Forge Production Manual (updated March 2017)
Your primary contact is General Productions.
Forge Theatre
House phone 610-935-9951 |
Forge Theatre
Reservation line 610-935-1920 |
There are separate addenda at the end of this document for:
A) Switches and Controls – lights, heat, etc.
B) Guidelines for adults working with youth
C) Duties of Board members
D) Using tax exempt vendors
E) Miscellaneous –
A) Switches and Controls – lights, heat, etc.
B) Guidelines for adults working with youth
C) Duties of Board members
D) Using tax exempt vendors
E) Miscellaneous –
- Yard maintenance
- Snow removal
- Red emergency packet
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Audition Protocols
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Rehearsal Protocols
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Safety
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Housekeeping
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Finances
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- Attend the meeting called by the general productions chairperson to select audition and rehearsal dates and set the calendar for theatre use.
- Obtain rehearsal materials in advance from the general productions chairperson.
- Provide audition and casting information to the secretary, webmaster, and publicity chairperson.
- Auditions must be open to the public with all roles open.
- Explain membership and parking policies at auditions and at the first rehearsals.
- Promptly and courteously contact all who have auditioned, whether or not they have been cast.
- Obtain theatre keys and key code from the general productions chairperson.
- Rehearsals must be over and the theatre empty before midnight.
- Participants using rented materials will be charged for the non-return or abuse of those materials.
- Rehearsals are not open to the public.
- Keep the theatre clean – you are sharing it with other productions.
- When leaving the theatre - lock the doors, turn out all lights, and restore the thermostat settings if you changed them.
- All emergency exit signs must be clearly visible and in working order.
- Seating must have safety edging on the sides and back and safety rails where needed on steps.
- All steps or platform edges used as steps, need to be glow-taped or edged in white.
- Platforms must be evenly shimmed to avoid tripping.
- There must be totally unobstructed exits, at least four feet in width, to and through the lobby and to and through the rear fire exit door to the alley.
- The use of potentially hazardous special effects (i.e. pyrotechnics, strobes, fog, etc.) needs to be approved and inspected by the technical chairperson. Forge Theatre complies with the state law prohibiting smoke producing devices. These also may set off smoke detectors.
- There is a First-aid kit in the box office for minor injuries.
- If supplies are low, contact the hospitality chairperson.
- Parts of the lobby used for orchestra or backstage need to be neatly masked.
- The hospitality table is not to be used for props or otherwise.
- The current production must keep the lobby, bathrooms, stairs and all public areas clean, uncluttered, and welcoming for our patrons. Shows in rehearsal need to do their part to help.
- Budgets are now a part of the play proposal process and are approved on a show-by-show basis.
- Budget increases require board approval in advance no later than two weeks before opening.
- Cash advances (limited to 50% of the budget) require board approval.
- Certain items, like cost of constructing new flats for general theatre use, do not come out of a show’s budget and need to be submitted separately.
- Concerning our tax exempt status and procedures, see addendum D.
- Receipts for reimbursement go through the producer, who must sign them before submitting them to the treasurer.
- No one participating in Forge activities is to be paid and show budgets cannot be used to subsidize memberships.
- Bills for dry-cleaning of costumes will be charged to the show budget.
- Costume and set pieces may be purchased – prices to be determined by the board’s evaluating each individual request – funds are credited against that shows budget.
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Seating
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Public Information & Publicity
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Common Courtesies
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Set/Strike
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Technical & Maintenance
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- The set/seating design plan must have a minimum of 83 seats.
- The seating plan must allow for handicapped seating & accessibility.
- Coordinate a plan for seating late-comers and the handicapped with the stage manager.
- Inform reservations at least four weeks before opening of your seating capacity.
- No seat can be more than 8 seats from an aisle (fire code).
- There are no comp tickets without board approval.
- There is a “no saving seats” policy on performance nights.
- There are signs in the box office to designate seats for late comers.
- Seats are held until five minutes before curtain at which time they may be resold (except for pre-purchases).
