47 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XT

to a successful showcase

performance

compiled & illustrated by John Byrne

Published by Stage Books, The Stage Newspaper Limited, 47 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XT

www.thestage.co.uk www.showcall.co.uk

Copyright © The Stage Newspaper Limited 2007

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Distributed by The Stage Newspaper Ltd. Stage House 47 Bermondsey Street London SE1 3XT

Disclaimer: We have taken all steps possible to ensure the accuracy of the data in this publication. All resources and links were checked for accuracy at time of going to press, but the publisher has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content of outside resources nor does the inclusion of a resource in this publication indicate any endorsement of its content or any related services by The Stage or persons or any bodies connected with the paper.

This publication is respectfully dedicated to the memory of

Peter Hepple

First printed in 1880, The Stage has been reporting on and providing information for the UK entertainment industry for over 125 years. The company has also published Showcall, Britain’s leading directory of light entertainment performers, for over 30 years. The successful series of Showcall Showcase events are widely recognised as some of the most important showcases in the light entertainment calendar.

In addition to his work as weekly advice columnist for The Stage, JOHN BYRNE has years of experience as a personal advisor to many successful entertainers, presenters and performers. He has written and co-written a number of popular career guides for singers, dancers and comedy writers and is also the regular advice columnist for Young Performer magazine. Since 2004, John has had a regular ‘agony uncle’ role on BBC London’s popular overnight show Late Night Dilemmas with Valley Fontaine and has contributed both in front of and behind the cameras to a wide variety of programmes ranging from Nickelodeon TV, CBeebies and Five’s Milkshake to Sky News and Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith. He has also worked as a script doctor for several West End and touring shows.

MARK RITCHIE has been a professional singer and comedian for 25 years. As a journalist he has worked as entertainment reporter for the Yorkshire Weekly newspaper group, news editor for The Mercury Newspaper in Sheffield and is sole regional representative for The Stage. Mark is also involved as a creative consultant for theatre and holiday centre production company TPO, teaches voice production and stagecraft skills and has produced large scale clubland corporate events all over the UK.

DEREK SMITH has been one of The Stage’s main showcase critics for more than 10 years, covering events throughout the UK. He also reviews the annual drama school showcases, fringe theatre, regularly contributes to The Stage’s various light entertainment supplements and compiles the paper’s weekly Backstage technical news.

PAUL VALE has been a key contributor to the US publication Make-up Artist Magazine for 6 years, and education officer to the International Make-up Artists Trade Show for the last 2 years. For 9 years he was the Make-up Consultant for industry make-up supplier Charles H. Fox Ltd, giving workshops and advice on all aspects of theatre make-up and styling. Paul also regularly reviews West End, fringe, burlesque and cabaret shows for The Stage.

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Preparing for a showcase . . . . . . . . . 9Publicity and flyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Image conscious . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Showtime! Ten tips to make the most of your ten minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The critics rave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Thank you for the music . . . . . . . . 19In closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

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If you’re serious about making your living as an entertainer, you are probably already heartily sick of the old chestnut that it’s all about chasing ‘15 minutes of fame’.

The glut of reality shows over the past few years may have given the impression that it’s possible to walk in off the street and be transformed into a pop idol or chart topper by one big break. The truth is that even if you do get that elusive break, turning it into a career involves a lot of hard work, dedication and a determination to keep developing and polishing your act in front of as many different audiences as possible.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a singer, a comic, a magician, a tribute band or a speciality act: your talent may be unique, and your presentation should be unique. But the route to success is the same long, hard step-by-step process for all of us.

On a brighter note, much as the reality shows we have just been talking about might be cited by cynics as one of the reasons why ‘variety is dead’, even a casual reading of The Stage will show that this is simply not true. There is a tremendous amount of live talent around, both in terms of new performers taking their first steps into the spotlight and vastly experienced performers delighting audiences jaded by too much video with the excitement and exhiliration that only the live experience can produce.

