Bringing a show to The Cockpit

How do I make a hire enquiry?

You should email the Cockpit Director, Dave Wybrow (dave [at] thecockpit.org.uk), with as much information as possible.  Have a read of the rest of this page and then drop Dave a line making sure you have addressed the following points:

  • Who you are (please provide full contact info including phone number)
  • What the show is (provide any online links that help show what you have in mind)
  • Scheduling information
    • When? What dates have you got in mind, approximately.
    • How many performances do you envisage at this stage?
    • Anticipated show running time
    • Interval or no interval
  • Technical needs
    • How long do you think you will you need for your get-in and rehearsals?
    • Will you have your own technical operator and technical crew - ore would you need us to help with this? (We provide a house technician to advise your crew when you get in in any event)
    • Anticipated layout and seating capacity required. We can go in the round with seats on all four sides - giving 220 capacity - or thrust, with seating on three sides, giving 170. We can also go traverse (120 capacity) black box with no seating at all or partial thrust/end on. Thrust/end on means  going in thrust but using seating for 130  downstage,  downstage left  and downstage right.  All seating is unnumbered, cushioned bench seating. The capacity numbers given reflect the number of tickets we can put on sale in any given configuration - not the number of individual seats - and leave room for comfort
  • The number of participants in the show/activity
  • Whether the show/activity involves people under the age of 18 as participants.
  • If the show is for adults or a family audience.

 

If you are looking to bring a show to be performed LIVE ONLINE or ON DEMAND, please visit our Cockpit Broadcast page. 

 

After an exchange of emails we'd usually arrange a meeting. Beth, Dave's PA, arranges these.  Email beth [at] thecockpit.org.uk.
Then  when we've found the right dates for you, we ask you to email a schedule of all the days showing get-in and get-out times, show times etc. Then we cost it. Once we have agreed the price Dave issues a confirmation email. You then upload details of you or your company and your event to our website. Then we issue a digital contract to sign online, you pay a deposit and we put the show on sale.

How much does it cost?

The good news is we will always negotiate - but in general it depends how long the run is.  Straightforward average rental price is around £975 for a one-off show in a day with a get-in from 10.00am.  Once a show is in,  its about £720 a performance.  It gets cheaper for longer runs (a six show week usually comes in around £3,900- 4,700). Longer runs are all by negotiation but think in terms of £700 each performance. You will need to add a bit for get-in and technical work/dress rehearsal before the first show, hence the total cost for a one day hire being about £975, while a two day event with get-in from mid-day on day one followed by two evening shows might be about £1650, 3 days £2000 and so on.  Dry hire for rehearsal and get-in time on days prior to opening is £30ph up to £55ph with access to technical areas including a venue technician. 

Final price depends on technical complexity, your marketing capabilities, the kind of show it is, running time etc.  But we are always a top value space and you get a lot of good theatre for your money. Also, rehearsed readings and simple shows often have later get-ins and so one day hires can be a good option for straightforward shows with clear artistic/financial aims. Finally, we'd rather be open than closed on any night so if you've got a whacky idea for a short-notice cheap try-out, - try us.

Does The Cockpit offer box-office splits? Does it buy shows in?  Does it co-produce?

Yes we do all these things and more. There are many different ways of sharing costs, getting shows on and sharing proceeds and we do all of them.  But the outline prices above reflect our costs and we always need to cover these one way or another. Box Office splits may be possible for returning hirers, once we've got to know you. Splits against a guarantee can help avoid big upfront costs and we often collaborate and produce work with our ever-growing constituency of known collaborators.  If you have a project that's really ready to go with good marketing attached, talk to Dave. 

Whatever the deal......

We run to contract and the show goes on no matter what. We expect the same from you. We seat 170 in thrust layout and 220 in-the-round.  It's your choice what to charge for tickets. We add a £1 +3% per ticket booking fee to all ticket prices to cover transaction fees and visa costs. This will be paid by the ticket-buyer directly to The Cockpit at the time of the ticket sale. But that's it! We avoid hidden charges and contra charges.  What you negotiate and agree in your contract is what you pay.

