Succeeding in the Performing Arts: Difference between revisions

Line 53:

<br />Bose Professional Systems

~~== Physical Preparation ==~~

~~=== Hydration ===~~

~~Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/3211010315?r=3211010315#3211010315 Ken-at-Bose Hydration]</ref>~~

~~The stage is a very de-hydrating environment.~~

== Arriving Early ==

~~We recommend that you keep hydrated all day~~ before ~~a performance~~.

Only rock stars can afford to arrive just before the gig, and many rock stars still arrive early to the gig.

~~Avoid sudden hydrating before~~ the ~~show unless~~ you ~~have breaks planned accordingly~~.

The more complex the gig, the earlier we think you should arrive.

~~When we~~ are ~~dehydrated we are not at our best -- a fact proven in many studies. It is also not good for general heath~~.

Surprises are less likely to hijack the performance because there's time to deal with them.

~~If you must sip from plastic water bottles of water on stage do so discretely, for example during the initial applause after a song. Sipping from a bottle when the audience~~'s ~~full attention is on you -- for example when you are talking between tunes~~ to ~~them -- is often awkward for~~ the ~~audience~~.

There's time to relax and get your head in the game.

~~== The Green Room ==~~

There's time to practice a few things.

~~Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose~~.~~infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2751069215?r=2751069215#2751069215 Ken-at-Bose The Green Room]</ref>~~

~~The Green Room;~~

In the professional theater, crew call is usually 120 minutes before show time and 90 minutes for artists.

~~A green room is a room in a~~ theater, ~~studio, or other public venue~~ for ~~the accommodation of performers or speakers when not required on the stage.~~

~~-- [http://en.wikipedia~~.~~org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia Green Room]~~

We believe this is a good rule of thumb with obvious allowances for extra time if you are both crew and performing artist.

~~Here's a link to the full~~ [http://en.~~wikipedia~~.~~org~~/~~wiki~~/~~Green_room Wikipedia~~] ~~entry for Green Room which contains a fascinating discussion of the mysterious roots of the term.~~

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2261069215 Arriving Early]

~~We think performing artists need and deserve "a place of their own". In many venues this place must be improvised but we feel it is essential nevertheless.~~

~~Many times~~, the ~~venue operators will say "oh, we don't have a dressing room". But often times, if you quietly scope the venue you can find~~ a ~~quiet place not far from~~ the ~~stage that if you ask can be used as~~ a ~~private place~~.

== Beginning & End, Make them Obvious ==

We endorse the idea of employing a little theatricality into the beginning and end of a show.

~~== Scouting the Venue ==~~

Audiences appreciate a formal start and end to a performance and conversely are less receptive to sloppy bookends.

~~Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop~~.~~cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9051069215?r=9051069215#9051069215 Ken-at-Bose Scouting the Venue]</ref>~~

~~Whenever possible, I try to scout a venue before the day of~~ show~~. I~~'ve seen so many ~~train wrecks because problems are discovered without enough time to deal~~ with ~~them.~~

For every single Bob Dylan show we've seen, for example, (and there have been many spanning at least three decades), the show has always begun with the announcement "Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan!"

~~A stressed out artist is unlikely to perform his or her best~~.

Careful use of lighting can also be effective in signaling the beginning and end of a performance.

~~Scouting allows you to meet~~ the ~~people with whom you'll be working. It allows you~~ to ~~do obvious~~ things ~~like scope out the~~ stage ~~and the AC power. To look at~~ the ~~lighting~~.

At the end of a musical performance, use crisp body language to signal things are over. Lingering on stage attending to equipment can be confusing to the audience, or worse, appear gratuitous.

~~And it allows you to get the gestalt of the place~~. ~~As an artist, you can begin to think about what things you might do in the performance to take advantage of the venue~~.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/6981044515 Beginning & End, Make them Obvious]

If you can not scout the venue in person, scout it on the phone. If you're the organized type, use a list of questions to be sure you get as much valuable information as possible. If the venue has a website, scout that, but we feel this is not a ~~substitute for a live conversation with someone who works at the venue.~~

~~If you know other artists that have played the venue~~, ~~ask~~ them ~~about it.~~

~~=== Questions for the Venue ===~~

~~See: [[Scouting the Venue~~]~~] for a separate page suitable for printing or if you want to add to the questions that appear below.~~

~~{{:Scouting the Venue}}~~

== Being There — It's Showtime! ==

Line 121:

Line 107:

The discussion is ongoing in [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/1701011315 Succeeding in the Performing Arts: Being There -- It's Showtime!]

== Flashlights ==

We're amazed when we see a performer without a pocket flashlight. It's like a chef who forgets to bring a knife.

A good light is indispensable on any stage. Frankly, a good light is indispensable in life.

