cuts, no surprises, and a way out if something goes wrong.

How ZasCue fits

ZasCue for Windows is one portable file: download it and double-click, no installer. If your school blocks .exe files, the same app runs in Chrome or Edge from zascue.com with nothing to install at all. There’s no account, no sign-up and no ads, and shows are saved on the computer you build them on — so there’s no student data going anywhere.

Everything a school show needs is there: fades and crossfades, groups to fire several sounds at once, and titles and images on a second screen — the name of each act, or each performer at a concert — from the same cue list.

Build it in rehearsals, let a student run it

The trick is to do all the thinking before the performance. In rehearsals, a teacher (or the student) builds the cue list: every song and effect in order, with its fades. On the night, the student’s job is just this: watch the stage, and when the moment comes, press Space. The next cue is always highlighted, so it’s hard to get lost.

Tip for teachers: build the show once on your own laptop, save it (File → Save), and carry the project folder to the hall on a USB stick. The cue list and all the audio travel together.
Download ZasCue — free Use it in the browser

A good way to teach show sound

Because it’s free, runs in a browser and is simple to pick up, ZasCue works well in a drama or music class: students learn how a cue list, fades and a GO button actually work, on the same kind of tool professional theatres use — without the school paying for a licence or a Mac. It’s available in English and Spanish.

Coming from QLab on a Mac? ZasCue can open your QLab 4 shows, so the drama department’s existing work isn’t lost.

What it doesn’t do

ZasCue is sound plus images and titles. It doesn’t play video and doesn’t control stage lighting — for those you’d need a separate tool. For most school productions, that’s the part the sound desk doesn’t run anyway. See the full QLab vs ZasCue comparison.

Frequently asked questions

Is ZasCue really free for schools?
Yes. Free for any use, schools included — no licence, no account. Put it on as many computers as you like.
Does the school IT department need to install anything?
No. The Windows version is a single portable file. If .exe files are blocked, the browser version runs in Chrome or Edge with nothing to install.
Can students run the show?
Yes. Once it’s built in rehearsals, running it is one key: the spacebar fires the next cue. Lock editing so nothing changes by accident.
Does it collect any student data?
No. There’s no account and no sign-up, and shows are saved on the computer they’re made on.

More guides

QLab® is a registered trademark of Figure 53, LLC. ZasCue is not affiliated with or endorsed by Figure 53.