2023 MARYLAND THESPIAN FESTIVAL

LOAD-IN & LOAD-OUT
PROCEDURES & REGULATIONS

FRIDAY SCHEDULE
Troupes performing on Friday must be one of the first to complete Festival check-in. Following check-in, Troupes will proceed directly to the venue loading dock. Troupes will be allotted 20 minutes to load-in and will be assigned a time slot between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM. Following load-in, Troupes will take part in a One-Act Festival orientation with the Festival Production Coordinator on stage in the venue in which you are assigned. Following the performance, Troupes will be allotted 20 minutes to load-out and will be assigned a time slot between 6:30 PM and 7:30 PM. This will ensure Troupes loading-out during a scheduled meal break have enough time to complete load-out and eat.

SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Troupes performing on Saturday will proceed directly to the venue loading dock at your assigned load-in time. Troupes will be allotted 20 minutes to load-in and will be assigned a time slot between 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM. Following load-in, Troupes will take part in a One-Act Festival orientation with the Festival Production Coordinator on stage in the venue in which you are assigned. Following the performance, Troupes will be allotted 20 minutes to load-out and will be assigned a time slot between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM. This will ensure Troupes loading-out during a scheduled meal break have enough time to complete load-out and eat. 

APPROPRIATE CLOTHING / FOOTWEAR
All parties involved in load-in and/or load-out must wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Appropriate clothing allows for freedom of movement and cannot be caught, ripped, or torn. Appropriate footwear protects the entire foot from injury, and is low-heeled, closed-heeled, and closed-toe. Examples of appropriate footwear include tennis shoes, sneakers, or work boots. Sandals, flip-flops, slippers, clogs, high heels, sling-backs, and the like are strictly prohibited. Jewelry of any kind should not be worn.

LOADING DOCK
All performance groups will load-in/load-out by pulling their vehicle to the loading dock located behind the venue at their scheduled load-in/load-out time. Enter campus at the stoplight intersection of University Blvd. and Stadium Dr. As you pull into campus on Stadium Dr., turn right at the first opportunity onto Backstage Lane. Follow the road behind the building, and the first loading dock on the left is where load-in/load-out will take place. Once a vehicle has unloaded or is loaded, it must be moved out of the loading dock immediately to make room for other Troupes and their vehicles. No vehicle may load or unload at any other location except at the loading dock. Persons directing vehicles into and out of the loading dock should never be on the same level as the moving vehicle and must exercise extreme caution at all times. Once a Troupe has completed load-in/load-out, all members must vacate as quickly and safely as possible.

BACKSTAGE STORAGE
During load-in, all materials, props, and costumes will be moved from the vehicle and placed into an allotted backstage storage area. The backstage storage area is a clearly defined 6’ x 9’ rectangle taped onto the floor of each venue behind the performance space. Items in the backstage storage area may be placed on top of one another but may not be stacked over 8 feet high. All Troupe items and belongings, including but not limited to props, costumes, make-up, backpacks, etc., must be removed at the scheduled load-out time. Any item left after the scheduled load-out time will be thrown away at the Troupe’s expense.

MATERIALS AND PROPS
All materials and props must be ready for production before loading in. Assembling materials or props on the loading dock, in the hallways, and/or within the backstage storage area is not permitted. Construction, including sawing and painting, is not permitted. In addition, the venue will not supply tools of any kind for load-in or load-out. During load-out, all personal items must be removed from the dressing rooms. Any item left after the scheduled load-out will be thrown away at the Troupe’s expense.

REHEARSAL SPACE
Rehearsal space will not be provided. In addition, the stage wings, loading area, dressing rooms, and/or hallways may not be used as rehearsal space.