Building Use Policy

Battlefield High School
Community Use of School Facilities Appendix


This document serves as Attachment "A-2" to SOP 9-4. All questions regarding building use should be directed to the Director of Activities,Mr. Jason Koch.

This document clarifies the availability of items described on the county's standard Community Use of School Facilities Fee Schedule as pertains specifically to Battlefield High School. The inclusion of an item or service on that document does not guarantee availability at Battlefield.

The purpose of this document is primarily to explicitly detail limitations of the facility from the perspective of a professional performing arts organization. Much of the information will not apply to organizations of a non-performance nature.

Classroom line items

The band room, chorus room, and orchestra rooms adjacent to the auditorium are not available for use by outside organizations. The hallways immediately adjoining the auditorium have been used for changing and staging areas with great success in the past.

The use of the classrooms near the Commons Area must be specifically requested, and are not automatically included in the use of the auditorium.

Student Tech line item

Battlefield does not have a student technician crew. All groups using Battlefield facilities must provide their own qualified stage / theatre tech personnel. The assigned building supervisor is not responsible for the design or implementation of theatre rigging and/or theatre technology. There is no staff available for hire to run lights, run sound, pull curtains, setup/strike scenery, usher, stage manage, or otherwise crew the theatre. Organizations must provide their own personnel.

Lights line items

Battlefield has one (1) 2,000 Watt spotlight. The "stage border lights" line item includes on-stage overhead fresnels and catwalk-mounted ellipsoids (ERS). Alteration of ellipsoid aim and focus are the responsibility of the group, and return of default orientations is expected following the event. The main board is a deprecated Strand model utilizing standard DMX protocols and interfacing with two EDI MX system banks of dimmers located near the stage. Gels and barn doors are not provided.

Sound Systems line items

Battlefield has one (1) sixteen channel Mackie board wired to XLR inputs on the stage, and can provide up to three (3) Shure SM-58B microphones with XLR cables. No PZMs, Lavalier/Lapel mics, CD/tape players, booms,or additional cables are provided. The main house speakers are included in the "built-in" line item. The "self-contained" sound system is a portable two-speaker, self-amplifying system, and does not include microphones or microphone cables. There are no suspended or permanently-installed microphones in the auditorium.

Piano line item

Battlefield has one (1) Kawai upright piano available for use by the community. Outside organizations and unauthorized personnel, school staff included, are absolutely prohibited from handling, moving,or playing the concert grand. Organizations must provide their own accompanists, and anyone handling a musical instrument belonging to the school is responsible for its proper care and treatment. Persons without musical training should not handle the instrument.

Projection and Broadcast Technology

Battlefield does not have portable televisions or wireless in-house broadcast modulators. The provision of a digital LCD projector must be separately requested, and does not include the use of an attached laptop computer. (The projector cart does include a VCR / DVD player with built-in speakers.)

Stage Dimensions

The stage measures 24 feet high (proscenium aperture not counting fly space), 40 feet wide (proscenium aperture not counting wings), and 21 feet deep from the plaster line to the back wall. The apron is curved with a maximum center distance from the plaster line to the lip of the pit of approximately six feet.

The floor is wood (not sprung) and is natural in color (not black). The back wall, wings, and fly space are black, as is the rigging, valences,and travelers. The pit is sunken with approximately four feet from the lip of the apron to the floor. Usable wing space is approximately 10 feet from the plaster line to the side wall. With the back traveler curtain closed, there is no crossover.
Stage Rigging

The Battlefield auditorium does not have full fly space or full wing space. The rigging is electrically powered and generally not suitable for flying during a performance.

Curtain-wise, there are no drops. There are two full travelers: the main and the back. There is no blackout or mid-stage traveler. There are four sets of short-travel legs and basic black hung valences. None of the travelers or legs are flyable. There are no borders or teasers.There is no scrim or cyclorama.

Stage Coverings and Backdrops

The Battlefield auditorium does not have a stage covering (e.g., for dance companies) nor does it have any backdrops or flown pipe from which to hang backdrops furthest upstage. Some organizations have hung backdrops from pipe slightly downstage attached to the reflector valences and/or the power strip light bars. Neither is advisable for any but experienced theatre managers.

Battlefield has no stage covering (Rosco, Harlequin, Marley, other vinyl, or resin) of any kind.

Barres

Battlefield high school does not provide barres (portable or otherwise) or mirrored warm up space.

Wardrobe

Neither hangers, racks, nor laundering facilities are available for use.

Dressing Facilities

There are two main dressing rooms, one off of each wing (stage right and left), which include sinks and restroom facilities. Use of these rooms is included in the line item for the auditorium, though a specific request for access should be made at the time of drafting the contract.The building supervisor will need to be notified to unlock these facilities.

Use of the storage rooms adjoining the auditorium is prohibited.

Hazers and Glycol Foggers

The use of either is prohibited without the prior consent and consultation of appropriate school personnel. (Improperly handled, even propylene/triethylene glycol fluids can be hazardous.)

Food and Drink in the Auditorium

No food or drink of any kind, at any time, is permitted in the auditorium, without exception.

Load-In and Load-Out of Equipment

Vehicles are strictly prohibited from pulling up onto the sidewalks or concrete walkways around the school building. Plan to utilize rolling hand carts to move heavy equipment. Vehicles may not block fire lanes when loading or unloading equipment.

Outer Doors

Organizations are asked to keep the outside doors shut and the "airlock" doors in the main foyer closed to preserve the temperature inside the building. In the past, complaints about the heat or air conditioning can be traced to a failure to keep the doors properly shut.

If exterior doors need to be locked or unlocked, this information should be specifically provided in your request, as the building supervisor that evening will need to know when and what to open.

Emergency Evacuation Protocol

Please advise your staff, as well as guests patrons who attend your event, on appropriate evacuation procedures. Leaving the auditorium by any side exit will give access to a ramp down to exterior doors leading into the parking lot. In the event of a fire emergency, please move away from the building.

Leaving the auditorium by the rear (main) doors and turning right will have you facing the main foyer, which also leads to the exterior of the building. Again, move down the sidewalk and away from the building.

End of Contract Hours

You should have completed load-out and be fully out of the building by the time your contract expires. If your contract ends at 10:00 PM, for example, you should plan on being out of the building and all exterior doors being locked behind you by the building supervisor at 10:00 PM sharp. Please plan accordingly when drafting your contract.

Building Use Questions

Questions about building use should be directed to Mr. Jason Koch, who may forward your question to the appropriate party for response.


This document was last updated in September 2014.