So, you’ve got your brand spanking new improv team all hot-rodded and ready to go conquer the world. You’ve finished a lot of training, done a number of shows, and feel that the world is your oyster and it’s time to make that oyster make some pearls! You may quickly find out that in the improv world, nothing ever goes according to plan (that’s why it’s called improv, right?).
Prepare For Rejection
When looking to take your team on the road, you will get rejected by a lot of promoters, theatre owners, and festivals. You will see a ton of doors slammed in your face for a lot of dumb, unthinkable reasons. It’s part of the game. You cannot cater to everyone’s taste all of the time so don’t try. Think of your rejection as “It’s you, not me” when dealing with the pain of not being liked ubiquitously. The best thing to do is to “keep on trucking” and keep looking for opportunities to perform.
Planting Seeds
When looking for showcases, understand that it takes time from initial inquiry to getting up on stage. A typical turnaround in Chicagoland is roughly 4-6 weeks. So, your best bet to get on stage often is reach out and touch base with as many venues/promoters out there and inquiry about shows with your availability already in mind for the next few weeks. Eventually, the responses on those inquiries will start coming in and you will have more potential shows than you know what to do with.
It’s A Numbers Game
Remember, you will get rejected a lot. Planting as many seeds as possible will provide a number of gigs to offset the times you do get rejected. Sure, you may not have gotten into that prestigious improv festival in your hometown but you booked 3 paid gigs for the next two months or maybe you can’t play on a stage that you really like but the local bar down the street has offered you a chance to play weekly. Stay focused on the good gigs that come along and realize that we’re lucky to be able to share our art with others and those chances we get are few and far between a lot of the time.
Produce Like The Wind
Every time you produce a show, make sure its well promoted, well run, and the talent is taken care of – even if it’s just you or your team. If you can make every show feel like it’s the best showcase in the world, word will spread around about your professionalism and hopefully your art. That will lead to other places wanting you at their venue.
Take these tips and find ways to keep performing (go through the window) if the door gets slammed in your face.