More to the point, there are plenty of eager bookers, be they for corporate work, cruise work or club work, who are ready, willing and able to provide employment for good live acts whenever they can find them.

And in most cases the point where those two worlds collide is the live showcase performance. Usually short, usually performed as part of a larger event that involves lots of other acts and usually nerve wracking for performers, first time or highly experienced, a showcase gig (especially at top flight events such as Showcall) can be the key to new work, more work and better work if it goes well.

Whether you are performing at Showcall Showcase or some other showcase event, doing a private showcase for a booker or agent, or even taking a shot

Introduction

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at one of those dratted reality shows, the information and tips in this booklet can’t guarantee success – but it’s been put together with the help of some highly experienced showcase experts. Our aim is to guide you on what to do, and often more importantly what not to do, to help you make the most of that magical window of time when all eyes and ears are on you, and the course of your next year in the business depends on what you do in the next few minutes.

With that in mind, much of what you are about to read may seem entirely obvious, incredibly simple and stuff you do already. I can assure you that having worked with and watched hundreds of performers over the past decade, the reasons why acts don’t reach their full potential and performers don’t make the living they should are rarely complicated. From choosing the wrong song for the wrong audience to horrible marketing materials to sloppy image, it is the most basic mistakes that we all make (myself included!) that do the damage.

Conversely it is often not some expensive seminar, technique or guru (myself included!) which can lead to big steps forward. It is simply thinking outside our own box, doing our research and listening to people who know what they are talking about.

Unless otherwise indicated the information you are about to read has been written up by me, but in truth it is a combination of things I have observed, have been asked about and most importantly have had the privilege to learn from many highly experienced and successful showcase performers at Showcall and elsewhere.

In thanking the many generous and highly experienced contributors who have helped me put together this short guide, may I on all our behalves wish you every success with your showcases and invite you to let us know what tips here work for you, what new ones you discover that might be useful for future editions and what Dear John and The Stage can provide further information on to help you even more.

Of course you won’t be able to make those decisions until you try out the stuff in this guide, so do enjoy reading the following pages, but please don’t just stop at reading them!

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Preparing for a showcase

You’ve booked your slot, you’re waiting in the wings, and the compere calls your name. What’s the most important thing you should do when the curtain goes up? Actually, you should have done the important stuff long

before you’re in that situation. If it’s too late for this showcase, here are some pointers to consider before the next one…

Rehearse, Rehearse, RehearseObvious? Perhaps. But there are two barriers to proper rehearsal which should be mentioned here. Firstly, if you are new to the business, it can be very frustrating trying to secure slots on showcase bills, especially if you are an independent act (i.e., without agent representation). The better ones such as Showcall are often fully booked up far in advance, with some of the bigger agencies block booking in their own acts.

More to the point, if you do secure a place it might be quite some time away, perhaps for the showcase after the one you were actually trying to get into. If you are not performing regularly, it is easy to put off knuckling down to sorting out what you are actually going to do in your spot. Big mistake: the date can creep up on you before you know it, and the one place you shouldn’t start rehearsing is during your actual performance.

For the performer who is working regularly, the point about performance and rehearsal not being the same thing is also worth making. This is especially true if you are doing showcases with the aim of expanding into new markets.

You need to be focused on what the bookers for the market you are aiming to break into are looking for. They have no time to make the mental leap required to see how your existing act, no matter how great, might be adapted to suit their needs. It’s your job to know that and to have made any changes necessary in advance.

It might be that you are highly experienced and can comfortably do a one or two hour show. Bully for you. But the ‘show’ you are being asked to put on for your showcase is likely to be around ten minutes. It is surprising what you can achieve when you rehearse something specifically for that slot. It is also a real

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shame how many performers who can easily bring the house down for an hour or two don’t even get their build up finished because they were relying on the luxury of extra stage time which simply doesn’t exist.

