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 2: The Presenters
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You're in great company
As a presenter, you’ll be joining a cast of thousands across the country who take responsibility to facilitate engaging performing arts experiences for their community. Many presenters are multi-disciplinary (presenting a wide range of art forms and styles of work). Others are specialized presenters who only present work in a single discipline such as dance or jazz. Specialized presenters may also present several disciplines but all the artists are within a specific aesthetic or style. Here are some examples of “presenter types” you can find around the country:
Community Presenters
Community presenters are usually volunteer-based, non-profit organizations committed to providing arts experiences for their communities. Some undertake just one or two concerts a year, others may present dozens, but most will stage anywhere from three to eight concerts a season. With a few exceptions, the season runs from fall to spring. Some community presenters may have some paid employees on staff, but most rely on community volunteers. Most community presenters are multi-discipline, putting on shows in a variety of art forms.
Facility Presenters
Presenters linked to municipal facilities or universities and colleges are generally staffed by paid professionals who take care of facility rentals in addition to the tasks associated with their presenting program. These may be a government or university employees or it may be there is a non-profit organization that has a contract to operate the venue. Facility presenters are likely to have staff working in administration, operations, box office, technical/production and marketing. Many of them also have volunteers involved in their organizations. Facility presenters are usually multi-discipline, putting on shows in a variety of art forms, however they may also promote offerings in a number of single-discipline series such as dance, jazz, classical music, etc.
Festivals
Most of the festivals in Canada are non-profit organizations. Many are discipline specific (e.g. offering dance, theatre, a particular type of music or work for children) while many Indigenous and culturally diverse festivals are multi-disciplinary. Some festivals take place over a day or two, while others may last several weeks.
With festival organizations, there may not be any year-round employees or there may be just one or two: festivals are generally dependent upon a large group of volunteers and short-term contract employees to deliver their events.
Promoters
In the music industry, particularly in the for-profit sector, the presenter is more commonly referred to as a “promoter.” Promoters can be found working in music clubs, restaurants, traditional “soft-seat” concert halls, arenas and outdoor venues, such as amphitheatres and stadiums.
Specialized presenters
Specialized presenters generally work with a specific art form (like jazz or dance) or present a number of art forms with a clearly defined aesthetic. Sometimes they are artists who make presenting opportunities for their peers. They are most often found in major urban centres or mid-sized cities.
Libraries, Schools and School Divisions
Libraries, schools and, occasionally, school divisions are also presenters of performances and workshops in informal settings, such as a classroom, resource centre or cafetorium. Sometimes, they are collaborators, co-presenting events with a local presenting organization or simply committing in advance to purchasing tickets for a school matinee performance.
Occasional Presenters
Many organizations and associations occasionally present artists. For example:
- Professional associations may book a performance for a conference.
- Charity organizations may book a performer for a fundraiser.
- Retailers, including art galleries, bookstores, shopping malls, coffee houses and restaurants.
- Colleges and universities
Individual departments or student activity groups often book artists. For example, a Woman’s Studies or a Native Studies Department might bring in a well known writer or performer for workshops or performances, a Music Department might bring in a string quartet for masterclasses and a performance. Student activity groups or clubs such as the Student Union might book an on-campus concert.
- Civic groups
From local community fairs to neighborhood block parties to Canada Day Celebrations, there are community events that feature entertainment throughout the country, especially in the summer-time. In smaller communities, it is usually a volunteer organization like the Agricultural Society that puts on the fair and books the talent. In larger communities, the event may be the responsibility of a government department who will contract an independent promoter to book the entertainment.
- Artist-presented engagements
Sometimes, artists undertake a self-present engagement as part of their tour. In this case, the artist coordinates all the logistics and covers the expenses themselves with box office income to offset them.
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