The Agent is that key local person in each Roadshow city who coordinates the logistics with the Driver and helps out the Crewmembers.This guidebook is very much a work in progress. Please email the Navigator with any questions as you go through it so edits can be made for clarity and completeness.
Take some time with this. The local acts often make the difference between a poor turnout and a crowd, and make connections between the crewmembers and the local community. Ideally, with a local act you want to balance appropriateness, quality, and draw. A puppet show is far better than a boring reading. And the more you're into the local act, the easier it'll be to promote the show.
The Driver will need to know the name and a short descriptor ("tap-dancing cartoonist Matt Blackett") six weeks ahead of the tour so they can put it on the handbill. Which in turn will give your local act a good incentive to hand out the handbills you give them.
Like the travelling crewmembers, they'll have 15 minutes (which is important to stress especially with musical acts, since that's a short set). The only time you should make exceptions for this 15 minute rule is if a band has a big draw (ie bring out 20-30 people), in which case they should go last.
Occasionally local acts have left before the end of the show and take their audience with them, which is really morale killing for the people on tour. Please mention this before the show starts.
Roadshow venues are booked three months at a time. Although this can be a challenge for a new venue, the reason for it is that it avoids a monthly scramble on the part of the Agent and the Driver to confirm a venue again -- once you have a booker in front of a calendar, it's better to take care of it all at once.
What the Driver will need confirmed is the date, time, venue, venue address, local act and cover price (if not pay-what-you-can -- up to $5), ie:
PITTSBURGH: Monday, Aug. 15, 7pm. Garfield Artworks, 4931 Penn Ave. $5. With crafty poetess Jessica Manack.
Some tips:
The crewmembers will be shaking all the trees they have and sending out media packs to various outlets in your area, but whatever you can do to promote the shows is appreciated. This might include:
Although it's not required, some Agents like to MC the shows, and it gives a coherence and structure if you can pull it off. But when introducing people, don't read their bios -- just mention where they're from, one interesting thing about them and their name.
And in general, be nice. Some shows will go well, and some will be shit: that's part of touring. But if you can be welcoming, helpful and interested in the folks on tour it'll make a big difference. This is the first tour for most of them and they're often stressed, even if they don't show it. Some things you can do: