Cast or Vendor?

[Random Girl]

Neither.  I prefer to RULE OVER ALL!!!

[Noble Dreg]

Neither.  I prefer to RULE OVER ALL!!!

LOL!  All hail Nessa!

Yep, I got a pass...sheesh!

[Charlotte Rowan]

I was a booth worker for 6 years (well, one as a Jaycee/beer wench, but basically the same) and this year was my first on cast.

(By the way, it's not true that all stage acts require a post-secondary degree in performance. As far as I know, no one in Terpsichory does except the former music director, who only joins us part time now that he lives in Iowa. As far as I know, only one of the members of 4 Pints Shy has a degree in music. I would hazard a guess that many of the members of the various musical groups do not have degrees in music/theater.)

Anyway, back on topic, I enjoyed working at a booth/cart, and I enjoyed being on cast this year. Here's my summary of the pros and cons of each:

Booth Worker/Jaycee:
Pros:
Time off to do your own thing/less busy schedule
Not expected to be "in character" when not working - i.e. you can take pictures and stuff
More freedom in choice of garb
You can changeyour garb/character from day to day
Place to store stuff/hide during bad weather
Nice cosy place to hang out after hours (sometimes)
Pay/tips (depending on booth)
Yes, you can drink if you want to (usually)

Cons:
You have to deal with customers
Can get boring when it's slow
During work, you can't really just chat with friends if they come by; you have to work if there are customers in the booth. Especially if your boss is the type that hovers over your shoulder.


Cast:
Pros:
You basically get to "play" all day
For me, I enjoy playing music even outside of Fest, so combining that with Fest is much more fulfilling than selling beer or chocolate
More appreciation
Free water!

Cons:
Less freedom in choice of garb
Very busy schedule/expected to be "on" all day
Not really a good home "base"- we do have a place to store stuff, kind of, but no place warm and cosy to be if it's rainy or cold or we need to take a nap
Can't really see shows during the day
Can't drink (I don't care, but some do)

Overall, I enjoy being on cast more because I get to play music, but there are a lot of pros to working in a booth, especially if you get in a good booth.

[TheFerret]

For me, I enjoy playing music even outside of Fest, so combining that with Fest is much more fulfilling than selling beer

Overall, I enjoy being on cast more because I get to play music, but there are a lot of pros to working in a booth, especially if you get in a good booth.

Sometimes you get lucky and get invited to play with a group even if you work in a booth. I've had an invitation to play with Terpsicory for the past few seasons and this year I just couldn't get my act together! (I'm totally blaming derby and the depression that resulted afterwards....)