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Terms & Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Rental

1. Definitions

“BSTC” refers to the Bus Stop Theatre Co-op.

“Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative Technician” is a person who has been contracted or approved by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative.

“Building” is the property with the civic address of 2203 Gottingen Street, Halifax in which the rental spaces are located.

“Illicit drug” means a controlled substance or precursor the import, export, production, sale or possession of which is prohibited or restricted under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, SC 1996, c 19.

“Renter” is a group or person using a space in the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative’s Building after entering into a rental agreement as per the terms and conditions below.

2. Terms and Conditions of Rental

  1. General Terms and Conditions

    1. SPACES: The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative operates three spaces at 2203 Gottingen Street: the Lobby, the Theatre and the Community Room. Each of these three spaces within the Building can be rented separately or together.
    2. CAPACITY: The Theatre and Lobby areas combined have a 149 person capacity, including artists, staff and patrons. The Community Room has a 50 person capacity, including artists, staff and patrons.
    3. DEPOSIT: A renter has 10 days upon receipt of their booking invoice to pay a 25% deposit. Failure to due so will result in the requested dates being released.
    4. SHORT NOTICE: Rental requests less than two weeks before the requested rental date are contingent on Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative Technician availability.

  2. Renting the Theatre

    1. SEATED CAPACITY: The Theatre can seat 75 seated on risers. With approval from the General Manager up to 100 can be seated with added chairs on the floor/stage area.
    2. BACKSTAGE: Rental of the Theatre includes the use of the backstage dressing room and bathrooms. 
    3. EQUIPMENT: Access to all theatrical equipment is included in the rental of the Theatre. Usage of the tech room, tech booth and/or equipment is conditional (see section 3.2).
    4. RISERS: The Theatre can be closed off from the Lobby in a black box configuration or opened up to the Lobby in an open hall configuration. Furthermore, the audience risers are collapsible and can be reconfigured. However, movement of risers may not always be possible, particularly in the case of one-day rentals.
    5. LOBBY: The Lobby can be used as a thoroughfare or public seating/waiting area but is not included in the rental for reserved use.

  3. Renting the Lobby 

    1. The Lobby can be added to a Theatre rental for additional performance, rehearsal, meeting or administrative space.
    2. The Lobby can also be rented on its own through a Rush Rental Agreement. Rush Rentals can only be booked up to 21 days in advance.
    3. The Lobby can seat 25-30 people.
    4. Lobby rentals do not include use of the bar or access to the staff-only area behind the bar.

  4. Renting the Community Room

    1. The Community Room can be added to a Theatre rental for additional performance, rehearsal, meeting or administrative space
    2. The Community Room can be rented on its own between the hours of 8am and 4pm.
    3. The Community Room can also be rented outside of the 8am-4pm timeframe through a Rush Rental Agreement. Rush Rentals can only be booked up to 21 days in advance.
    4. The Community Room includes use of the kitchenette, coat closets and two washrooms.
    5. If rented on its own, the Community Room is only accessible through the parking lot located behind the theatre on Maitland Street.

  5. Timeline for non-member bookings:

    1. One day bookings cannot be made more than12 months in advance
    2. Two to three day bookings cannot be made more than 12 months in advance
    3. Four or more day bookings cannot be made more than 24 months in advance.

  6. Timeline for member bookings:

    1. One day bookings cannot be made more than 12 months in advance.
    2. Two to three day bookings cannot be made more than 18 months in advance.
    3. Four or more day bookings cannot be made more than is 30 months in advance.

  7. Recurring bookings

    1. Any recurring monthly rentals (for example: booking every 1st Saturday of the month) within more than 2 consecutive months are subject to review in consideration of equitable availability within the community.

  8. Long bookings

    1. Booking requests of more than 21 days must be approved by the BSTC Executive Director and are subject to the following considerations:
      1. Likelihood of high bar revenue
      2. Inclusion of underrepresented communities and groups
      3. Benefits to the BSTC membership

