Hall Layout

Details of the recommended seating layout for your show are in the Menu against each show and repeated on your Booking Details form. Discussions about changes to our recommendation or about the show capacity or where the performance area will be or whether they will use your stage should have happened before the company's arrival.

Some other useful advice:

• Turn on the heating in advance if necessary or more rarely, open the windows! NB. Make sure the heating in any ‘Dressing Room’ is the same temperature as in the main hall, especially for musicians; otherwise their instruments go out of tune.
• Don’t lay out the seats/tables before the company arrive unless previously agreed. They may need the space during their ‘get-in’ for technical gear and its easier to lay cables without seats in the way.
• Arrange for helpers on the day to arrive 45 minutes before the audience, so they can help you set up.

Seating

The Menu suggests suitable seating arrangements for the show. Usually either

• "Theatre" (in rows) or
• "Tables" (tables & chairs – sometimes described as ‘cabaret’ format).
• "Theatre/Tables" means that either will work but do check your capacity and remember that all Live & Local shows are for listening to, not talking over!
• "Dance" means that if possible, leave an area for the audience to dance in. This could be in front of the stage and/or at the back of the hall for the more shy people!

NB: “Tables” or “Theatre/Tables” do not automatically mean that a bar can remain open during the performance. Only those shows that are marked “Bar can remain open……” can do so.

• As a rule of thumb aisles should be 1.1m wide and rows should be a minimum of 80cm apart (i.e. back of chair to back of chair)
• If you have the space, staggering rows can help sight lines
• If you are using trestles, consider using a 'fan' type of layout and certainly avoid having people seated behind the performer unless the show is designed for that.

Format

This information in the Menu tells you where the performers prefer the performance area to be in relationship to the audience.

• "End-on" means that all the audience must be in front of the performance area.
• "Thrust" means that the audience can be completely or partially on three sides of the performance area.
• "Traverse" means that the audience can sit on either side of the performance area.
• "Round" means they can sit on all sides of the performance area.

NB: Having any audience seated effectively behind where the artist(s) are doing most of their performance is usually distracting to the rest of the audience and to the performers, and not particularly pleasant for the people who are sat there – unless the show has been designed with that in mind. This is particularly true in the more sociable cabaret format.