Main Street Creative Arts Center Venue Policies & Operations Handbook for Main Street Creative Arts Center Table of Contents Welcome & About the Venue General Venue Policies Booking & Reservation Policy Refund Policy Rehearsal Room Policies Production Package Policy Tech & Equipment Policy Set Construction & Paint Policy Rental Terms & Conditions Photography & Recording Policy Privacy Policy Forms & Checklists 1. Welcome & About the Venue Main Street Creative Arts Center is a shared community arts venue created to support theatre, music, rehearsals, classes, workshops, visual arts, performances, and creative collaboration. Our goal is to provide an affordable and flexible environment where artists, educators, performers, and community groups can create meaningful work together. Because this is a shared-use facility, multiple groups may be operating throughout the building at the same time. We ask all renters, guests, instructors, volunteers, performers, and audience members to treat the space, equipment, and fellow community members respectfully and professionally. This handbook exists to help keep the venue organized, safe, functional, and sustainable for everyone who uses it. 2. General Venue Policies Main Street Creative Arts Center operates as a collaborative shared-use venue. Renters and guests are expected to respect common areas including lobbies, classrooms, rehearsal rooms, hallways, restrooms, backstage areas, and entrances. Noise levels should remain reasonable during overlapping rentals, and no renter may interfere with another group’s scheduled use of the facility. Access to the building is limited to approved rental times only. Rental time includes setup, rehearsal or event use, cleanup, and strike/load-out. Groups must vacate their rented spaces by the scheduled end time unless prior approval has been granted. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted unless otherwise restricted. Renters are responsible for cleaning spills, removing trash, wiping surfaces, and preventing damage to furniture, flooring, or equipment. Alcohol is only permitted with written approval and any required permits or licensing. Smoking and vaping are prohibited inside the building. Any smoking or vaping must occur outdoors in approved areas away from entrances. All renters are responsible for restoring spaces to their original condition before leaving. This includes resetting furniture, removing decorations, cleaning spills, disposing of trash, and removing personal belongings or props. Renters are financially responsible for damage caused by themselves or anyone associated with their booking, including guests, cast members, audience members, contractors, vendors, or participants. Main Street Creative Arts Center reserves the right to stop unsafe activity, enforce policies, deny future rentals, or remove guests from the property when necessary to protect the safety and functionality of the venue. 3. Booking & Reservation Policy All rentals at Main Street Creative Arts Center follow the same booking process. Renters should first review available spaces, pricing, and scheduling information before checking the public availability calendar. Availability shown online is not guaranteed until payment arrangements are completed. To request a booking, renters must submit a booking request form. Submission of a form is considered a request only and does not reserve the space automatically. Once reviewed, renters will receive a confirmation email along with invoices, agreements, or additional information if applicable. Booking requests are reviewed in the order they are received based on submission timestamps. However, dates are not officially secured until payment or deposit has been received. Standard one-time rentals require payment before the booking start time. Larger productions, rehearsal packages, or extended rentals may require a 25–30% non-refundable deposit along with signed agreements and payment schedules. Deposits are non-refundable because they secure venue availability and remove dates from public scheduling availability. If payment or deposit is not received within 48 hours of confirmation unless otherwise stated, tentative holds may be forfeited and reopened to other renters. Rescheduling requests require at least 24 hours notice and remain subject to availability. One courtesy reschedule may be granted at the discretion of venue management. Additional changes may incur administrative fees. No-shows are not eligible for refunds, credits, or transferred time. 4. Refund Policy Main Street Creative Arts Center operates on a reservation-based scheduling system, and refunds are limited due to the nature of reserving time and space within the facility. All deposits are non-refundable. Deposits secure venue availability, staffing preparation, and scheduling commitments and are not refunded due to cancellations, scheduling conflicts, no-shows, or changes in plans. One-time rentals may qualify for cancellation only within the designated cancellation period established during booking. After that period, refunds are not guaranteed. Production packages, rehearsal blocks, bundled hour packages, and extended rentals are generally non-refundable because of the amount of calendar space reserved. Unused rehearsal hours or canceled performance dates do not automatically qualify for refunds or credits. If the venue must close due to emergencies, utility failures, severe weather, government restrictions, or unforeseen operational issues, the venue may offer rescheduling, venue credit, or alternate accommodations when possible. Cash refunds are not guaranteed. Any approved refunds are issued solely at the discretion of Main Street Creative Arts Center. 5. Rehearsal Room Policies Rehearsal rooms at Main Street Creative Arts Center are intended for rehearsals, classes, workshops, coaching sessions, meetings, auditions, and creative development activities. Because the building operates as a shared-use facility, renters are expected to remain mindful of neighboring spaces and avoid excessive disruption. Common areas should remain accessible and should not be monopolized for rehearsal activity unless approved in advance. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted in rehearsal rooms unless otherwise restricted. Renters are responsible for cleanup and preventing damage to furniture or flooring. Tables, chairs, rehearsal cubes, and movable furniture may be used unless otherwise restricted but must be returned to their original locations after use. Sound levels must remain reasonable. Amplified playback, microphones, instruments, screaming, or loud vocal work may be restricted depending on neighboring activity. Rental time includes setup, rehearsal activity, cleanup, and exiting the room. Late arrivals do not extend reservation time, and late exits may result in overtime fees. Storage space is limited. Props, costumes, rehearsal materials, or personal items may not be stored between bookings unless approved in advance. Children and minors must remain supervised at all times. 