Schapiro Production Guidelines

Use of the Spaces @ Schapiro must be reserved through EMS.
The operating hours are 9:00A-11:00P on weekdays and 10:00A-11:00P on weekends.
No food or drink is allowed, except bottled water.
Please keep the spaces free of debris and trash. Pick up all trash after each use and remove or store all personal belongings.
All spaces must be returned to “neutral” after every use. There are pictures in each space showing what that should look like.

See R ules for Schapiro Spaces for all general guidelines to the Spaces @ Schapiro.

Both the Production Manager (PM) and the Schapiro Student Team are available for technical advisement. Feel free to set up an appointment through email.
All production requirements must be reviewed and approved by the Production Manager. This includes the set and lighting designs before being built and any additions or changes that occur after initial approval.

Do not cover up exit signs or fire alarms, or remove fire extinguishers. New York City fire code is very strict and any fines imposed will be passed on to the student responsible for the project. Fire inspectors have conducted surprise inspections.
Prior permission of PM is required to use of the Genie lift.
Brandishing a weapon of any fashion, or using a prop to simulate a weapon of any kind outside of the Theatre is strictly prohibited without a weapon inspection and written approval from the Program Production Department.
No smoking or live flame of any kind, for any length of time.
There must be at least a 42-inch-wide egress to both fire exit doors at all times during any production. No scenery, person, chair, or curtain may obstruct the exit.
The only prop guns allowed in Schapiro Presentations are wooden, unpainted, cut outs. A Prop Weapons Form will need to be submitted for approval. After approval, make arrangements with the PM for pick up of weapons.

No technical work can begin without a Technical Director or member of the Schapiro Student Technical Team present.
Never work in any space alone.
All scenic pieces must be free-standing. Nothing can be attached to the floor or walls, except where there are pre-existing hooks.
Only proper spike tape can be used on the floors. Spike tape is available from Schapiro Student Technical Team members or the production’s stage manager (if applicable).
There are six (6) risers available for audience seating. Three (3) are legged at a height of 16 inches, three (3) with legs eight inches high. The risers at 16 inches must be installed with the surrounding railing. You are allowed to move the seating risers, with permission from the PM. If moved, the risers must be restored during strike.
Audience chairs and the seating risers are limited in resources. In your preliminary meeting with the PM, please bring the number of risers and seats you will need for your production.
Painting any part of the space’s permanent structure (i.e., the walls and doors) is strictly prohibited.
Hanging scenery must be flame-proofed before load in.

The boards must never leave the booth.
The dimmers are older and not all of them are in perfect working order – please do not overload them. Regardless of how you run them, do not put more than 2,400 watts on a dimmer.
The hanging strip lights are not a part of the Theatre inventory; they are classroom work lights controlled via switches on the wall behind the risers. They do not run through the board and are immovable.
You cannot rig anything that will add significant weight to the grid. In other words, you may hang a piece of fabric or an overhead practical, etc. but no swings or anything that would add a person’s weight to the grid.
Neither the rep plot units nor their associated cables can be moved, but can be refocused and gelled.

Please do not move or refocus the PAR38 houselights bolted to the ceiling. You may gel or unplug them as long as they are restored at strike.
The boards may not leave the booth.
Nothing can be rigged to the grid that will add significant weight. For example, a piece of fabric or an overhead practical is allowed. However, no apparatus that is meant to hold a person’s weight is allowed, such as swings or trapeze work.
750 watts is the maximum per channel. Our dimmers are old and can be easily overloaded.

The director, producer, or faculty member is responsible for procuring necessary labor needs for any performance.
No student help (SMs/Student Coordinator) will be available after 11p.
Anyone using the light board must be approved and trained by the PM before gaining access to the booth.
Designers/technicians cannot work in the space without a Columbia student/staff/faculty present.

Resources such as props and costumes are available from Production Resources, housed in Nash. The PM can provide some scenic, lighting, or sound resources, only through prior approval. These resources must be properly installed and removed by the labor resources procured by the production team.
At a project’s conclusion, all props, costumes, etc., used must be returned to their proper storage space or properly disposed of. This does not mean leaving used scenic pieces in hallways or lobby of Schapiro or in front of the building. Note: Schapiro does not have dumpsters. Any trash too big for the provided trash bins must be carried to a campus dumpster. This can be coordinated with the PM.

No publicity or marketing materials can be distributed before being approved by the Production Manager. Every piece of publicity must adhere to Columbia School of the Arts marketing templates. Please see the PM for more details.
Charging a ticket price for any curricular production is strictly prohibited. The Theatre Program reserves the right to close a production if the sale of tickets is discovered. There is no exception to this rule.
There can be no concessions/souvenirs sold.
Prior permission from the PM is required to record a performance. Such recording can only be used for archival purposes only and every cast member must sign a waiver acknowledging footage is for archival purposes only and will not be distributed on the internet or through any other means. Note: The use of Equity actors absolutely prohibits the recording of a performance, regardless of its purpose.

The boards and computer should be powered down and covered before leaving.
All lights (i.e., house, work, dressing room, back room), except the men’s bathroom security light, should be turned off before leaving.
After the last performance, all light specials and their associated cable must be struck, all gels pulled and any altered rep plot units must be refocused. The light board must also be restored to its original patch with no cues in memory.
The ghost light should be turned on before leaving.
Strikes are not complete until the Assistant Production Manager signs off on all requirements being met.
For rehearsals held in the Studio from Sunday through Thursday, the space must be restored to neutral after every use. All scenery, props, and costumes, as well as the tech cart, must be struck and stored in their proper space (i.e., the back room, dressing room, or electrics room). The risers and railings must be struck. The sound system must be reset to neutral. This also applies to technical rehearsals.
At the end of the performance week, the room must be restored to neutral, which means that any and all scenery must be struck. The risers and railings must also be restored to neutral. Costumes and Props signed out from Nash will be stored in Room 107.
The front and back doors of the Studio should be locked and lights turned off when you leave.