Although genuinely dorky looking, we cannot argue with the exceptional benefits of the new class of LED headlamps, marketed mainly to hikers and outdoors-people. Fundamentally, they do two things that a handheld light does not: 1) they free the hands and 2) they're easily aimed onto the work at hand. Some, delightfully, come with a red LED option, something that the truly professional stage professional knows is essential for working on the stage during a performance.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9721054515 Flashlights]

== Game Tapes ==

It is often horrible to listen to or watch a recording of one's performance.

And that is just the point. In the horror comes the insight on how to improve. As a result, we can not recommend this technique more strongly.

Why wait for a loved one or close friend to tell you what is so obvious to others? You unconsciously put "ums" in your speech when you're answering a question from the audience, for example, or have an annoying habit of flicking your hair or sniffing between songs.

Avoid conspicuous recording apparatuses. They can change audience reaction and obscure sight lines.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/3431054515 Game Tapes]

== Glow Tape ==

We believe glow tape may be the greatest thing since pop-up Kleenex.

There's almost nothing scarier (or tackier) than seeing a performer grope and stumble around a stage because they can't see where they're going. For a performer, tip-toeing around a dangerous stage can produce unwanted anxiety just when it's time to concentrate on the performance.

Glow tape is a wonderful invention used extensively in the professional performing arts. It's used to mark steps, the edges of audience sight lines (so that performers waiting in the wings are not seen by the audience), as "spike marks" for set pieces, and more.

We believe that every performer's "stage kit" should include a small roll of glow tape and a small set of scissors so that in a pinch he or she can "mark their territory" when necessary.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2421054515 Glow Tape]

== Green Room ==

Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2751069215?r=2751069215#2751069215 Ken-at-Bose The Green Room]</ref>

The Green Room;

A green room is a room in a theater, studio, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers or speakers when not required on the stage.

-- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia Green Room]

Here's a link to the full [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia] entry for Green Room which contains a fascinating discussion of the mysterious roots of the term.

We think performing artists need and deserve "a place of their own". In many venues this place must be improvised but we feel it is essential nevertheless.

Many times, the venue operators will say "oh, we don't have a dressing room". But often times, if you quietly scope the venue you can find a quiet place not far from the stage that if you ask can be used as a private place.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2751069215 Green Room]

== Larger Than Life ==

Sometimes, when we see a performer backstage or in the wings, they look "larger than life" or even a little garish. The makeup may look overdone, or the clothing too, well, big.

But there's a long tradition in the performing arts of compensating for the emptiness of the stage and distance of the audience by exaggerating wardrobe, makeup, hair, etc.

We know a performer who has special shoes for playing. He's a frontman. And the shoes are BIG -- way too big for his feat. And yet, when you see him on stage, everything's in proportion. He takes the shoes off after the show and would never wear them to drinks or dinner. They'd stand out as odd.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9781009415 Larger Than Life]

== Liquids on Stage: Ground Your Liquids ==

We cringe when we see performers and technicians place open containers of liquid above ground level when there are mission critical electronics below.

If you must have an open container with you, place it out of the way on the ground. Imagine what would happen if it were to spill and if you don't like the consequences, move it to a safer place.

Use a closed container whenever possible. However, if you are an entertainer, avoid "taking a swig" from a bottle with your face to the audience. It can appear uncouth to some. Turn your back, or keep your bottled refreshment upstage and out of the light. Cups are more dangerous in terms of spills but the body language of drinking is much more favorable.

Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/7811054515 Ground Your Liquids]

== Physical Preparation ==

=== Hydration ===

Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/3211010315?r=3211010315#3211010315 Ken-at-Bose Hydration]</ref>

The stage is a very de-hydrating environment.

We recommend that you keep hydrated all day before a performance.

Avoid sudden hydrating before the show unless you have breaks planned accordingly.

When we are dehydrated we are not at our best -- a fact proven in many studies. It is also not good for general heath.

If you must sip from plastic water bottles of water on stage do so discretely, for example during the initial applause after a song. Sipping from a bottle when the audience's full attention is on you -- for example when you are talking between tunes to them -- is often awkward for the audience.

== Scouting the Venue ==

Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9051069215?r=9051069215#9051069215 Ken-at-Bose Scouting the Venue]</ref>

Whenever possible, I try to scout a venue before the day of show. I've seen so many train wrecks because problems are discovered without enough time to deal with them.

A stressed out artist is unlikely to perform his or her best.

Scouting allows you to meet the people with whom you'll be working. It allows you to do obvious things like scope out the stage and the AC power. To look at the lighting.

And it allows you to get the gestalt of the place. As an artist, you can begin to think about what things you might do in the performance to take advantage of the venue.

If you can not scout the venue in person, scout it on the phone. If you're the organized type, use a list of questions to be sure you get as much valuable information as possible. If the venue has a website, scout that, but we feel this is not a substitute for a live conversation with someone who works at the venue.

