Community Guidelines

We Players holds our personnel to very high standards. All staff are expected to take good care of themselves, be sober while at work, use common sense, and generally set a good example for all park visitors. This is a live document and may be amended over time.
Amendments to this document shall be clearly communicated to all cast and crew members. 

General Safety Guidelines 

  • Hazards

    • Stay hydrated! Carry your water bottle during rehearsals, drink and refill regularly.

    • Protect yourself from the sun with clothing, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen.

    • Wear comfortable closed-toe shoes and watch your footing, as many site surfaces are uneven and slippery.

  • Ergonomics

    • Lift with knees, not with back.

    • Keep back straight, don’t torque at hips or shoulders.

    • Ask for help! Cooperate to ensure an appropriate number of people work together to move large, awkward or heavy objects.

  • Schedule/ Accounting for teammates

    • When you arrive on site - for rehearsal or performance, check in with the Stage Manager or Production Manager. ALWAYS. Follow protocol established by Production Manager (e.g. sign in sheet).

    • Before you leave, check out with the Stage Manager/ PM as directed.

    • Follow the schedule as directed by Production Manager or Stage Manager. 

    • Once you have checked in and before you sign out for the day, don’t go off alone/ always make sure someone knows where you are going.

  • Sanitation

    • Wherever possible wash or rinse your hands and/or use hand sanitizer before getting tea/ coffee or eating any snacks.

    • When dispensing nuts or dried fruit, always pour out of the bag into your hand; do not stick your hand into a communal snack bag.

    • Rodents and other wildlife can be a real concern for our park partners, and it is essential that we clean up after ourselves!

      • Always seal food bags, and store food to the appropriate rodent-proof snack bin.

      • Always wipe up any spills immediately and clean up after yourself.

      • Support group clean up as much as possible.

  • Ladders

    • Always have at least 2 people involved when working on ladders, preferably 3.

    • Be extra careful when setting a ladder for the first time; work with your manager to confirm safe placement.

    • Double check placement - one person sets, the other checks.

    • One person holds ladder stable while the other climbs.

  • Special training for closed areas

    • Some performers, designers and other crew members may be asked to enter closed areas that require special safety and/or resource preservation training by our site partner.

    • If you are assigned work in a closed area, confirm with your supervisor that you have the proper training before you enter the closed area.

    • Always wear your We Players t-shirt/ uniform or costume when working in a closed area.

  • First Aid

    • In case of severe medical emergency, activate EMS.

    • Treat yourself whenever possible.

    • If helping someone else, cede to whomever has higher training.

    • If you are injured during rehearsal or performance, you must inform the Stage Manager or Production Manager immediately. They will in turn notify the Artistic Director with incident details as soon as possible. 

    • First Aid Kits are located:

      • In green room on site

      • On Stage Manager’s person

      • On Production Manager’s person   

** If you encounter an emergency that you do not know how to handle, and appropriately-trained staff (We Players or SF Recreation and Parks Department Rangers) are not immediately available, contact EMS by dialing 911.

If a minor injury occurs, inform the Production Manager and follow First Aid guidelines as written above.

In the case of injury or emergency, Stage Manager or Production Manager will also alert the staff at our project site, requesting their support with directing EMS personnel.

 
Audience Direction 

We Players does our best to prime our audience for the experience of our site-integrated theatre. We send detailed confirmation and reminder emails that set appropriate expectations and support audience preparation. While some additional information may arise during the process of creating a specific performance, the following is typically included in our pre-performance communications to our audiences:

  • Wear closed-toe, comfortable walking shoes, as there are many uneven surfaces, and you will be on your feet for the majority of the experience.

  • Audience may travel up and down stairs and on uneven terrain. If you have any mobility concerns, or require other accessibility assistance, please reply to this email with information on your situation, so we can work together to best accommodate your needs.

  • While maneuvering around the site, stay on established trails and follow the directions of We Players’ audience guides.

  • Protect yourself from the sun! Please bring a sun hat, sunglasses, and/or wear sunscreen.

