Where in the world am I today?: Cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord

Wednesdays are usually dedicated to places, venues and or markets where you can track down work, but this week I thought I’d offer one simple piece of advice for what to do once you’ve landed the job and here it is – take the time to read the contract and know what you’re agreeing to.

I got an email recently after receiving a contract from the producer of a summer festival commenting that she thought I was likely the only person to actually read the contract she sent out and ask relevant questions. I figure it’s in everyone’s best interest to know exactly what is being agreed upon so I don’t show up at the gig and get asked to do things that I’m not comfortable with. If it’s in the contract and I agree to do it then I will. If there’s something in the contract I’m not comfortable with I’ll ask about it and often it gets removed from the contract. It doesn’t always get removed, but then at least I know what is expected from me before I leave my door so there are as few unexpected surprises as possible.

Now there can be a fine line between being diligent and being annoying and coming off as a prima-donna. Being too demanding will likely loose you more jobs than it will get you no matter how good your show may be. Now this may not be true for SUPER famous people, but I suspect that if you’re reading this blog in the first place you likely don’t fall into that category. Crafting questions about a contract with a certain amount of diplomacy and/or humor will serve you well and will endear you to the festival producer more than annoy them. Just be aware that the last thing any festival producer needs to deal with is a performer with excessive demands.

If you get a contract that seems to be lopsided in terms of who is benefitting most from the business relationship you’re always free to walk away from the job. If the contract asks for more than you feel comfortable delivering then you don’t have to sign it. Instead consider getting the client to sign your contract. This of course means that you’ll have to take the time to craft a contract of your own, but doing so can be an excellent exercise in making sure the things that are important to you are understood by the client.

I had one friend who went as far as to supply a contract along with a ‘Care and Feeding of the Performer’ document that laid out some simple suggestions for how to make the show look the best it possible could. Documents like this can contain humour and a light hearted spirit, but can go a long way to making sure the performance situation is the best it possibly can be for you so your show comes off looking great which will ideally lead to even more work.

So… Read your contracts and if you haven’t done so already, create a contract for yourself. Having a written understanding of what’s expected (one that you’re comfortable with) before you leave your home to do the job will save you a lot of head aches and ensure that your performances look the best they possibly can.

.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 12:01 am and is filed under Job Opportunities, Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.