Hi everyone,

Just something to pick your brains on. If you were planning to do a one-night-only show in a theatre style venue (where you've hired the venue and take on the risk) how do you go about selecting a date for the show?

Do you research for the best day of the week and the best time of the month? If so - how do you go about doing it??

Many thanks,
RT!

Off the top of my head, I would suggest a friday or saturady evening (or weekend afternoon, if it's a family show) just after payday.

First, a caveat. Be ready to lose your shirt.

Now, having given fair warning, here are some things to consider when choosing a date to rent a theatre.

One, scour every bit of local press you can to make sure that you are not competing with other entertainment or events that will steal audience members from you.

Two, consider the type of audience you are trying to attract. Children, family or adult?

Three, look at the venue itself to see if they have different rates for different dates and time of day.

Four, unless you are considering doing a themed show around a holiday or special day (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving etc....) avoid them. Otherwise, put it close to the date and prior to the date, but avoid the actual date since many people may have other plans for the specific date.

Five, be aware of seasonal influences. Are people away on holidays? Is it too soon after a special day and people are broke? (Again, Christmas, Valentine's Day etc....)

Finally, if it is a kid's or family show, Saturday afternoon or late morning (sometimes cheaper to rent a theatre Saturday morning) is best. For an adult show, Saturday night is generally good, but if a week night is cheaper to rent, then seriously consider it.

Good luck.

Hi Rob. At the moment I am doing just that (inspired by an earlier post by you in the hypnosis section).
I am concentrating on Fridays and Saturdays, and going for small (under 200 seat) theatres, where I can persuade them to do a split on the door rather than paying a fee for the theatre.
I have made the mistake of going for a Thursday before, when people tell me it is a great night in a particular town. They are generally mistaken.
Often the booking person in the theatre will be able to tell you if your show clashes with something else in the town. I find that hotels and pubs don't pass on this information because all they think about is the people coming to their bar, not the fact that you will go home empty handed after a poor show. Theatres are more performer-friendly.
And they have good contacts in the local media to promote you.
Good luck with it. Tony.

Do not over estimate the value of your name first of all.

What are you competing against? Holiday where everyone leaves town or stays home? A local festival that everyone attends no matter what? Football game? Is Madonna in town that night? Heck just the weather will throw you a curve ball at times.

If the theater has those open dates within a small time frame the first thing is to figure out WHY they have those dates open.

Smaller places are far better risk vs reward than larger venues.

IF a family show- around Halloween would be great.
Get a sponsor to basically underwrite the cost of the show...
Also, obtain a local media sponsor as well! Invite a radio/newscaster host to do some type of crazy trick live on stage. This way he will promote it on his/her show...

Best wishes and keep us updated!