Guide for New Renters

[Randy Storms]

I worked a show last night that illustrated the need to better communicate with community groups who rent our facility. These are non-professional groups, sometimes putting together their first-ever public performance. The regular tech documents we provide are simply over their heads. In order to help ensure a successful show for everyone, I am hoping to put together a set of suggestions to help new renters avoid pitfalls.

For those of you on the facility side of things, what are some bits of (non-snarky) wisdom you wish every renter walked in the door knowing? What are some recurring problems you have with amateur groups? Checklists? Other ???

 

[Chris Rigby]

This is a fantastic idea! One of the biggest problems we have with outside companies is the policies regarding our fly system. Our TD runs a very tight ship regarding the fly system, and has very specific regulations about what can be done in certain circumstances. Often, we have companies come in who know we have a fly system, and want to use it. However, they aren't aware of the restrictions and policies surrounding the fly system. This often leads to misunderstandings, and can become a source of tension if not properly handled.

 

[sk8rsdad]

It's been discussed in quite a few threads, this one comes to mind. The trouble is there's not much that can be done via checklist. The let's put on a show crowd need a lot of hand holding. They don't have any frame of reference for the work involved.

My venue usually gets this from small dance studios. They aren't at all organized and their first visit usually begets a dozen more visits by various and sundry inexperienced individuals who get added to their production roster between first contact and load-in.

Mostly it requires setting expectations: everything takes time and effort. My spiel is usually some more gently phrased version of this:

That spontaneous extravaganza you saw on TV last night when the group of kids burst into song took weeks to plan, stage, and rehearse with a professional crew and probably a few dozen takes before they got enough usable footage to edit together. In the time you have booked I can easily give you X. Y takes more time. I can give you Y but I think it would be better to give that time to your performers rather than tech setup. Z is simply not possible given the time, budget, and local laws.

 

[peacefulone61]

At most venues I have worked in the past I required for theatre full ground plans and rough construction drawings to be part of the contract whether they have there own tech services or we were providing. For dance I had a selection of different types of looks on YouTube that defined terms using past performances in the space. First time groups were required to pay for three meeting to plan and agree on all tech elements

Also all contract had a TD master class that each group who was using the space had to put there whoever was there groups technical advisor through for our spaces.

This help control a lot of the fly by night groups.

 

[len]

If the amateurs are local, I think I would insist on a tech-focused site visit as well, so that you can walk them through the space and explain what is ok and what is not.

 

[Evans Poulos]

A problem with the small groups is that it never can occur to you some of the things that are not ok... For example, it never occurred to me to inform one storyteller group in advance that an open fire on our wood stage surrounded by black curtains was not ok. It simply never entered my mind that someone would try and do that...
Compiling The comprehensive list of 'not ok' requires a level of traumatic brain injury I have yet to attain.

 

[burgherandfries]

I'm putting together a similar document for my venue and any additional suggestions are appreciated. My mindset for this is that I have to put what we do in the simplest terms possible.

My problems usually come from choreographers acting as director/designer who don't have the tech vocabulary to talk to my crew. Instead of yelling "I need bright lights here!" I try to explain to them early on that it will be easier if they come in with an idea of the mood of each section of the performance. Whether they bring color, position or texture ideas is a bonus.

Other concepts in my sheet include:

• All audio tracks should be brought on ONE combined source in order
• All videos and projection images need to be submitted at least 48 hours before the event so they can be tested and put into a proper projection format
• The theater needs to be notified in advance of barefoot performance so the stage can be made barefoot-safe
• No loose glitter, confetti, paint, blood effects
• The cyc / bounce drop is not a wall, do not touch it

 

[SHCP]

In our venue, the rental must pay for our technicians to run the show. They can hire a lighting designer to design the show, but the board op is a student. If they want music and projections, that is another student who will setup and run Qlab with the files they supply. The only technician we do not provide is sound. The rental must provide thier own sound tech who can either use our in house board, or plug into our system with thier own equipment. I do not let any rental touch our lighting system. I am also hired by every show to act as TD and make sure they get what they need, and that they abide by our rules. Even with the long contract spelling out what they can and can't do, every event still shows up asking "Can we have this? or Do you have that?". The good thing is that often you build a relationship with your renters, and it gets easier to help them put on a better show each year.

 

[dthomas32308]

A problem with the small groups is that it never can occur to you some of the things that are not ok... For example, it never occurred to me to inform one storyteller group in advance that an open fire on our wood stage surrounded by black curtains was not ok. It simply never entered my mind that someone would try and do that...
Compiling The comprehensive list of 'not ok' requires a level of traumatic brain injury I have yet to attain.

It's amazing the common sense things of what not to do is instantly erased because they are in a theater and it should be able to facilitate everything.

 

[len]

A problem with the small groups is that it never can occur to you some of the things that are not ok... For example, it never occurred to me to inform one storyteller group in advance that an open fire on our wood stage surrounded by black curtains was not ok. It simply never entered my mind that someone would try and do that...
Compiling The comprehensive list of 'not ok' requires a level of traumatic brain injury I have yet to attain.

As the saying goes, if you can make something idiot proof, someone will invent a bigger idiot. You'll never be able to cover everything, but if you lay out a "here's a bunch of stuff you can't do" list and cap it repeatedly with "there's other things you can't do but your best bet is always to ask before doing things." The key, IMO, is to make sure they understand that you're in charge, but that you're willing to work with them.

 

[Colin]

I like seeing what other venues are distributing for written house rules. Here are mine, always a work in progress.

