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| Yes, you too can get paid to pull coins out of kids' ears! |
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Recently a young man asked me how I make a living as a storyteller. I could have gone on about story composition, audience participation and appropriate use of props and costumes, but I chose instead to tell him the REAL secrets.
If you want to be a performer you need to:
1: Fill out your paperwork promptly.
I can’t stress this enough. For a birthday party there may be nothing but a single piece of paper you send to the mother for confirmation, but if you're going to present at a library or school you will be required to fill out and return a contract. Get that done and do it now! Not only will this make you look good to the staff, it will speed up the process by which you get paid.
2: In the real world, on time is a half-hour early.
Imagine you’re going to have a show at a school you’ve never been to at a town you’ve never seen outside of Mapquest. Where do you park? Do you need to check in? Where do you change into that fantastic costume? Showing up a few minutes before the show doesn’t give you enough time to get ready and it freaks out the people who hired you. They’re worried you forgot, like last week’s performer did.
3: Dress Nice.
Hey, we’re in the entertainment industry. They’re lucky we wore pants, right? Wrong. You are a professional. You do this for a living and you need to telegraph that to your clients. You don’t have to wear a suit (I actually wear a tie unless I’m going to a very hot outdoor event) but button up shirt and slacks are a minimum. You will stand out from your fellow presenters and tell the world you take this seriously.
4: Call the day before and confirm.
This ties in to number two. It makes clients nervous when they booked you three months ago and haven’t hear from you since. Call and let them know you will be there and be there on time!
5: Be Polite.
You would be amazed how many performers show up with a grunt and a “Where do I set up? Leave me alone.” attitude. You can guess how often they get asked back.
6: Pre-Show Warm-Up
When the children are being brought in, unless your kind of performance precludes it, interact with them! You’ll be amazed how much stronger your rapport during the show will be.
7: Test all audio equipment
I highly recommend you use a wireless mic during your performance unless you are presenting to a tiny audience. Make sure everything is working properly as part of your set-up routine before the show.
8: Keep a log of all names, phone numbers and addresses.
You should have a record of all the places you have performed, especially the name of the person who booked you! An important element is how much you charged each time. And to that point –
9: Keep accurate financial records.
At the very least keep track of
A: The date of event
B: How much you were paid
C: The mileage to and from the event
D: Whether or not you’ve been paid!
The last is critical. I have at least one performance a year where the city council forgets to send the check. You deserve to be paid for your hard work!
10: Give the best possible performance you can!
I had to work this in somewhere. There is nothing stronger than giving your 100% on each and every show. Yes, you’re entertaining the children first and foremost, but you’re also auditioning for your next booking, do your best!
Being a live performer is a wonderful experience. If you treat it like a profession, you’ll be paid like a professional. Good luck!
