Booking Rules and Regulations

Availability:
Liberty Hall’s Main Theater is available to rent any day of the week for most of the year. The Little Theater is NOT open for rentals as it is needed to operate the Liberty Hall Cinema on a daily basis. Event rentals are for the main theater only and other areas of the Liberty Hall facility will operate in normal business fashion during your event. Rehearsal time during non-rented dates is not included but is available in some circumstances during limited time frames for an additional rental fee. Rehearsal time cannot be guaranteed until roughly a month out from your event date due to keeping the calendar open for other events.

In general, the facility is not available for the following holidays without extreme circumstance: New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Fridays and Saturdays go very quickly, oftentimes 9 – 12 months in advance or more. Rental dates more than 2 years in advance are generally not yet available for reservations.

Facility Capacities:
The following is a list of general public occupancy and capacity limits for the main theater. Numbers do not include any production kills. Indicated capacities are reduced by staging, head table, A/V requirements, etc.

  • Balcony capacity: 397 seats

  • Full General Admission event: 1,050 (397 balcony, 653 floor – standing room only, no tables or chairs on floor)

  • Fully-seated event: 703 (397 balcony, 306 floor –no tables on floor)

  • Fully-seated event with standing room: 723 (397 balcony, 306 floor seating, 20 standing room at back of floor – no tables)

  • Cabaret-style event seating: 573 (397 balcony, 176 at tables and chairs on floor)

  • Maximum cinema presentation seating with tables & chairs on floor: 533 (397 balcony, 136 floor)

  • Maximum cinema presentation seating with chairs only on floor: 587 (397 balcony, 190 floor)

  • Dinner seating on floor: 176 persons in optimal configurations

  • Dinner seating on stage: 64 persons (8 persons each at 8 x 8’ tables, no end seating)

  • Maximum dinner seating: 240 persons (utilizing floor and stage areas for dinner seating)

Back stage, dressing room and office/conference room areas are off-limits to the general public. Only authorized individuals should be in these areas and only while using them for their intended purposes. Box office, bars, pin rail, closets, projection booths and other working areas of the facility are strictly off-limits.

Rental Time and Event Conclusion:
You may have access to Liberty Hall to begin set-up and decoration for events no earlier than 12:00 pm on the day of the event unless otherwise agreed upon. All events held in Liberty Hall will take place during contracted time but must conclude no later than 12:00 am. Keeping the cost of renting the facility down is contingent upon being able to use the facility for cinema presentations and other rentals in the time before and after your rental so please be mindful of your end time to be sure everything is wrapped up in time for the next event in the room. You must remove all personal items, rental items and decorations you want to keep at the end of the event. We cannot be responsible for any items remaining after the event that belong to you or your guests.

Approvals:
The following must be approved by Liberty Hall at least two weeks prior to the event date:

  • Arrangements for bar set-up, food/catering, floor plan, rental furniture placement, equipment and entertainment (musicians, DJs, etc.)

  • Delivery schedule for flowers, decorations or other rental items

  • Your technical/audio-visual needs and event requirements

  • ANY placement or installation of any kind of electrical device requiring our electricity

  • Table linen orders (when using our linens)

  • Special order alcohol

  • Event agendas/timelines

Base Rental Includes:

  • Set up and breakdown of in-house tables and chairs.

  • Black stage curtain and drape system & Grand Drape (gold, Austrian-style, cannot be used when using String Bulb Canopy)

  • Janitorial service during event hours in theater and restrooms, including trash removal

  • Pipe and drape (4 uprights, 4 crossbars, 12 panels of basic black drape)

  • Wireless internet

  • Conventional stage lighting system (no operator)

  • 2x presentation/meeting screens (62” x 80” - House Left and Right wall alcoves)

  • Mason & Hamlin Model BB 7’ grand piano. (Day of show tuning is at the expense of the renter.)

  • Bike rack (6 sticks)

  • Reasonable use of ice machine

  • Conference room and dressing room access for approved individuals

  • 1 minor strike/changeover of seating plan. (Large changeovers will require additional labor to complete in a timely manner.)

  • All utilities, including 3 phase and shore power connections

  • Staging: Podium, 2x stage stairs, House Left and Right stage thrusts, Drum riser (2 - 4’ x 8’ x 1’ sections)

  • Staff: House/event manager on duty, 1 door person, 1 bartender, house electrician, Appropriate door staffing for entry positions.

Base Rental Does Not Include:

  • Decoration of event space or tables

  • Additional staging and stage barricade

  • Security staffing for areas of the barricade, stage, backstage, dressing rooms or any other special needs areas. Additional security for these areas is required for groups over 250 people and will be billed to the renter if not provided in an approved manner and if deemed necessary by Liberty Hall for the safety of the facility and occupants.

  • Stage crew and technical operators

  • Special lighting

  • Extra pipe and drape

  • Large scale seating changeovers and strikes

  • Specialty tables, chairs or furniture

  • EMTs

  • Fire Marshal if the local Fire Marshal determines that a member of the Fire Marshal's staff must be present at the event.

