Community Arts Rental Policies

1.  The following organizations are deemed Founding Resident Arts Organizations

• Northwest Sinfonietta (Symphony – Chamber Orchestra)
• Puget Sound Revels (Revels Genre)
• Symphony Tacoma (Symphony – Classical Genre)
• Tacoma Arts Live (Theatrical Genre)
• Tacoma City Ballet (Ballet, Contemporary, Modern Dance Genre)
• Tacoma Concert Band (Concert Band Genre)
• Tacoma Opera (Opera Genre)
• Tacoma Youth Symphony Association (Youth Symphony)

2.  The Founding Resident Arts Organizations shall remain in RAO status in perpetuity with no renewal process as long as they maintain the following criteria

• The organization must be a Washington State non-profit performing arts organization possessing a 501(C)(3) federal classification.
• The primary mission and activity of the organization must be to produce and/or present performing arts events that are open to the public.
• The organization must either be based in the City of Tacoma or based in Pierce County with a majority of their work occurring within the City of Tacoma.
• Members of the local community must be represented on the organization’s Board of Directors.
• The organization must be current on payment of invoices related to use of Tacoma City Theaters at the time of the Call for Dates each year.
• The organization may not be the operator of the Tacoma City Theaters.
• The organization must produce or present a minimum of 2 events per Season in any TCT
  • A Season is defined as July 1 through June 30 of the subsequent year.​​​​​​​
  • An event is defined as a single publicly-ticketed paid-ticketed performance. Each performance in a single event series shall be counted as individual events whether on separate days or the same day.
  • An event does not include camps, load-in/out days, rehearsals, production days, unpaid-ticketed events, or non-ticketed general-admission events.

3. Should a Founding RAO fail to abide by any of the specified criteria for a period of two Seasons, their Founding RAO designation may be removed after the second season and all benefits forfeited.

​​​​​​​4. An organization that loses the Founding RAO designation may be eligible to reapply for RAO status through the New RAO application process as detailed below but will not be eligible to return to Founding RAO status.

1. Organizations that wish to be considered for Resident Arts Organization status must meet and maintain the following criteria throughout the term of their designation as RAO:
   • The organization must be a Washington State non-profit performing arts organization possessing a 501(C)(3) federal classification.
   • The primary mission and activity of the organization must be to produce and/or present performing arts events that are open to the public.
   • The organization must either be based in the City of Tacoma or based in Pierce County with a majority of their work occurring within the City of Tacoma.
   • Members of the local community must be represented on the organization’s Board of Directors.
   • The organization must be current on payment of invoices related to use of Tacoma City Theaters at the time of the Call for Dates each year.
   • The organization may not be the operator of the Tacoma City Theaters.
   • The organization must produce or present a minimum of 2 events per Season in any TCT.
     • A Season is defined as July 1 through June 30 of the subsequent year.
     • An event is defined as a single publicly-ticketed paid-ticketed performance. Each performance in a single event series shall be counted as individual events whether on separate days or the same day.
     • An event does not include camps, load-in/out days, rehearsals, production days, unpaid-ticketed events, or non-ticketed general-admission events.
   • No less than 60% of an organization’s events must be held in Tacoma City Theaters during any given Season.

2.  RAO status will be from July 1 to June 30 for a two-year term, renewable in two-year increments.

3. Should a New RAO fail to abide by any of the specified criteria for a period of one Season, their RAO designation may be removed and all benefits forfeited.\

4. An organization that loses the RAO designation may be eligible to reapply for RAO status during the next RAO application process no less than one full Season after their status has been forfeited.

1. RAOs will be afforded a 65% discount off the commercial licensing fees published on theater rate cards for each year. The discount is applicable to licensing fees only. No additional license fee discounts will be provided in addition to the stated RAO discount.