3. Rental, Access, and Use

  1. ACCESS: Use of the Theatre, Lobby and Community Room is limited to the specific dates/times booked by the Renter and must conform and adhere to the terms and conditions enumerated here. Time for set up and tear down must be considered within the rental time frame and cannot exceed the times and dates booked by the Renter.
  2. RATES: The agreed upon rental fee will be based on the rates provided on our website. The 2024 hourly technician rate is $26.50 per hour.  This rate is updated annually in January to reflect the most recent local living wage published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
  3. EQUIPMENT: Use of equipment from the Tech Room or Tech Booth is not permitted without the permission of a Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative Technician.
  4. TERMINATION: The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative reserves the right to cancel any rental at any time. All Rentals must be approved by the General Manager. Rental use will be evaluated in consideration of several factors, including:
    1. suitability to the Theatre, Lobby or Community Room.
    2. the mandate of the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative;
    3. respect for the needs of the community, including but not limited to the immediate neighbours of the Building;
    4. failure to reasonably accommodate the accessibility needs of patrons as indicated in this document;
    5. failure to abide by the fire safety code;
    6. failure to comply to all the terms and conditions listed in this document; and
    7. any other factors as the Co-operative deems appropriate
  5. ILLICIT DRUGS: Possession, consumption or sale of any illicit drug (see Section 1) in the Building or within the immediate vicinity of the Building, by anyone connected in any way with the Renter or the events being held in the Building (as defined in Section 2), will result in the immediate termination of this contract, the immediate forfeiture of the rental fee, and the immediate and permanent expulsion of the Renter from the building. Such incidents will be reported to police where required by law.
  6. RESTRICTIONS: The following is not permitted and may result in further liability or cost to the renter:
    1. Loose glitter 
    2. Securing (screwing) into Lobby, Theatre or Community Room ceiling, floor or walls without explicit permission from Bus Stop Staff
    3. Cigarettes, vaporizers, etc
    4. Open flames
    5. Non-fire retardant draping  
    6. Use of risers above 3 feet without secured railings
    7. Excessive use of water or damp materials that can damage the floor or equipment
    8. Drawing on the walls/floor with chalk or chalk pens
    9. Obstructing fire exit pathways
  7. SET UP & TEAR DOWN: Any setup, tear down, or cleanup time must be included in the rental period (for example, if you need to access at 3:30pm to set up for a 4:00 pm event, your rental will begin at 3:30 pm. The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative reserves the right to charge the renter for any additional time and/or costs incurred in order to return the Lobby, Theatre or Community Room to its original state. If the Renter exceeds the period of the rental, the Renter will be charged for any additional time at the standard rate of $70/hour+HST.
  8. STATISTICS: The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative reserves the right to request event information for statistical purposes, including but not limited to names of artists, number of audience members and ticket prices.
  9. REFRIGERATORS: Access to the area behind the bar is for water only. The refrigerators in this area are for bar use only. A mini-fridge is provided in both the dressing room of the Theatre and in the kitchenette of the Community Room for the Renter to use.
  10. STAFF ONLY AREAS: Access to the staff only areas (behind the bar and in the basement) is strictly prohibited to the Renter.
  11. COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS: Upon request, the Renter is required to supply the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative with up to 4 complimentary tickets to events and performances.
  12. BOOKING TECHNICIANS: Hourly bookings always include a technician for the time booked. Hourly bookings must be a minimum of 3 hours, unless otherwise approved by Bus Stop staff. Non-member Daily bookings include 6 hours per day with a technician. Member bookings do not include a technician.
    1. The technical needs of a Renter must be submitted within 14 days of a rental.  If we do not receive notice of technical needs from the Renter, we will add a technician for 3 hours per day and cannot guarantee their presence in the space during the times desired by the Renter. Use of the technical equipment is not allowed without the presence of a Bus Stop Theatre Co-op technician or an approved technician on your team.
    2. We require a minimum of 14 days of notice to cancel technician hours without penalty. If the Renter cancels technician hours with less than 14 days notice, the Renter will be charged a cancellation fee of 50% of the scheduled hours. If the Renter cancels with less than 7 days notice, the Renter will be charged for the full scheduled hours.

4. Liability

    1. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK: The Renter promises to undertake all their activities with due care for the premises and for the health and safety of all persons they invite on the premises, including staff and members of the general public who may attend events the Renter may stage. Accordingly, the Renter assumes all liability for loss, damage to property or personal injury that may occur as a result of it or its invitees being on the premises. The Renter agrees to indemnify and hold harmless from all such losses, the Bus Stop Theatre Cooperative and its agents and representatives.
    2. CLEANING: The Renter is responsible for cleaning up the rented space (the Theatre, Lobby and/or Community Room) and returning it to its original condition within the rental period, including all technical equipment, save for the regular maintenance of the space’s floors and bathrooms. The Renter will be charged for any additional time outside of regular floor and bathroom maintenance required by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative staff to return the rented space to its original condition at the end of a rental. Failure to comply to this term will result in the Renter being charged at the hourly rental rate of $75/hour for additional cleaning. Failure to restore the rented space to its original condition can result in the cancellation of any and all future rentals. All personal belongings must be removed from the space and the Renters must clean up any garbage left outside of appropriate receptacles. Any and all construction material (wood, metal, furniture or set pieces, etc.) cannot be left in the building. A dumpster is available outside for an additional fee of $50 to fill up to half its capacity, or $100 for full capacity.

