Production Responsibilities

From FootWiki

Listed below are the various responsibilities and expectations of your production team. In the chain of command for your production, the producer is at the top, with three main responsibilities: assembling a qualified staff, organizing and supervising personnel, and maintaining the budget.

Beginning with our new season, we are increasing the responsibilities of the board liaison. The board liaison is appointed for each show to facilitate communication between the BOD and the various show staff, and to provide guidance, information and support. According to Footlite’s bylaws, the board liaison has the final authority on all disagreements between director and producer and has the full backing of the BOD. The board liaison will check in on the status of these production responsibilities.

Assembling a Staff

In consultation with the director, the producer assembles personnel with the skills needed to direct and perform the functions required for that production. A complete staff list including producer, director, stage manager, music director (or vocal director/conductor), costume designer, choreographer, lighting designer, sound designer, technical director and properties is due with the original show proposal. The producer and director should meet as soon as possible to fill any holes in the production staff.

We encourage you to find assistants for these positions, preferably persons with an interest in the position who would benefit from supervised experience.

The producer must submit to the vice president a production staff list including all contact information for approval by the BOD. The BOD must approve your staff list before auditions. Please communicate any further changes in staff to the vice president.

Organizing and Supervising Personnel

A production staff meeting should be called as early as possible after the staff has been formed to introduce all members, outline each member's areas of responsibility and to set major milestones. At this meeting, the director should provide an overview of his/her concept of the show, what he/she wants to accomplish artistically, and, in general terms, how the artistic goals will be accomplished.

It is the producer's responsibility to assure that all members of the production staff work effectively together. Should conflicts develop, it is the producer's responsibility to facilitate resolution, or if resolution is not possible, to replace the conflicting personnel. Such problems and resolution plans should be communicated to the board liaison and/or the BOD as early as possible.

Similarly, it is the producer's responsibility to assure that all members of the production staff are accomplishing their objectives in a timely fashion. If a staff member is not accomplishing his/her responsibilities or meeting deadlines, it is the producer's responsibility to determine why, outline a remedial plan or replace the delinquent individual.

The producer calls staff meetings, as needed, to assure all aspects of the production are proceeding on time, resolve any problems that develop and review the financial position of the show.

The producer passes out key codes as supplied by the facilities manager to staff members.

Creating and Maintaining a Budget

It is Footlite's goal to have each production be financially self-supporting, and this finally appears to be attainable. In the past, we have taken a very simplistic approach to budgets: each production may spend $5,000 on the variable production costs defined below. Should you need a budget larger than that, it will need to be presented during show selection, approved by the board, and additional fundraising will be expected.

The treasurer will provide the production team with as much information about the income and expense items that may be reasonably estimated, and we then ask each team to develop an operating budget for its show. Please give as much detail as you can about your requests. The proposed budgets will be reviewed to determine if the theater can support the season as proposed. Keep in mind we are a not-for-profit organization, and we must all be frugal.

The producer is responsible for informing all staff of their budget restrictions.

Income Sources

  • Ticket Sales: The treasurer will provide statistics of the anticipated sales for the show.
  • Donations/Grants: The Development Committee solicits grants for the youth shows. Each producer is encouraged to solicit grants for his/her production, but please coordinate with the Development Committee so we do not alienate our grantors or derail a plan for a larger need.
  • Sponsorships
  • Program Advertising
  • Sale of Merchandise: See below. You may need to seek BOD approval to sell merchandise.
  • Raffles

Expenses

Semi-Fixed Production Costs

These are required expenses for your production. The producer can occasionally influence their costs.

Variable Production Costs

These are the costs that are almost entirely controlled by the production team.

  • Costumes, Hair, Makeup
  • Promotion Expense: We record the expense of items sold to the cast or patrons here.
  • Sound and Lighting
  • Publicity: Publicity expenses above and beyond the things done by Footlite for every production.
  • Set Construction
  • Other
Administrative Costs

These are items that must be taken into consideration when computing the true cost of a show. We cannot launch a production without them.

  • Credit Card Fees
  • Facility Overhead: The basic cost of opening the doors to the building: utilities, insurance, telephone, rent, etc. The cost of a year is then allocated to each production based on the number of seats available for sale during the run. For main stage productions this is currently around $9,000 per show.