2. Discounted RAO rates are only applicable on self-produced or in-house events. Discounted RAO rates are not applicable on externally-produced events. RAO presented externally-produced events will be eligible for the discounted Non-Profit Organization (NPO) rates provided in the Community Non-Profit Organization policy.

• Self-produced or in-house events are defined as those events with artistic content under the direction of the RAO and comprised primarily of performers from within the Puget Sound Region where the RAO contracts directly with the performer(s) for the Event(s) and not through a third-party booking agency, artist-manager, or promoter. Self-produced events are limited in performance scope to the City of Tacoma venues and no more than 2 other venues within the Puget Sound Region.
• Externally-produced events are defined as those with content under the artistic direction of outside agencies and presented to the Tacoma audience. They may be considered “touring” artists or productions, or are comprised primarily of performers from outside the Puget Sound Region where the RAO contracts for the presentation of the performance through a third-party booking agency, artist-manager, or promoter. Any Event(s) or performance with additional shows conducted at venues outside the Puget Sound Region will be considered an externally produced Event(s).

3. All other charges including, but not limited to stagehands, house labor, box office fees, and production fees will be charged at the published rates, which will be set by the Tacoma City Theaters Manager.

4. Normal performance deposits will be waived for RAOs in good financial standing, unless such date is in hold status and is subject to a challenge from another event. In this instance, the RAO must pay a deposit in the amount of the full commercial rental fee in order to secure the date. Such deposit shall be credited toward the RAO license fee and all applicable expenses upon event settlement.

5. TCT management reserves the right to require the payment of an additional performance deposit in the amount of the full license fee plus all estimated expenses for RAOs with outstanding invoices (beyond 60 days). If the RAO is unable to pay this deposit, the right is reserved to cancel the event upon 15 days’ notice and opportunity to cure the outstanding invoices.

1. RAOs are allowed priority booking status in placing “holds” on Tacoma City Theaters calendars in advance of all other rental users.

2. Holds may be placed for both Self-Produced and Externally-Produced events during the priority booking window as detailed below.

• Founding RAOs may place holds on the calendar during each year’s Founding RAO Call for Dates which will be issued no less than two (2) years in advance of a performance Season (i.e., the call for dates for the 2028-29 Season will be issued in July 2026). The Founding RAO Call for Dates may run for no less than 30 calendar days. Founding RAO holds may be placed in accordance with the process outlined in the TCT Booking Policy.
• Upon completion of the Founding RAO Call for Dates process, all other RAOs may have no less than 30 days in which to place holds on TCT calendars. RAO holds may be placed in accordance with the process outlined in the TCT Booking Policy.

3. The priority booking window will end 18 months before the start of the performance Season for which those dates are being held.

4. Any requested holds submitted by an RAO after the priority booking window will be subject to availability. Second and third holds may be issued for desired dates currently unavailable, and date challenges may be issued in accordance with the TCT Booking Policy.

5. Any RAO hold not confirmed and contracted once the priority booking window closes will be subject to potential challenges by other TCT users. Such challenge may follow the process laid out in the TCT Booking Policy.

6. To ensure a diverse selection of content throughout the Season in accordance with the goals stated in the TCT Booking Policy, within the priority booking window each RAO is entitled to hold up to a maximum 30 total holds in the main stages of Theater on the Square, Rialto Theater, and Pantages Theater combined. Holds in Classrooms and ancillary event spaces shall not be counted within the maximum total holds. Each single day held for an
event/rehearsal/load-in and each single event/rehearsal/load-in on the same day is considered as unique individual holds within the 30 total holds. If during the priority booking window an RAO has 30 total holds and wishes to place additional holds, they must release a corresponding number of holds to keep their total at or below 30 holds. Based on availability, RAOs may be entitled to hold additional dates above the 30 holds after the priority booking window has closed.

