1: A good original idea – inspiration can come from the biggest and smallest things. Usually your own interests and aspects of your personality will bring forth your ideas. Also current culture and topical influences. Sometimes the weirder the better, other times straight-up is best too. Tradition shouldn’t be overlooked either. People like tradition, especially at times like Christmas. It’s good to mix it up though. Halloween is a great time to explore your dark side. Don’t be frightened about ruining someone’s clothes (fake blood) or making someone throw up (rotting dead animal parts). ‘Tis the season after all!
2: A “healthy” budget. Nothing comes cheap these days. Imagine Jurassic Park on shoe string budget! A good quality seven minute stage show should cost you between £3k and £5k. Even cheaper costumes add up! And prop hire is expensive, too. You need to be realistic though, of course. And if you haven’t got the money, be creative – see point 3! You can still deliver something exceptional.
3: A creative translation (of the idea) including design, music, dance, production, costumes, visuals, FX, etc. Having money to spend isn’t everything – you can use simple props and brilliant dance and still knock you customer’s socks off.
4: The right people and enough of them! Sometimes you just need someone to stand behind a set spraying a CO2 gun – simple but essential. Good quality dancers and a shit hot choreographer are essential. You may need to make last minute changes to choreography, etc and if you don’t have good dancers they won’t pick it up in time and the end result will be ropey.
5: Damage control (back-up basically, as something always goes wrong). Either something doesn’t arrive in time, gets ruined, doesn’t fit properly, something technological and essential dies, you run out of something, etc, etc. Plan, plan and plan ahead as much as you can. You won’t have time to be running around London looking for stuff last minute.
6: A lot of patience and deep breaths. Working with animals and children is tough – working with big personalities and egos is a WHOLE other ball game. You need to be a very good diplomat and also have a tough tongue as you will spend a lot of time biting it!
7: Talented and resourceful lighting & sound technicians – because they know a hell of a lot more about that stuff than you ever will. Brief them as fully as you can and make sure you do thorough technical rehearsals.
8: Superb special effects – be it lights, lasers, pyros or less high profile things like confetti, balloon drops or CO2. It all makes a difference, and can be the difference between and great show and a phenomenal show.
9: Paperwork! The more extravagant, the more likely you will have needed to complete risk assessments or get the necessary permissions or licenses/inspections from your local authority, especially if you are using pyros or flame effects. Always best to get a trusted third party company in to operate things like that as they will have way more experience!
10: Good quality gin… because… well… Mama need a big drink when it’s all done!
• Popcorn is at Heaven (Villiers Street, WC2N 6NG) every Monday, 11pm-5.30am. Discount wristbands from G-A-Y Bar.