A preliminary budget must be submitted at the beginning of the season. The Treasurer will contact you to begin working on this.

Reimbursement Procedure

TBA.

Sales Tax

Footlite Musicals is exempt from paying Indiana sales tax. All staff and individuals who purchase goods subject to Indiana sales tax should be instructed to present a copy of our sales tax exemption letter or number at the point of purchase. These forms, along with details for tax-exempt purchases at many common vendors are posted in the Board Room. Sales tax will not be reimbursed to the staff person or individual.

Auditions and Casting

Preparing For Auditions

Audition dates and times must not conflict with performances, rehearsals, or other Footlite activities. Please start by consulting the Master Calendar for available dates and times, and then seek approval from the Executive Committee.

It is advised that you select two consecutive dates for auditions be selected, with a possible third for call-backs, if desired. The Producer finds volunteers to help at auditions.

Please compile your audition notice and send to the Publicity Manager for editing. In the interest of consistency, we ask that you release only the proofed notice we return to you. Notices should be ready to distribute no less than 4 weeks before auditions.

Audition notices are sent out to Footlite's email database. Anyone who would like to receive audition notices can go to our website and enter their email address in the box at the lower left-hand corner. On the next screen they'll be able to select "Audition Notices". The Marketing Committee will place audition notices on Facebook, Indiana Auditions, Facebook's StageQuest Networking group, and will release the information to area newspapers. (This is of course no guarantee they'll be printed.) If you would like a Facebook event created for auditions, please ask the Internet Manager.

Template:Tip

According to Footlite’s Bylaws and Encore rules, auditions will be open to all members of the corporation and to the general public. Footlite does not pre-cast anyone in any role for our main stage productions.

Holding Auditions

The Producer, along with other staff members, are responsible for set-up and tear-down of items used for auditions (tables, piano and bench, etc.). A black box containing audition supplies is in the Board Room, but you should verify it contains everything you need.

We do not have a standard audition form, so please prepare one with the information you require. Everyone auditioning must sign Footlite's Release and Waiver of Liability form. It's available on Template:Dropbox.

Casting

Please indicate at auditions whether you'll be calling everyone who auditions, or just those who were cast. Different directors handle this differently, so your audition pool may have different expectations.

Casting shall be determined by the Director with the assistance of the production staff.

Directors are encouraged to run your cast list by the Board Liaison before beginning phone calls. They may be able to let you know about past problems Footlite has had with certain individuals that you may not otherwise be aware of.

After auditions, please provide the Volunteer Coordinator with a typed list of email address for everyone who came to auditions, whether they were cast or not. When finished with your audition forms, give these to the Volunteer Coordinator as well. Please indicate on each form if someone was cast or not.

Once your show is cast, provide the Internet Manager a complete cast list for posting online. If you make any cast or staff changes along the way, make sure those changes are shared with them.

Please provide the Volunteer Coordinator and Vice President a copy of your contact sheet when it is complete.

Scripts

The Treasurer orders scripts for your production. It is the Producer's responsibility to distribute scripts, keep track of who has which script, collect deposits (when we don't own a script) and return the scripts after the production.

Different licensing houses handle script delivery differently.

  • Music Theatre International (MTI) shipments require a signature, so the package must be sent to the home of someone who can sign for it, or who will go to the FedEx center to pick up. Scripts are barcoded and the packing list includes these barcode numbers. Use this list to keep track of your scripts.
  • Tams-Witmark scripts show up with no notice--no signature required. They are usually hand numbered.
  • Rodgers and Hammerstein No signature is required. They are usually hand numbered.
  • Samuel French Some scripts we own (usually librettos) and some must be returned (usually orchestrations), but every show is different. No signature is required.
  • Dramatists Play Service Some scripts we own (usually librettos) and some must be returned (usually orchestrations), but every show is different. No signature is required.
  • Theatrical Rights Worldwide We own all copies. No return required.

Scripts normally arrive in two separate boxes. Be sure to keep the box and all packing lists, as it will be needed for the return. Check the scripts and notify the Treasurer in writing immediately of any damaged or marked up scripts.

