Monday, July 30, 2012

What do you do if...?

What do you do if your performer doesn't show up?  You hire someone to come in to do a show, get the publicity wheel turning, word-of-mouth is doing its part, and you have a nice big audience arriving... and then the performer doesn't come... How do you handle it?  With a tiny bit of notice, you might do what Marge suggested on her blog the other day and pull something really fun together.  But what if you have 5 minutes and a big crowd?   Do you have a "go to" program that you hold in the back of your head for emergencies?  Do you try to come up with something that fits your theme?  Do you cancel the program outright and hope people aren't too upset; and if they are, how do you handle that?  While I hope this never happens to you, for your peace of mind, think about what you would do if...

image from http://www.tuscolatoday.com/index.php/2012/02/11/missing-girl-located-safe-with-relatives/

2 comments:

GrandmaGippy said...

I've always thought I should a back up program just in case too. We hold our programs offsite from our small rural library, so I wouldn't have access to anything, since I'm usually waiting for the performer at the venue. My idea would be to have some participation songs and stories ready just in case. Off the top of my head songs could be: the Grand Old Duke of York, My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean, If you're Happy & you Know It, An Austrian went Yodeling. You could always use "Let's go on a Bear Hunt" too.

Elizabeth M. Timmins said...

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is the adage that applies. I agree that we always have to be prepared for any eventuality. I like to keep craft supplies on hand and be able to recycle a craft if necessary. Weirdly, it is not always about being prepared for a no-show. This summer I had a "show" that only had 15 mins worth of material for a 30 min time slot so I had to finish out the half hour for her. We always have to have a trick in our back pocket!!