House Team Program

Purpose

A unified program for members to develop their skills and have regular stage time. 

Auditions

Purpose

Endgames Improv’s mission has always been to offer as much stage time as possible to as many performers as possible. Endgames’ house team program aims to further this mission by holding open auditions, multiple times per year. All are welcome to audition, regardless of their affiliation with Endgames. These auditions may be casting entire new teams or filling open positions on existing ones, or both at the same time.

Scheduling

Endgames holds quarterly auditions. Announcements of an open enrollment period will be made in the facebook community group, email newsletter, and website blog. During the open enrollment period, participants may sign up to audition for house teams. The number of audition spots will be at least 3 times the number of house team seats to fill. Each one-hour time slot will allow for up to ~10 audition spots.

Auditions last several hours, but each participant is assigned a 1-hour time slot during which they will audition. We make an effort to offer auditioners the time slot of their choice but cannot guarantee it. If more people sign up for auditions than we have open slots, a lottery system will determine who gets the slots. 

Endgames hosts a yearly festival. When this occurs, house team shows will be inserted into the festival schedule. This may cause a move in showtime, a move in venue, or a change to the duration of stage time. To the best of our ability, these will be announced before renewal and sign up. 

Selection Process

Our selection process is driven by our mission statement (https://endgamesimprov.com/info/) and -- if there is history -- past attendance and behavior on house teams. A team of at least 3 adjudicators will observe the auditions and deliberate after to make the selections. 

All those unable to audition in-person (whether by choice, lack of schedule availability, or failure to capture a spot through the lottery) will still have their name provided to the proctor team for consideration. However, this consideration is limited to the proctor team’s previous interactions, if any. 

Notification

Endgames will send a notification email to all participants who were selected for at least one seat within two week of the audition date. Those with multiple offers will be allowed to select their choice. We request that all decisions be made by email within 36-hours of being informed to allow us to move on to later rounds of notifications. 

Community Participants

Endgames welcomes other community shows, teams, and theaters to sit in and watch. These other groups should have an active need for members. At any point up until one week before the audition date, these groups can email info@endgamesimprov.com to let us know how many seats they are filling and terms of a resulting offer. We will use these numbers to open up more audition slots. To ensure that all offers are sent with equal opportunity, a single notification email will be sent by Endgames.

Failure to extend offers in accordance to your stated needs or circumventing the notification process can result in not being welcomed back.

Change of House Team Configuration

By signing up, you are agreeing to practice times and shows. Unfortunately, coach and venue are not guaranteed and may change. A change to a coach or location is not grounds for refund or deferment. The location will never change to outside of the original city limits (ex. San Francisco is always San Francisco, Oakland is always Oakland).

Our coaches are only human. They all work day jobs too. For reasons out of Endgames control, we may need to swap a teacher out after you have signed up for a class.

Location of the practice may also change. Some properties are in our control, but others are not and changes may be necessary. A wide variety of issues (repair, abrupt shut down of venue, power issues, double booking) may cause us to scramble for a new location.

We know this affects you and may be an inconvenience. We try to make all changes before advertising a practice. If that isn't possible, we try to make all changes before the first practice. And as a last resort, we try to communicate all changes as early as possible.

Member Expectations

Purpose

For all team members to get the most out of the House Team Program, members agree to expectations and terms. 

Duration, Practices, and Shows

A performer’s enrollment with a House Team lasts for a 6-month period. Endgames provides a schedule of practice dates and shows before extending an offer. Each 6-month period will have 12 scheduled practices. With the exception of skipping select holiday weekends, practices are every other week. The room is shared with another team that practices on the off weeks, and thus a skipped practice day will shift both teams' schedule. There is no minimum to hold a practice, and a coach will always be available for those who want to practice.  

A House Team’s shows occur on a previously agreed cadence (weekly / biweekly / other). Due to schedule restraints and marketing materials, shows cannot be rescheduled. Coaches will schedule sit-in(s) from other house teams for low attendance shows. 