1. All RAO holds may be confirmed/contracted on or about 18 months prior to the start of the standard Season (July 1). Once an RAO confirms their holds, the Theater Manager will issue a contract and Exhibit A – Event Confirmation itemizing the confirmed dates and corresponding rent within 30 days of confirmation. Only events that include the event title, artist name (if applicable), and genre and that do not cause a date or content conflict with another RAO will be eligible to be confirmed and contracted.

2. Once the contract has been issued, the RAO will have 30 days to return a signed copy of the contract. Only after a signed contract is returned to the Theater Manager will a date be considered fully confirmed.

3. If a signed contract is not returned to the Theater Manager within 30 days of being issued, the Theater Manager may, in their sole discretion, release all confirmed dates previously held by the RAO. If this occurs, an RAO may request new holds for the released dates on a non-priority basis subject to availability based on the booking window policy detailed above and subject to the “Challenge Procedure” detailed below.

4. Once the Contract has been signed by both parties, the RAO is obligated to hold a performance on the confirmed date. If the RAO cancels the confirmed date or otherwise does not hold a performance, rehearsal, setup, or load-out day on the confirmed date, excepting a force majeure incident, the RAO, as recognition for foregone potential revenue to TCT, may be billed the then current Commercial License fee plus any TCT expenses accrued to that point for all missed performances or canceled rehearsal, setup, or load-out days in a pro-rated amount based on the below schedule.

• For events scheduled to occur more than 6 months after the cancellation: 50% of full commercial rent + 100% of accrued TCT expenses
• For events scheduled to occur less than 6 months after the cancellation: 100% of full commercial rent + 100% of accrued TCT expenses
• Should TCT be able to confirm another event on the same date the RAO has cancelled, the Commercial License fee shall be waived and the RAO may only be billed for any TCT expenses accrued to that point.
• Should the RAO reschedule the missed performance, rehearsal, setup, or load-out day for another date within the same Season, the Commercial License fee shall be waived and the RAO may only be billed for any TCT expenses accrued to that point.

In the event of a date cancellation, the TCT Manager will make reasonable efforts to coordinate with the RAO to reschedule the missed date or otherwise reduce any potential negative impact to both the RAO and the Tacoma City Theaters.

5. After the initial contract has been executed, an RAO may request to confirm additional dates for previously unconfirmed events. In this instance the Theater Manager will issue a contract amendment with updated Exhibit A for the RAO, including the name, artist, date, genre and rent for the additional event(s). The signed amendment must be returned to the Theater Manager within 15 days of being issued, or the Theater Manager may, in their sole discretion, release the additional date(s) confirmed by the RAO.

1. Each RAO shall be assigned content genre type(s) based on their primary self-produced content and as specified in the Criteria for Founding Resident Arts Organization Status portion of this document. Available genres are listed in the TCT Booking Policy.

2. Each Resident Arts Organization has priority for presenting their specific single genre of content within the Tacoma City Theaters. Should multiple Resident Arts Organizations maintain the same specific single genre of content, a Founding RAO has priority over a subsequent RAO, and the Theater Manager may work with all RAO representatives to minimize conflicts. Should an RAO be designated as multiple genres of content, they shall select a single genre for each event. This genre shall be subject to the protection windows.

3. Any confirmed and contracted RAO event that is within their specified genre and is located in the Pantages Theater receives booking protection for 30 days on either side of the first and last publicly ticketed performance day of the event. Such protection prevents other events classified within the same specific genre from utilizing any Tacoma City Theaters within the 30-day periods without the RAO’s prior approval.

4. Any confirmed and contracted RAO event that is within their specified genre and is located in the Rialto Theater receives booking protection for 15 days on either side of the first and last publicly ticketed performance day of the event. Such protection prevents other events classified within the same specific genre from utilizing the Pantages or Rialto Theater within the 15-day
periods without the RAO’s prior approval.

5. Any confirmed and contracted RAO event that is within their specified genre and is located in the Theater on the Square receives booking protection for 5 days on either side of the first and last publicly ticketed performance day of the event. Such protection prevents other events classified within the same specific genre from utilizing Theater on the Square within the 5-day periods without the RAO’s prior approval.

