Thread: Compering/hosting...

Evening everyone

I hope that you are well.

In the past, I have worked as a presenter/host. Not on TV but more on festivals and shows. For a while, I took a break however, the passion and desire never went away and to be honest, it is something that I love and I enjoy using my presenting skills. I am keen to work in the burlesque/pin up circuit not as a performer but as a host/compere. I appreciate that there are other hosts out there such as Decadent Gent and I do not wish to tread on anyone's toes. My question is - is there a market for other presenter/hosts for the scene?

Amba xo

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Of course there is! There are many comperes and competition is what keeps everything fresh. The winner will out!

there's not enough GOOD comperes.
so if you think you can do it, go for it!!

the circuit needs more competent hosts

Definatley! There are only a handful of good compere's in the UK so if you feel you can put the work in then there is a lot you could do.

Mein Gott yes!

There are some very good comperes on the scene but not enough to go round, and too many nights seem to assume that a compere is the least important performer and someone can just jump up and do it at the last minute. (I have a friend who was offered less than any of the other performers at a variety night because he was 'just the compere'! I won't print his reaction). The compere of a cabaret is vital, because they had to be able to do so many things and they hold the whole thing together. (Though I've suffered through a few nights where the compere pulled the whole thing apart, slowly and painfully.)

You need to be able to think on your feet, be quick with a zingy one-liner, know how to ad lib and deal with the occasional heckler. Moreover you need to have stage presence and a certain amount of charm. It helps hugely if you also have another skill (like singing, playing an instrument etc) and a degree of glamour is also useful in this particular part of the industry for obvious reasons. A background in stand-up is very useful but not essential. You can do it in character, which makes things more theatrical (although there is always the danger that your character ends up becoming you, and you have to live with the consequences...)

I don't think you'll be treading on anyone's toes if you decide to be a host - as I said, there is a shortage. In any case, it's a marketplace, so competition is part of the deal. But I encourage you to jump in - you'll find there's plenty of opportunities.

Welcome aboard!

dLx

Originally Posted by DustyLimits

There are some very good comperes on the scene but not enough to go round, and too many nights seem to assume that a compere is the least important performer and someone can just jump up and do it at the last minute.

I've never fully understood this attitude. In most shows the compere will actually be on stage for longer than the majority of the acts. Kittie describes a good compere as 'the glue that holds the show together'. As such, he/she/it is more often than not, paid more than the other acts.

Originally Posted by DustyLimits

You need to be able to think on your feet, be quick with a zingy one-liner, know how to ad lib and deal with the occasional heckler.

Sorry Dusty, I couldn't resist it again!
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWru7N9pWXc]YouTube - How To Deal With Hecklers[/ame]

Originally Posted by DustyLimits

You can do it in character, which makes things more theatrical (although there is always the danger that your character ends up becoming you, and you have to live with the consequences...)

If you are a character performer, try to ensure that you have a few well-defined characters to choose from, otherwise, as Dusty says, you will become typecast.

Originally Posted by James

If you are a character performer, try to ensure that you have a few well-defined characters to choose from, otherwise, as Dusty says, you will become typecast.

This is a really good point although there are a few comperes - like Miss Astrid or Kiki Kaboom or indeed me - who do it basically as one character. Creating a persona has the advantage of giving you a metaphorical mask, and having a mask can be very liberating. You can get away with things as your character you probably wouldn't dare to try as yourself.

If you make the character quite different to your normal, day-to-day self it also means that you can keep the two separate and just put the character on when you need to.

One thing that I found hugely useful as a performer (not just as a host) was doing a summer intensive in Le Coq. (Insert joke here, James). We did a lot of mask work and structured improv, and all that is very handy for someone who needs to think on their feet.

Originally Posted by DustyLimits

Mein Gott yes!

There are some very good comperes on the scene but not enough to go round, and too many nights seem to assume that a compere is the least important performer and someone can just jump up and do it at the last minute.

This was also one of the first things I became aware of when I strated performing. Most shows don't think of a compere untill the very last minet, or when someone poits out that they need one. One the one hand, it shows their inexperinece and lack of understanding, one a more postative note, I think it speaks volumes to how good top class comperes like Dusty are; their performances and work appear so effortless and slick that it masks their crucial nature.

Good gods yes, good comperes are worth their weight in gold! A bad compere ruins an entire evening, a good compere makes it

Do it!

There is enough work to go around.....its good to have competition...it keeps people on their toes....(whether you are a compare, performer, photographer etc)

James, thanks for the link of Dusty & the hecklers...