How to Pick an Educational School Show, Part 2

How to Book an Educational School Performance, Part 2

Kid Power makes educational shows for kids.  We bring them to schools all over the country as well as to regional theaters where the kids come from their schools to see us. 

So we got to thinking, what kind of show would we book for your school?  We came up with 4 main criteria:

1. Something the students can't get in any other way. 

2. Professionalism. 

3. A wide range of subjects and styles.  

4. A program that reinforces and/or complements your school's curriculum. 

Let’s talk about #2 on the list: Professionalism.

 A professional is “a person engaged in a specified activity, esp. a sport or branch of the performing arts, as a main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.”  It’s also defined as “a person competent or skilled in a particular activity”.  

Practically speaking, we think professionalism means you can expect certain things from the organization presenting the show:

Professionalism means that the performers will show up on time at your school or the performance will start on time if you’re going to a theatre.  Professionalism means that the support materials will be good and that you will be able to get someone on the phone to answer your questions. Professionalism means that the show itself will be high-quality: the performers will be skilled; the material will be engaging; the audience will be able to see and hear; the content will be accurate and up-to-date.

How do you find that?

Well, you’re going to have to do a little research for this one. You need to look beyond the website or brochure of any group you’re thinking of booking.  Do a google search of the organization, but more importantly, do a search of the specific people involved with the show you want to book. There are a lot of booking organizations with multiple shows on their roster. The booking organization might be very professional, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all the performances you are interested in will be.  

Who wrote the show?  What other things have they created? Do they have any recognition in the field? Who is performing the show?  What are their other credits? Are the people connected to this production working in the field (and that means both the field of the performance - music, theatre, dance, etc. - and the field of education: a brilliant singer does not necessarily make a brilliant school show).  Find out everything you can. You should not feel shy about asking the company directly - by phone or email - for this kind of information. If they are hesitant to tell you about the skills and experience of the people involved in the production, that might be your answer right there.  

We wouldn’t place too much weight on the longevity of the organization itself. It could be a factor, but just because a company has been around for a long time, doesn’t mean they are professional - it just means they’ve had some kind of company for a long time.  Remember, anyone who can make a website and a brochure can have a company.  That doesn’t mean they have the quality of personnel and content that make for a professional performance.

We know this can seem a bit daunting, but most of this can be found out with a google search and a phone call to your top three picks.  A little research before you book could save you a lot of disappointment on the day of the assembly or field trip.  

Next post: #3. A wide range of subjects and styles.