6. Protection windows are only provided for Self-Produced Events and do not apply to Externally-Produced Events.

7. Protection windows are only provided for confirmed and contracted events and do not apply to holds or uncontracted events.

8. An RAO may waive the protection window in accordance with the Tacoma City Theaters Booking Policy.

The following ticketing policy shall be utilized for the 2026-2027 season only.

1. Pursuant to industry best practices and the Tacoma City Theaters Ticketing Policy, the Tacoma City Theaters’ Box Office operator shall be the primary sales agent for the sale of tickets to all Event(s) at the Tacoma City Theaters, including the Pantages Theater, Rialto Theater, Theater on the Square, Studio spaces and Jones Building.

2. At an RAO’s election, the RAO may select a different third-party ticketing system to serve as the primary sales agent for the sale of tickets to that RAO’s Event(s) at the Tacoma City Theaters.

• The ticketing system shall be licensed/contracted directly with the RAO. Such contract shall not place TCT or its Manager under any obligations without prior written consent of the TCT Manager.
• The RAO will be responsible for all labor, expenses, and ticket fees required to support their ticket sales.
• The RAO will be responsible for the collection of all funds for tickets sold through the RAO’s ticketing system, including any ticketing fees.
• The RAO will be responsible for providing all equipment necessary for onsite box office ticket sales during the event as well as any equipment required for ticket validation upon entry.
• The RAO shall provide no less than 20% of the available tickets in each price category for sale solely through the TCT Box Office ticketing system. Such allocation shall include ADA accessible seating in each price category. Should either the RAO or TCT Box Office have less than 10% of their allotted inventory available for sale, the two parties may collaborate to shift additional inventory between each other to support ongoing ticket sales.
• The RAO may have sole discretion over the retention and utilization of all funds from ticket sales through the RAO owned ticketing system. Tacoma City Theaters recommends that advance ticket sale funds be held in escrow until the completion of the event.
• In the event of cancellation of any RAO performance, the RAO is responsible for the immediate refund of any funds collected for the sale of tickets to that performance through the RAO’s ticketing system.
• The RAO is responsible for collection and remittance to TCT of any Facility Fee designated for the event. The RAO will pay TCT the entirety of the Facility Fee due as a part of the event settlement process. The RAO may retain any additional fees charged through their ticketing system above the stated Facility Fee.
• The RAO will provide TCT staff a detailed weekly sales audit for each event at the Tacoma City Theaters and a pre-settlement sales audit 72 hours in advance of each session of the event. At the conclusion of the event, the RAO will provide a final settlement audit of all ticket sales through the RAO ticketing system to TCT staff for reconciliation and final settlement of the event.

3. An RAO that elects to use the TCT Box Office operator for their primary ticketing services with an allocation of 100% of all individual ticket sales (season/Package tickets and group tickets excluded) may be eligible for the following additional benefits:

• Pending TCT ticketing system capabilities, at an RAO’s election, a “Donate Now” option may be provided through the Ticketmaster online sales platform. All donated funds received through this option will be provided to the RAO as part of the overall event settlement.
• At an RAO’s election, TCT management may establish a single user account for the RAO to access all purchaser and sales data related to the RAO’s events only. TCT management will work with the TCT ticketing system to provide user-training for any RAO wishing to establish a user account.
• Pending TCT ticketing system capabilities, a dynamic ticket pricing option may be available to permit the ongoing adjustment to ticket prices to an RAO’s individual events. If available, such option will be discussed independently with each RAO during their annual ticketing setup meeting.
• Primary use of TCT ticketing system includes a comprehensive package of marketing support designed to promote each event and enhance audience reach. Pending availability, marketing benefits may include:
• Custom email notification at on sale
• Use of digital screens for organization advertisements during events (non-exclusive)
• Digital screen advertisements beginning one month prior to the event
• Three-post social media campaign for each event beginning one month prior
• Featured announcement in the regularly scheduled e-newsletter at on-sale
• E-newsletter banner advertisement beginning one month prior to the event
• Custom email notifications upon client request
• Inclusion in the printed quarterly rack card
• Dedicated organization ticketing landing page
• Inclusion in printed quarterly event posters
• Marquee event placement (published 30 days prior to the event)
• Ticketing system promoted ads scheduled by TCT at RAO request (costs paid by RAO)
• Account Manager System to enable season packages, flexible ticket plans, and donor perks for subscriber management.
• Biweekly marketing report during active campaigns
• Two (2) complimentary targeted e-blasts per event