For scripts that must be returned, collect a deposit from the volunteers (in the form of a check made out to Footlite Musicals) which will be returned upon return of the book. Typical replacement costs for librettos are $25, and $65 for orchestrations.

Meet and Greet

The first rehearsal is usually used to

  • Introduce all staff and cast
  • Provide an overview of the artistic direction and goals
  • Establish expectations of the cast in regard to rehearsals
  • Go over the Code of Conduct
  • Issue scripts, collect and record security deposit, keep a list of who has what script
  • Distribute staff and cast lists
  • Go over safety information and take a tour of the facility
  • Read through the script

New this season, the Board Liaison will attend the Meet and Greet to welcome your cast to Footlite, and go over a few Footlite policies and expectations that may be unknown to people new to our theatre. They will also make sure a safety tour of the facility takes place, including the location of all exits, fire extinguishers and the fire blanket. They will discuss the Code of Conduct and methods for resolving any conflicts that may arise.

As soon as your rehearsal schedule is set, please send a copy to the Volunteer Coordinator for posting on the Master Calendar. Please indicate if rehearsals are at the Hedback Theatre or in the Annex. Consult the calendar when setting your schedule to make sure you aren't conflicting with any functions of the current production. If you make major changes to your schedule with advance notice, such as canceling or adding a rehearsal day, please share this information with the Volunteer Coordinator so the calendar may be updated.

Please invite your cast to join Footlite's Volunteer Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/532687970078841/.

Costuming

A detailed list of the duties and responsibilities of the Costume Designer may be found in the Costume Designer section of the Staff Positions and Responsibilities document.

When you are ready to begin pulling costumes, contact the Costume Committee chairperson so they may help you locate items. Maps are available on Template:Dropbox that will help guide you, but some things do get “hidden” in the organization.

Because Footlite has had problems with costumes disappearing, the keys and door code that you will be given are not to be shared with anyone on the production team for any reason. Please do not leave any closets or rooms unlocked or open when you are not here. Before leaving, make sure all areas are secure and all lights are turned out.

At this time, Footlite does not provide sewing machines for your use. You will need to use your own machine for construction.

Costume Ownership and Alterations

All costumes built for a production at Footlite Musicals are the property of Footlite when the supplies used to make them have been paid for by the theater. Any other arrangements or agreements must be presented to the Producer and approved by the BOD.

Distressing of costumes from stock or dying must be cleared with a member of the Costume Committee before it occurs.

Alterations (hems, waists, darts, etc.) are allowed on pieces from our stock. If an alteration will permanently change the appearance or integrity of the piece, please clear this with a member of the Costume Committee first.

Rentals, Loans and Budgets

Rental or borrowing of costumes from other theaters and costume companies must be pre-approved by the Producer. A copy of the rental or loan agreement must be given to the Producer at the time of rental or loan. For loans, if there is no written agreement supplied by the loaning parties, copy and use the Footlite agreement. It is available on Template:Dropbox.

You are not allowed to loan or rent any pieces from Footlite stock. Refer these requests to the Costume Committee. Likewise, you are not allowed to check in returns from a rental or loan unless pre-arranged by a member of the Costume Committee.

It is the Costume Designer's responsibility to maintain their budgeted funds. They are responsible for turning in any receipts to the Producer for reimbursement. Any additional needed funds should be discussed with the Producer ahead of time.

As Costume Designer, you represent Footlite Musicals when dealing with the cast, staff, and those you are borrowing, purchasing, or soliciting services from. Please help represent us in a professional and courteous manner.

During The Production

The two racks in the Green Room, and the racks in the dressing rooms are for your use during the production. Occasionally we have rentals or other events in the theater which require the dressing rooms to be empty. The Producer will inform you if this is to be an issue.

If you have a cast member provide a costume piece, please have them leave it at the theatre for the duration of the production. These pieces should be treated just as any other costumes in the show, including proper cleaning.

Footlite has a washer and dryer for your use throughout the rehearsal and run of the show. These are located adjacent to the restroom at the rear of the men's dressing room. It is the Costume Designer's responsibility to launder the costumes and clean wigs weekly or as required.