Deposits, Fees, Invoice and Payment:
A deposit of 50% of the rental fee is due at contract signing to ensure confirmation of your date. The balance of the rental fee must be paid by the night of the event. An additional security deposit may be required, depending upon the nature of the event. Cash and check to Liberty Hall are the accepted form of payment. Visa and MasterCard are accepted in extenuating circumstances but not encouraged due to large processing fees. Liberty Hall will issue an invoice night of the event for any additional costs, services or purchases, including any damages or balance due of the rental fee. We reserve the right to require the rental and service fees be paid in full before opening any event to the public, at our discretion.

Cancellation:
We retain the right to cancel any rental contract with written notice at any time for the following reasons: misrepresentation of the event, lack of insurance, deposit check returned by bank, threats or actual damage, violence or theft to the Hall or our employees or subcontractor by your employees, subcontractors or guests or failure to abide by the terms and conditions of the rental contract and these General Rules and Regulations. Cancellation by Liberty Hall for any of these reasons will result in the loss of the entire rental amount. Venue Deposits are non-refundable but can be re-applied to a future event within one year of approved cancellation. In the event of cancellation, written notice must be delivered to Liberty Hall (email is fine).

Insurance Requirement:
For all events open to the general public, you are required to maintain a $1,000,000 general liability insurance policy naming Liberty Hall Inc., Club Liberty and Liberty Hall Associates as additional insureds. You must secure the policy as we do not provide event insurance to renters.

Tipping:
Liberty Hall does not add automatic gratuity to your service fees or alcohol orders. We will generally provide, as part of a standard rental, 1 or 2 door staff / laborers, 2 bartenders (one of whom is the closing bar manager) and your event manager (during the day). When additional bartenders are needed and complimentary alcohol service is ordered, a staff labor charge will apply for your invoice; this is typically for 1 bartender, solely for the duration of the service period. This labor charge goes toward the overall staffing overhead, not directly to the bartenders themselves so it is important to remember all of the Hall staff’s excellent service at the end of the evening. There are several great guides for event/wedding tipping online if you would like suggestions on how and when to tip personnel, vendors, staff, etc.

Catering:
Our open catering policy allows food service from any caterer you choose. You are fully responsible for all arrangements and contract entered into with any caterer. All caterers must be self-contained as Liberty Hall does not have any kitchen facilities (there is a small sink room off the main bar). Caterers may only utilize propane stoves or grills generating smoke OUTDOORS (a city permit may be required). Caterers must collect all trash from their food prep areas and place in the marked dumpsters in the back alley. Any rental food service dishware or items must be bagged up entirely at the end of the night, even when in racks. Caterers must leave all food preparation and serving areas neat and clean, including any surface that has directly come in contact with any food or spills during serving or preparation. You and your caterer jointly assume all liability associated with the service of food from any source except the Liberty Hall concessions stand.

Alcoholic Beverages:
All alcoholic beverages must be purchased and served by Liberty Hall. No one may leave the property with an alcoholic beverage or an open container. No person under the age of 21 may at any time, drink, hold or otherwise be in possession of an alcoholic beverage. Liberty Hall security and staff retain the right to limit the amount of alcoholic beverages being consumed by you or your guests. “Last Call” for alcohol is at the discretion of the Hall and will be at least thirty (30) minutes prior to the end of the business day at 1:00am. If you provide, or cause to be provided, alcohol not in accordance with local laws and the above policies, we retain the right to end your event immediately and without further explanation. Absolutely no alcoholic beverages may be given as gifts inside the facility, open or closed.

Fire Safety:
Liberty Hall enforces fire protection safety codes and is subject to inspection by the City of Lawrence Fire Department. No pyrotechnic devices or open flame are allowed. All candles must be enclosed in a glass or metal container extending above the flame or suspended in water. No taper candles or lit candelabras are permitted. No fog/haze machines allowed without prior authorization. All fire aisles and exits must be kept clear of equipment and people. No production, equipment or case storage can occur in the exit tunnels on the right and left sides of the stage. No smoking is allowed anywhere in the building. At no time can the theater be entirely blacked out. A minimum amount of light must be on at all times to ensure patron safety, particularly in the pit areas of the main floor and aisles of the balcony. All house lights are to be ultimately controlled by Liberty Hall staff. There is no standing allowed in the aisles or on the stairs in the upper balcony during any performance. Failure to follow these rules will result in the immediate suspension of the event until the conditions are corrected.

Smoking:
Liberty Hall is a no smoking building. You agree to inform your agents, employees, subcontractors, licensees, and invitees that smoking tobacco products or other substances inside Liberty Hall or within 10 feet of a public entrance is prohibited by City of Lawrence Public and Workplace Smoking Restriction Ordinance No. 7782 (effective July 1, 2004) and violations of this smoking ban may result in fines payable by renter.

Lobby Restrictions

The main lobby is a public pass-through area and the main fire egress for the facility, therefore, no tables, seating or large displays are allowed in the lobby. Small free-standing signage, easels and unobtrusive decorations are OK.