January 2015

Many of the Artists I recently worked with for Silversea Cruises have expressed interest in moving out of ‘production’ work as singers and dancers, and into the realm of “Guest Entertainer”. I have dispensed advice to those who have sought it directly from me, so I thought I would share that advice with other professional singers and dancers here, who might be interested in putting together a solo act for consideration as a guest entertainer on cruise ships.

First let me state at the beginning, many cruise lines are looking for already established acts and want to see complete videos of their standing shows. Creating even one solo show is an expensive proposition, and knowing cruise lines look for entertainers with at least two very different shows, makes it even more challenging.

Many of my singers have solo cabarets, some great, some so-so … some who spent quite a few dollars, some who downloaded .99 karaoke tracks from iTunes, so before you go spending money creating a solo show, you must understand the complexities of working as a solo Artist.

It starts with putting together a reel of your show …

1) YOUR REEL. Keep it under 3 minutes. It should be professionally produced, and an example of your finished show. It should not be a series of clips spliced together from different shows you have been in. Clips of large production numbers, with lots of people onstage, should not be used, even if you are the soloist in the production. Remember, you are selling a solo act and unless you have backup singers and dancers in your show, your reel should be just you, and whatever musicians are playing your music, if to live accompaniment.

Do not use ANY footage that shows you with a name tag on your clothing. Name tags in the cruise industry scream “crew”, not Guest Entertainer. Besides, name tags are very distracting as the person viewing your video will wind up looking at the tag, not your performance.

2) Show Length. Guest Entertainers usually must have at least two completely different performances, 45 minutes in length, or an hour and a half of material. Start by creating set lists with your already known repertoire to see just how much ‘music’ you already know and have. This will be a good indication of how much more you will need to create and what the relative costs could be.

Singers … if you are a musician as well as a vocalist, makes sure to include the playing of instruments you are proficient in, in your show. I love it when a singer is about half way through their show and all of a sudden, switches gears and plays an instrument well! Even if you are not a majorly accomplished instrumentalist, the addition of playing an instrument well in your act goes a long way in expanding your musical offerings and showing yourself to be a multi-faceted, marketable entertainer.

Dancers … it is rare a production show dancer will move into “guest entertainment” unless he/she has a ballroom or dance act. It is not an easy task to come up with an hour and a half of well-crafted dance routines, however, a dance cabaret can be very compelling and interesting to an audience. Study the early careers of dance teams like The Castles, The Astaires, The Szonys, etc. There was much more to their stage acts than just dancing!

3) CHARTS and TRACKS. You must have written charts, not just lead sheets, and they should be for at least a 6-piece orchestra/band.

Pre-recorded tracks should always be professionally produced. With iTunes and all the karaoke tracks available for purchase today, it is tempting to go in that direction, but professional entertainment agencies and theaters know immediately the difference between a karaoke track and a professionally produced track.

Do not use OLD tracks either, as arrangements that were produced and recorded more than 15 or 20 years ago, especially with sampled instruments, sound dated! Music trends have evolved, tempos have lifted, and today’s “sampled instruments” are much harder to discern, even to educated ears. While subliminal to an audience, the sound of old tracks gives a dated impression even though most in the audience will not be able to put a finger on why your performance wasn’t quite that exciting.

4) RESUMES / CV’s. Your resume or Curriculum vitae should list the cruise lines you have worked on, however do not make them “Cruise Line Concentric”. There are many cruise lines looking for new solo acts to add to their known list of guest entertainers. Variety is important to a captured cruise line audience, so make sure those hiring have a good understanding of your professional performing career, inclusive of the theaters, the entertainment companies, and the directors you have worked with. They want to know your are a viable talent both on land and at sea and that you already have an impressive resume to market you to their guests.

Additionally, make sure to list those skill sets that are standard fare on resumes, such as playing golf, skiing, knitting and crocheting, etc., as a cruise line will look at those things, keeping in mind the entertainers they hire socialize with their guests when not onstage as well. Having a guest entertainer willing to play a round of golf with the passengers, while ashore, is added value.

5) CLASSICAL / OPERA CABARETS. For my opera performance Artists, your opera credits are most important so make sure they are moved to the top of your resume, again noting the opera company and the directors you have worked with. Opera performance has become a welcome addition to cruise line entertainment, most especially the luxury cruise segment.

Accompaniment for an opera cabaret can be dicey on cruise lines, as most musicians onboard today are not the best sight readers of complex charts. There is nothing more beautiful, however, than a classical voice accompanied by solo piano. Pure tones are lovely to listen to and give the audience’s ears a rest, so do not hesitate to go in this direction with your classical performance.

6) YOUR “LOOK” HAIR! Women, there is nothing worse than looking at a female performer with her hair hanging down scraggly, especially when wearing formal gowns. The eye goes to the hair, not the singer or the performance. Too tight and too short dresses are distracting as well. Select footage for your reel that shows you only at your best and in your most well groomed and elegant attire.

Men … the same applies where hair is concerned. A current and trendy ‘do’, unless part of your performance, is not such a good idea. A clean hair cut is preferable. As to attire, select footage that shows you in a suit and tie, a tux, and not jeans or with shirts open necked that have sleeves rolled up … unless of course it is a specific costume or you are showing yourself moving from one song to another, where you might loosen your tie, roll up your sleeves, sit on a stool…or at a piano…or grabbing a guitar. Stage business as long as it’s kept short and sweet is a welcome addition to just standing and singing on video.