All payment for House Teams follow the standard Payment and Refund policy for Endgames Improv found in our student policies.

Benefits

Every show that you are in, you have 1 guaranteed ticket. Performers may comp for their own show dates only. The team always has 8 guaranteed tickets for the 8 teammates performing. You are welcome to trade with your teammates for their unused comps on the same night, but Endgames will not be manage or resolve disputes for trades. We recommend agreeing by email or text message.

Should we not sell out, you are also welcome to comp even more folks. But like free admission for Students when we do not sell out, this is a gamble. Receiving compensation for a comp ticket is strictly prohibited. 

You are also welcome to watch other shows for free when available: Free Show Admission When Available

You can receive a referral discount by encouraging friends to sign up for 101 classes. Please email info@endgamesimprov.com with your friends name and email BEFORE they sign up. We cannot accept any referrals for students already enrolled. Your friend will receive a $75 refund, and you will receive a $75 refund on the current house team payment. Receive multiple referral refunds up to the full amount of your payment. A single discount may not be combined with any other discount. 

Payment

Each six month period of enrollment will cost $699 to the performer. Payments will be made in advance through the Endgames website. No practices or shows can be attended before payment is complete. Performers who have financial hardship can apply for scholarships by contacting info@endgamesimprov.com. 

Attendance

Unlike a class, no one passes or fails a House Team. However, Endgames knows that there are healthy levels of participation when fostering teams that take risks on stage together. For House Team members, a healthy cadence is an attendance of 50% or more of the practices and shows. Low attendance will be taken into consideration upon team renewals for the next period and those below may not be offered renewals.

For teams with weekly shows, members are assigned in advance to performances with 8 members. Members are welcome to trade how they feel best, but Endgames does not coordinate or resolve trades.

Should there be fewer than 8 performers, any performer is welcome to sit in last minute. To encourage quality performances, Endgames Improv reserves the right to add additional performers from our community when a house team does not have 8 members at the time of the show. 

Renewal and Non-renewal

Members who are a good fit for teams and in good standing will be offered a seat for the next period. There is no limit to the length of a sitting member. Offers to continue are made by the coach of the show before enrollment for the upcoming audition opens, and must be accepted (by making a payment) or declined (default, if no selection is elected) by the time open enrollment closes for sign-ups.   

Should a coach determine a team member does not fit well with a team or show, their seat will not be renewed. Endgames may offer a transfer to a different team if a better fit exists. No matter the reason for non-renewal, all those who have been on past teams are welcome to audition again. 

Behavior and Conduct

All members agree to follow the Endgames Code of Conduct and their own teams Agreement of Play. When attending practices and shows, members are expected to participate in good faith. 

Removal

In extreme cases where members violate the Code of Conduct, team’s Agreement of Play, or other serious issue, Endgames may remove a member and pro-rata refund for the remainder of the period. Pro-rata calculation is based on total practices and shows (equal weighting) that have occurred in the period. Team members removed in this fashion will not be welcome to audition again.

Coach Expectations

Purpose

An employee of Endgames who can provide a vision for the show and instruction for the team and individual member needs. Handles or works with other employees to handle all administration needed for the team. (Attendance, scheduling, watching shows, finding substitutes when necessary, determining which team members are extended offers, attending auditions.) Although there is no obligation, we are looking for those who are around at least two house team cycles.

Requirements

This is a non-exhaustive list of requirements for coaches of Endgames House Teams. This list may be modified or updated as we learn more about this program.

• Be an employee (W2) hired or contractor engaged (1099)
• Be passionate about the show hook or format the show performs
• Attend at least 9 of 12 practices per six-month cycle
• Prepare curriculum for practices (up to 30 minutes per practice shared for teams sharing a brand)
• Arrange substitute teachers and provide them with practice agenda
• Watch the House Team’s performances, either live or recorded (6-12 a cycle for teams with 12 shows / 12-24 a cycle for teams with 24 shows) and provide notes during practice
• Review of House Team policies
• Help the team form the Agreement of Play.