Hiring The Plaza

Documents

General

Please note that only bona fide requests to hire the theatre can be assessed. Charges will vary according to many factors including facilities and times used, so it is not practical to give price guidance for school or college "hypothetical venue-hiring" projects.

If an event requires lighting or sound we will provide an operator or someone to supervise your technicians. This may in some circumstances be our Front Of House Manager or one of his/her assistants.

If you require equipment that the theatre does not possess then you can either use your own or hire (we can often recommend dealers) but we must insist that our technicians are present when it is set up and it must conform to safety standards. Any equipment brought into the theatre should be adequately insured by the hirer.

All the theatres technicians are unpaid and may have daytime employment commitments, so weekday technical support is typically available from 18.45.

Lighting

The theatre's technicians have considerable experience of lighting concerts, fashion shows and most other types of event. Unless you require anything unusual or complicated we can usually provide lighting without further reference to you.

There are 4 internally wired bars on the stage grid and various other outlets distributed around the stage and auditorium. These are detailed on the Ref 6013 Dimmer Allocation Plan (32KB JPEG).

NB. ALL DIMMER-CONTROLLED LIGHTING SOCKETS ARE 15 AMP ROUND PIN.

For specialist high-power usage the Plaza has one each of a 32 Amp single-phase and a 63 Amp three-phase connection point in the dimmer room adjacent to the Stage Managers Desk (Stage Left). There are ample 13 Amp sockets around the stage. Our lights are normally left hung but can be focussed or re­positioned to suit each production as required, but only if time permits.

LIGHTING SPECIFICATION

132 control channels driving a mixture of Arri, Zero88 and JTM dimmers (2kW per channel, Max 160A per phase). The dimmers feed 132 respective circuits distributed around the stage and auditorium. In addition, the infrastructure design incorporates 13 switched lines controlled by channels 133-145.

An Arri Finesse memory board with 48 sub-masters, chases and two sequential playbacks. (See picture of Plaza's Lighting Desk). A riggers remote is available.

TOTAL LOAD 35kW per phase. There are meters in the control room showing total building load, this must not exceed 200A per phase!

Luminaires

Sound

Due to the layout of the Control Room it is not possible for one person to operate both lighting and sound.
Download Ref 6010 Dimensioned Control Room Layout (132KB JPEG)

It is not necessary in normal circumstances to use microphones but they can be used if required. We do not have suitable microphones for theatrical reinforcement. You must allow time to set the volume prior to your presentation, and if the sound operator is to do his job properly the mix position must be moved to the rear of the auditorium necessitating the withdrawal of seats from the back row - please contact to discuss the Plaza Theatre Seating Layout Plans.

There is a standard PO jack field for patching, with EDAC connectors to connect the Plaza's Sound Desk to the jack field. These EDAC connectors are replicated in the control room and as cables which can drop down to the back row of the auditorium for setting the desk up as a live microphone mixing position.

Sound should be recorded at a high level (without distortion) using high quality media on a good machine and "Dolby" if possible. Sound effects are difficult to set up on cassette or DAT, so the use of Mini-Disc is recommended, but if cassettes are to be used, each effect should be on a separate tape. We do not have any ¼" tape equipment.

Listen critically to your recording and if you think that the quality is not 100% at home it will sound far worse at the theatre. If you are not satisfied with the results, we may, for an additional fee, be able to assist with the recording.

SOUND SPECIFICATION

Effects

The following miscellaneous facilities may be available:

Stage Facilities

For stage dimensions please download a Ref 6002 Stage Plan (117KB JPEG). There are two flats forming the side of the proscenium arch which are removable. The skycloth takes time to install or remove and is often not hung. The wings can be masked with black legs and we have black running curtains.

There are pulleys for hanging or tumbling cloths but installation must be supervised by a technician. The stage grid has been independently certified for a flown rig of SWL 1.5tonnes. The stage is 15'3" (4.63m) high to the Unistrut grid. Stage floor level is approx. 8'6" (2.6m) above ground level with a scene dock opening to the car park.

There is an intercom system to the control room, a cue light system and an audio show relay to both the control room and dressing rooms. The video relay system provides a colour full-stage view to the dressing rooms, green room, box office and bar plus a feed to the scene dock and Stage Manager. Additional video relay capability exists (eg orchestra and sound/video mix position) - please ask for details.

For Green Room dimensions please download a Ref 6003 Green Room Plan (115KB JPEG). The Green Room is a ground-floor multi-function space suitable for meetings and rehearsals. It seats up to 40 people and has an adjacent kitchen with refreshment facilities. For RAODS shows and some outside bookings the Green Room serves as a coffee lounge during show intervals. Under demanding large-cast bookings the Green Room has been used as an additional/overflow changing room space.

Costume Hire

RAODS wardrobe provides a costume hire service for stage productions and private individuals' fancy dress events. Subject to the theatre being in use, the costume-hire facility is occasionally available on Tuesdays between 7pm and 9pm.
For the remainder of 2007 the planned dates are April 24th, May 29th, June 5th and 12th, July 10th and 24th, August CLOSED, September CLOSED, October 16th, November 27th, December 4th and 11th. All dates are subject to change with future bookings at the theatre.

If you have a particular costume theme in mind, it might be helpful to give advance notification by writing to advise us the style and size you may be seeking - do please include your contact telephone number. Note that our stock of military uniforms tends to be in small sizes for younger/slighter built males and that we have no female military uniform except 2 QA-RNA uniforms in very small size 6/8. For requirements comprising large numbers of costumes, it may be possible to arrange wardrobe sessions outside of the above opening hours - please contact
Wardrobe Mistress
Plaza Theatre
Winchester Road
Romsey
Hampshire SO51 8JA
or leave a message for the Wardrobe Mistress on 01794-523054.

Auditorium

The terms of our licence require that all aisles in the theatre be kept clear of obstructions whenever the building is in use. This includes trailing cables, tripods, stands and tables. We have taken out seats in row A for wheelchairs and further seats (14) can be removed to form a small orchestra pit (up to five musicians). For larger orchestras and the option of a sound/video mix position in the back of the auditorium, please contact us to dicuss the Plaza Theatre Seating Layout Plans. If you wish to use the Orchestra Pit facilities, we would appreciate help moving the seats. If you are arranging sales of tickets for your event, you may find it helpful to configure a seating plan to represent which seats are available after you have blocked out any required allocation for orchestra pit, mix position etc - please download a Ref 4001 Seating Plan (Excel 5.0 spreadsheet).

Safety & Regulations