Me Want Stars
Wow. In the midst of my run at Minnesota Fringe I get an audience review with zero stars. Zero. Stars. What shocks me most is that this made me smile. What the fuck am I smiling about? This is bringing down my overall score. This is going to kill my audience. Actually… I couldn’t have asked for anything better to happen. Continue reading
There are several ways to get on the radar of colleges and universities for performance opportunities. From contacting Student Activity Committees to attending Campus Activity Conferences like NACA and APCA to various funded and underfunded Student Groups on campuses it can seem daunting and overwhelming at first, but there is a way to streamline the process so that you are essentially wedding out the shit. Continue reading
Me and Mr. David Gaines working the Minnesota Fringe crowds.
…that is the question. I have done four U.S. fringe festivals which is nothing compared to some people I know. I based my decisions to tour to certain ones on a number of factors and research but actually doing them presents things you can only get through experience. One thing that happens when you tour the fringe circuit is you hear what works and what doesn’t really quickly from the other artists you end up meeting. Here’s the down-low. Continue reading
It’s going to happen. There is no way around the fact that someone is going to fall asleep during one of your performances (if not every time you perform). Don’t worry, I’m going to point out reasons why this occurs so that you don’t take it personally and ways you can deal with it that are both helpful and potentially horrifying. Continue reading
Before you go self-producing your work dear friends you need to ask yourself a few questions:
1) Are you ready to work a ridiculous amount of hours to make it happen knowing that you might not even make a profit?
2) Are you organized? I mean super duper organized or are you kidding yourself?
3) Are you insane?
The last question is probably the most important one to answer. It also depends on your definition of insanity. I like this one: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I’m realizing quickly what works and what doesn’t, however there is no science to this kind of existence at all. There are so many factors that can make a run have high attendance and lots of buzz, as well as unseen elements that can cause you to lose your shirt even if you repeat the same system that worked the year before. Believe me I just experienced it first-hand. Continue reading