If you know other artists that have played the venue, ask them about it.

=== Questions for the Venue ===

See: [[Scouting the Venue]] for a separate page suitable for printing or if you want to add to the questions that appear below.

@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 <br />Bose Professional Systems
-== Physical Preparation ==
-=== Hydration ===
-Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/3211010315?r=3211010315#3211010315 Ken-at-Bose Hydration]</ref>
-The stage is a very de-hydrating environment.
+== Arriving Early ==
-We recommend that you keep hydrated all day before a performance.
+Only rock stars can afford to arrive just before the gig, and many rock stars still arrive early to the gig.
-Avoid sudden hydrating before the show unless you have breaks planned accordingly.
+The more complex the gig, the earlier we think you should arrive.
-When we are dehydrated we are not at our best -- a fact proven in many studies. It is also not good for general heath.
+Surprises are less likely to hijack the performance because there's time to deal with them.
-If you must sip from plastic water bottles of water on stage do so discretely, for example during the initial applause after a song. Sipping from a bottle when the audience's full attention is on you -- for example when you are talking between tunes to them -- is often awkward for the audience.
+There's time to relax and get your head in the game.
-== The Green Room ==
+There's time to practice a few things.
-Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2751069215?r=2751069215#2751069215 Ken-at-Bose The Green Room]</ref>
-The Green Room;
+In the professional theater, crew call is usually 120 minutes before show time and 90 minutes for artists.
-A green room is a room in a theater, studio, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers or speakers when not required on the stage.
--- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia Green Room]
+We believe this is a good rule of thumb with obvious allowances for extra time if you are both crew and performing artist.
-Here's a link to the full [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia] entry for Green Room which contains a fascinating discussion of the mysterious roots of the term.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2261069215 Arriving Early]
-We think performing artists need and deserve "a place of their own". In many venues this place must be improvised but we feel it is essential nevertheless.
-Many times, the venue operators will say "oh, we don't have a dressing room". But often times, if you quietly scope the venue you can find a quiet place not far from the stage that if you ask can be used as a private place.
+== Beginning & End, Make them Obvious ==
+We endorse the idea of employing a little theatricality into the beginning and end of a show.
-== Scouting the Venue ==
+Audiences appreciate a formal start and end to a performance and conversely are less receptive to sloppy bookends.
-Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9051069215?r=9051069215#9051069215 Ken-at-Bose Scouting the Venue]</ref>
-Whenever possible, I try to scout a venue before the day of show. I've seen so many train wrecks because problems are discovered without enough time to deal with them.
+For every single Bob Dylan show we've seen, for example, (and there have been many spanning at least three decades), the show has always begun with the announcement "Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome Columbia recording artist Bob Dylan!"
-A stressed out artist is unlikely to perform his or her best.
+Careful use of lighting can also be effective in signaling the beginning and end of a performance.
-Scouting allows you to meet the people with whom you'll be working. It allows you to do obvious things like scope out the stage and the AC power. To look at the lighting.
+At the end of a musical performance, use crisp body language to signal things are over. Lingering on stage attending to equipment can be confusing to the audience, or worse, appear gratuitous.
-And it allows you to get the gestalt of the place. As an artist, you can begin to think about what things you might do in the performance to take advantage of the venue.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/6981044515 Beginning & End, Make them Obvious]
-If you can not scout the venue in person, scout it on the phone. If you're the organized type, use a list of questions to be sure you get as much valuable information as possible. If the venue has a website, scout that, but we feel this is not a substitute for a live conversation with someone who works at the venue.
-If you know other artists that have played the venue, ask them about it.
-=== Questions for the Venue ===
-See: [[Scouting the Venue]] for a separate page suitable for printing or if you want to add to the questions that appear below.
-{{:Scouting the Venue}}
 == Being There &mdash; It's Showtime! ==
@@ Line 121: / Line 107: @@
 The discussion is ongoing in [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/1701011315 Succeeding in the Performing Arts: Being There -- It's Showtime!]
+== Flashlights ==
+We're amazed when we see a performer without a pocket flashlight. It's like a chef who forgets to bring a knife.
+A good light is indispensable on any stage. Frankly, a good light is indispensable in life.
+Although genuinely dorky looking, we cannot argue with the exceptional benefits of the new class of LED headlamps, marketed mainly to hikers and outdoors-people. Fundamentally, they do two things that a handheld light does not: 1) they free the hands and 2) they're easily aimed onto the work at hand. Some, delightfully, come with a red LED option, something that the truly professional stage professional knows is essential for working on the stage during a performance.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9721054515 Flashlights]
+== Game Tapes ==
+It is often horrible to listen to or watch a recording of one's performance.
+And that is just the point. In the horror comes the insight on how to improve. As a result, we can not recommend this technique more strongly.