You need to make sure that you have secured the rights to use any copyrighted works such as plays and music.  You will also be responsible for your own insurance as you would be liable to any damage or injury caused by you or your company's actions. If there are extra costs such as additional time outside of the contract, photocopying/printing, etc, we'll tell you about them in advance.

What technical support do I get?

We provide a technician to help advise your technicians during your get-in as part of the standard hire (usually up to around 8 hours support is included). They are there to supervise your get-in, source Cockpit equipment and help problem-solve.  If you don't have any of your own crew then we can provide excellent technicians at a rate of £22/hour.
Full information about our technical facilities can be found at www.thecockpit.org.uk/tech

What are the ticketing options?

Option 1 – Advance sales via The Cockpit. We will organize online sales via our website and live telephone advance sales and co-ordinate these with door sales. This is the preferred option. Its cheaper for everyone and it works.  We can run offers, promos, two for one deals, earlybird sales and anything else to encourage people to come see your show. We also arrange daily sales reports emailed to you. All you need do is tell us what info you need and how often.  If you choose this option you must agree any sales or ticket distribution elsewhere with us BEFORE you place any ticket allocations with other agencies. (We never unreasonably withold aggreement). Most people go for this option which really gives the best of all worlds.

Option 2 - You deal with all ticketing independently. You can set up and run your own ticket sales (ticketmaster, eventbrite, etc) and we will link to it from our website. If you do this we generally require full payment of rental in advance. It also means we can’t take bookings over the phone or on the door or answer audience queries about tickets/make refunds etc. Its also more difficult to run offers, discounts, earlybird schemes etc If you choose this option, you must also run your own box office on the night from a desk in the foyer before and during the show (latecomers!), provide your own tickets, and handle all money yourself, including  any cash sales on the night. Smaller, one off events sometimes choose this option because it fits with their previous practice elsewhere.

 

What about publicity?

Companies are expected to market their own shows, but we energetically back up your efforts and help wherever we can.  You insta, we insta You FB, we FB.  We will list your show on our website and send details out to listings sites, publications and websites.  We also publicise shows via our email newsletter to around 20,000 subscribers.  Inclusion is not guaranteed but If you want to check if your show would be included just ask.  If we say it will be it will be. We do need full info and sight of all marketing materiels though BEFORE we start telling people your show is coming here..

Here is a copy of our Marketing Guide for Visiting Companies so you can see exactly what we'll do for you and what you'll need to do for yourself. It's full of useful tips, so it's worth a read! 

 

We'll display your approved posters and flyers around the venue. 
All posters and flyers need to be checked by our designer, Chris (chris [at] thecockpit.org.uk), before going to print.  He will provide logos, a footer and venue information, or do your design for you. 
We can't print flyers, but we use and recommend alocalprinter.com
We can have A3 colour photocopies of posters for around the venue printed up at around £1/copy.

All posters and Flyers must adhere to the following:

  • All images and designs must be his-res and of a professional standard.
  • All posters and flyers must contain our logo. This logo must not be mishapen or edited in anyway.

It must be used in its transparent form, must be displayed clearly with at least  3 cm surrounding space from any text and be on as plain a background as possible.  

  • All poster footers must be EITHER our standard footer which can be sent to you or added by Chris OR must contain all of the information that out standard footer contains. This includes.
  • Cockpit address - Gateforth Street, London, NW8 8EH
  • Box office contact number - 020 7258 2925
  • Cockpit website - thecockpit.org.uk (home page address with no additional links or http// leads)
  • Dates of the performance(s)
  • Time(s) of the performance(s)
  • Ticket prices.

A map showing our location can be downloaded here (0.77Mb).  Include it where you can. It cant hurt.

 

 

Posting a show on our website

You register for an account, we approve it and then you log in and submit your listing.  We then check it through, make sure all contract details are sorted, configure the web sales, and publish it once you have signed your contract and paid the deposit. 
In fact, creating an account and uploading your show info is one of the first steps after agreeing a deal with Dave.  We use that info to draw up the contract.
To create an account, and to login, use the link at the foot of every page of this site.