- There must be a live or taped curtain speech (posters not acceptable) including reminders about upcoming shows/auditions, no parking on First Ave., cellphones and other devices off, no food/drink in the auditorium, and no video recording or photographing the performance.
- Any use of special effects (i.e. strobes, pyrotechnics, fog, etc.) also needs to be included in the curtain speech since some people are sensitive to these stimuli.
- Only board-approved program inserts (i.e. voting ballots, fund raising info, special productions, etc.) are allowed.
- Contact the secretary in a timely fashion to submit program info and cast pictures for the lobby flat screen. Include legally required info like “Produced in special arrangement with….”
- No dedications are allowed in the program, lobby, or curtain speech without board approval except as part of a personal bio.
- Contact the publicity chairperson in a timely fashion to coordinate publicity releases for auditions, show openings and cast photos (costumed) for public release.
- The box office and hospitality table may not be used for production purposes.
- Nothing is ever to be placed on the piano.
- The coat rack at the top of the stairs is for audience use on show nights.
- On show nights, the theatre must be open at least 75 minutes before curtain, and the seating area must be open a minimum of 45 minutes before curtain.
- The theatre must be vacated quietly before midnight on all occasions.
- The first Friday after a show closes, the theatre must be presentable for special events (guest performances, meetings, etc.). Both incoming/outgoing shows should share this responsibility
- The green room refrigerator needs to be kept free of spoiled food.
- All furniture, props, and costumes must be cleared to the lobby at strike, and within two weeks, stored neatly in house or borrowed items returned to their rightful owners in good condition.
- The staging area, bathrooms, green room, and lobby must be clean for the next show.
- All construction supplies are to be neatly organized in the garage.
- Red chairs are to be stacked at the ends of the seating platforms or, if the next show is changing seating, they are to be stacked in the lobby..
- Production staffs need to coordinate to facilitate transitions from show to show– especially important is large cast shows helping smaller cast shows at either end of their set/strike.
- All rented musical supplies must be returned immediately to general productions chairperson for prompt return to the publishing/leasing houses.
- The outgoing show changes the box office letter board and the front lawn marquee.
- Floors and walls may be painted, but walls must be returned to black by the outgoing show.
- All nails and screws are to be removed from wood for everyone’s safety.
- No changes are to be made to the theater’s permanent structure. Flats and platforms may not be permanently altered or painted with textured paint or permanently affixed wallpaper.
- Storage of flats, platforms, and lights is the job of the incoming show.
- For maintenance issues (i.e. heat, roof, and plumbing) contact the maintenance chairperson.
- For technical issues (i.e. light board isn’t working) contact the technical chairperson.
- Need keys to the building or the building code? Contact the general productions chairperson.
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Emergency closures
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Membership
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Parking
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Reservations
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- Cancellation of a performance is determined by the producer/director conferring with the president.
- The producer/director are responsible for contacting their cast and staff.
- The president will immediately contact the reservations person and the board.
- Reservations and board members will respectively call patrons, notify staff assigned to box office, hospitality, snow removal, and immediately post to Sparks and all social media.
- The cancellation of rehearsals is solely at the discretion of the director/producer and it is their job to contact their cast and staff.
- The cancellation of auditions is solely at the discretion of the director/producer and it is their job to notify the secretary and, if applicable, the publicity chairperson to post on our website and all media outlets available.
- All cast and crew must become members of Forge - $35 adults, $18 juniors (18 and under).
- Membership forms should be filled out for each new member of Forge. They are located on the desk in the box office in the red folder. Completed forms are to be put in the membership chairperson’s mailbox at the bottom of the stairs near the microwave.
- Those joining for the last production have two options:
- Partial membership which can be purchased at prorated cost with access to the last show of the current season.
- Full membership with full access to both the last show of the current season and the entire line up of the upcoming season.
- Partial membership which can be purchased at prorated cost with access to the last show of the current season.
- Those current members who renew before Sept. 1 pay a discounted fee of $30.