+Why wait for a loved one or close friend to tell you what is so obvious to others? You unconsciously put "ums" in your speech when you're answering a question from the audience, for example, or have an annoying habit of flicking your hair or sniffing between songs.
+Avoid conspicuous recording apparatuses. They can change audience reaction and obscure sight lines.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/3431054515 Game Tapes]
+== Glow Tape  ==
+We believe glow tape may be the greatest thing since pop-up Kleenex.
+There's almost nothing scarier (or tackier) than seeing a performer grope and stumble around a stage because they can't see where they're going. For a performer, tip-toeing around a dangerous stage can produce unwanted anxiety just when it's time to concentrate on the performance.
+Glow tape is a wonderful invention used extensively in the professional performing arts. It's used to mark steps, the edges of audience sight lines (so that performers waiting in the wings are not seen by the audience), as "spike marks" for set pieces, and more.
+We believe that every performer's "stage kit" should include a small roll of glow tape and a small set of scissors so that in a pinch he or she can "mark their territory" when necessary.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2421054515 Glow Tape]
+== Green Room ==
+Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2751069215?r=2751069215#2751069215 Ken-at-Bose The Green Room]</ref>
+The Green Room;
+A green room is a room in a theater, studio, or other public venue for the accommodation of performers or speakers when not required on the stage.
+-- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia Green Room]
+Here's a link to the full [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_room Wikipedia] entry for Green Room which contains a fascinating discussion of the mysterious roots of the term.
+We think performing artists need and deserve "a place of their own". In many venues this place must be improvised but we feel it is essential nevertheless.
+Many times, the venue operators will say "oh, we don't have a dressing room". But often times, if you quietly scope the venue you can find a quiet place not far from the stage that if you ask can be used as a private place.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/2751069215 Green Room]
+== Larger Than Life ==
+Sometimes, when we see a performer backstage or in the wings, they look "larger than life" or even a little garish. The makeup may look overdone, or the clothing too, well, big.
+But there's a long tradition in the performing arts of compensating for the emptiness of the stage and distance of the audience by exaggerating wardrobe, makeup, hair, etc.
+We know a performer who has special shoes for playing. He's a frontman. And the shoes are BIG -- way too big for his feat. And yet, when you see him on stage, everything's in proportion. He takes the shoes off after the show and would never wear them to drinks or dinner. They'd stand out as odd.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9781009415 Larger Than Life]
+== Liquids on Stage: Ground Your Liquids ==
+We cringe when we see performers and technicians place open containers of liquid above ground level when there are mission critical electronics below.
+If you must have an open container with you, place it out of the way on the ground. Imagine what would happen if it were to spill and if you don't like the consequences, move it to a safer place.
+Use a closed container whenever possible. However, if you are an entertainer, avoid "taking a swig" from a bottle with your face to the audience. It can appear uncouth to some. Turn your back, or keep your bottled refreshment upstage and out of the light. Cups are more dangerous in terms of spills but the body language of drinking is much more favorable.
+Discussion: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/7811054515 Ground Your Liquids]
+== Physical Preparation ==
+=== Hydration ===
+Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/3211010315?r=3211010315#3211010315 Ken-at-Bose Hydration]</ref>
+The stage is a very de-hydrating environment.
+We recommend that you keep hydrated all day before a performance.
+Avoid sudden hydrating before the show unless you have breaks planned accordingly.
+When we are dehydrated we are not at our best -- a fact proven in many studies. It is also not good for general heath.
+If you must sip from plastic water bottles of water on stage do so discretely, for example during the initial applause after a song. Sipping from a bottle when the audience's full attention is on you -- for example when you are talking between tunes to them -- is often awkward for the audience.
+== Scouting the Venue ==
+Ken-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6806048934/m/9051069215?r=9051069215#9051069215 Ken-at-Bose Scouting the Venue]</ref>
+Whenever possible, I try to scout a venue before the day of show. I've seen so many train wrecks because problems are discovered without enough time to deal with them.
+A stressed out artist is unlikely to perform his or her best.
+Scouting allows you to meet the people with whom you'll be working. It allows you to do obvious things like scope out the stage and the AC power. To look at the lighting.
+And it allows you to get the gestalt of the place. As an artist, you can begin to think about what things you might do in the performance to take advantage of the venue.
+If you can not scout the venue in person, scout it on the phone. If you're the organized type, use a list of questions to be sure you get as much valuable information as possible. If the venue has a website, scout that, but we feel this is not a substitute for a live conversation with someone who works at the venue.
+If you know other artists that have played the venue, ask them about it.
+=== Questions for the Venue ===
+See: [[Scouting the Venue]] for a separate page suitable for printing or if you want to add to the questions that appear below.
+{{:Scouting the Venue}}