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Publicity and flyers

A picture may be worth a thousand words – but some of the words most appropriate to describe many of the pictures and flyers that come my way in the course of an average Dear John week (never mind what The Stage’s

hard-pressed editorial and advertising staff are expected to turn into usable printed matter) are not necessarily suited for use in a family publication.

Since there are often more acts than bookers have time to see at a Showcase, your flyer is sometimes just as important as your act when it comes to attracting work. Whether your flyer or poster comes via post or email or is on a wall, as the first contact a booker, agent or audience member has with you it is even more essential.

Sadly, I have seen many perfectly good acts, which if I had seen the flyer first, I would never have given the time of day. I have also seen some acts where the flyer was more polished than the actual performance. And you know something? In some cases, the good impression created from a well thought-out flyer was enough to make me forgive the rough edges in the actual stage show. After all, your act will get better with experience. Your flyer, once you have had it printed, is ‘set in stone’ until you do a new one.

Here are some basic tips to help you get this important aspect of your work right first time:

Go for value over priceA good flyer does not have to cost the earth. The trick is to get the best results with what you have got. Certainly go for quality if you can afford it. The cheapest paper may save you a few quid, but slightly better quality may make you more money in the long run.

Even the most expensive paper or print in the world won’t save a horrible design though. Shop around, and get several quotes if you are using a designer or printer. Ask to see examples of previous work, or check out who printed flyers you have liked for other artists.

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Don’t rely on your friends’ good natureYou wouldn’t ask your mate Kevin to play piano for you during your showcase if he was still on lesson one of a home study keyboard course. Please don’t use photos or any other marketing materials designed by yourself, your mum, your kid or your mate Kevin unless they can produce them to professional standard. Even if all that you have to pay as a result of their helping you out is the copying and postage costs, you are not saving money. Send the money to me instead and I will donate it to the Theatre Museum or some other deserving charity. And then go and get a proper photograph taken. Please use a recent photo that actually looks like you. You’d be amazed how many don’t. If you are emailing photos or sending them to publications such as The Stage or local papers to be reproduced, ask what format they are needed in beforehand if you are not sure.

Keep it simple and to the pointThe best flyers give some impression of the kind of act you do, tell us what your name is, give us one or two reasons why we should bother seeing/booking you (perhaps some lines from a couple of good reviews, or a catchy tagline) and tell us where you are on or how to contact you.

And that’s all. Lots of tiny text, ropy photos (see above) and 27 different typefaces will not

get your work noticed any quicker. Unless we notice the fact that it should be in the bin.

Get a second (and third) opinionYou are not the best judge of your own flyers or photos (and sometimes your agent isn’t either). Before you splash out on an expensive print run, show the prototype to a representative sample of people who know you and your act enough to be honest.

By all means make your own decision in the end. After all, it’s your flyer and your money. But if a number of different people can’t read or understand what you are trying to tell them, the fault is with your materials, not with the readers.

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Like your act, your image should be sorted out before you step out on stage (and also before you ever appear on a poster or flyer). Paul Vale, The Stage’s image expert, is on hand to help.

One of the vital ingredients in a showbusiness career – or a showcase appearance is that all-important first impression. Here is how to make sure your first impression is the one you are actually aiming for.

Hair & make-upThe purpose of make-up in this instance is to enhance your natural features. Unless you are a tribute act and need to remodel your face with make-up then the rules are fairly straightforward. A healthy, even skin tone can be achieved using a selection of foundations available on the market. Go to a specialist retailing in performance make-up to track down a good match and don’t wander too far from your natural tone. Lip colours should be carefully applied and particularly in the case of singers should be fixed using a good sealer. When creating an image, avoid fashionable, trendy colours as they can become unfashionable very quickly.