Costume Strike

It is the Costume Designer's responsibility to return all costumes borrowed or rented at the end of the production. They are responsible for all terms of the agreement, such as dry-cleaning, laundering, etc. When cleaning of costumes is part of the agreement, be sure to figure those costs into the costume budget.

The Costume Designer is responsible for cleaning, laundering and repairing any costumes used by the production before putting them back into stock. Return all items to the appropriate closet, rack or cabinet. The racks should be emptied within one week of the show closing. All cleaning and repair should be completed within two weeks.

Costumes built for your show which become part of Footlite stock should be placed in the appropriate place after the show ends. A member of the Costume Committee will be happy to help you. Please do not leave costumes for others to put away.

Return all costume keys to the Producer as soon as you have finished your costuming responsibilities, including restocking of dry-cleaned items. This should be done within two weeks of the show closing.

Cleaning

Footlite uses Curley’s Cleaners on North Illinois for all of our dry-cleaning needs. We have an account and they will bill us. When turning in items for cleaning, provide the following to them: your name and phone number, show name, state that it is for Footlite, a list of items being cleaned, and a pick-up date.

Theatre Maintenance

The Producer is responsible for maintaining a safe and clean environment in the theater.

The Producer should stress to all staff, cast, and technical personnel that the building be kept clean, trash disposed of properly, and all corridors and access routes be kept open. The Producer should inform everyone that their help in throwing away trash properly (including drink bottles) is appreciated. We are all volunteers, so everyone is required to help clean up.

Rest room paper towels, toilet paper, and soap are stored in the closet by the board room. The vacuum cleaners, brooms and dustpans are also stored there, as well as garbage/trash bags. When bags are full, deposit them in the dumpster at the southeast corner of the side yard. Trash not disposed of properly encourages rodents and insects. Please keep Footlite clean.

The lobby, house and restrooms are cleaned professionally each week of a production. During hell week, it is important the cast stays out of the lobby in the days between cleaning and opening night.

Program Advertising

In addition to sponsorships, we can accept program ads, but we no longer "sell" ad space outside of sponsorships. Please coordinate with Development Committee (development@footlite.org) if you would like to purchase an ad. Please contact the Treasurer for advertisers to be invoiced. Typically we want the money before the program goes to print, so set your advertising deadlines accordingly.

Trading Ads for Services

When giving ad space for goods or services, it's important the value of the donation be equal to or greater than the value of the free ad space, and that the donation is not something we are used to getting for free anyway. Please consult with the Treasurer and Development Committee before promising any free ad space.

Sponsorships

Footlite encourages the production team to sell show sponsorships. It's important, however, that the team first consult with the Development Committee so everyone knows who's asking who for money.

Our current sponsorship packages and pricing are on our website under the Support Us section. We encourage teams to fine-tune a sponsorship to make it more appealing to the organization, but only after consultation with the Treasurer. We must be careful we aren't giving away too much for free.

It is the responsibility of the Producer to make sure everything promised in a sponsorship is delivered. Contact the Treasurer for invoicing and to coordinate other details. Contact the Box Office Manager to coordinate free tickets. It is imperative people expecting free tickets don't show up to uninformed Box Office staff.

Publicity

Properly publicizing a show is extremely important in attracting an audience, and it's worth noting that Footlite does not yet have a dedicated staff handling this. Many of these responsibilities fall on the Producer.

Artwork and Logos

When available, your show logo is the official logo provided by the licensing house. Otherwise, it is designed at the beginning of our season as part of our season brochure. You must use this logo and only this logo.

New this year, every production will have poster and postcard artwork designed. The production will need to pay for any prints of these items you need. Upon request, this artwork can be modified into additional formats such as Facebook graphics. If you'd like to modify or expand upon your poster, please contact the Marketing Committee.

These resources are available for download on Template:Dropbox. If you wish to order prints of any item, please contact the Marketing Committee. We may have a preferred printing vendor for you to use.

Email Blasts

The Internet Manager typically sends email blasts the week before you open, and once every week during the run of the show. Any special events or extra news relevant to the public about your production should be sent in as early as possible for inclusion in these emails.