- Memberships are for a single person for a single season and are not transferable. The exception is if a member’s involvement in a show precludes him/her from having an audience seat; they may then use their membership as a member comp.
- Non members with specific skills may be recruited to fill positions (i.e. orchestra). They are not required to join but are entitled to two comp seats – a token of our appreciation.
- Cast and crew are not to park on First Avenue in front of a residence.
- The parking placard that comes with a pre-purchased ticket must be placed outside for each performance.
- Especially on show nights, members are to park at the lot at Washington/Main.
- Reservations are available for each production on the day the previous production closes.
- Reservations are available at 610-935-1920 or online here.
Addenda
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Addendum A
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Addendum B
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Addendum C
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Addendum D
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Addendum E
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Light Switches by Front Door, Lobby, Box Office and Costume Loft – Heat and AC
By Front Door
By Front Door
Top left switch
Top right switch Bottom left switch White Switch (right of above) Black Switch Top of stairs - two switches Box office light Switch for rehearsal lights Costume loft and stairs Costume loft lights |
Motion -sensor light – always leave on
Light in lobby by upstairs bathroom-turn off before start of show – cannot be controlled from booth Light sconces on front porch – cannot be controlled from booth Sign in front and light along walkway Theatre and lobby lights – when on can be overridden by dimmers in booth Track lighting in lobby (has dimmers) Facing lobby – on your left In box office on wall in wood box Lights for stairs to costume loft. - left of door to the loft Top of stairs to the left. |
Garage – on column to right of back door
Switch closest to door
Switch on front of column Switch on far fight of column Switch by furnace room |
Lights in garage
Outside lights in back - motion (can be over ridden by switching twice rapidly) and light sensor (cannot override) Boiler room and lumber storage area Furnace room light |
Green Room
Green Room
Dressing Rooms men & women (curtained room on the right) Makeup Tables* |
Bottom of stairs on wall in the room (right of doorway)
Men’s dressing room Controlled separately – green room lights must be on |
Temperature Control (Heat and Air Conditioning)
Thermostat
*Good for 4 hours than defaults to original setting. *When switching between heat and AC Use SYSTEM button under drop-down cover. Ceiling Fans *Knob is exhaust fan for costume loft. Green Room Air Conditioner |
Outside wall of box office – to override system use
Side-by-side switches in box office. Controlled on window unit – difficult to reach |
Guidelines for adults working with children/youth
All adults working with children/youth must obtain PA child abuse and police clearance. They are available on line and are free to volunteers. As an adult working with children/youth, I will:
What to do if an accident happens
All adults working with children/youth must obtain PA child abuse and police clearance. They are available on line and are free to volunteers. As an adult working with children/youth, I will:
- Treat everyone with respect, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity, consideration.
- Use positive reinforcement rather than criticism, competition, or comparison.
- Act as a role model of good and appropriate behavior.
- Report suspected abuse (including but not limited to physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect) to appropriate agency.
- Ensure that whenever practicable the persons who are normally responsible for the children are present during activities and that there is more than one adult present.
- Bear in mind that someone else might misinterpret my actions, no matter how well intentioned.
- Smoke or use tobacco products in the presence of, or provide these products to, children and/or youth.
- Use, possess, or be under the influence of alcohol at any time while volunteering, and will not make alcohol available to anyone under the age of 21.
- Use, possess, or be under the influence of illegal drugs at any time, and will not make illegal drugs available to children and/or youth.
- Pose any serious health risk to children and/or youth (i.e. contagious illnesses).
- Strike, spank, shake, or slap children and/or youth.
- Humiliate, ridicule, threaten, or degrade children and/or youth.
- Touch a child and/or youth in a sexual or other inappropriate manner.
- Use profanity in the presence of children and/or youth.
- Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
- Allow bullying of one child by another to go unchecked.
What to do if an accident happens
- With children it can be hard to tell whether they have been injured or whether an injury is serious. If you have any doubt about this, you should err on the side of caution and contact emergency services.
