How to use the online alarm clock
Halfway through setting out the pantomime props, an 8:16 pm alarm gives you a clear point to stop, put down whatever you are carrying and switch to the next backstage job. There are 44 minutes before 9:00 pm, enough for a defined stretch of preparation without letting scenery, costume pieces or hand props absorb the rest of the evening.
Prop work can make an alarm easy to miss when your hands are busy and your attention is on the stage. Check where the sound will play before relying on it: connected headphones may receive the alert quietly while the room itself stays silent. Use a strong volume and place the alarm where its screen is visible from the working area. A browser alarm cannot alert you once its active page is gone or the phone has gone to sleep, so the pantomime setup could continue past 8:16 pm unless another reliable alert is also arranged.
During an evening setup, the surrounding noise may shift quickly as rehearsals finish, doors close and people begin clearing the auditorium. Choose an alarm sound that remains distinct from music cues and backstage chatter, then keep the phone away from fabric or prop boxes that can muffle it. By this hour, a visible screen signal can provide a useful second cue when the room is still lively.
Common questions
Can I change the sound?
Yes, there is a short list of tones to pick from before you press Start. Softer sounds are easy to sleep through, so a firmer bell tends to be the safer choice for anything early in the morning.
Will it still be right when the clocks change?
Yes. It reads your device's local clock, so the move between GMT and BST at the end of March and October is picked up automatically, as long as the computer's date, time and time zone are set correctly.
Can I use this on a phone?
It works in a mobile browser, but phones lock the screen and suspend background tabs far more readily than a laptop does, which can stop the alarm sounding. For anything important, a desktop or a plugged-in laptop is the steadier option.
Does the alarm still work if I close the tab?
No. Everything runs inside this page, so closing the tab — or quitting the browser altogether — ends the countdown there and then. Leaving it open in the background is all it asks, and switching to another tab makes no difference.
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