Facebook

Your cast should be instructed at the Meet and Greet not to make Facebook events for the show. This will be done by the Internet Manager about a month before the show opens.

Footlite will do regular Facebook posts regarding your show in the weeks leading up to opening, but we highly encourage you to think about other ways we can promote the show on Facebook and to share those ideas with the Internet Manager. With only general information about your show and possibly a few photos, we can only do so much to promote it. However, we must strike a balance between your production doing things on your own, and us doing things through official channels, for the sake of consistency and reaching the broadest possible audience.

Footlite now discourages the practice of creating separate fan pages for shows unless there is a compelling reason to do so (for example, a production that by its very nature will have a large amount of promotional material.) It's difficult to attract visitors to a brand new page, many of the items end up getting double-posted between the fan page and Footlite's regular Facebook page, and those people are then disconnected once the show ends. Please contact the Marketing Committee if you're still interested. The better solution is to make members of the production staff hosts for the Facebook event, where people can more easily be invited, and attendees can be kept up-to-date on show activities.

Your cast should be reminded early and often to promote the show to their friends.

Press Releases

Footlite's Publicity Manager will send out information about your show to area papers, but it's a good idea to touch base so that nothing is forgotten or overlooked. If you choose to do extra marketing for your show, please coordinate your efforts with the Publicity Manager so nothing is duplicated.

Publicity Photos

It is the responsibility of the Producer to schedule a publicity photo shoot, preferably no less than three weeks from opening night. Footlite has a list of preferred photographers, but we're happy to work with new photographers upon approval of the Marketing Committee. Footlite needs 5-10 high quality photos to help represent your production.

Reviewers

Please pass requests to review the show on to the Publicity Manager, who will arrange for complimentary tickets and production photographs. Unless doing a "preview", we request reviewers do not attend dress rehearsals.

T-Shirts

For consistency, Footlite charges our cast $15 for t-shirts and $20 for sweatshirts. Please contact the Marketing Committee for a list of preferred vendors. Please note that contractual obligations may prevent us from selling t-shirts to the general public.

The Marketing Committee must approve your shirt artwork before you place an order.

Television Appearances

Past Footlite productions have appeared on Channels 8, 13 and 59. Contact Peggy McClelland at WISH-TV about appearances on IndyStyle. Please contact the Marketing Committee about other appearances. FOX59's Sherman has twice come to the theatre for appearances on the morning news, but these appearances require very careful planning and may require prerecorded sound. Understand the requirements before attempting to schedule an appearance, and coordinate your efforts with the Marketing Committee. We don't want any bad experience with a television station to ruin our chances of coverage in the future.

Set Construction

‘You’ shall refer to the building team or production team for the remainder of this document.

  • Set construction is to take place after the strike of the show prior to yours, ideally prior to the week before your show’s opening.
  • You can start building items for your show off-site provided your supplies either are purchased for your show to be expensed to the production or are borrowed from the theatre with the express permission of the current production.
  • The stage opening is 16’ x 32’.
  • The tallest item we can fly is 18’.
  • It is a good idea to let the previous show know what set pieces you would like to keep at strike. It is an act of good faith to attend the strike of the previous show and help as well as make sure the pieces get saved that you want.
  • Your set budget will be set by the production team contained within the initial five thousand depending on the costs of materials and the desired drops or other costs associated with the show.
  • You can raise additional funds for set construction if needed through your production staff.
  • You may need to purchase materials such as lumber or screws from a big box retailer.
  • We currently have accounts set up with Lowe’s and Menards.
  • You may wish to rent drops for your shows, those can be expensive but always add so much to the production. There is a myriad of vendors you can use for renting drops, a quick Google search will produce some of the big names, and searching their catalogs is easy and free.
  • You will need to secure a contract for a drop prior to your show to ensure the availability of the drop.
  • Make sure you allow enough time for the drop to ship. It is always a good idea to have it show up a week or even two weeks prior to opening to make sure you have time to hang it and let it settle out.
  • You need to save the shipping container that the drop came in to ship it back in.
  • Production staff responsible for getting the drop folded up properly at strike and shipping it back in a reasonable time.
  • You are responsible for striking the set at the end of the production completely. Refer to the strike checklist for all those responsibilities.
  • If you rent set pieces the production staff is responsible for getting the set pieces back to the owners.
  • All items pulled from the outbuildings or off-site storage need to be returned to the outbuildings in a timely manner.

