Humanities Theatre Technical Specs

Fire Regulations:  Exit signs must be illuminated and visible to the general public at all times.  Fire pull stations must be unobstructed and visible or their location clearly indicated via signage and accessible to all staff members and the public at all times.

Open flame is not permitted in the space. Requests for open flame must be made 2 months in advance to secure a permit from the Fire Marshall.

Any fabric, drapery, or textiles used onstage must meet Ontario’s Fire Code Regulations & Fire Protection and Prevention Act Subsection 2.3.2.1. Flame resistance of textiles.  This means that these items must have a fire-resistance rating of not less than 1 hour. If the client cannot producer a certificate of flame retardant, then the Theatre personnel will test a portion of the item to ensure that the material will pass the match flame test as stated in NFPA 705.

Licenses:  The theatre has a SOCAN license for all preshow and post-show music in the theatre and in the lobby.  Should you wish to serve alcohol in the lobby you must obtain a liquor license through our Catering Department.

Personnel: Crew is made up of qualified students and local technicians.

You are required to have 2 technicians present whenever you are working in the space.  One will operate the lights and the other will operate sound.  If you require further technical support they Theatre will engage addition technicians on your behalf or, with the approval of the technical coordinator, you may be permitted to supplement by providing your own technicians. Ie: to run video, act as ASMs backstage, etc

For performances, you are required to have 1 Front of House Manager and a minimum of ushers. 

• The Front of House Manager must be present 1 hour 15 minutes prior to curtain until 30 minutes following the show. 
• The ushers present 1 hour prior to curtain until 30 minutes following the show. 

Safety requirements:  Steel-toed shoes must be worn by all persons present in the theatre during load-in / set-up / technical work calls / painting. 

Hard hats are required by all persons present in the theatre up to and including the lighting hang.  The use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) shall be enforced.  PPE is the responsibility of the Renter and their workers. Additional safety measures may be enforced at the discretion of the technical coordinator. 

Please note that only the staff of the theatre may work at heights.  If a renter has a current “Working at Heights” certification then they may also be approved to work on ladders or in the catwalk at discretion of the technical coordinator.

Scheduling notes: Labour charges billed will be based on actual time worked by staff.

Each call shall be a minimum of

• four (4) hours for technicians
• three (3) hours for Front of House staff
• Staff are entitled to a paid fifteen (15) minute coffee break after two (2) hours worked
• Staff will receive a sixty (60) minute meal break after five (5) hours work.  If you infringe upon the meal break you will be charged $50 per staff person
• After 8 hrs of work personnel are billed out at one and one-half (1-1/2) times the contracted rate
• Any work past midnight and before 6:00 am will be billed at one and one-half (1-1/2) times the contracted rate
• The overnight turnaround time for staff is 11 hours. If you infringe upon the overnight turnaround you will be charged $50 per staff person. 
• based on the Ontario Ministry of Labour Employment Standards. 
• For work after midnight, staff will be paid for transportation home by taxi and the renter will be billed accordingly.

Ticketing:  Events can either be general admission or reserved seating. Ticketing must be handled by the Theatres at UWaterloo Box Office.

Seating Capacity

Maximum

• 717 - with seats on the thrust
• 671 - without seats on the thrust

Orchestra level

• 403 – with seats on the thrust
• 357 – without seats on the thrust

Balcony

• 314 seats

Stage Surface is Masonite painted black.

PDF of Seating Map without Lift

PDF of Seating Map Full Capacity

From Plaster Line:

*Please see usable area measurements above.

From Center Line (Wings have a bare concrete finish.):

Projectors:

• Christie HD14k-M
• Christie LX66

Lenses:

• Long Throw Lens for Christie HD14K-M
• Short Throw Lens for Christie HD14K-M

Video switching & playback equipment:

• Roland VR-50HD Video Switcher
• iMac Mini w/ QLab 5 for video and audio playback

Program Video:

• Stage Left
• Main dressing room HH 158

Instruments:

• 1 Steinway 9’ Concert Grand Piano
• 1 Heintman Upright piano for rehearsal

Music Stands:

• 10 Regular Black Stands
• 10 Music Stand Lights

Band Shell:

• 10 Wenger portable choir shell pieces

Risers:

• 1 Conductor Podium @ 6” high
• 5 4’ x 8’ @ 8” black box risers
• 3 4’ x 8’ @ 8” Aluminum risers