Honeycomb festival is an annual performance platform that takes place at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre during the Buckinghamshire School Easter holidays. The festival consists of separate performances across multiple days, with a technical rehearsal, dress rehearsal and the performance. Each group submits a piece of 4 to 6 minutes to be performed on the day. 

 

Each night has between 16 - 20 groups, with a maximum group size of 25 and a minimum performer age of 8. 

 

Before the festival:

• The contact for the festival is with the group leader. There is no contact between the festival organisers and the performers. 

• The group leaders are responsible for ensuring they have the correct number of responsible adults attending the festival on the day with the group. 

• The group leader submits a list of performers and shares the performer consent form with the parents/guardians. 

• Each performer is required to have a completed consent form (submitted from www.honeycombfestival.co.uk/performers) submitted by their parent/guardian. The consent form includes - 

  • Name

  • Date of birth

  • Postcode

  • Emergency contact name

  • Emergency contact number

  • Consent to take the performer in an ambulance if they are injured

  • Consent to have photos taken at the performance to be sold to family and friends on the night of the performance only

  • Consent to have filming of the performer to be sold to family and friends on the night of the performance only

  • Consent to have the photos taken used to promote Honeycomb festival on social media, the website and printed material

  • Consent to have the filming taken used to promote Honeycomb festival on social media and the website

• The names of the responsible adults are submitted to the festival organiser in advance

• DBS check information of the responsible adults is available to be checked if required by the festival organiser. 

• Group leaders are given the information ahead of time for what half of the performance they are in. This allows them to set up designated pick up points. If they are performing in the first half this will be front of house, if they are performing in the second half this will be back of house via stage door. 

 

During the festival:

• The group leaders bring at least two responsible adults to chaperone each group (regardless of group size) and more if their group is at the upper size limit (25 performers, using the ratio of 1 adult to 12 children). 

• There are three licensed chaparones on site during the festival who can step in to support in case a group leader or responsible adult is unable to continue on the day

• Group leaders carry a sign in sheet at all times with all their performers listed on it.

• All dressing room doors remain unlocked at all times (they have key card access and this is turned off for the duration of the festival). 

• If groups are mixed in the larger dressing rooms, they have designated areas. 

• Performers are accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

• During the day, all arrivals to the theatre are via the manned stage door, and all performers dropped off/collected are required to have a group leader present to verify the adult collecting is known to the group leader.

• When the front doors open in the evening, the door to backstage is locked with key card access only to ensure no members of the public can go backstage un-authorised. 

• For musical theatre numbers where performers are required to wear head mics, a licenced chaperone is available to help the performers get the mic down the back of their costume if required. A responsible adult from the group is also present at the side of the stage whilst this is happening. 

• At the end of the festival, group leaders are responsible for ensuring that each performer is collected by the correct person and signing them out individually. 

• Photos that are sold are printed out and laid on tables. The staff monitor these photos to make sure that people aren’t taking digital photos of them. 

 

After the festival:

• Consent information collected is held electronically and securely for the duration of 1 year. 

• All unsold photos are shredded and all head shots deleted. The performance photos are passed on to the festival organiser to use for promotional purposes where consent has been provided. 

• Contact with the groups post festival is via the group leader and no direct contact with the performers is undertaken.