Code of Conduct

Nightlife Arts of Vermont Code of Conduct

1. Preamble: Our Commitment

Nightlife Arts, its production partners, and performance collectives are dedicated to creating a safer, more inclusive, empowering environment for everyone involved in our events: performers, crew, venue staff, and audience members. We celebrate artistic expression and body autonomy. We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment, discrimination, and non-consensual behavior.

By participating in our events, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. We reserve the right to remove any individual who violates these policies.

2. Policy on Harassment

Harassment will not be tolerated. This includes:

• Verbal & Psychological Harassment: Harmful comments, jokes, or slurs related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, culture, race, age, or national origin. This includes unwelcome sexual advances, verbal abuse, deliberate intimidation, and threats.

• Physical Harassment: Unwelcome touching, groping, pinching, grabbing, pushing, or any form of assault.

• Stalking: Deliberate intimidation, stalking, or following  (including to other venues, parking areas, or online).

• Digital Harassment: Harassing or threatening communication via social media or other digital platforms, directed at anyone involved in our events. This explicitly includes the sending of unsolicited, sexually explicit images ("dick pics") or any other unwanted imagery.

• Non-Consensual Interaction: Purposefully invading personal space and refusing to leave someone alone.

• Cross-Event Harassment: Targeting any of our community members (performers, crew, or audience) based on their affiliation with our events. This includes:

  • Harassment that begins at our event and continues elsewhere.

  • Harassment that begins at another venue but is perpetrated by someone they met at our event.

  • Harassment that begins elsewhere and is motivated by their participation in our event (e.g., a performer is targeted online or at another venue by an individual who saw them perform at our show).

Context of Artistic Expression:

Our stage is a space for artistic expression, which can include satire, political commentary, and humor that challenges mainstream ideas and powerful institutions ("punching up"). However, the target of this expression must never be the inherent identity of a person or protected group. Performers are expected to wield their platform responsibly.

3. Policy on Consent

Consent is mandatory, ongoing, and can be revoked at any time.

• Physical Interaction: Do not touch anyone without their explicit consent. "No" means no. "Maybe" means no. Silence means no. Only an enthusiastic "Yes!" means yes or if we have a visual consent mechanism in place for a show, such as a sticker or item audience can display to show consent in that moment.

• Interaction with Performers: The stage is their workplace. Do not attempt to interact with performers, except to hold out tips at certain events, during their act, unless they explicitly invite it. While we encourage cheering and applause, performers also deserve respect and body autonomy.

• Tipping: Follow the show's guidelines for tipping. Never place tips on a performer's body without their clear consent.

4. Photography, Video, and Social Media Policy

This policy is for the safety, privacy, and artistic ownership of our performers. The host will always reinforce specific policies at an event.

• General Rule: Absolutely no flash photography is permitted at any time, as it is a safety hazard for performers on stage.

• Burlesque Performances (Reveals/States of Undress): No photography or video recording of burlesque performers during reveals or while they are in states of undress (e.g., down to pasties/g-strings) is permitted unless explicitly authorized in advance by the individual performer. This is to prevent harassment and protect performer safety and identity.

• Other Performances (e.g., Drag, Comedy, Music, Circus, Pole, other Dance styles): We may encourage photos and videos for social media! Please tag the performers and our show. However, always respect any performer who announces a "no-photos" policy for their specific act or includes any striptease.

• Enforcement: Violating the photography policy, especially recording burlesque reveals, will result in immediate ejection. You will be required to delete any unauthorized footage and will face a permanent ban. Your device may be checked by security.

5. Policy on Discrimination & Inclusive Space

We are committed to providing a welcoming environment for people of all genders, gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, disabilities, physical appearances, body sizes, races, ethnicities, and ages (18+).

• We do not tolerate discrimination, including refusal to serve or interact with someone based on their membership in a protected class.

• This is a LGBTQIA+-positive space. Homophobic, transphobic, racist, misogynistic, or otherwise bigoted language or behavior will result in immediate removal and a ban.

• We strive to make our events accessible. We note accessibility options that are available in our venue posting and/or directory.

6. Consequences for Violations

Participants who are asked to stop any behavior violating this Code are expected to comply immediately.

If a violation was reported when we were unable to witness, we will take the report and determine the consequences.

Depending on the severity of the violation, consequences may include:

• A formal warning.

• Immediate expulsion from the event without a refund.

• A permanent ban from all events produced or ticketed by Nightlife Arts of Vermont and our performance collectives.

• Involvement of venue security and/or local law enforcement.

All decisions made by Nightlife Arts of Vermont and designated security regarding violations of this Code are final.

7. How to Report a Violation

If you are subjected to or witness a violation of this Code of Conduct, please report it immediately. You can report anonymously, though providing contact info can help us conduct a more thorough investigation.

Report to:

• The Stage Manager

• The Door Kat

• Our Feedback/Reporting Form

• Via Email: nightlifearts@gmail.com

We will believe you, we will support you, and we will take your report seriously. We will handle all reports with discretion and confidentiality. We prohibit retaliation against anyone who makes a report in good faith.

Thank you for helping us create a safer and spectacular space for art and community.