On the Road - Presenters Handbook

READ THIS FIRST

There may be no greater reward than standing at the back of a darkened theatre and listening to the murmur of anticipation in those last few moments before a performance begins.  At that moment, you know the people gathered in that room are about to forget their daily trials and tribulations and be transported to another place. As a group of people sharing an experience together, at one with each other and the artists on stage, they are, truly, a community.  

Live performances are taking place in literally thousands of communities across the country in theatres, Community halls, clubs, restaurants, bookstores, libraries, parks, school auditoriums, to name just a few. The people responsible for making those performances happen are as wide-ranging as the performances themselves.  In the non-profit world, they’re usually called presenters. In the music world, they’re most often referred to as promoters.  But whatever the name, they are a crucial part of our collective cultural identity and they are the driving force behind entertaining, engaging and inspiring millions of Canadians each year. 

If you have never been involved in presenting performing arts events before, here’s something to think about.  By presenting performing arts in your community, you will be providing a valuable service building a legacy of cultural enrichment and creativity.  You will be providing opportunities for people to celebrate their own cultural background or to discover one that is unfamiliar to them. You will be giving husbands and wives a special night out together; parents and children an experience to share; college roommates a means to keep in touch. Years later, you might even get a phone call from a young man who met his girlfriend at one of your student matinees: he’s just wondering if it is possible to go into the theatre before the show starts next week, so he can ask for her hand in marriage! 

This book has lots of helpful information for those brave souls who want to bring live performances to their community. It isn’t within its purview to help you create your organizational structure or your overall operations, its simple function is to help you in the execution of a successful presenting program. 

The old adage “Everything than can go wrong will” may not be the best metaphor for presenting but it often resonates: this publication cannot hope to cover all the particular circumstances you will encounter since, when it comes to presenting, there is no single right answer or rule that will fit all situations. Hopefully, the information you will find will be helpful for most aspects of presenting and, as you read through, you can click on the links for more detailed information, helpful forms and checklists and other websites.  Click on the boxes for personal anecdotes and sage advice from presenting veterans from around the country. 

There are artists and performing groups out there, just waiting for the chance to come to your community. You can make it happen!