Most men will shy away from the idea of wearing any form of make-up on stage, but even if you are young, healthy and have impeccable genes, you may still need some help. Male orientated products which are now easier to get, such as tinted moisturisers, will allow men to achieve at least an even skin tone and even macho men may also benefit from anti-shine creams, which do exactly as they say on the tin. A small amount of product will take away the shine from under the spotlight and enhance the impression that there is a cool, calm performer on stage.

Your hairstyle will probably vary immensely during your career. Ladies may be at more of an advantage when it comes to styling and colouring and will realise the pitfalls of long nights under hot stage lights and how it can stress the hair. For this reason try to avoid any treatment that will add to this problem such as over perming or strong bleaching and always go to a professional.

Image conscious

by Paul Vale

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The colour and thickness of the hair will be a problem facing many men as male pattern baldness and greying might not be in keeping with your act. Products are available to counteract thinning hair temporarily, such as thickening sprays, but please try to avoid a ‘comb-over’ as nothing ages a performer quite so much. Consult a specialist hair stylist instead: there may be a better new look you can achieve.

CostumeOn stage, the immediate impression you get of an act is usually of what they are wearing rather than how they look. It gives the audience their first impression and – literally – colours their judgement even before you have opened your mouth to sing, told your first gag or played your first note!

Ideally your outfit will reflect the nature of your act, putting the audience at their ease and helping them in their own mind establish how you want them to react to you. It is a very simple philosophy but one that can easily be misjudged. Bursting onto the stage in a mass of sequins, lycra and bright colours may reflect your personal taste but if your catalogue of numbers feature hits from the West End then you may need to think again.

Your stage costume (and you must always think of it as such) is a reflection of your professional persona and not your personal taste. If Swing is your thing then avoid jeans, however comfortable or good they may look on you. Even Robbie Williams had to forgo the cut-off tee-shirt and jeans and don a suit for his foray into period music. It is far and away better to get something that is either made especially for you, or at least has been tailored to your shape. Lurid colours and flashy fabrics have their place but remember you want the audience to remember you, not your clothes.

Black, on the other hand, is indeed slimming and often very smart – but it can look unadventurous, especially against the invariable black backdrop of a stage. Work around this when choosing an outfit and if in doubt, check in with a reliable stylist to help you choose your wardrobe.

Off stageLastly, remember that once you step off that stage the show is not necessarily over. Whenever possible ensure that you change from your stage outfit back into your own clothes to suit the venue you are performing at and remove any make-up.

You will probably be called upon to meet agents, producers, bookers and even fans and to this extent you are still very much ‘on show’. Professionals will respect the time this may take but there is nothing worse than seeing a performer relaxing in the bar in full stage make-up and costume, however casual the event.

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Not even Dear John can guarantee your success once you step out on stage…that’s up to you, the audience and often a variety of factors outside the control of either party. But here are some things to consider

which may help:

1. The audience at a showcase wants you to succeed. They have invested time and money coming here, and wouldn’t be here if they didn’t need entertainers. They are hoping you will be the entertainer they need.

2. The showcase audience is there to work, not to enjoy itself. No matter how good you are, you won’t get the response you would get from an room full of ‘punters’. In fact the better you are, the more silence you may get back: bookers may be too busy noting your details to join in with your sing-a-long section. If you normally get a good response from your material, trust that it still works. Don’t lose confidence early on as many performers have been known to do (it is lonely out there).

3. Do what you can do well. If there’s something you can’t do, for example a song in a certain key or a particular impression, don’t do it – and we will never know. This is not the gig at which to break in new material.

4. Keep an eye on similar acts to yours, at least in the session you are part of. If the same song – or worse, the same joke – has been done too often by previous acts, consider dropping or changing it unless your version is radically different. What? You don’t have any emergency material? Get some!

5. If you have done this showcase a number of times, and know the musical director, the compere and/or some of the bookers well, do not be tempted to do lots of in-jokes the rest of us will be confused by. It comes across as

Showtime! Ten tips to make the most

of your ten minutes

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rude, cocky and will lose you new gigs. After all, your mates will probably be booking you anyway.

