Checklist for Collaborating with Us​

We’re excited to work on your event with you, but we need some information so our volunteers know what to provide you with and how much time we’ll need to have to support your event.

Initial Steps​

• Read the Guidance on Events at YorkSU
• Confirm your Room Bookings
• If on-campus, submit EMFs for each day of your event, including for rehearsals during production weeks. (If you’re in Central Hall, see the section below)
• Create an event specific Risk Assessment
• Send an initial request to us to [email protected], with copies of your EMFs, Risk Assessment and venue information

Once we get back in touch​​

We'll get in touch as soon as possible with your request (we aim to respond within 4 working days), and will get you in touch with one of our volunteers who will be your TechSoc Project Manager - They'll be your lead contact for your event from our society.

• Arrange an initial meeting with your TechSoc Project Manager with requirements for your event - hopefully they will have done this after our initial email!
• Send a running order or script to [email protected] as soon as it is finalised.
• Discuss any potential changes to the venue with your Project Manager - the earlier, the better!

One week before your event​​

• Confirm running order/rehearsal schedule/final hires with your Project Manager
• Confirm any special requests for the venue, inc. Equipment, Layout Changes and timings.

Who are we?​​

Founded in 2017, Technical Theatre Society is University of York’s event production society, providing live event design, installation and operation for student groups in York. We’re a group of student volunteers who help run the technical side of any event run by the university community, from theatre and presentations to dance and live music. We are equally comfortable working in venues small and large, and dedicated theatre spaces with their own equipment, or in temporary spaces with our portable lighting and sound.
Please drop us an email at [email protected] to get the conversation started.

What can we provide?​​

We can provide you with all of the technical side of your event including sound, lighting and some elements of video. We’ll provide a Project Manager that will lead our volunteers from our side, who will be there to work with you to design and operate your event. The size of this team will depend on the size of your event and often a single person can cover multiple roles.

Further Hires

We regularly hire in additional equipment for events through a variety of sources. If you think you will need to do this please discuss it with your project manager as soon as possible as sourcing quotes and the correct equipment takes significantly longer than doing an event with just our own equipment.

Our most frequent hire is radio mics which vary in price depending on whether you are on or off campus as well as how many you’re looking to hire. In the past we’ve also hired drapes, mixing desks and additional lighting fixtures so if you have the budget for it we’ll probably be able to get it! If you’re unsure of your technical needs for the event then we’d be happy to discuss this with you and determine what we think is best.

Our Charges​​

We ask for a small charge at all events that we support in order to cover our consumable costs and maintenance of our equipment. These consumables include ear protection for our crew, tape and lamps. For all events, additional costs are passed onto you. These include costs for hires, vehicles and fire alarm isolation. Another additional cost is to hire a van (see below). All of these costs are agreed with you before we purchase or agree to hiring anything and so your project manager will make you aware of them throughout the process.

Any hires of equipment must be confirmed at least two weeks before your event. After this time we are likely to have to ask for the payment of any hired equipment due to agreements made with our hire contacts. For most events our array of equipment is sufficient, however for others (such as those that are larger in scale) we also pass on all expenses incurred for the event. This could be external hire, haze fluid, batteries, or anything else we feel are necessary for your event. Your project manager can give you an idea of what this will cost and if you have any budget constraints it is worth talking to them. After the event we will send you an itemised invoice.

We will assume that our main contact (e.g. the Producer) with your group has permission to make financial decisions, especially regarding hires, and will make decisions based on their input. If this is not the case, please let us know early in the event planning process.

Van Hire​​

For events that occur outside of a certain radius of the Dixon Drama Studio we may ask you to cover the costs of van hire. This van will be able to be used by your society as well for transporting set, instruments or anything else you may need. We will provide drivers for the van and will organise hiring and collecting it. The cost will be agreed with you before we confirm the hire and we are happy to discuss other options if you don’t think this will be suitable for your event.

What we need​​

Venue Booking Confirmation​​

Once you've got confirmation of the venue for your event, please get in touch with us at [email protected] so we can start working out how we can support your event.

EMFs​​

While we are helping to support your event we won’t fill out any forms or book any rooms with the university for you. This includes filling out an EMF and we are only able to support on-campus events with approved EMFs. If you’re unsure what this is please ask your project manager and they will point you in the right direction. Once you have submitted an EMF for each day of your event, please send a pdf copy to your Project Manager.

In Central Hall​

If your event is in Central Hall you must add “Technical arrangements organised through TechSoc" in the AV Arrangements box and select the “Smoke Generator” option within the special effect section of the form - the latter only if you want to use smoke effects. Without these, we are not allowed to work in that venue.
We've collated more information about events in Central Hall on our venue page

Room Alterations​​

If your event will require alterations to the default layout for on-campus rooms, you will need to request these changes with the Room Bookings team. When you do this, please copy us into the email so we're aware of what has been requested. If you're using Central Hall, we have a catalogue of old layouts which may be useful to you, and work closely with AV to make specific alterations for events.

Notice Times​​

The vast majority of our events are booked in over a month in advance of them happening. We ask that at a minimum we are given two weeks notice but we cannot guarantee that we will be able to support any event with this little notice due to us being booked up normally a term in advance, especially in the later weeks in term. In addition to this we ask that you let us know of any changes to do with the event as soon as possible. This might be a change to the line-up, a change of venue or date or a change in personnel e.g. the stage manager is someone different from who we expected. This just allows us to adapt to the new situation and provide the best possible support.

Questions or Issues​

If you have any questions about anything on this page, or are having issues at any point on your event, drop us an email at [email protected] and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.