Right now I manage facilities controlled by an academic department (to which I belong) and only occasionally rented, in a leave-no-trace sort of way, so not necessarily reasonable for a dedicated rental venue. These rules have grown over the years almost entirely from lessons learned during rentals by the main recurring client, a community theatre group that always needs a lot of supervision and education. They're very good about complying, but with their high turnover, low level of training, and everyone-pitch-in culture, it is necessary to anticipate the most ridiculous scenarios imaginable and be very specific about dos and don'ts. Plus, since my first priority is protecting the venue and modeling what I teach, rather than satisfying rental clients, there is no pressure on me to satisfy the renter first and protect equipment and safety second. In the past when I did the same thing for a rental house, the house rules went into less detail because we had more house staff on hand to coordinate rentals (including a minimum crew call for every renter occupancy) and the facility was just bigger and better set up to accommodate. Also we saw way less scenery there, which simplifies things (although lots of local dance schools wanting to jump on the silk aerials bandwagon sort of canceled that out). Plus expendables and general wear and tear were built into our fees, eliminating quite a few items in my current document.

My list is long, but I haven't had much trouble with people not reading it through. I try to strike a balance between stating the basics in plain language, and detailing with more technical language and code references (full texts of which, I let them know, are available online for free). So far, it seems like this helps instill in the renters a more professional attitude, and an understanding that my rules aren't unreasonable, arbitrary nitpicking. I also reach out to make myself very available for explanations and advice, short of becoming their TD.

Renters get the house rules document along with their rental contract, and I gather the entire group on their first day in the venue to point out the most important items (mostly fire/egress, and places they aren't allowed to go). Contact info for me, campus security, Fire Marshal and Building Inspector are included at the top of the page (omitted in the attached).

 

[AsherSB]

The best way to keep your venue safe is to require staff on site. Not only do you have control of what happens, but the renters (Particularly the "Let's do a show" groups) feel more comfortable knowing experts are there to take care of them.

 

[Colin]

The best way to keep your venue safe is to require staff on site. Not only do you have control of what happens, but the renters (Particularly the "Let's do a show" groups) feel more comfortable knowing experts are there to take care of them.

Staff on hand is a necessity, but there are lots of understaffed venues out there, which actually happen to be especially attractive to the most problematic of the "let's do a show" folks because the fees are low and the facilities lack adequate supervision ("hassle"). My experience has been that those people don't want experts on hand except to fix a non-functional system and then "get out of the way". While having house rules in print doesn't make it okay to saddle the custodian or PE teacher or whomever with supervising and supporting the whole venue (or just handing over the keys and leaving) it is at least something, and something that does not require the nonstarter of ongoing payroll and expertise. An expert can produce the document for the venue, orient whatever staff there is, and go away. Not ideal or adequate we would probably agree, but better than nothing when faced with realities of inadequate staffing.

Then you get to the next level of venue staffed by a full or part time TD, plus a bunch of overhires who are only pushing things off trucks when they aren't learning/pretending to be authorities at their second job. Here the issue is not a mere lack of staff. Are those staff thoroughly trained to handle all imaginable contingencies with grace as well as knowledge, and is the client on the same page, or will you the boss get a dozen calls on your day off from your staff and client, each complaining about the other's lack of preparation and bedside manner, or will you have to go in to handhold through resolution of a rudimentary rule or code violation that nobody else is clear on? Or do you actually have a clear and nearly complete list of rules, expectations and procedures confirmed with everyone in advance that gives everyone involved that control and comfort we're after? How about when the insurance company comes to investigate an accident and all you have to say for yourself is "we had plenty of staff on site"? Similar idea as written plans for fall protection and rescue, terms and conditions for any consumer service, or a return policy printed on the back of a retail receipt. Put it in writing and give everyone fair notice and a chance to learn and comply without a confrontation. Then your staff can be facilitators more than surprise enforcers, and everyone is happier.

Advance notice with a text as backup is the most important thing when you have, say, a hundred dance moms descending on your venue at once with various outlandish schemes, each one the most important thing ever in world history. It cuts down lots of problems before they start, and it empowers your staff to handle whatever does come up. No need to "speak to a supervisor" when it is already in writing, and confident staff are less inclined to get defensive and take the wrong tone with a client. I chose to get out of this wing of the business, but when I was in it this was the difference between getting the Hyde or the Jekyll in any given client, and either a peaceful day off or a dozen phone calls and a visit to the venue to put out a fire (not literal, hopefully).

 

[Evans Poulos]

I would love to hear the story behind the inclusion of the 'sober' requirement! Lol

 

[Colin]

I would love to hear the story behind the inclusion of the 'sober' requirement! Lol

It is a pretty standard concert rider inclusion, as in "Buyer shall provide 4 sober hands at load in". Plus I've had to call security to escort local renters' crew off premises after finding them drinking in the wings during a show. Typical local renter's crew in my locale at least is a bunch of off-duty building contractors who haven't not opened an adult beverage by 5:05pm since they were 17. They're only there because their wives own the dance studio, etc. They're usually nice people who just aren't thinking about consequences. Pros do it too though, and really have no excuse.

 

[Evans Poulos]

I see. Totally different demographic by me. I have to exclude things like confetti cannons.
I'm still trying to find a way to phrase an exclusion that might prevent my staff finding random clothing in the drop ceiling of our space. There have been three instances so far and all have managed to avoid capture by the security cameras. Lol.

 

[dpak]

Thank you Colin, for posting your rules. I will use quite a few of them to create a document for groups that rent out our auditorium.