Monday, September 10, 2012
Fringe: Don’t be a Douche (And Other Friendly Advice)
2AMt: I’ve been involved in the Vancouver Fringe in every way except performer. I’ve worked for a venue, I’ve volunteered, I’ve produced & stage managed, and for the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of working for them as the BYOV (Bring Your Own Venue) and Onsite (site-specific development program) coordinator. I’m one half of the Artist Services department, and the majority of my time is spent dealing with artists. This year, I’m overseeing 46 companies in 31 venues around the city of Vancouver. Our festival opens in a week and things in the office are getting crazy, but I’d like to share with you ten small pieces of advice that are going to make your job as an artist easier because they are going to make the staff adore you.
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8 comments:
This is some good advice. "Be a human being." That sounds really elementary but I think that's what most people need to hear these days.
As an aquarius (which means my entire sense of self-worth hinges upon my ability to prove that I am, in fact, a special snowflake) being told regularly that I am "unique, just like everyone else" is really important and refreshing. Artists get caught up in their own brains and forget that they're not the only ones who are trying to make art.
I also particularly liked "I don't need to see your bodily fluids." Those are words to live by.
A lot of the advice given in this article should ring bells all across our industry, not just in the Fringe community. People only have a certain amount of patience, and unless you know the right people who are blind to your overwhelming level of douche, you're going to have a hard time finding work. Unfortunately, there are quite a few people around who slip thru that crack and you just have to deal with them. And I really can't agree more with what she says about learning to hear "No."
It is so important to realize how prevalent word of mouth is, especially in a festival setting like Fringe. I realize it is really easy to get caught up in your own project and ignore the manners your mother taught you, but being nice to people around you is ALWAYS a good way to start. As the article says, those people are going to be the ones that see your work, and having friends is much better than having enemies.
What great tips! The one about making a phone call instead of sending a little email is particularly useful since so few people realize that's how others feel. I often feel like people would rather respond to an email than talk on the phone, but as more and more people are talking to me about future career endeavors, it has been made clear that phone conversations can be preferable to an email. The other pieces of advice about being a kind person are also great: I just wish they were common sense and didn't need to be stated.
I ring in on the karma bits - if you want people to see your show, see the other shows. Let's take a moment to step back and look at why The Fringe exists: to give as many shows as possible an opportunity to reach an audience, to allow participants to connect with each other (explicitly set up in the parties on the two sides of the festival, but otherwise too) and to bring shows together at the same time, where it's more feasible for both patrons and theatre companies to see each other's work. Not only watching other people's theatre make you a better theatre-maker, but seeing them gives you ground to make connections to the other artists in the Fringe, and that could lead to not only ticket sales by recommendation, but future projects along the way or even just recognizing someone at a cocktail party someday. So on behalf of your future socially-awkward-at-cocktail-parties self, go meet people now.
Seriously though, the "don't be a douche" is good advice to save you from potential career and Fringe self-sabotage as a result of your douchiness. I'll extend it beyond the specifics that Lois brings up to apply it to when you're on-site especially. Everyone knows that once you hit tech, things get heated and stressful. ESPECIALLY in a Fringe situation, when you're not only low on time, but have to break down and re-set up everything you own every time you come in to perform. Taking it out on the festival coordinators or venue manager is only going to make them more stringent on all your time and materials restraints. Asking nicely will not help you once you've gone over the douche falls. Also, the venue manager handles your patrons. Do you really want them pissed at you?
Being a douche! But it's so much fun.
The people I worked with that were a part of the FringeNYC fesitval, that worked for the FringeNYC, could've learned some lessons from this. My venue director, the sole representative of the festival, got in fights with our audience members, blamed people who pestered her on people in the cast (who didn't know the pesterers), and was generally unprofessional.
It's hard working on a production or festival that is staffed by volunteers, because you're desperate for anyone to help. You don't have much authority to weed out the less than exceptional.
I worked on a carpentry crew over the summer where we did not have enough people (5) and the company refused to hire more. The further along we got the further behind schedule and it did not take long for some of the designers to lose their cool. Trying to get caught up did not become easier when we lost our TD every few minutes to deal with fights between designers about what needed to be done first and how they could get us to work faster. After a week or so of this my TD talked to them all and explained how impossible the situation was. The designers started to treat us like people and allowed us to do our work without interference. Everything went pretty smoothly after that. The advice in this article is not relevant just to people in charge of the shows or even just actors but to everyone working on the show, When people try to do things with cool heads it goes faster and better.
I think all of these are great rules to live by. They are also probably the easiest mistakes to make- and give the biggest benefits when fixed. I am a big offender of the emails, I at times do not check my inbox as much as I should, and life is just so much better when I don't forget to do so. Things are alot simpler when you are in the loop! I think its important to also realize that you are not the only artist out there, that's something I have to keep remembering at times and is good to be reminded of. Just the general friendliness/ willingness to be open to other people's shows rule is something that is really valuable, something that is useful to keep in mind!
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