Curtain Speech

Unless approved by the BOD, Footlite uses a prerecorded curtain speech produced by a local professional voice-over artist. Contact the Curtain Speech Coordinator no less than two weeks before opening night with any special details that should be included in the speech. They will provide an MP3 for the Sound Designer to play at the top of the show.

Programs

The Producer is responsible for assembling the following items for the program:

  • Author credits for first page of program (coordinate with the Treasurer, as these requirements are typically listed in our contract)
  • List of staff to be included on first page
  • Director's Notes (if desired)
  • Names and positions of staff, crew and orchestra
  • Cast of characters and their names
  • Any names for the "Thank You" section
  • Synopsis of scenes and musical numbers (including a setting for each scene and who
  • Cast and staff bios

Janet Simpson with Deputy Printing handles production of our programs. Typically content is due to her by 8:30am Tuesday morning the week before the show opens. Send your content in a Word file to print@deputyprinting.com as well as to the Program Coordinator, who will help proof the document. You'll find an example of this document on Template:Dropbox in the Programs folder.

Any ads that have been sold are preferred as correctly sized PDF files, followed by TIFF and then JPEG. If the ads are set up in Word, each ad needs to be in a separate file from the rest of the program copy. Ads should be emailed to the Program Coordinator telling whether the ad is a trade or sale, for a season or single show, and whether it is the result of a sponsorship, season or single show.

We typically do not place headshots in the program. If you choose to do this (such as when its necessary to fill empty pages), note that we are charged extra for Deputy to lay out these pages. Try to find someone with graphic design ability to lay these pages out for you.

Deputy will provide proofs by email either Wednesday late afternoon or Thursday morning. Corrections need to be back by 8:30am Friday, as the program goes to press that afternoon. Corrections may be faxed (547-4180), emailed or telephoned (547-0741).

Cast Bios

Cast bios should be carefully proofread for length, to keep space in the program to a minimum. Depending on the size of the cast, give them an 80 word limit. Cast can visit http://www.wordcounter.net to quickly check the length of their bio. All show titles should be in Title Case vs. ALL CAPITALIZED, italicized, no quotation marks, with either the character or theatre name in parenthesis. Do not use all caps or multiple punctuation marks. Local theatre companies listed in parenthesis should be abbreviated as such:

  • Acting Up Productions = AUP
  • Actors Theatre of Indiana = ATI
  • Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre = Civic (When spelling out Civic's name, note they are no longer "Indianapolis Civic Theatre")
  • Buck Creek Players = BCP
  • Carmel Community Players = CCP
  • Center Stage Productions = Center Stage
  • Christian Youth Theatre = CYT
  • Epilogue Players = Epilogue
  • Footlite Musicals = Footlite
  • Hendricks Civic Theatre = HCT
  • Indiana Repertory Theatre = IRT
  • Phoenix Theatre = Phoenix
  • Ricks-Weil Theatre Company = Ricks-Weil
  • Spotlight Players = Spotlight
  • Summer Stock Stage = Summer Stock Stage
  • The Artist Studio = TAS
  • The Belfry = Belfry
  • Theatre on the Square = TOTS
  • Wayne Township Community Theatre = WTCT

Staff List Credits

Be sure to include the Performance Photographer, Publicity Photographer (if it's a different person), and Laura Cones for the Opening Night Party in your staff listing.

Long Saturday/Sunday

The Director will usually choose to hold a double rehearsal on the Saturday or Sunday leading into production week. This is the time for the Director to turn the show over to the Stage Manager to coordinate all technical and performance elements, if it has not been done. Set construction should be virtually complete. Some painting and decorating may remain, but all set pieces, flies, and props should be in place. All set pieces and props should also have their storage and preset locations determined. Costumes should be virtually complete. Minor alterations may still be required. It is recommended that a formal costume parade be held before or on this day.

