In these extraordinary and uncertain times of COVID-19, with venues closed and live performance at a halt, NiteLife Exchange is reaching out and covering the effect the crisis is having on performing artists.
Since becoming a reviewer for Cabaret Scenes Magazine in late 2010, and then as the New York Cabaret Editor for BroadwayWorld.com from 2012-2015, Stephen Hanks went on to become a cabaret impresario, immersing himself in the art form from booking, and occasionally directing and performing to becoming a producer, publicist and promoter. He’s also an activist, with a great many thoughts on politics, art as a political statement and the well-being of the arts community. Recently, on Facebook, Hanks posted an open letter to the New York cabaret community, raising a number of issues regarding the immediate future of live performing that he believed pandemic-sidelined performers needed to think about during these uncertain times—advice appropriate not only to performers but musicians and booking managers as well. Hanks acknowledges that “we’re still dealing with so many unknowns at this point. But I hope whatever I offer here can help give performers some support.”
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks Stephen Hanks (SH) Six Questions:
NLE: Let’s say you’re a performer who’d booked four shows from mid-April through July of 2020—two shows were terminated due to the pandemic but you still have June and July shows on your schedule? Do you expect this will happen? When will it be safe to resume live performance?
SH: Based on all the projections from the health experts, I think it’s safe to assume that cabaret clubs won’t be opening up until June or July at the earliest and even that may be an optimistic time frame. And since as a publicist I would always recommend promoting a show at least four-to-six weeks out before show dates, I don’t think it’s a good idea to promote to potential audiences until New York State and City officially announce that clubs and restaurants can open again. On top of that, you’ll need to factor in lead time for rehearsals with your musicians. At this point I would recommend that all cabaret performers cancel any show dates up until July 1 and get them off club calendars. If you have dates booked after July 1, you can certainly leave them up on calendars and gauge what the situation may be a couple of months before the show date before canceling.
NLE: What’s your advice on contacting clubs to re-book shows and book additional dates? What dates should performers shoot for?
SH: Again, the answer to this is tricky because right now there are so many unknowns. Before you even decide on when to move ahead on performing shows in 2020, you have to be honest with yourself about what kind of financial investment you can make, especially if you’ve been relying only on unemployment insurance for income. But let’s say you can afford to perform shows. Since you’re basically starting from scratch on booking dates, I wouldn’t shoot for any dates before early September—and that’s assuming you’ll be able to work with a vocal coach and/or rehearse with your musicians by mid-summer.
But there’s another consideration and this is a painful notion to throw out there: It’s possible that the club where you originally booked your show might not be in operation come the fall. On top of that, there are going to be many performers like you who also cancelled early 2020 shows and wanted to book more later in the year, so you’ll all be competing for a smaller pool of show dates. If there is some good news for the existing clubs, it’s that assuming things are up and running again by late summer or early fall AND assuming almost all performers who cancelled want to re-book, the remaining clubs could be very busy in the last quarter of the year.
NLE: How confident can a performer be in generating an audience once physical distancing has ended and cabaret clubs are open again? After this financial crisis, with so many people having been out of work, are they really going to spend whatever disposable income they have on attending cabaret shows?
SH: Those are really good connected questions and the answers depend on many variables. For example, even if local government opens up restaurants and clubs again, say in early-to-late summer at best, we still may have to practice physical distancing for an extended period just to be safe. So that means that some restaurants with performing spaces might only open their restaurants, and that performance-only venues might limit seating capacity. The second part of your question is tough to answer. It’s possible that audiences craving to get out of the house and starved for affordable entertainment will again flock to cabaret clubs. But, of course, that’s going to depend on what kind of financial hit they’ve taken during the crisis and how they view their priorities. I think it’s a safer bet to assume you’ll be relying on your closest relatives and friends for support.
NLE: Performers will no doubt be anxious to get back to normalcy and performing when it’s possible to do so. But what about their ability to afford this? How should they budget? What will have to be sacrificed for some? Musicians? Direction? Publicity? All three or a combination of factors?
SH: The artistic quality of your show is the most important thing, so even though I’m a publicist myself with many clients, I think cutting out the publicity person is the obvious choice. Most performers handle their own promotions on social media and through email, anyway. If you’re a performer that wants and needs a publicist to write a press release and contact potential reviewers, perhaps you can negotiate a modest fee for that work. I’d also recommend NOT printing up show cards, even if you are hiring a designer to create a promotional image for social media.
As for whether or not to hire a director, that all depends on how experienced and confident you are as a performer. I’ve seen superb shows that didn’t have a director and mediocre shows that employed award-winning directors. If you’re looking to stretch your budget but still need another voice and pair of eyes, perhaps asking a director or a knowledgeable friend you trust to serve as a sounding board for a modest hourly rate during final rehearsals is the way to go.
As for your music director and instrumentalists, there is a cruel irony to the current shutdown of live cabaret performing. It’s no secret among most of the cabaret community that it’s the musicians who generate the most income on shows, not the performers. So, during this pandemic shutdown it’s the musicians who are suffering the most financially. If you intended to employ a three- or four-piece band in your show, I wouldn’t scrimp on that if you can possibly handle the cost. But in this situation in this particular year, I think it’s incumbent on all parties—performers, musicians, directors, publicists, club bookers, etc.—to be as reasonable as possible on rates and fees. Everyone needs to make some sacrifices and compromises these days if everyone in the community is to succeed.
NLE: Given that the future economic situation may be difficult, with a recession a possibility, how much should performers charge audiences as a cover price?
SH: That decision depends on the venue and what kind of contract you sign. If you’re performing in a room where you share percentages of the cover, you may not have much of a choice other than charging the same cover as usual because the club may be counting on that additional revenue on top of their food and drink minimum. If you want to be easier on the audience’s pocketbook—and you can afford to sacrifice the income—you should negotiate a lower cover with the club booker. But if you’re performing in a club where the performer gets all the cover (minus the room and/or tech fee), I would recommend—at least for the rest of 2020—NOT charging a cover and perhaps going the “Tip Jar” route. This approach could be a win-win for everyone: More revenue for the venue, more affordable show for the audience member, the band gets paid, and you might still generate income from the more generous attendees.
NLE: In order to qualify for a cabaret award, whether it be from MAC, the Bistros, or BroadwayWorld, a performer needs to have staged a minimum of three to four shows during the year, depending on the individual organization’s rules. Will performers be able to book enough dates in 2020 to qualify? Should they hold off on a new show this year and wait until 2021?
SH: Given the unique circumstances we’re dealing with this year, I have to believe that those awards programs will soon announce some kind of modified rules, if not dispense with awards for 2020 altogether. In fact, it might be a breath of fresh cabaret air if the latter was the case. Wouldn’t it be nice, as the Beach Boys once sang, if the rest of 2020 was devoted to live performing for the love of the art form (as is happening with live streaming from people’s homes during this crisis) and not have performers be motivated by awards in determining how many shows they stage? To those who were mounting a new show run in 2020 and haven’t performed one this year as of yet, perhaps this year you can perform a show from your cabaret past and keep the new one in the bank until next year. For those who were planning on making their debut and are feeling awards-conscious, you might also consider holding off until 2021 and spend the last half of 2020 attending as many open mics as possible.
If anyone has a question or problem not covered here, feel free to email Stephen Hanks at stephenhanks41@gmail.com.
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