Uttoron is proud of its heritage of community cultural platform and talented performers over the years. This page informs you of our policies regarding all the cultural programs and events managed by Uttoron.

As a principal we are committed to maintaining transparency, fairness and ensuring community wide participation in our cultural programs. We will also strive to provide high quality cultural programs to our member audience attending such events.

The policy below is applicable to both physical and virtual cultural programs unless specifically mentioned.

Eligibility

• To participate in any of the community cultural events, each individual (or the parent/guardian in case of minors) should be a member of Uttoron or should pay the non-member entry fee for the event for that day.

Content

• Content should be appropriate and suitable for a given event or theme. Contents should NOT explicitly refer, endorse or oppose specific political parties, causes or public figures. It should be appropriate for mass audience including kids.
• Private business or school names can NOT be used in the promotion or performance material for any programs. The only way to advertise private business or school is through sponsorship. Please check the Event FAQ for sponsorship options.
• In case of virtual content:
  • Uttoron will have permission to edit to fit the overall presentation.
  • Uttoron will have the right to upload and use the recording of the said performance (both in-person and virtual) in any of its virtual platforms e.g., Facebook, YouTube, Sound cloud etc.
  • Individuals can share the media of their performances of any virtual platform of their choice ONLY after publication of the main content by Uttoron. 

Selection

• NO program / event / cultural artifact will be allowed in the name of Uttoron banner without soliciting community wide participation for the said program / event / artifact. To maintain quality, Uttoron reserves the right to specify selection criteria/guidelines for such program which will be published to the community ahead of the event.
• An email will be sent out to the community in advance of any cultural event providing registration information for participation. Uttoron website (Uttoron.org) and other Uttoron communication channels (e.g. Uttoron Facebook page) may also be updated with the necessary registration information.
• Members will be given higher priority in the program selection process over non-members.
• Group participation is highly encouraged and a higher number of participants in a group will have higher weightage in selection. Uttoron will have all communication related to the performance through the lead. Leads are expected to present high-level excerpts of the overall performance and estimated number of participants. 
• Uttoron will publish in advance program details with lead’s contact information for group cultural programs to promote wider participation by community. Cultural leaders for a group program need to make every effort to accommodate new participants. Group programs that accommodate new participants will have higher weightage in the selection process.
• Uttoron may specify certain themes for a given cultural event (e.g. Polli Bangla). If such a theme is published, then program selection will be based upon the submission matching the said theme.
• A participant can be part of ONLY one program submission in an event. This is both for fairness of opportunity and logistics of managing program execution on event day. Program selection priority will be given to the participants who did not get a chance to perform in previous events of the same year.
• Uttoron executive committee may reach out to individuals from the community in case there aren’t sufficient response to fill the available slots for a given event.
• NO submission request will be entertained post cut-off date.

Program Slot

• All other criteria being equal - Uttoron will use live-lottery to decide the relative slot of similar programs. For example, if there are 3 dance performances and 3 dramas - there will be a live lottery for the dance groups and a live lottery for the drama group to decide their respective order. The final global order of all programs will be decided exclusively by the Uttoron Cultural Committee keeping in criteria’s like (but not limited to the following):
  • Bringing variety to the program order (e.g. it's better to intersperse two solo songs and two solo poetry performances). 
  • Time requirement for each program.
  • Back-stage support and stage preparation for each program.
  • Opinion of the venue audio/video tech in what they can accommodate. 
  • Provide an overall seamless flow to the entire event both from the audience and logistical standpoint.
• Uttoron will NOT entertain any request to alter slots once they have been finalized. However similar programs may swap their spots if both parties can come to a mutual agreement and the same needs to be communicated to Uttoron cultural team at least 1 week before the event. 

Rehearsal

• Uttoron is NOT responsible for any rehearsal venue arrangement by any group or individual. However, program owners lists are published in advance and programs owners are free to make arrangements among themselves (at their own cost) in organizing rehearsal venues.
• Stage rehearsals are non-trivial to arrange, and the venue and tech-support costs run like the day of the event. As such it's expected that groups that are fully committed to using the stage rehearsal should only sign-up for such slot. Uttoron will support stage rehearsal meeting the following conditions:
  • More than half the submitted programs will need/use the stage rehearsal slot.
  • The venue is available for a date prior to the event date to conduct the stage rehearsal. 

Audio Visual Equipment

• Uttoron will ONLY support equipment deemed necessary for general use by all performers. Some examples include but not limited to wired vocal and instrument microphones (SM58/SM57 or equivalent), phantom powered floor-mics, catchers (if supported by venue), projectors, on-stage monitors, PA systems for audience, music stands etc. 
• Uttoron can only provide equipment that is rentable at local music stores (like Guitar Center) and cannot take requests for specific brands or individualized equipment.
• Uttoron will NOT be able to provide Wireless Lapel Mics. However, Uttoron will work with the venue to accommodate any group (or individual) willing to bring their own wireless lapel microphone set. 
• Musical instruments, performance related artifacts, props, costumes and anything else required to perform the program are the responsibility of the performer alone.

Changes To This Policy

This Cultural Program Policy is effective as of January 1^st, 2022.  

Uttoron Executive Committee (EC) reserve the right to change or update this Cultural Program Policy at the beginning of the tenure of an EC. This is typically at the beginning of a calendar year. However once updated and published, Uttoron EC will honor the policy for the remainder of the tenure of that EC. Ideally such changes or updates should be finalized at the start of the tenure of an EC before the first cultural event. Your continued participation in Uttoron Cultural events after we post any modifications to the Cultural Program Policy on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the updated Cultural Program Policy.

If we make any material changes to this Cultural Program Policy, we will notify you either through the email address you have provided us, or by placing a prominent notice on our website.

Contact Us

Uttoron cultural committee has the right to make a final decision to select/reject any submission based on the policy outlined above. The decision will be communicated prior to the event. Selection/rejection of all community cultural programs will be free of any bias or personal preference of Uttoron EC members and will solely be guided by above policy.

If you have any questions about this Cultural Program Policy, please contact us.