Artists,
Improve Your Showcase!
We
received
many calls from artists about
what to do at a showcase and how to demonstrate what they are
going to do and how to get across what they are all about in
a 6 or 7 minute presentation. We basically gave the same response
to everyone.
-
Prepare what you are going to do in advance.
- Practice what you are going to do in advance.
-
Choose pieces of your presentation that best
reflects who and what you are.
-
Choose a theme that meets the summer reading
program theme
- Introduce yourself, a brief description of your overall presentation
and then get right to your demonstration.
-
Be on time and ready to go when your time
begins
-
End on time and when time is up do not keep
going. Stop and move off stage.
Now after talking with librarians and reading
the evaluations I would add that they would appreciate a little
more information at the beginning like
-
Brief descriptions of your program
-
Age group possibilities for your programs
-
What other programs do you have
-
Any special requirements or restrictions they
need to know about.
-
Then give a demonstration of your work.
Let’s Work Together
– Librarians and Performers
Things we all need to keep in mind!
This Article was written by Sue Erickson of the San Bernardino
County Libraries and is full of good information for librarians
and performers alike.
Librarians
Attend the annual Inland Library System’s
Performers’ Showcase to see performers audition for you!
Use this opportunity to schedule programs for the Summer Reading
Program, as well as, keeping in mind upcoming program opportunities
throughout the year.
Match a performer to your intended audience (and then publicize the program to that intended audience). The
Showcase Resource Guide includes information about the age
group for which each performer feels his/her program is appropriate.
Unless you will restrict program attendance somehow, choose
a program that will work with an all-ages audience. Don’t
expect preschoolers to sit through a drawing workshop or a
long storytelling session.
Coordinate programming with
neighboring libraries/schools/Parks & Rec, etc. for a reduced
rate when inviting a guest presenter to your area. Performers
are more likely to accept an invitation that involves multiple
programs, especially if significant travel is involved.
Follow up with the artist after 2 weeks if
you have not received a written or email confirmation of your
program.
Contact the performer one
week prior to your scheduled program if you have not heard from
him/her recently. Verify that you are on their schedule for that
day, date, time, location.
Remember that your library is in competition
with many others during the busy summer months. How a performer
is treated at your facility could make the difference between
the choice of going to your library or somewhere else. Extend
some basic courtesies to your guests:
- Make sure they have directions to your library. Give landmarks
along the way if your building
is not easily seen from the main road.
- Provide a phone number on which they can reach you, not the
library’s recorded message
number… if they are going to be late, they need to be
able to get through to you.
- Reserve a parking space close to the door for unloading.
Put a sign on the door you
want them to use. Tell them where to look for the sign.
- Recruit a teen volunteer or page to offer assistance with
carrying gear into program area
(and following the program too).
- If this is a program with live animals, offer a cool, quiet
place for them to rest, away from the
children.
- If there are special materials, equipment, area requirements
specified by the performers, are
they in place?
Take charge of your programs. You are the host/hostess
and it is your responsibility, not your guest performer’s,
to let your audience know what your expectations are for their
behavior at your program. Be professional and friendly, but firm.
Include specifics in your welcome comments about priority seating
for children, what to do with strollers/fussy children, how to
be a good audience. Include the adults in your comments, as they
often feel free to engage in rude talking behavior, completely
oblivious of how disruptive that can be. Everyone will be able
to enjoy the program more if the ground rules are stated up front
to the entire group.
Introduce your performer, with a clearly stated
name and background information that the performer has provided.
This gives the audience insider information so they now can appreciate
what a special person this performer is that you arranged to come
to their library. “My library hosted a member of the Magic
Castle or a Disneyland performer or someone who tells stories
at the National Storytelling Festival each year or who hosts a
cartoon workshop on PBS, etc etc.”. This same information
should be included in your pre-program press releases and publicity.
Display and talk about library materials that
support of the performer and their program.
Act as a role model during the program. Do
not leave the area to read book reviews at your desk. You are
the host/hostess. Stay, keep the audience under control, enjoy
the program, respond to prompts from the performer so that the
audience can look to you and model their response on yours if
they are unsure what to do. A little enthusiasm on your part can
go a long way toward creating audience appreciation of a performance.
Be the cheerleader for this program that you arranged.
