FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST FOR BOOKING PERFORMANCE EVENTS AT THE HAMILTON ARTS COLLECTIVE

This FAQ list was last updated August 25th, 2010, and may change at any time. All event organizers are expected to have read this by the time they send in a proposal.

WARNING: THIS IS REQUIRED READING! DO NOT SKIP IT!

THIS DOCUMENT IDENTIFIES SOME OF THE THINGS FOR WHICH YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE SHOULD YOU BE PERMITTED TO USE THE SPACE. IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH ANY OF THE POLICIES OUTLINED BELOW, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT A PROPOSAL.

OUR PROPOSAL PROCESS

STEP 1: YOUR PROPOSAL

STEP 2: REVIEW
Once the proposal has been received, you will receive an e-mail message informing you. In the next 3 to 5 business days, you may receive a question or two about concerns listed in your proposal. Please answer them quickly to speed up the approval process.

STEP 3: ACCEPTANCE
If your proposal is accepted, you will receive an e-mail informing you. The date(s) you requested will be reserved on our calendar. (We are first come, first serve on this, so get them in quickly!)
We require that you provide your deposit no later than (5) business days before your event. For each day of performance or presentation, $50 will be required up front (for example, a single night will require a $50 deposit; a three-day run of presentations will require $150 deposit). If we do not receive the deposit within that time, the dates will once again be open, and we will consider accepting additional proposals for those dates. The only exceptions to this rule include if your event is classified as multiple day engagement. These are priced on a case-by-case basis at our discretion.

The full listing of deposit rates for all events is as follows:
1. Regularly-scheduled, reoccurring entertainment event/presentation: $50/day
2. One-time or short-run event/presentation: $50/day (to be reimbursed that evening with our $50/50 rule…see below)
3. Rehearsal - dress/tech any presentation: $25/day
4. Class(es), workshop(s), or event(s) focusing on education: $25/day

STEP 4: PRESENTATION

THE "50%/$50 RULE."
Depending on your type of presentation, Step 4 may vary. The common denominator, however, will always be collection of the fees. For the most common type of presentations we host here, we've instituted the "$50/50% Rule." If you charge admission for your event, you will receive 100% of the first $50 collected. You will then receive 50% of the additional admissions take.

It sounds more complex than it really is...Essentially, once $50 is collected you are reimbursed for your initial deposit. All other money collected at the box office is split down the middle. (50% for the organizer, and 50% to the HAC) If your event does not bring in $50, then the deposit you made remains with the HAC, and you receive the money collected that evening.

MERCHANDISE and CONCESSIONS: You keep anything you make from merchandise and concessions. If you wish to sell things you should have someone available to sell things.

WE ARE NOT YOUR AGENT, nor are we the agents of anyone else you have participating in the event you've organized.

STEP 5: THE END...?
Once your final presentation is complete, and everything is loaded out, your obligation to the Hamilton Arts Collective will end. Your proposal and a record of the event will be kept on file for bookkeeping and documentation purposes.

Q: What are your operating hours?

A: At this time, we are accepting only Friday and Saturday evening event proposals. Normally, shows are loaded-in at 7 pm and we open to the public at 8 pm. Show typically operate until 12 am (with special exceptions made based on volunteer availability) and strike/load-out by 1 am. We are available to open earlier on Saturday, but typically no earlier than 12 pm.

Q: What's your capacity? How many people can you fit in there?

A: With our current seating configuration, we can seat 50 people comfortably in the proscenium fashion. However, we can move seats out for particular events (if you need dancing room, for example), move seats around in the space (if you present theatre-in-the-round, for example), or otherwise alter the seating arrangement to your preference. Consult with us at least a day beforehand so we can work something out for your event.

Q: So, how much are you paid to do all this? How do you make money?

A: Believe it or not, we all have day jobs. All folks staffing the HAC are doing so on their own time, as VOLUNTEERS, out of the goodness of their own hearts (including all board members and office-holders such as John, Carl and Steve, the two folks you'll see staffing events most frequently). Please be nice to the HAC staff.
As for making rent, we have reached agreements with artist organizations such as the Herring Run Artists Network and Baltimore Improv Group to make sure rent is paid. The money from your deposit, for example, goes to making sure the utility bills are still paid, and the lights and phone line stay on. Any extra money we acquire goes into the slow, steady process of upkeep, maintenance, and improvement of the interior of our very ancient building.

Q: A bunch of my friends and I want to do something at the HAC, and we all have different roles in the project. Can we all contact you about our different aspects of the event?

A: We all know just how daunting a task it can be to organize a staged reading, art show, music recital, or theatre performance. To minimize the chances of any confusion that can take place, we ask that there be a SINGLE PERSON to whom all questions, clarifications, or concerns should be directed.

Coordinating the event is your responsibility--not the HAC's--and the folks here already have a lot on their plate. Even if a friend or member of your production crew is a volunteer or board member of the HAC (and can end up passing info along via word-of-mouth), you will still need to choose a single person to communicate with us on all aspects of your event. This is extremely helpful for clarity and accountability.
We also prefer E-MAIL as a mode of contact. This creates a "virtual paper trail" that we can reference as needed to coordinate and accommodate your event.