When uploading information please make sure you have the following:

  • The name, address and full contact details for whoever is signing the contract with us, taking financial and legal responsibility and is in overall charge of your event.
  • A title for the show.
  • A strapline for the show (saying in one or two sentences what it is).
  • Some blurb that explains your event in more detail and helps sell it to your intended audience.
  • A production image that has NO logos or text of any kind. This image is for your shows page and our home page. Please be aware that the image that appears on the home page will be slightly cropped foreach page it appears on.

  • Clear information about your show including a show title, a sub header and information about the show.
  • Prices
  • Times and Dates

We reserve the right to edit your uploaded information to ensure it is in keeping with the company policies.. These amendment are minor and rare. 

What about a contract?

All shows at The Cockpit must be done under contract.  It's a standard hire agreement with no hidden surprises and basically is your promise to us that you'll do the show and our promise to you that we'll host it.
Firstly we'll send you a confirmation email with all the details of your hire, based on your discussions with Dave. You need to check this through properly as we draw up the contract based on these details and once you have confirmed them, any changes to the contract may incur an admin fee. Then, Beth, Dave's PA, will email you the electronic contract through Signable, which you need to sign online through the link in the email. Beth will then send you the details of how to pay your deposit.
Once we've got your signed contract back - and your deposit if we've agreed one - we'll publish your listing on our website and open online and phone sales so long as you are happy for us to do so.

How do finances get settled up?

You will probably need to pay us a  30% deposit when you return your contract.  If we are selling tickets for you we generally settle up after the end of the show/run.  If we are not selling tickets for you then you will probably need to pay the full fee up front.

Ways to pay:
In person: Cash, card or cheque  (payable to "CWC Enterprises Ltd")
Over the phone: By card on 020 7258 2925 (12-6, Mon-Sat)
Electronically: By PayPal or by BACS 
By post: cheques payable to "CWC Enterprises Ltd"

We pay you any money we owe you up to 30 days in arrears (I.E. We'll settle up within a month of the last day of your show).
We usually take the rest of your hire fee out of your Box Office money and either send you the rest or invoice you for the balance.
Akilah in our finance dept will handle settling up (finance [at] thecockpit.org.uk) so please let her know how you'd like to receive your money.  By far the fastest way is Paypal so do let us know if you have an account.  Note that the slowest method (for us) is actually BACS, and we can't pay in cash.

 

What about COVID:19? Or some other thing?

If it - or something like it - returns to bother us big style we have a  ‘Provision for Postponement’ clause which can be added to our contracts on request, to protect performers and companies from losing money because of a resurging Covid pandemic. Companies will be able to book into the venue now, safe in the knowledge that they will not be liable for any venue-related costs should the ongoing pandemic result in the cancellation of their event.

Covid 19:  Provision for postponement.  
 

Confirmation clause.

This clause provides a means whereby business can be conducted, agreements made and shows planned and prepared while providing  for postponement on a 'no loss' basis.)

This contract shall stand to enable both parties to progress preparations for the show. This includes preparing tickets for sale and publishing the show dates in the normal way marked ' show to be confirmed'. No tickets to be placed on sale at this stage. 

  • The contract shall become fully operational when and only when both parties have agreed by email to proceed on a confirmed basis and place tickets on sale. 

  • This confirmation can take place at any time with respect to prevailing  circumstances. Both parties understand that, depending on circumstances, it may not be possible for it to take  place at all.  

  • Up until confirmation takes place, the show and contract can  be cancelled by either party by written request at any time. 

  • Otherwise the assumption remains that the show go ahead on the agreed dates below or on deferred dates later, as a postponement,  to be agreed by both parties, if mutual confirmation of original dates turns out not to be possible.

Meanwhile and until such mutual confirmation, all deposits paid remain fully refundable and no cancellation conditions apply to either party.

Once mutual confirmation of the show going ahead is made by exchange of emails. All cancellation conditions apply as usual on both sides.

 

Easy aint it? Now all you need are Ideas and disruptive panache! x