During the 2026-2027 season, TCT Management and Tacoma Venues & Events, in collaboration with the RAOs, will determine a comprehensive long-term strategy for ticketing services at the Tacoma City Theaters, including ticketing for RAO events. This strategy will be implemented beginning with the 2027-2028 season.

Options to be considered include but are not limited to:

1. Sole source tickets operations through the TCT Box Office.
2. Primary ticket operations through the TCT box office with RAOs permitted to sell on consignment through their designated CRM systems.
3. Split ticketing operations with RAOs having the choice to operate through the TCT Box Office ticketing system or a single third-party ticketing system in use by all RAOs that so choose.

Core functionalities to be considered include but are not limited to:

1. ​​​​Ability for TCT to sell tickets for RAO events directly from the box office.
2. Ability for RAOs to sell tickets for RAO events directly to their patrons and subscribers.
3. Ability for RAOs to retain ticket purchaser data for all ticket purchasers to their event, regardless of platform used for purchase, including integration of any ticketing data directly with an RAO’s CRM system.
4. Ability for immediate distribution of digital tickets to all ticket purchasers.
5. Ability to distribute free tickets both digitally and by hard-ticket to unique groups for each RAO event.
6. Ability for RAOs to use the chosen platform as a CRM system: including database management, fundraising mechanism, and communications tool
7. Ability for RAOs to use the system as a ticket distribution (paid and free) platform for tickets at non-TCT venues.
8. Ability to solicit donations to the RAO as part of the ticket purchase process
9. Ability for the RAO or TCT Manager to adjust ticket pricing and inventory on an as-needed basis without undue delay.
10. Ability for the RAO to utilize revenue generated from ticket sales in advance of the event taking place. Industry standards recommend ticket revenue to be held in escrow until event is complete.
11. Ability for the selected system to provide necessary hardware for a seamless guest experience both during ticket purchasing as well as facility entry.
12. Ability to generate the necessary sales and data reports for both the RAO and TCT Manager.
13. Ability to meet the financial and customer service needs for both the RAOs and TCT.
14. Ability to operate within a service-fee structure that is comparable to other regional theaters and arts organizations as well as current industry standard.
15. Ability to issue refunds in the occurrence of an event cancellation within an acceptable industry standard period of time.
16. Ability to provide additional marketing assets to support individual events.

Tacoma City Theaters Booking Policy

Tacoma City Theaters Box Office Policy

Community Non-Profit Organization Policy

1. Organizations that wish to be considered for Community Non-Profit Organization status at the Tacoma City Theaters must meet and maintain the following criteria throughout the term of their designation as NPO:

• The organization must be a Washington State non-profit performing arts organization possessing a 501(C)(3) federal classification.
• The organization must be based in Pierce County, with members of the local community represented on its Board of Directors.
• The organization must be current on payment of invoices related to use of Tacoma City Theaters at the time of the Call for Dates each year.
• The organization may not be the operator of the Tacoma City Theaters.

2. NPO status may be determined on an as-needed basis for organizations desiring to use the Tacoma City Theaters.
3. Should an NPO fail to abide by any of the specified criteria for any length of time, they may no longer be eligible for NPO designation, and all benefits forfeited for a period of not less than 12 months.