6. Try to avoid the standard heckler put downs, particularly for people talking while you’re on. Yes, they should keep it down to a whisper, but they are working, not here to be entertained. They might even be talking about using you – and if they are bookers or agents they have heard all the lines before anyway.

7. Even though you may not get the response you normally get to singalongs/talk to the audience material, if it’s a key part of your act still do it with confidence. Some kindly person will help you out with answers and even by being a ‘stooge’ if you need one. It’s your confidence and presentation we are looking for, so believe in yourself and we will, too.

8. Don’t go over time, even if they are loving you. Start a knock on delay that makes us late home and you’ll see how quickly love will fade.

9. Remember there are three parts to a showcase: your act, your chat with the compere afterwards and networking all the time you are there. The chat is important, so however your act goes, be confident about it – even if it’s just having the confidence to admit that you were shaking. Tufty Gordon, veteran compere of many Showcall Showcase events, has about five thousand ways to ask ‘what kind of work are you looking for?’ and he’s a past master at making even the most nervous act look good (and occasionally pulling a more arrogant one into line). Other showcase events may not have the same quality of host, so make sure you make it clear to the audience what you are available for and how to get hold of you if the compere misses either point out.

10. When something goes wrong mid-act (notice the ‘when’) if it’s not obvious to anyone else, work with it, if it is obvious work it into your act. If necessary, stop, take a breath and start again – but never blame anyone else publicly even if it was their fault. The bookers are here to see how professional you are and that includes dealing with glitches.

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The critics rave

Mark Ritchie and Derek Smith are not just highly experienced showcase reviewers for The Stage, but highly experienced and respected reviewers full stop. Showcases such as Showcall owe their reputation

for quality to the firmness and honesty of reviewers like Mark and Derek as much as to their fairness.

No performer likes criticism, but having been an audience member at shows that were reviewed by Mark, Derek and other Stage contributors, I can honestly vouch for the fact that how they call it is pretty much how it was – and also that their take is usually very much in line with what the bookers are thinking.

Sensible performers will learn from what they have to say, whether or not they actually like it and we have often seen the improvement when performers who have taken on board some of the critics comments, return for subsequent showcases.

I asked Mark and Derek for their top likes and dislikes at showcase events. Here they are (compiled as one list):

Likes

“Professional presentation/image - first impressions really do count”

“Entertainers who are polite and courteous to the stage crew and those in charge of making a showcase happen. So often acts arrive with only their own agenda in mind , but the smarter operators simply know the job and are a doddle to get along with”

“Singers/bands performing their own material. Let’s hear it for creativity!”

“Speciality acts – any kind, any style, any level of madness always welcome”

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“People who have done their homework and know exactly what kind of work they want to do. For instance, club acts and cruise ship acts require completely different modes of presentation and the ambitious show business ladder climbers should have watched those ‘in the know’ to check out what is required in terms of use of the stage and overall approach”

Dislikes

“Messy medleys which only succeed in murdering not just one good song,but several at one go”

“Acts who use up valuable time by reminding us what little time they have, or how difficult it is to know what to do in such a short space of time. In the time they take to inform us of this, they have wasted half their allotted spot”

“Terrible, tacky wigs of the kind often sported by Tina Turner tributes, et al. The worse the wig, the worse the act – usually”

“Singers who insist on giving us the same popular song of the moment. As a result showcase chestnuts are created, with Mustang Sally, River Deep Mountain High, My Heart Will Go On (from Titanic) and This Is The Moment (from the musical Jekyll and Hyde) being the prime examples”

“Acts who insist on over-running their time. Most of the bookers know exactly what they are looking for and normally have the act sussed , either as soon as they walk on stage or in the first few minutes anyway. Hanging around and hogging the limelight really is both selfish and pointless”

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A huge advantage of events like Showcall for new acts and experienced ones alike, is the chance to work with our top notch band of live musicians. However, one of the most worrying trends in live performance, even among singers, s the degree of ignorance about how to work with a band or a sound system when performing at showcases – never mind when you are actually trying to do a gig.