6. Production Package Policy Production Packages are designed for theatrical productions, concerts, showcases, comedy events, staged readings, and other performance-based rentals requiring extended use of the venue. Packages may include rehearsal hours, performance dates, lobby usage, dressing room access, tech access, classroom or backstage access, and setup or strike time depending on the agreement. Production dates are not officially reserved until deposits, agreements, and payment arrangements are completed. Production teams are responsible for scheduling rehearsals, load-ins, strike periods, and performances through venue management. Schedules remain subject to venue operating hours, existing bookings, staffing availability, and technical limitations. Production teams are responsible for transporting and managing their own sets, props, costumes, equipment, and personnel unless otherwise agreed upon. All productions must comply with occupancy limits, fire code regulations, ADA accessibility requirements, and venue safety procedures. Main Street Creative Arts Center supports artistic freedom but reserves the right to deny productions involving unsafe activity, illegal conduct, harassment, dangerous staging, or activity that threatens venue operations or safety. 7. Tech & Equipment Policy Main Street Creative Arts Center provides shared technical equipment to support productions, rehearsals, classes, and events. Equipment may include lighting fixtures, lighting consoles, speakers, microphones, playback systems, projectors, cables, extension cords, ladders, and staging accessories. All equipment is shared community-use equipment and must be treated responsibly and respectfully. Only approved and properly trained individuals may operate venue equipment. The venue may require walkthroughs, orientation, or proof of experience before granting access to certain systems. Unless specifically contracted, rentals do not include technical staff, programming support, troubleshooting, cue programming, or emergency repair services. Renters are responsible for providing qualified operators. All equipment is provided as-is and subject to availability. Main Street Creative Arts Center does not guarantee compatibility with outside systems, uninterrupted operation, or advanced technical support. Unauthorized modifications, rewiring, tampering, or unsafe operation of equipment is prohibited. Renters are financially responsible for damage caused by misuse, negligence, improper setup, unauthorized operation, or theft during their rental period. 8. Set Construction & Paint Policy Because Main Street Creative Arts Center operates as a flexible black box and shared-use venue, all scenic construction and painting must prioritize safety, fire compliance, functionality, and preservation of the facility. Large scenic pieces, elevated structures, unusual materials, or specialty construction may require approval before being brought into the venue. Scenic materials should be standard theatrical materials appropriate for indoor performance use. Unsafe, unstable, highly flammable, or excessively hazardous materials may be prohibited. Painting scenery is only permitted in approved areas. Painting venue floors or walls, indoor spray painting, improper disposal of paint materials, or allowing paint spills on venue surfaces is prohibited without approval. Production teams may not drill into venue structures, permanently alter walls, mount into ceilings, or make structural changes without approval. All productions are responsible for fully striking their sets and removing all scenic materials, hardware, trash, paint residue, props, and personal items by the agreed strike deadline. Production teams are financially responsible for damage caused by scenic construction, paint, tools, debris, improper strike, or unsafe installation. 9. Rental Terms & Conditions By submitting payment, signing agreements, or using the facility, renters agree to comply with all venue policies and procedures established by Main Street Creative Arts Center. Use of the facility involves inherent risks associated with physical activity, theatrical production, construction work, electrical equipment, shared public spaces, and performance environments. All renters and participants voluntarily assume these risks. The renter accepts responsibility for the conduct and safety of all guests, participants, cast members, crew members, vendors, contractors, and audience members associated with their booking. Main Street Creative Arts Center reserves the right to terminate rentals immediately if policies are violated, unsafe activity occurs, occupancy limits are exceeded, payments are not made, or staff or guests are threatened or harassed. The venue is not responsible for lost, stolen, or unattended property. 10. Photography & Recording Policy Photography and video recording may occur during public events, performances, workshops, rehearsals, or community activities for promotional, archival, or educational purposes. Professional filming, livestreaming, commercial recording, or media projects require prior approval from venue management. Photography and recording should never interfere with performances, rehearsals, classes, audience experience, or venue operations. Recording is prohibited in restrooms, changing areas, or private staff-only spaces. Main Street Creative Arts Center may use approved photographs or recordings for social media, marketing, archival purposes, and website content. 11. Privacy Policy Main Street Creative Arts Center respects the privacy of website visitors, renters, students, participants, and guests. Information collected through forms, bookings, registrations, or communications may include names, contact information, billing information, booking details, and emergency contact information when applicable. Information may be used to: process reservations and payments communicate updates improve services maintain safety and security enforce venue policies Payments may be processed through third-party providers such as Wix or Square. Main Street Creative Arts Center does not store full payment card information on its own servers. Reasonable efforts are made to protect submitted information, though no online system can be guaranteed completely secure. Main Street Creative Arts Center does not sell personal information to third parties. 12. Forms & Checklists Additional operational documents may be required depending on the type of rental, event, or production. These may include: Liability Waivers Incident Report Forms Closing Checklists Tech Request Forms Production Agreements Safety Documentation Insurance Verification Forms Completion of required forms may be necessary before venue access is granted. Policy Updates Venue policies may be updated periodically as operations evolve. The most current version of this handbook supersedes prior versions and may be distributed electronically or posted online.