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Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
"Doing time" is not the same thing as serving a sentence. "Doing time" is filling your alloted performing time without running over.
Where and why is this important? The two questions actually go hand in hand If you are performing on a show with other acts, you must do only the amount of time allotted. Otherwise, the whole show will run longer than it is supposed to. So what? Well, if you are doing a show with a union stage crew and a group of union musicians, as soon as you run ONE MINUTE into the next hour, they must be paid for it. It's not far-fetched. Let's say that the show you are in is supposed to run 1 hour and 45 minutes, but you and two other acts run over 10 minutes each. Suddenly, you have a two hour and 15 minute show. The stage crew, the light crew, the band, etc. all must be paid for that extra time. And that will cost the person who is paying them a bundle. Some venues will take it out of your fee!!!! Read Ade Duval's Symphony in Silk if you don't believe me. European houses are not forgiving at all. If you are working at a Renaissance Festival, you may be working in a situation where the stage acts run back to back with each other. This is not good planning on the part of the people who run the festival, but it does happen. In cases like this, when you have a 30 minute time slot, it really means you have 25 minutes. You need to have 5 minutes to strike your props and let the act following you set up. If you have a good act, you may need to shorten it even more so you will have time to pass the hat. At a Renaissance Festival, if every act on a stage runs over 5 minutes, by the time it is 1:00 in the afternoon, the schedule will be 30 minutes off. That throws a big kink into everything. I've heard performers say: "Well, they wanted more!" They are SUPPOSED to want more. That's part of your job. So get them to come back to your next show. Now, how do you time your act. First, do the act and see how long it runs. If you have a 35 minute act, and you have a 25 minute slot for it, take Dick Zimmerman's principle and apply it. The principle is this: If you want to have a good 25 minute act, take a mediocre 35 minute act and throw out the weakest 10 minutes. Once you have done that, then see if you have allowed for audience response. If your act is good, people will applaud and/or laugh. If you haven't allowed for this, throw out the weakest remaining 3 minutes. This is as good a place as any to tell you a principle you need to think about: Don't get "married" to your tricks, routines or lines. If they aren't any good, but you insist on doing them, you are being very foolish. Now, once you have the magic number for your act, how do you stay on time? Whiterabbit, who suggested this topic, suggested that you can wear a wristwatch with the face on the inside of your wrist, rather than the outside. This way, you can check the time when you make an expansive gesture. At renaissance festivals, visible watches are verboten. I kept one in the bottom of my pouch. I also had a Braille watch at one time. You can also have a watch behind one of your props. In any case -- do time!
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
Bill Palmer Eternal Order Only Jonathan Townsend has more than 24312 Posts |
One of my regular readers (I actually have one or two! ), Laughing Otter, sent me this:
Bill, I use a sandglass to keep myself on time when telling fortunes. It occurs to me that this would be suitable for Ren. It could be placed unobtrusively, or perhaps pointed out and used for comic - or even dramatic - effect. Cheers! -------------------- Thanks, Laughing Otter. This is an excellent suggestion. It stays within the timeframe of a "period" act. The savvy performer may actually figure out some way to use the sandglass for a magical effect, as well.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups." www.cupsandballsmuseum.com |
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