End the program with a thank you to the performer,
a round of applause from the audience and any pertinent announcements
that need to be made, like “don’t forget to check
out these books on the art of magic” to tie in with the
magic show that just concluded, or “next week, so and so
will be here with live animals from the Amazon”.
Performers
Please be realistic in your scheduling of performances.
With traffic the way it is in So. CA these days, it really isn’t
feasible to book programs on the coast in the morning and expect
to make it to the high desert for an afternoon show. Remember
that many libraries will have 100-200 children waiting for you
to show up. Call ahead if it looks like you may be late. This
gives the library staff a chance to organize something to keep
the audience entertained while they wait for you to arrive. If
something happens that prohibits you from making your engagement,
be honest about your inability to be there and suggest arrangements
for an alternate date.
Please plan on arriving at least 30 minutes prior to your performance and allow yourself sufficient time to assemble
or prepare for your program.
Check in with your contact as soon as you arrive.
At larger library venues, use a sound system
so that all can easily hear your program. A young audience is
squirmy and easily distracted… if they can’t hear
what is going on, their attentions will quickly go elsewhere and
you’ve lost them.
Be prepared to deal with the many changing library audiences.
Library audiences can range from preschool through 6th grade,
parents and other family members. Be prepared switch gears if
you see that you are losing the attention of your audience for
whatever reason. Be flexible and skip part of your planned program
if necessary. If they’re getting restless, have them stand
and do a stretch with you or act out something with you. Audience
participation keeps them engaged.
Ask permission first to sell your own CDs or books.
Some libraries may be limited to selling only through their Friends
groups.
Please do not bring youth inappropriate items.
Libraries sponsor programs for youth in order to promote their
services and materials. In support of this effort, it helps if
books and/or libraries are mentioned by the performer during the
presentation…. “I learned my first magic trick from
a book I borrowed at the library” or “you can learn
a lot more about this exotic marine reptile in the book XXX”
or “this is a folktale from the planet Xenon and you’ll
find it and others in the J398 section of the collection”.
Librarians should have a display of books related to your program;
a mention of this display by you, the performer, is appreciated
and helps reinforce the message that reading is of value.
Helpful Tips for New Showcase Participants
by
Craig Newton
Congratulations, for choosing the showcase experience. This
article is designed to give you a few pointers on the whole process.
In the world of Southern California libraries, showcases are
the most important way to market your program.
Keep in mind as you prepare your 7-minute sample that you are
not only talking about a program for children but you are also
talking to the librarians. You will not get the reaction that
you are used to getting with children from the librarians because
they will be intently listening and making notes on what you
do. This doesn’t mean that you cannot get them involved,
but it will take a little more effort and planning on your part.
Seven minutes is not a lot of time, but it is enough time to
show how you talk to an audience, which is probably the most
important thing to show the librarians, and it is enough time
to give a brief description of the content of your program. Make
sure your showcase fits into the time. It sends a negative message
to both the librarians and the other performers if you go over
your time. The best showcases are a combination of program description
and demonstration of your unique abilities.
Plan to arrive early on the day of the showcase. Be professional
and have a nice, well organized table top display. In every part
of the showcase process, professionalism counts. Have professionally
prepared literature, high quality photos, and conduct yourself
as the professional entertainer that you are. Plan to stay at
least through the break after your time to showcase. If possible,
stay the whole day. I always find that helps if I can do it.
Have your schedule with you and plenty of copies of your literature.
Every library is different, but some will be ready to book on
the day of the showcases. Having plenty of literature to hand
out will help for those librarians who will call you later.
Be a good part of the audience. This means a few things:
No talking in the back of the room as other performers are
trying to weave their magic over the crowd.
- Participate with the things the artist wants the audience
participate in.
- If you need to get up and move, do it between artists, not
during a program.
Learn from other performers. It will be obvious which performers
are veterans and you would do well to pick up pointers by watching
what they do.
Showcasing can be a stressful situation for many new performers.
It is not the environment we are used to operating in. Make the
best of it. Never make excuses and never draw attention to any
shortcomings in your presentation. Remember that most of the
librarians have seen many showcases. They want to see your personality
and your ability. If something is not perfect –you know,
sound is strange, a prop falls over, or whatever, -just roll
with it. The librarians like to see that you can adapt to challenges
of this sort.
Approach your showcasing experience with a positive, upbeat
attitude and you will enjoy great results, and probably make
some new friends. This really is a fascinating group of people,
so enjoy! |
