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Looking for PA performers for a permanant year round gig...

Started by Leonardo, July 25, 2014, 02:29:36 PM

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Rani Zemirah

#15
When you say that the performers will also need to be staff and servers, I'm thinking that may be a sticking point for a lot of professional performers.  Performing, in itself, is a very demanding and often exhausting profession, but trying to also keep up with a restaurant full of hungry, and frequently demanding, patrons while also remembering lines, cues and lyrics is likely to be more than a great many performers are willing to take on.  You haven't mentioned whether you are offering them performers wages or servers wages, either... which will be another serious consideration for them.  Also, most serious Ren Faire performers travel a circuit, and are generally on the road several months out of the year, instead of only performing for a few weeks at whatever Faire is near their home base.  The wages on offer would have to be enough to convince them to give that up and stay in one place... and become waiters.  I'm not sure that drama students would be able to commit the kind of time needed for that kind of job, either, with classes and studying being their main priority, and any job they take really just a means of earning some extra cash to supplement their student loans each semester, and not anything they would be able to take on full time.  It does sound like a dilemma, most definitely. 
Rani - Fire Goddess

Aut disce... aut discede

Leonardo

It definitely will not be typical server wages and as mentioned they will also get profit sharing.

I just interviewed one performer (outside the Renn Fair circuit), this on here was just casting the net out to see if there is anything out there...


Leonardo

I think maybe people are misunderstanding the concept and venue...

There will be regular wait staff as well as performers.  Twice a week we will have a diner theater show, very similar to the show in Shakespeare's down in Orlando.  A major difference though is Shakespeare's is/was only open two nights a week and they only did the diner show.  Leonardo's will be open all week and on non-show nights it will be a renaissance themed restaurant; meaning there won't be a structured show but everyone will still be in costume and character.  During lulls, the performers will do impromptu skits and short songs, not really much different than those restaurants that take the entire wait staff and send them to a table to sing Happy Birthday or do something that isn't 'wait related'.  Basically my staff needs to have a banter and be able to interact and sling jokes back and forth as well as the occasional song.  Show nights will be a completely different structure with a set meal served in courses during the show.

So yes, there would be times that performers would have to wait on tables and do light wait duties. 
I totally understand that there are performers that travel the Renn Faire circuit, and I wouldn't expect anyone that does that to be interested in a gig at my place.  However there are some performers that don't travel and may only do one or two faires a year.  Or perhaps someone that is simply tired of traveling.  So no, I never expected to get a headline act that is currently traveling the circuit,  although I dare say my pay just might be more than the average performer gets on the road... plus they get tips and profit sharing.

Although I would love to have a main act, and once I get rolling I will, whether it be a group that comes in or a home grown act, I guess I am looking more for locals that would love to be in a Renn Faire, but have no intentions of traveling.  There are lots of people that love to go to Renn Faires- just look at the PARF, they had over 200,000 people attend last year.  I am sure some of those people can sing and tell jokes... maybe even juggle! 

BTW, I have done some stage work myself so yes I understand the demands of doing a performance and I am taking all of that into consideration. 

Just so everyone knows what type of compensation we are talking about, my budget is currently set at performers being paid $10 an hour and that includes non-show nights.  Meaning they get $10 an hour whether it is show night or not.  In addition to that, when they do wait tables, they also get tips.  And all staff will get quarterly profit sharing bonuses... so the better Leonardo's does, the bigger the bonus check is. 

Leonardo

Here is our Cast of Characters that we are currently taking applications/auditions for:

a. 'The Girls' aka the Whimsical Wenches:
Affectionately referred to as 'The Girls' by management and staff, they will consist of 3-5 staff/performers who will serve the patrons while interacting with them and each other with witty banter and tantalizing tales. On non-show nights 'the Girls' will do impromptu skits and improv comedy by interacting with each other and the patrons. As time permits they will even sing some of their songs and ditties.

b. 'The Guys' aka the : Swashbuckling Scallywags
Basically the male staff/performer version of 'The Girls'. The guys are comprised of 3-5 performers, which will include Leonardo and Chaucer as part of the group. Occasionally Merlin may join in.

c. Merlin the Magician
Merlin is a bit of an oddity. His character predates the renaissance period by several hundred years so the obvious question is how and why is he here? It seems Merlin was experimenting with a new concoction, but also not paying as much attention to things as he should have been.  He mistakenly drinks the half made potion instead of his usual morning tea... and he hasn't been quite the same since! He then inadvertently casts a spell that transports him and a few others to the Renaissance era where he meets up with Leonardo.

Merlin's character will interact with the patrons and other performers and provide laughs through his bumbling ineptness. None of his magic spells seem to work 'quite right' anymore as he tries to figure out how to reverse the effects of his half made concoction.

d. King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

Yes that King Arthur and THOSE Knights! The Monty Python versions of course.

Arthur and his band of eccentric Knights will show up periodically for some 'silly' fun... but not too silly!

e. The Hecklers-
Think Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show, but younger and Scottish. This duo's sole purpose in life is to raise hell and get laughs from everyone. They will also be part of the Scallywags.

f. Chaucer-
Geoffrey Chaucer himself is the host of the Pub! Think Paul Bettany from A Knight's Tale. Chaucer will entertain with his witty prose and eloquent stories... that is when he's not busy serving up pints or rolling the dice!

g. Katherine de' Medici (Position filled/unavailable)-
That's Katherine with a 'K' not the 'other' Catherine! Katherine is the Hostess of Mona Lisa's and niece of Lorenzo de' Medici, aka Lorenzo the Magnificent, Governor and ruler of Florence. Basically Lorenzo and the Medici's are the resident royalty.

Katherine will host Mona Lisa's Café, and will also entertain at night by performing in skits with the rest of the crew.

h. Lorenzo de' Medici-
aka Lorenzo the Magnificent. Lorenzo and his family will make appearances during the weekly dinner theater shows as well as during special events and occasions.

i. Leonardo (Position filled/unavailable)-
The host of all this is the one and only Leonardo da Vinci himself! Leonardo will be the host and MC, and try his best to keep this group of playful misfits and devilish rouges in some sort of control... which rarely seems to work!

During the dinner theater shows Leonardo will introduce the acts and weave things together for a night of fun and laughter.

Merlin the Elder

If I lived in the area, I could play myself. Since I do not, be sure you get a suave and dashing person to play me. I do not wish to be misrepresented.   ;D
Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...

Leonardo

I just did a preliminary interview with a gentleman to be the lead of the Scallywags. 

And he looks suave and dashing enough to play you Merlin ;)

Merlin the Elder

Quote from: Leonardo on December 20, 2014, 12:47:37 AM
I just did a preliminary interview with a gentleman to be the lead of the Scallywags. 

And he looks suave and dashing enough to play you Merlin ;)
Ruh-roh...
Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...

Leonardo

Well Merlin, he was dashing enough to play you... but holy cow... what a Diva!  Needless to say he didn't work out.  He threw a tantrum because he sent me an email on December 23rd and I didn't get back to him until after the holiday!

Oh well... better to see his true colors now than after he was hired right?

On the plus side, since then I have had multiple applications for performers and as of now I have 3 that are officially part of the family :)

Merlin the Elder

Living life in the slow lane
ROoL #116; the Jack of Daniels; AARP #7; SS# 000-00-0013
I've upped my standards. Now, up yours.
...and may all your babies be born naked...