5. Supervision

  1. The Renter will be able to confirm occupancy numbers at all times to ensure the rented space does not have more people than fire capacity allows (149 in the Theatre and Lobby, 50 in the Community Room).
  2. The Renter will ensure that one of its officials or authorized representatives is present in the rented space when it is occupied and must be left secured when not occupied. Under no circumstances may the rented space be left occupied while unsupervised by the Renter, one of its officials or an authorized representative.

6. Fire Safety and Security 

  1. The Renter can hire front door security staff through the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative for $26.50/hour to provide front door security for events.
  2. The Bus Stop Theatre Cooperative may require security at an event for any reason.
  3. Any Renters expecting more than 100 patrons is required to hire front door security.
  4. All emergency exit pathways and doorways must have a minimum of 3 feet clearance at all times.
  5. All events held in the Theatre where an emergency exit sign is obstructed from view must be preceded by a live or recorded message informing patrons of the location of both emergency exits.
  6. In the event of an emergency, Renters must be prepared to assist the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative Staff with escorting their team, patrons and staff to safety.

7. Alcohol

  1. BAR OPERATIONS: The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative Bar, located in the Lobby, will be open for all public events unless the Renter does not want it to be. The Bar can run as a full bar, or dry bar (no alcoholic beverages). A small rolling bar can be included in Community Room rentals upon request for a $50 fee.
  2. OUTSIDE ALCOHOL: No outside alcohol is allowed in any area of the Building.
  3. CONSUMPTION: Alcohol purchased at the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative can be transported and consumed in the Lobby, Theatre (including the backstage area) and the Community Room, but is not permitted outside of the Building.
  4. BAR RESTRICTIONS: All alcohol sales and bar operation by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative are limited to dates when the Theatre, Lobby and/or Community Room is being used for the presentation of the Performing Arts. The bar cannot be in operation during events that do not include live performance. In case of doubt, contact the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative. On dates when alcohol sales and bar operation by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative occur, the bar will only serve 60 minutes before the performance, during the performance, and 60 minutes after the performance in accordance with the limits of its Class A Theatre License.
  5. ALL AGES: Events with alcohol or bar operation by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative may be considered all ages, yet must be approved by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative General Manager and are subject to the following conditions:
    1. The underage attendees do not exceed more than 50 percent of total event attendees;
    2. The Renter or an authorized representative visibly marks underage attendees and tracks numbers;
    3. There is sufficient personnel to monitor drinking in the space.
  6. BAR FEES: For rentals of the Theatre after 4pm the bar is included in the rental. Matinee events are charged $50 for operating the bar. Bar cancellations with less than 2 days notice are subject to a $50 fee.

8. Accessibility & Inclusion

  1. Renters must endeavour to make every reasonable effort to make the Lobby, Theatre and Community Room accessible to all patrons and artists by:
    1. Ensuring that the seating configuration allows for the viewing and participation of patrons requiring a wheelchair;
    2. Providing free admission to interpreters accompanying a patron requiring their services; and
    3. Removing physical obstacles that hinder the movement of wheelchairs where needed for use of the Lobby, Theatre, Community Room.

  2. Accessibility Subsidy

    1. A Renter choosing to implement accessibility measures for their event (or at least one performance in the case of a show with multiple showings) may request a $100 subsidy from the BSTC in order to help defray the costs of the measure. These can include ASL interpretation, audio description, closed captioning, an assisted listening system, etc.
    2. To apply for a subsidy, the Renter must submit an invoice with documentation that the services was used for an event hosted at the Bus Stop Theatre. A $100 discount will then be applied to their rental invoice from the Bus Stop Theatre. This subsidy can be accessed on a first come, first serve basis as needed so long as the annually renewed $5,000 budget allows.

