Please see rules for additional technical info.

Directions and Parking:

Teachers, please submit this required Transportation Form so that Blumenthal staff know how your students and sets are arriving.

Arrival: The festival is being held in Uptown Charlotte at Blumenthal’s Booth Playhouse, located inside Founders Hall (130 N. Tryon Street, Charlotte).  You will be coming to the Booth lobby for school check-in.  However the closer access point for anyone NOT loading in or loading out the show is to use the intersection of 5^th Street and College Street.  This is an ideal drop-off & pick-up location for students, teachers and additional guests.

Entering the Theatre: There are two options to enter the house: Enter the Bank of America building (on the corner of 5th and College), take both escalators to the third floor, cross the skybridge on the right and you will see the Booth Playhouse on the right. OR enter Bank of America’s Founders Hall from Tryon Street, next to the Blumenthal’s Belk Theater, using the street level, turn right and that will take you inside Founders Hall on the first level. Take the elevator or escalator to the second floor and look for the Booth Playhouse signage.

FREE Parking for Buses and Trucks: We’ve secured parking at the Hal Marshall Annex lot which is about 5 blocks from the theater. Please only use the indicated ORANGE lot on the map. You can also look for the directional yard signs which will be posted at the entrances of the lot. This complimentary parking lot is ONLY for school buses, trucks, vans and any NCTC staff, teachers or school admin. Parents, family or friends of students are on their own to find Uptown parking but there are several surface lots and flat rate decks nearby.

Paid Parking for Passenger Vehicles: Bank of America Center Garage is the closest to the venue. $10 exit passes are available after 5pm on weekday evenings and all day on weekends. During weekdays, we do not have any preferred parking rates.

Additional Paid Parking for Box Trucks & Busses: Paid parking can be found at 30th Street & Matheson Ave, just off of North Tryon. www.rightsolutiontruck.com

Approximate size of backstage storage area: 10′ x 10′

Location of start line: Stage Left

Location of finish line:  Stage Right

Stage Dimensions: 25’7″ deep x 34′ wide. See ground plan for more details. A curtain will separate the playing space from the backstage storage area. This curtain will be treated like a wall and cannot be opened or moved.

Photos: See ground plan link above. Additional photos may be found at https://www.bpatechspecs.com/. 

Load-In and Load-Out: Scenery will load in and out via the Bank of America Loading Dock. Drivers may back up to the loading dock, if they wish to unload at dock height, however there is a 90 degree turn to navigate. We recommend unloading at grade and taking the ramp around the dock up to stage height. Items will travel about 50 feet from the loading dock onto the freight elevator, and up to the 3rd floor. It is a straight shot with no turns.

The freight elevator is 16’ deep by 8’ wide, with the elevator opening measuring 7’10” tall x 7’6” wide – these will be the limitation points of incoming set pieces. 

Access to the loading dock is limited and monitored by Bank Of America security – all vehicles entering the dock will be searched by security. The loading dock will be used for short-term loading and unloading only.

Loading Dock Address (for GPS): 101 N. College Street, Charlotte, NC 28202

Loading Dock Entrance: See imagine for detailed view.

Heading up College Street – the dock will be on your left as you approach the back side of Blumenthal. It is a left hand turn BEFORE you reach the skybridge (across the street from Roosters). College Street is ONE WAY, so you will need to approach from the south-west side of the city (Trade Street or points further west).

The loading dock area is tight, so the only students/volunteers that should be in the loading dock area are those who are moving scenery.  Students not needed for load-in or load-out should not enter this area and can wait in the theatre.

See schedule for your assigned load-in and load-out times. After your performance, your students should move their set back into the 10×10 storage space. Sets will be loaded out at the end of each performance block. 

Please be mindful of noise in the backstage hallways.

Tours of the space: Tour time is extremely limited due to the busy production schedule for the Booth Playhouse. If you have a student with accessibility needs or another critical reason to request a tour, please contact Tommy and arrangements will be made.

Light and Sound Board Locations/Calling the Show: The light and sound boards are located at the back of the house. One student may call light cues and execute sound. Due to space limitations, no more than two students may be stationed in the booth area.

Piano/Orchestra Set-up: The host will provide an upright piano.  A keyboard can be plugged in stage left.

Sound:  Participants will plug their own device into the sound board. An “aux” (headphone jack) cord will be available. Participants planning to use a phone or computer WITHOUT a headphone jack should plan to bring whatever adaptor they have. A handheld mic is available. If you wish to use the mic, please request during your tech meeting.

Headsets: Headsets are available for use backstage and in the booth area. If you wish to use, please request during your tech meeting.

Lighting:  There are 10 isolated lighting areas, each area is 8′ in diameter. See ground plan. Warm and cool face light washes are available, for full stage or the isolated areas. LED top light color options are also available for full stage or isolated areas. Color options are red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, pink, cyan. Light cues will be programmed.

Meals: Groups may bring food or have food delivered and can eat in the upper lobby of the Booth Playhouse or inside Founders Hall. NOTE: This site will be NUT FREE due to a severe airborne allergy. Please keep this in mind when registering and planning for on-site food.

Hospitality: There will be a hospitality room on the second floor of the Booth Lobby in the Ops conference room. This will be for NCTC Board members, BPA volunteers, and teachers to enjoy coffee, water, snacks, etc. throughout the festival. 

Seating: Seating may be limited during the awards ceremony. Teachers should inform parents that they may not be able to be seated during the awards, as priority will be given to students. Parents may be asked to sit in the balcony or watch from monitors in the lobby.