If this section applies to you, please download a copy of the full behaviour bond contract here, print out, sign, and bring with you on the night - it'll save a lot of time, at the door. Many thanks:
Riproar Behaviour Bond
ABOUT USHello, and thanks for booking your big night out with us, whether you’ve booked privately or through an agency.
We’re Riproar Comedy - the new brand of Jesters Comedy Club which was established in Bristol in 1995. As Jesters we’ve had plenty of household names perform at our venue during their days as circuit comedians. To name a few: Peter Kay, Bill Bailey, Catherine Tate, Russell Howard, Matt Lucas, Andy Parsons, Jimmy Carr, Shappi Khorsandi, John Bishop, Alan Carr, Kevin Bridges and even Russell Brand. These days we continue to book the people you’ll be watching on tv very soon, much as we did when we booked the names above. The comedians we use are full-time professionals who gig all over the UK at the country’s biggest and best clubs. This is our way of doing the best we can to ensure that you’ll be paying to see the best that there is. Whilst we’re a local, independent club, owned solely by people that live in Bristol,we very much punch above our weight when it comes to attracting the best acts on the circuit.
Our aim is to allow everyone that attends our comedy shows the opportunity to watch these comedians in a fantastic, intimate atmosphere.
As you’re a large, (6 plus) predominantly single-sex group booking you become subject to our behaviour bond policy which we’d like to explain to you here.First of all, don’t panic.
There is nothing onerous about this. It is designed to protect the interests of the show for all customers, and to protect you from any unruly group that may bedisturbing your enjoyment of the show.
THE BOND ITSELF
It's a delight to be part of a well run comedy club. We prideourselves on making this so at Riproar. We also pride ourselves onmaking you feel safe and secure, in an environment you can kick back,relax, and laugh your socks off. If there was a group preventing you from doing any of this, you’d want us to do something about it, right? Well, that’s where the bond comes into play.
The bond is a deposit only. It is important to understand that we’renot trying to charge you extra ticket money, or penalise you forbeing a single sex group. All we ask is that each member of yourgroup hands over £10 in cash upon arrival at the front desk whichwe will hold for you until you leave. We will give you a receipt forthe total amount. You sign a copy of the bond (next sheet oroverleaf) which forms a contract between you and us, offering yourcommitment to behave appropriately.
In 18 years of running comedy shows, taking an average of ten bondsper week, (some 8000 in total), we have kept just nine in all that time.This is a record we’re very proud of, and we hope it demonstrates toyou that it is never our intention to keep your bond; we only ever doso as a final resort, or to cover damage a group may have caused.
That’s it really. There’s a bunch of FAQs and answers on the right. Itshould cover everything you need to know. If not, call us on 0117 985 6767 between midday and 5pm during the week, or e-mail us at info@riproarcomedy.co.uk |
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FAQs
We’re a group of (insert perceived-high-status-profession here), older gents/ladies on the stag/hen’s fifth wedding etc etc. Why do WE need to pay the bond - we’re bound to be well behaved?
Clearly it would be prejudicial of us to make a judgement call about any group based on their perception of who they are. So we just don’t. If you are predominantly a single sex group, we will ask for the bond regardless.
What do you mean by ‘predominantly’?
A 70/30 split in favour of either sex. If there are 20 of you and 14 ormore are either men or women, you will EACH need to deposit £10.
It’s a comedy club, so surely we can heckle?
By all means - we fully expect you to be able to interact with the compere's questions, or make the odd jibe to other comedians. What we’re trying to avoid is the drunken idiot that won’t shut up. We also don’t tolerate one group trying to dominate the evening at everyone else’s expense. Please be aware that stand-up comedy is NOT meant to be a gladiatorial contest between the comedian and audience and we will make our best efforts to ensure that any audience member does not try to make this so.
Is it okay to talk while the comedians are performing?
Simply put, no. Chatting amongst yourselves while comedians areperforming will disturb and irritate those around you. It is verycommon for people to believe that they are talking quietly and notdisturbing anyone. Trust us - this is almost never true. If you really need or prefer to chat while the comedy is on, please do so outside performance space where you won’t be heard. The same applies to phone calls and texting.
How many warnings will we get before we lose our bond?
Our security team is well-versed in letting you know when you're disturbing others' enjoyment. You will be asked a number of times before we have to consider our other options. Often it is just one or two in a group that are the problem, so we may just ask them to leave to allow the rest of your group to stay on at no penalty. If it is time to ask your whole group to leave we will usually give you the option to leave amicably and peacefully. Providing you do so we will return your bond and wish you a good night.
What else can we lose our bond for?
The things you would most likely expect, such as fighting (even amongst yourselves), persistent rudeness or aggressive behaviour towards other customers or our staff, damage to the venue,vomiting anywhere in the venue, (other than into a toilet pan), or doing anything else that is anti-social, annoying to others, or we deem inappropriate for the venue.
What if we absolutely don’t want to pay your behaviour bond?
It is a condition of your booking as a predominantly single-sex group that you pay the bond. Your refusal to do so will mean we will refuse entry on the night of the show regardless of how many tickets you have booked and what you have paid for them. Should you refuse,we will not provide refunds or credits of any sort. Please only book tickets for your group if you are ALL prepared to pay the bond.
How do we get our bond back at the end of the night?
Just ask one of the security or the duty manager. |
