Technical and environmental requirements
Streamlined to the program’s technical guidance: the partner brings its own power, sound and projection, and assumes no field house access.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Surface | Open grass preferred for the performance area and drum circle. A hard, flat surface — paved apron, plaza or court — preferred for the canopy gallery so display hardware sits level. |
| Footprint | Approximately 150 ft × 150 ft including gallery, performance area and audience. Scales down to 100 ft × 100 ft if the assigned area is tighter. |
| Covered space | Not required. Partner supplies pop-up canopies for the gallery and the sound position. |
| Power | Partner supplies a quiet inverter generator at every site. No park electrical service assumed. |
| Sound | Partner supplies sound reinforcement from its own inventory. Levels held within standard park limits; no amplified-sound permit sought. |
| Projection | Partner supplies an outdoor screen, projector and playback. Screening begins at dusk. |
| Staging | Ground-level performance area. No riser over 24 inches. No tent over 400 square feet. |
| Restrooms | Existing park facilities. At 63rd Street Beach, beach house restrooms unlocked and serviced through the program day. |
| Accessibility | ADA-accessible routes through the gallery and to the performance area. ASL interpretation at each screening and open mic, budgeted as a protected line. |
| Load-in / load-out | Same day at both companion sites. One overnight at the flagship, with contracted security. |
| Weather | Rain date requested for each site. The screening is the only weather-critical element; live programming continues under canopy through light rain. |
Two crews, hired where the park is
The series runs on two independent crews rather than one travelling team. Each crew’s technicians and day staff are hired from the zip code the park serves — 60637 at 63rd Street Beach, 60645 at Rogers (Phillip) Park, 60622 at Humboldt Park. Park money stays in the park’s own community, and the people setting up the day already know the ground.
Two crews also mean no date on this series shares staff or equipment with any other production the organization is running that season, so a build in one park never puts another park’s event at risk.
| Crew | Sites | Hire zip | Composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew A | 63rd Street Beach — flagship weekend | 60637 | Production manager, 2 audio/AV technicians, day staff, 2 overnight security guards |
| Crew B | Rogers (Phillip) Park Humboldt Park | 60645 60622 | Production lead, 2 audio/AV technicians per event day, day staff — rehired locally at each site |
Who runs it
- Project director. Stephen Henry, President of Ras Tafari Inc., leads production at all three sites. Albert Harris, Secretary, is the main applicant and the administrative contact for the Night Out liaison.
- Production manager, Crew A. Contracted for the flagship weekend; owns advance, load-in, run of show and load-out at 63rd Street Beach.
- Production lead, Crew B. Contracted for the companion editions; runs Rogers (Phillip) Park and Humboldt Park independently of Crew A.
- Audio and AV technicians. Two on every event day, hired locally at each park, covering sound reinforcement and the projection package.
- Community outreach coordinator. Contracted for the season; leads canvassing, listening sessions and anchor-partner liaison in all three communities.
- Overnight security. Two contracted guards for the single overnight hold at the flagship site.
Production capacity
Ras Tafari Inc. produces events end to end — artist contracting, staging, sound, vendor management, permitting, insurance and marketing — with its own equipment inventory and production crew. Sound reinforcement and staging for this series come from that inventory as an in-kind contribution rather than a rental line.
The second crew is carried entirely by the organization’s own contribution, not by the Night Out request.