So, You Want to Rent the Capitol Theatre!
The Capitol Theatre Nelson houses one 406 soft seat auditorium. The venue can be rented for live performances, networking events, meetings, film screenings, live streaming events, etc.
For more information about the building specifications and rental availability, please contact our
Front of House Manager at boxoffice at capitoltheatre dot ca or by phone at 250-352-6363
Rental Rate
Current rental rates information is available by calling the Box Office.
Availability
The Capitol Theatre accepts rentals throughout the year with the exception of 2 weeks in December as well as 2 weeks in August which are closed for holidays.
Please note that the Capitol does not restrict the booking of similar or competitive acts on dates that are close to any existing booking.
Holding a Date in the Capitol’s Calendar
Any potential Renter may place tentative holds on a maximum of three dates.
We welcome holds on dates as far away as 1 year maximum.
All holds can be challenged which means that if someone else is interested in a date on which you have a hold. If this occurs, the Front of House Manager will contact you and you will be given a maximum of one week to either confirm the date by signing a contract and paying a deposit, or release the held date.
If you are the one challenging a held date and the original date holder releases the date, you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit at that time.
Booking the Capitol Theatre
All facility rentals must be confirmed by the Front of House Manager and a booking is only considered confirmed once a contract has been signed and a rental deposit has been made.
Contract
It is very important to make sure to read through the entire contract before signing!
If anything is unclear, do not hesitate to contact the Front of House Manager who will be happy to assist.
Rental Deposit
Deposit amount information is available by calling the Front of House Manager and the deposit is required a minimum of 2 months before the rental date.
Cancellation Policy
Please speak to the Front of House Manager or refer to the CANCELLATION POLICY in the contract for details.
Ticketed events
If you plan to sell tickets to your event, they will not go on sale until we have received your signed contract and rental deposit.
Note that The Capitol Theatre will be the only place authorized to sell tickets and renters cannot sell them elsewhere.
When tickets are sold in the box office, patrons have the choice to either have them printed out or sent to their email address as digital tickets. Those who purchase tickets online will be sent a digital ticket, but are welcome to contact the box office to have them printed at any time up to and including the time of your event.
Please refer to the TICKET SALES AND PROMOTIONS portion of the contract for further details.
Donations for “By Donation” Event
Renters are welcome to hold a “by donation” event. In this case, you will be responsible for handling and managing the donation box and the Front of House team will have no involvement.
Postering
Renters are welcome to drop off up to two copies of posters for any event held at the Capitol Theatre. One copy will be displayed in our poster case on Victoria St. which is reserved for Capitol Theatre presentations and renter presentations only. The other copy will be for display in the lobby as space permits. Posters will be displayed once tickets are on sale.
Occasionally, patrons make a request to take home display posters and will be instructed that they can only pick them up after the event is completed. If no request for the posters have been made, they will be placed in recycling upon completion of your event.
A downtown-area postering service is available to all renters at a cost per poster and to a maximum of 30 posters. Please request the price for this service from the Front of House Manager.
Congratulations! You’ve booked Your Event at the Capitol Theatre!
…Now what?…
Review Your Contract
You’ve read through the contract before signing. Please go through it again now as you plan your event.
If anything is unclear, do not hesitate to contact the Front of House Manager who will be happy to assist.
Identify your Designated Contact Person
All rentals must have a designated contact person. This could be you, or someone you assign. This person will meet with the Technical Director before the event and go through the building’s safety and evacuation procedure and will be responsible for communicating effectively with the Front of House Manager and Technical Director.
If this person is you, please read through the Designated Contact Person Information Document.
If you are assigning someone else, please let the Front of House Manager know their name and contact information and ensure they receive the Designated Contact Person Information Document.
Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.
We are looking forward to working with you!
The Team at the Capitol Theatre
Designated Contact Person Information: Capitol Theatre Rental
Welcome to the Capitol Theatre! We are looking forward to working with you on your event.
As a first step, please ensure that the Front of House Manager has your contact information.
If you are different from the person who booked the theatre for this event, please request a copy of the contract and ensure that you read it thoroughly.
It is very important to read through the entire contract! If anything is unclear, do not hesitate to contact the Front of House Manager who will be happy to assist.
As the Designated Contact Person, you will meet with the Technical Director before the event and go through the building’s safety and evacuation procedure.
Please coordinate this meeting by contacting the Front of House Manager.
You will also be responsible for communicating effectively with the Front of House Manager and Technical Director leading up to and throughout your event.
General information for the Designated Contact Person to know
The Capitol Theatre Front of House services are available at no extra charge. Please be mindful that these services include community volunteers and we thank you in advance for your kindness and respect during all interactions with them.
You are most welcome to have food in the dressing rooms but please please remember food is strictly prohibited in the auditorium.
Please bear in mind, any time a member of your renting organization is present in the building, the a Capitol Staff member must be present.
Display in Lobby areas
Please let us know in advance if you require the lobby area for any display at the time of your event.
Display in Auditorium
Please let us know in advance if you plan on setting up displays at the back of the auditorium.
Accessibility
Wheelchairs
The theatre has wheelchair access at its main entrances. The lobby of the Capitol Theatre has an all-gender, wheelchair accessible washroom.