Here are some basic points that would make life easier for you and the bands who have to work with you from hugely experienced (and patient beyond the call of duty) Showcall musical director, Mike Watson:

Many artists now work only with backing tracks and as such have no experience of the needs of musicians. Some artists work on circuits where there are only two piece bands (ie, keyboards and drums). At

Showcall, though, The Stage very generously p rovides you with a four piece band to use at your discretion, consisting of keyboards, drums, bass guitar and lead/rhythm guitar.

Each one of these instruments requires slightly different music (in the case of the drums, completely different) which you must bring with you so that the musicians can accompany you. Those of you who have performed at Showcall Showcase before will be aware that the band is always helpful and has even played for people who have turned up without any music at all where it was possible to do so! But this is only in an emergency. For example, if a performer finds that their minidisc is damaged and I hadn’t written out the music, they would have lost his or her slot and wasted the journey.

We want people to use the band at Showcall, and there are several reasons for this:

1. Your audience: they are almost all professional agents and bookers who know the business and want to see you work live with both tracks and band. If you work with the the band, it is obvious that you can work with a recording of a band (i.e., a track) but the reverse does not always hold true.

Thank you for the music

by Mike Watson

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2. You are restricting your fields of work by only working with tracks

3. It keeps music live

4. We don’t seem to have anything else to do that week so we might as well play for you!

Joking aside, one of the main benefits of performing at Showcall Showcase is the facilities it provides for promotional material such as showreels and photos. Because every performance is recorded to DVD which you will then be able to use to promote yourself, it’s important to give the band the correct tools to work with so that your performance comes out the best it can be. That means having the correct music with the right number of parts and being familiar with it yourself.

As Showcall Musical Director I will accept any of the following (as will MDs at most events or gigs of similar quality). If you don’t already have this material and are serious about your career you really should be aiming to get it sorted out:

1. 4 piece arrangements (keys, drums, bass & lead guitar)

2. 3 piece arrangements (keys, drums, bass + a copy of the keyboard part for the lead)

3. 2 piece arrangements (keys, drums + two copies of the keyboard part for the bass and lead)

Please make sure that the music is in folders or that the sheets are clipped together in the right order and the right way up.

While we’re on this subject, if you are working with tracks, please make the effort to put all your tracks on minidisc in the right order if you want your tracks to run quickly and smoothly from one to the other. Otherwise the sound person has to eject one and wait for the other to load – and you’ll only have yourself to blame if there are delays.

If you think you will need help with your arrangements, you can find arrangers via sources such as The Stage but don’t leave it too late!

A good showcase band is there to help you but we need your help to do that!

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In closing

I hope the information in the preceding pages has been useful to you-but as we noted at the beginning, it can only be useful if you decide to put it to use.

You can keep adding to your bank of experience and knowledge by visiting the many useful advice sections of The Stage’s website, www.thestage.co.uk, including Dear John, our numerous How To features and our Legal Eagle column. You can also chat to fellow showcase participants and aspiring performers on our friendly StageTalk message boards.

If you are interested in coaching, act doctoring or getting an agent, please do visit my own site at www.getmemyagent.com for further details, and of course a weekly subscription to The Stage brings you a wealth of details about upcoming events, the latest news and the earliest notice of new booking and employment opportunities.

Wherever you get your information from, though, there is no substitute for getting out there and doing a showcase. With that in mind, why not start at the top and talk to the friendly people at www.showcall.co.uk about why any sensible act should make sure they are featured there.

Every success with your career in the meantime, do keep us posted on your progress and I’ll look forward to seeing you with a bulging diary full of showcase bookings in the very near future!

John Byrnedearjohn@thestage.co.uk

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