The plan for the day may vary depending upon the Director’s desires and the development of the show. By the end of the day lights and sound should be set, the stage crew rehearsed in their responsibilities, all set pieces should be spiked, personnel assigned, and musical timings set. The Stage Manager will call cues from then on.

Traditionally there is a pitch-in dinner the event of Long Saturday/Sunday. The Producer (or volunteer designated by the Producer) is responsible for organizing (sign up sheet), setting up, and then cleaning up after the meal.

Production Photos

Production photos are typically taken the night before your benefit performance by Footlite's official photographer. These do not need to be scheduled. Because these photos are released to the public the next day, every effort should be made to have your show complete. If certain elements are missing or incomplete, be sure the photographer is made aware.

Lobby Decoration and Sale of Merchandise During Productions

In the same way Footlite is striving to increase the professionalism of our productions, we want the presentation of our lobby and the before/after experience for our patrons to be equally professional. The BOD has found that decorating the lobby based on the theme of the show and selling merchandise to patrons, while well intentioned, often take away from the high standards we're striving for.

With the exception one-time special events (for example, Wine and Cheese parties), any production wanting to decorate the lobby or sell merchandise must first seek approval of the BOD.

Raffles

Footlite Musicals maintains an Annual Raffle License from the Indiana Charity Gaming Board. There are special rules that govern raffles. You must consult with the Treasurer before conducting any raffle to ensure we comply with applicable state law.

Complimentary Tickets

Footlite provides everyone associated with the production two complimentary tickets during the run of the show. Your team should be encouraged to use these tickets during the first week of the production, but they are good for any performance during the run.

Provide the Box Office Manager with a list of everyone receiving complimentary tickets, and they will provide a letter detailing how to reserve them. Tickets reserved online should be placed in the name of the cast/crew/staff/orchestra member, NOT the person using the tickets.

Benefit Performance

The final dress rehearsal of every production is traditionally our benefit performance, with an invited audience typically from our senior citizen community. Like all our Thursday night performances, this performance begins at 7:30pm. Contact the Benefit Performance Coordinator should you have any questions.

Theatre Organ

The Hedback Theatre is home to a two-manual, eleven-rank Page Theatre pipe organ. Members of The American Theatre Organ Society, who now own and maintain it as a historical instrument, play the organ before every performance. You must seek approval of the BOD if your production wants to do without the organ.

Opening Night Party

Footlite hosts a party in the lobby for the company and audience on opening night. This is a free event for everyone, and the Producer should remember to publicize the event.

Concession Discounts for Cast, Crew and Staff

Cast, crew and staff may purchase discounted soft drinks and candy from the concession stand for $1 each. Leftover popcorn at the end of intermission is free.

Strike

A common frustration at Footlite is the wildly varying conditions of the theatre when a new production team moves in. To help solve this problem, we've put together a very detailed strike checklist. The latest copy of this checklist is available on Template:Dropbox.

Template:Tip

It is especially helpful if the Producer, Director, and/or Technical Director of the incoming production are present for strike, in case that production wants to make use of certain set pieces. Contact them during the final week of your show to coordinate.

Strike Party

The Strike Party takes place once strike is 100% complete. Footlite will buy the main course (such as pizza) and supply the drinks (sodas/water). Coordinate this purchase with the Treasurer. Footlite's typical pizza vendor is Marcos, and we get special pricing upon request.

Exit Survey and Follow-Up

During the final week of your production, the Vice President will email a link to an online Exit Survey to all cast, staff, crew and orchestra members. We request absolutely everyone complete the survey. The Exit Survey is designed to let Footlite's BOD learn what went well with your production, and what can be improved in the future.

At some point after your production ends, the Vice President will schedule a debriefing meeting with select members of the production staff to go through the Exit Survey results.

Script Return

It is the Producer's responsibility to return scripts to the licensing house. Please ensure books are completely erased and in good condition before returning any deposit money. Footlite is fined for any damage.

Scripts must be returned no later than one week after closing. DO NOT use the US Post Office--use UPS or FedEx. The original packing sheet will have return instructions, and may indicate a required shipper. Insure the items for $500. Either turn in your receipt for reimbursement or coordinate payment with the Treasurer.