  3. Reconciliation & Reparations Fund:

    1. At least 1 weekend date every quarter (either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday) must be kept available for use of the Reconciliation & Reparations Fund. Any reserved dates for this purpose will be released at the end of the preceding quarter unless booked by a renter using the Fund. Quarters: Jan-March, April-June, July-Sept, Oct-Dec. 
    2. If an event funded by the Reconciliation & Reparations Fund needs to be cancelled, the renter can reschedule up to one (1) time. If they have to cancel a second time, they will need to wait until the following year to reapply. 
    3. Renters can access this Fund once per year (Jan 1-Dec 31). Members can access this Fund 3 times per year.
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9. Promotions

  1. The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative agrees to promote the Renter’s event on our website, newsletter, and social media, so long as the Renter submits event information to the General Manager via email no less than 21 days in advance. Additional advertising space can be purchased on digital monitors.

10. Music License

  1. Any event that involves the performance of live music or the use of recorded music requires the acquisition of appropriate SOCAN and/or Re:Sound licenses administered through the joint venture Entandem. Licensing shall be acquired through the Bus Stop Theatre Cooperative. The appropriate fee will be added to the renter’s invoice following the event. For license categories, fees and details, please refer to the SOCAN website at socan.ca and the Re:Sound website at resound.ca.

11. Bookings and Cancellations

  1. A booking will not be agreed upon or confirmed until an advance deposit of a non-refundable 25% of the total rental fee is paid. If the deposit is not paid within 10 days of receiving the invoice, the dates will be released.
  2. In the case of cancellations:
    1. For single/one day bookings, the Renter, or one of its officials or authorized representatives, must provide written notice (email is acceptable) of cancellation at least three weeks (21 days) prior to the date of the rental in order to avoid being charged the full rental fee.
    2. For 2-7 day bookings, the Renter, or one of its officials or authorized representatives, must provide written notice (email is acceptable) of cancellation at least 2 months notice (60 days) prior to the date of the rental in order to avoid being charged the full rental fee.
    3. For bookings of seven or more days, the Renter, or one of its officials or authorized representatives, must provide written notice (email is acceptable) of cancellation at least three months (90 days) prior to the date of the rental in order to avoid being charged the full rental fee.
  3. The Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative may terminate this agreement for any reason (see Section 3). In the event of termination by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative prior to the event, the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative shall not charge the renter for the remaining rental fees. The deposit is always non-refundable.
  4. The Bus Stop Theatre Cooperative reserves the right to monitor any booking and may shut down any activities in process deemed to be in breach of this agreement in accordance with Section 3 of this contract. In the event that a booking is shut down in process:
    1. The Renter would pay any and all rental fees and/or deposits associated with the booking in question;
    2. The Renter would be required to stop its activities and vacate the premises immediately; and
    3. The Renter would be responsible for ensuring that all guests or participants vacate the premises immediately, and for doing any cleanup required to return the rented space to its original condition in a timely fashion.
  5. STORM CANCELLATIONS:
    1. In the event of a storm, the cancellation terms as laid out in the Rental Terms & Conditions will not change unless the following situations occur:
      1. Closure of the transit system due to unsafe driving conditions, leading the event or show to be cancelled will result in the renter’s invoice payment being credited for another rental of the same value at a later available date.
      2. Power outage preventing the event or show from taking place will result in the renter’s invoice payment being credited for another rental of the same value at a later available date.
      3. Water entry into the theatre or another other building deficiency preventing the event or show from taking place will result in a full reimbursement of the rental invoice.
    2. The above conditions only apply if the event or show is cancelled or forced to end early as a result of the aforementioned situations. No credit or refund will be given if the event or show takes place as planned despite the aforementioned situations.
 
 

12. Payment and Late Fees

  1. Non-refundable deposits are due within 10 days of receiving an invoice. Full payment of invoices is due 30 days following the last day of rental.
  2. A late charge of 1% per day past the due date will be added to any overdue invoices.
  3. Payment can be made by credit card through our QuickBooks invoicing portal, cheque, cash or e-transfer to payments@thebusstoptheatre.org.
  4. Unpaid invoices may result in the cancellation of any future events by the Renter.

13. Acknowledgement and Acceptance of Terms:

I agree to the preceding rental terms and conditions. I understand that by checking the box in the website rental form, I agree to the terms and conditions. I am using any or all spaces in the Building operated by the Bus Stop Theatre Co-operative at my own risk and assume responsibility for any and all instances of loss, damage to property, or personal injury that may occur as a result of my activities in or near the building.

The Bus Stop Theatre Co-op is a multi-use performance venue located on Gottingen Street in Kjipuktuk/Halifax. The theatre has been in operation since 2003 and operating as a co-op since 2012. We host over 100 different groups and shows annually and are booked for performances, rehearsals and gatherings of all kinds for 250+ days of the year.

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