1. An organization wishing to be considered for NPO status may submit the following details to the TCT Manager prior to confirming any dates or events in the Tacoma City Theaters.

• An overview of their organization including but not limited to, mission statement, board members, and copy of organization’s 501(C)3 status.
• Financial and performance references from at least two (2) previous performances for the previous performance season.
  • A Season is defined as July 1 through June 30 of the following year.

2. The TCT Manager will review each application against the criteria and will determine eligibility for NPO status. Any dispute in determination may be referred to Tacoma Venues & Events for final determination. Applicants will be notified of confirmation of subsequent NPO status no more than 30 days after submitting their request.

1. NPOs will be afforded the following discounts off the commercial licensing fees published on theater rate cards each year. The discount is only applicable to licensing fees and only for publicly-ticketed events utilizing an entire theater space. No additional license fee discounts will be provided on top of the stated NPO discount.

• Pantages Theater – 20%
• Rialto Theater – 30%
• Theater on the Square – 50%

2. Discounted NPO rates are only applicable on self-produced or in-house events. Discounted NPO rates are not applicable on NPO presented externally-produced events, unless the event is produced by a Resident Arts Organization. Externally-produced events produced by a Resident Arts Organization may receive the NPO discount, as provided in the Resident Arts Organization Policy

• Self-produced or in-house events are defined as those events with artistic content under the direction of the NPO and comprised primarily of performers from within the Puget Sound Region where the NPO contracts directly with the performer(s) for the Event(s) and not through a third-party booking agency, artist-manager, or promoter. Self-produced events are limited in performance scope to the City of Tacoma venues and no more than 2 other venues within the Puget Sound Region
• Externally-produced events are defined as those with content under the artistic direction of outside agencies and presented to the Tacoma audience. They are comprised primarily of performers from outside the Puget Sound Region where the NPO contracts for the presentation of the performance through a third-party booking agency, artist-manager, or promoter. Any Event(s) or performance with additional shows conducted at venues outside the Puget Sound Region will be considered an externally produced Event(s).

3. All other charges including, but not limited to stagehands, house labor, box office fees, and production fees will be charged at the published rates, which will be set by the Tacoma City Theaters Manager.

4. A performance deposit of 25% of the license fee will be payable in advance for all NPOs, unless such date is in hold status and is subject to a challenge from another event. In this instance, a deposit in the amount of the full commercial rental fee will be paid in order to secure the date.

5. The right is reserved to require the payment of an additional performance deposit in the amount of the full license fee plus all estimated expenses for NPOs with outstanding invoices (beyond 60 days). If the NPO is unable to pay this deposit, the right is reserved to cancel the event upon 15 days’ notice and opportunity to cure the outstanding invoices.

1. NPOs may be permitted to place “holds” on the Tacoma City Theaters Calendar within the eighteen (18) months preceding the start of the applicable season and in accordance with the TCT Booking Policy.

2. NPO events are subject to content conflict resolution as outlined in the Booking Policy.

1. Pursuant to the Tacoma City Theaters Ticketing Policy, the Tacoma City Theaters’ Box Office operator shall be the sole primary agent for the sale of tickets to all Event(s) at the Tacoma City Theaters, including the Pantages Theater, Rialto Theater, Theater on the Square, Studio spaces and Jones Building.

2. NPOs may request consignment sale privileges subject to venue approval and in accordance with the Box Office Policy and NPO Policy.

3. Pending TCT ticketing system capabilities, at an NPO’s election, a “Donate Now” option may be provided through the online sales platform. All donated funds received through this option will be provided to the NPO as part of the overall event settlement.

4. Marketing support options, including ticketing promotional tools, may be available subject to system capabilities and venue approval.

5. Sales reports and ticket audits may be provided to NPOs as part of the settlement process.

Tacoma City Theaters Booking Policy

Tacoma City Theaters Box Office Policy