- If a child needs a doctor or hospital, call 911.
- Unless there is good reason, First Aid should not be administered without the permission of the child's parent, teacher or accompanying adult. A child cannot give consent. However, if a child is alone and unconscious the situation should be dealt with.
- Always tell the child exactly what you are doing and why.
- Always ask the child if they use medication or if they have any allergies.
- You may not offer any medication, including antiseptics or pills of any kind.
- Any treatment should be as little as necessary without threatening the child's well-being.
Board positions
President: Responsible for overseeing the Board and presiding at meetings.
First Vice-President: Responsible for Forge’s award system and banquet.
Second Vice-President: Responsible for all “special” shows and fund raising activities.
Secretary: Responsible for Sparks, minutes of all meetings, and doing or delegating:
General Productions: Responsible for getting performance rights, scripts, and the play selection committee. Responsible to each production for keys and as the board liaison.
General Membership: Responsible for either doing or delegating:
Publicity Chair: Responsible for publicity including press releases, flyers, programs, internet postings, etc.
Building Maintenance: Responsible for maintenance of Forge’s facilities and grounds - especially HVAC issues.
Hospitality Chair: Responsible for maintaining a hospitality staff and providing refreshments. Responsible for keeping paper products and soda stocked.
President: Responsible for overseeing the Board and presiding at meetings.
First Vice-President: Responsible for Forge’s award system and banquet.
Second Vice-President: Responsible for all “special” shows and fund raising activities.
Secretary: Responsible for Sparks, minutes of all meetings, and doing or delegating:
- Historian: Responsible for maintaining Forge's history by collecting and organizing press clippings, reviews, programs, etc.
- Webmaster: Responsible for maintaining Forge’s website @ forgetheatre.org.
General Productions: Responsible for getting performance rights, scripts, and the play selection committee. Responsible to each production for keys and as the board liaison.
General Membership: Responsible for either doing or delegating:
- Membership Chair: Responsible for maintaining a membership list.
- Reservations Chair: Responsible for maintaining Forge’s reservation line.
- Responsible for providing reservation lists to the box office.
- Responsible for coordinating with on-line reservations.
- Responsible for providing reservation lists to the box office.
- Box Office Chair: Responsible for maintaining a box office staff. Responsible for a box office analysis of attendance.
Publicity Chair: Responsible for publicity including press releases, flyers, programs, internet postings, etc.
Building Maintenance: Responsible for maintenance of Forge’s facilities and grounds - especially HVAC issues.
Hospitality Chair: Responsible for maintaining a hospitality staff and providing refreshments. Responsible for keeping paper products and soda stocked.
Tax-Exempt Vendors for Production Expenses
Charge Accounts – Expenses billed to theater on request, no PA sales tax.
Interested in other vendors? The Treasurer can help with account info and tax exemption forms.
Charge Accounts – Expenses billed to theater on request, no PA sales tax.
- Tague Lumber. Will deliver. Good quality but more expensive than home centers.
- Sherwin-Williams, Phoenixville store only. Also on automatic discount program.
- Home Depot, any PA location. Ask for tax exemption at checkout, give phone number 610-935-1920. (If two entries come up, tell cashier to use the second one.)
- Lowe’s, any PA location. Ask for tax exemption at checkout, give phone number 610-935-1920.
Interested in other vendors? The Treasurer can help with account info and tax exemption forms.
Miscellaneous
Yard Maintenance
Yard Maintenance
- If you have yard maintenance concerns either for aesthetic or safety (leaves) reasons – please contact the maintenance chairperson.
- If you have snow removal concerns for rehearsals or performances – please contact the maintenance chairperson.
- A red emergency packet is kept in the box office desk.
- It will focus on, but not be limited to problems with heat, AC, credit card reader, and lighting.
- It will include step-by-step procedures on how to address various issues.
- Best board contacts are maintenance (heat – air), tech (lights), membership (credit card reader).