The theatre provides accessible seating for every performance, and assistance upon request to patrons using walkers, etc.
Any item that cannot leave the theatre of its own volition in an emergency situation must be removed from the theatre during the performance. As long as the wheelchair takes the place of a seat (i.e. the person is sitting in it), then it can stay in the auditorium.
Walkers/Canes/ Crutches/Car Seats/Strollers
The theatre provides accessible seating for every performance, and assistance, upon request, to patrons using walkers, etc.
A patron may use walkers, canes, etc to find their seats; however, any item that cannot leave the auditorium on its own volition in an emergency situation, must be removed from the theatre during the performance.
There are two exceptions to this rule. First, if a walker takes the place of a seat, and the patron is sitting in the walker in the accessible seating area, then they may keep it. Second, if a patron has a cane and it is small enough to fit in the space beside their seat, they may store it there.
Service Animals
Service animals are welcome in the theatre; however, patrons and the service animals must be seated in the accessible section.
Video and Photography Inside the Auditorium Policy
The Box Office Manager must be made aware a minimum of two weeks in advance if there will be filming and/or photography during a performance.
All tripods for photography and video may only be set up in areas as determined by the Technical Director. Seats for this purpose will have to be reserved with the Box Office Manager prior to tickets going on sale.
Patrons invited on the stage during an event Policy
Any invitation for patrons to go on stage during a performance must be approved by the Front of House Manager and/or the Technical Director a minimum of two weeks prior to the event. If the Technical Director and/or the on duty Box Office person at any time deems the situation unsafe, they have the authority to stop the performance until order has been restored to the situation.
Arrangements for any extra staffing for an event must be made a minimum of four weeks prior to an event by the renter. The renting organization is responsible for all staffing costs incurred.
If necessary, security personnel will be supplied and supervised by the renting organization. Security personnel will be the financial responsibility of the renting organization.
Appropriate staffing for the rental event shall be discussed with the Technical Director 4 weeks before the show as part of the technical requirements discussion.
Back Stage
Loading BayNo props, set pieces, or equipment of any kind may be left in the theatre after an event. All equipment belonging to the renter must be cleared out of the facility by the end of the renters’ contracted rental.
All props, set pieces, or equipment left in the theatre by a renter will be disposed of by the Capitol Theatre Restoration Society’s Technical Director.
Any exceptions to this must be discussed and approved by the Technical Director a minimum of two weeks prior to the event.
Fire Exit
All fire exits must be kept clear at all times.
Fire exits may not be blocked by set pieces or large amounts of equipment at any time before, during, or after a performance.
The Technical Director has the authority to stop a production if this is not followed.
Show Specifics
Only Capitol Theatre Restoration Society’s Technical Director or Assistant Technical Director may start a show. If your event includes a stage manager and you would like to assign them as the person who will start the show, please communicate this to our Technical Director.
The renter must be present in the building a minimum of 30 minutes prior to curtain.
All special effects must be approved by the Capitol Theatre’s Technical Director a minimum of two weeks prior to the event.
If a production has performers entering through the audience at any point during a show, the Capitol Theatre’s Front of House Manager and Technical Director must be notified 2 weeks before the event.
All technical riders and Tech sheets must be submitted to the Technical Director a minimum of four weeks before an event.
The Technical Director and crew must be given a 1 hour meal break after four hours of labour. If this cannot be done an alternative arrangement must be discussed and agreed upon with the Technical Director.
CTRS Staffing
For larger events, a minimum of two technicians composed of one CTRS technical staff and one technician or stage manager supplied by the renter are required for all concerts and variety shows. The decision of what constitutes a large enough event to merit the requirement of two technicians will follow consultation with the renter and is at the discretion of the Technical Director.
The renter can request venue staff to fill this 2nd Tech role at a minimum 4-hour call and the renter will be charged an hourly rate as per CTRS current Rental Rates sheet.
The Renter is responsible for all staffing and crew costs not included in the rental. All rental groups who are using either the lighting and/or sound equipment, and the projection system must have knowledgeable personnel to operate these as necessary for the delivery of the event.
All extra crew must be approved by the Capitol Theatre’s Technical Director.
The Technical Director will have the final say in all technical and back stage crew staffing decisions.
Contact information
Front of House Manager – Kyla Hurst email:boxoffice@capitoltheatre.ca ph:(250)352-6363
Technical Director – Terry Brennan email: tech@capitoltheatre.ca
FINALLY, we want to ensure safety at all times at your event. Following are procedures how we will accomplish this with Capitol Theatre Front of House volunteers and Capitol staff.
Procedure for Disruptions During Your Event
If there is a disruptive or problematic patron, we are following below steps
The Front of House volunteer who has witnessed the problem will find the Front of House Manager or on duty Box Office Person immediately as our volunteers are not expected to deal with conflict situations. All volunteer positions have a “buddy”, so that one volunteer can leave while the other is left to watch over the safety of the house.
The Box Office Manager or the on duty Box Office Person will approach the patron with the theatre’s concerns. The first step is a warning, and then if the problem persists, the patron will be asked to leave.
The Front-of-House Team Leader must give a detailed summary on their Front-of-House report describing the incident. This report includes the seat number of the patron.
The Executive Director contacts the patron and reminds them of the theatre’s standard policies and practices.