Q: What sort of equipment can we use? What facilities are available?

A: We have one area for performance: our 2nd floor stage/performance area. A unisex bathroom is available in the hallway.

As far as specific equipment is concerned, we have:

A basic (8 stage, 3 house oriented) theatrical lighting setup adjustable from our light board booth and colored gels to provide a very basic color palette.

(The lights can usually be altered from their original positions (except when we have them positioned for a running production), and you are free to bring in gels for those lights, or lighting instruments of your own. There is NO GUARANTEE we can connect your lighting instruments to our light board, so be aware that they may need to be controlled some other way.)

A mono PA system with (4) microphone channels and (4) standard microphones. If you do not have your own amp, we can provide an adapter to plug in instruments (keyboards, guitars, etc.) through our sound system. (We have only (4) channels, however, so keep this in mind if you multiple instrumentation and vocals.) Also, we have several power strips and extension cable onstage for your equipment if needed.

A 5 disc CD player hooked into our PA primarily used to play house music during shows. Normally we play unassuming instrumental selections, with CDs from past HAC performers rotated in to provide atmosphere in between setups and downtime. If you wish to play music (we can support MP3, I-Pod, etc.) during your show or have specific audio cues for onstage performances, please indicate that in your proposal.

In addition to lights and sound, we also have a large 70’s still projector that can support images about 8 x 11.5, a digital office projector for film productions (with a DVD player), and a fairly reliable Halloween smoke machine.

Q: Is cigarette smoking permitted in your building? What's your drug and alcohol policy?

A: Smoking is not permitted in the main theatre area, in the lobby, in the bathrooms, in the main office, in the connecting hallways, in the stairwell, on the roof, on the fire escapes, or in the storage closet. PLEASE RESPECT OUR ART SPACE! If you are asked by a staff member or volunteer to move your lit cigarette to the outdoors, please don't cause a fuss; it’s the law.

Also, let’s make perfectly clear: ILLEGAL DRUGS ARE NOT PERMITTED AT THE HAMILTON ARTS COLLECTIVE.

Alcohol is BYOB: you must be 21; We will check.

If you are caught with illegal drugs, we'll kick you out--and you will not be welcome back. We will not be closed down because of someone else's irresponsible behavior. If an event organizer is caught doing these things, then the event will be closed immediately, no exceptions. The bottom line is: if you act stupid, then nobody wins. THIS IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE POLICY, AND THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS AND NO DEBATE. It is in your best interest to communicate this to fellow performers, attendees, or prospective attendees at your events, so as to not risk your event being prematurely shut down. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Q: What about promotions?

A: We do not have a street team; we are facility managers. Posters, flyers, radio spots, etc. are all up to you. However, we can do a few different things to help promote your event.

First, you will be listed on our website. Your event will automatically be listed on our website as an upcoming event, but if you submit a graphic (such as a poster design) within one week of your event, I'll post it on the website so it's one of the first things people will see when they visit www.hamiltonarts.org. You'll most likely end up sharing the front page with other events, if several are happening in the upcoming weeks.

We always have space in the HAC for display of flyers for events; there's a countertop just by the main entrance of the second floor, and a marquee outside. There are also several billboards in our lobby, just itching to have flyers pinned to them. Feel free to drop off flyers at the space, and we'll decorate our common areas with them.
For acts coming in from out-of-town, we understand that you can't just take a day trip to Charm City and post your flyers everywhere. In those cases, simply request that we help you out (the more in advance, the better!), and we'll do our best. In these sorts of cases, please furnish a flyer design (not necessarily the hard copies of the flyers themselves), and we may be able to print some out and post them elsewhere.

Q: What about a guest list?

A: Since you're the show organizer, then the guest list options are completely up to you. I've normally seen shows permitting one guest per performer; in the case of band shows, it's been one guest per member of the band. On the one hand, this is cool; it nearly guarantees more people coming to the space to see your event. However, it also means potentially less money in your pocket. Again: in the interest of artist freedom and choice, we leave the number of non-paying guests up to you. As said by some famous person not too long ago: "Her life is in your hands, Dude."

Q: Can we sell stuff at the HAC?

A: You can sell anything at the HAC during your event and keep the money for yourself, as long as it's legal to do so in Maryland and the United States. If there's a performance of some sort going on, the staff of the HAC reserves the right to sell concessions if we wish (all proceeds go to maintenance of the Hamilton Arts Collective).

Q: I want to have an event, but I don't think I have enough people to collect money at the door (or other things). What can I do?

A: Don't sweat it. I can also help drum up some volunteers (either members of the HAC, trained volunteers, or our close, trusted friends) to help with House Crew (including running the sound and light board), Door, and general space maintenance. Unfortunately, I can make no guarantees that I'll have all vacancies filled, but I'll do my best to make things work for you.

Q: Isn't this just a bunch of that fine print B.S. that serves to repress artistic expression/bring me down/compromise my vision/force me to be a slave to The Man/etc.?

A: Yes. If you don't like it, I'm sure there are plenty of ultra-flexible, extremely cooperative, dirt-cheap, non-profit art spaces here in Baltimore with which you may want to negotiate. Have fun. :)

THIS IS THE END OF THE HAC FAQ.