  • Please bring a full water bottle to keep hydrated, and any snacks to keep you fueled for an extensive outdoor experience.

  • Dress comfortably and in layers. Bring a sun hat and sunglasses. Bay Area weather can be unpredictable - it can become foggy on summer afternoons and get very cool very quickly near sunset.

We also employ a number of Production Assistants and trained volunteers as “Audience Guides” who will support the audience in safely and efficiently moving about from location to location for the different scenes.


Harassment

We Players is committed to creating a comfortable and professional working environment for all artists regardless of age, race, gender expression, and sexual orientation. The mental, physical, and emotional health of our team members is our top priority. Harassment of any kind by or toward artists, production staff, or audience will not be tolerated and immediate action will be taken to resolve the issue to the affected party's satisfaction. In addition to communication around inappropriate behavior, we invite open dialogue about any concern regarding discrimination, triggers, or insensitive language or behavior. We work to promote a communicative environment in which individuals feel empowered to discuss needs and boundaries; if any team member does not feel safe having this conversation or does not feel that their stated needs are being respected, please address concerns either to Artistic Director Ava Roy, Associate Producer Britt Lauer, or whichever member of the Production Team with whom you feel most comfortable. Though these situations are few and far between, we appreciate any and all feedback about their resolution in order to improve our systems moving forward. We Players thanks you for your shared investment in your own health and safety and that of your fellow theatre makers. 


Sword & Firearm Protocol

The following are our standard protocols regarding the use of stage weaponry. 

Weapons will only be handled by:

  1. The combatant who uses the weapon in the show

  2. Fight Captain or Fight Choreographer

  3. Production Manager, Stage Manager, Properties Artisan, Production Assistant or other assigned personnel for the purpose of transportation or repairs

When handling a sword or dagger:

  1. Remember that a dull sword is still a sword. A gun that shoots blanks is still a gun. These are real weapons and should be handled as such.

  2. Carry the weapon by the handle. Touch the blade as little as possible; oil on your hands can damage and rust the metal.

  3. Rest the point of the blade on the top of your shoe rather than the ground.

Guns:

  1. Firearms will be strictly blank firing.

  2. The blanks fired will be the gauge specified on the weapon or in accompanying paperwork only.

  3. Firearms will be stored and transported in a lockbox, the code to which is held exclusively  by the Production Manager, the Fight Captain, and the Stage Manager.

  4. Ear protection will be worn by the actor firing unless both the fight captain and the actor feel that it is unnecessary.

  5. The firearm will never be fired in a direction where other actors or audience are standing.

  6. Rangers and park attendees will be alerted when rehearsals with the gun are scheduled and also prior to commencing rehearsal with gun. Audience will be alerted to the use of a blank firing weapon in pre-performance communications.

Fight Call and Performance:

  1. No fight will be performed until all members of the fight are able to participate in a full fight call.

  2. 3/4 speed is performance speed. It’s the responsibility of both the fight captain and the combatants to assess fight speed throughout the production run.

  3. Fight call will begin with a warm-up then a run of the fight at ¼ speed, followed by a run at ½ speed, and ending with a ¾ speed, show-speed run. Issues will be sorted out after each run until all parties feel comfortable.

  4. No fight shall continue in rehearsal or performance until appropriate distance and eye contacts are established and there is confirmation that all parties can proceed with the choreography.

In Case of Injury:

When weapons are handled respectfully and appropriately, injuries are very avoidable. In the case that there is an accident or injury, and a performance is safely able to continue, continue. If continuing is impossible or would markedly exacerbate the injury, stop. Follow general first aid protocol, assessing the severity of the injury and acting accordingly. Make sure to alert Production Manager, Stage Manager, and Fight Captain of any injuries immediately after the show.

We Players’ Community Guidelines have been issued to our cast and crew with project-specific revisions since 2012. Review and updates are made prior to each new production. Guidelines are reviewed with all cast and crew members prior to commencing the rehearsal process.