Costumes can be a plus, but making a costume change when you are the only one holding down the stage is practically impossible, unless of course you are a “Transformation Act”, so do not show yourself in a glitzy costume from some cheesy show that you would have no business wearing in your cabaret, when putting together your video.

7) THE BUSINESS END. Make sure your business is tidy and by that I mean, have a rider, have your own contract or deal memo drawn up by a reputable attorney, have health insurance including worker’s comp, create invoices with your contact information which include your banking information for wire transfers, have a website and business cards, and use a business FB page, in addition to your LinkedIn page. Most times you will be issued a contract by the hiring company, but I love when entertainers hand me their requirements at the get go when I am booking them for work. It shows they are well equipped to handle their career appropriately.

Set your rate of pay according to what you know your talent is worth. Be prepared to find out that some cruise lines pay very little for guest entertainment, while others pay quite a bit. Understand that proven acts receive higher compensation than those just starting out. Rates of pay can range from $500 a show, to a few thousand.

8) RIDERS. Technical and performance riders are very important and must be developed along with your act/cabaret. Of course, every theater has different infrastructure for sound playback, lighting, backline equipment, projection, etc. What instruments do you prefer to play if provided by the venue? Note it. Do you need water onstage throughout your performance? Note it. Do you require Business Class air travel? What about Accommodations? Do you stay at 3 or 5 star hotels? Note it. When developing your rider, make sure you stay reality based, as rider requests must be reasonable. For example, when you travel on your own dime, what class airfare do you purchase? What is the star ratings of the hotels you stay in? You cannot expect a client to pay for more expensive travel than what you would provide yourself, so keep it real, and keep in mind, cruise lines use cut rate maritime travel agencies, so middle seats in coach class is something you may have to get used to.

9) CUE SHEETS. Lighting is MOST important to a successful show. You must have a professional lighting cue sheet for the technicians onboard. It is well worth the money to sit with a lighting designer and work out a cue sheet with simple lighting looks. Most smaller cruise line theaters do not have state of the art equipment, but you can bet they will have some scrollers, a few intelligent fixtures, the regular par cans, fresnels, follow spots, etc. Many now have LED par cans, which can have limited throw. Communicate to your LD the “looks” you want for each of your numbers … romantic, lively, colorful and moving … and then let him/her create a lighting design that will embellish your cabaret. Again, this can be a subliminal asset to your performance as the audience will not necessarily say to themselves, “oh, the lighting just turned red”, but the emotion the red wash of light will contribute to your dramatic song interpretation IS what they will remember.

Soft Goods? Sheers vs Velvets, LED curtains, etc. should be well thought out in their use and design of your show and should be a part of your technical information as well. Do you start with the main curtain open or do you want a dramatic reveal? The soft goods onstage should always be used for maximum impact and contribute effectively to the look and feel you desire to project to your audience.

The Playback system? If you bring tracks, what media are they on? USB? CD? Floppy? Always make sure to know well in advance what the playback system is in the venue you will be performing in and make sure you bring your music in the required format.

Do you use projection? Does the theater have front or rear project? What media are your images on? Are they static or moving images? Moving projection, used as “scenography” is one of the most exciting trends in live performance today. It is well worth the investment of having a scenographer create moving imagery for your performance, however it can be expensive and money not well spent if the cruise line does not have the appropriate projectors and lens needed for maximum effect. There is nothing more hokey than projector screens coming down at the beginning, middle, or end of show … or video/image content that stays up too long throughout a show. If you use projection, use it to effect, and not just as a static backdrop. Nothing could be more boring to an audience than to have to look at the same projected image throughout a myriad of songs.

The big cruise lines today have state of the art theatrical equipment with well-trained technicians operating and programming it all. When my company created “Oasis of Dreams”, the aquatic spectacular on the Oasis of the Seas, we worked with highly skilled theater technicians operating state of the art equipment. During my contract with Silversea, we worked with excellent Stage Managers who had limited equipment, so it is important YOU know the venue you will be working in, as well as the ability of the technicians provided by the cruise line, and ensure your technical riders reflect what will be possible onboard and in their theaters.

Lastly, remember, while cheesy, cruise lines still use their Cruise Directors to introduce their shows, so have a short, well written introduction for your show that ANY CD can deliver well. The shows I created for Silversea, I created without ANY introduction, as I wanted to set a professional atmosphere from the very beginning … house lights dim, show starts! It took less than 6 months before the CD’s were introducing my shows. Unfortunately, this is an old, rather moldy format the cruise lines can’t seem to shake, so take control of what you want said about you before your performance.

10) AGENTS AND MANAGERS. USE THEM! When I book headline entertainment, I of course go through CAA, WME, etc. There are many agencies that handle guest entertainers for cruise lines. Do your due diligence and research who they are and what companies the cruise lines you are interested in working for use.

Know that there are many lines who want only tried and true guest entertainers, who have acts that have stood the test of time, or have a proven high guest satisfaction rating among the various cruise lines. I know of one “Agency” who sent a guest entertainer to a vessel and then didn’t pay him the first time. He was informed AFTER he performed that his shows were being considered an “audition” and that the guest ratings would determine if he would be booked again. He happens to be a very popular guest entertainer today, so obviously, he was well liked by the guests, but do know cruise lines depend on guest satisfaction ratings when it comes to the entertainment they are likely to book.

One last thought where your reel / video is considered. It could behoove you to pay for theater time to perform your cabaret in its entirety, with live musicians and a live audience, and with a professional videographer to capture it for DVD. There are many agencies who want to see the real show in its entirety, so do be prepared for, if once you submit, you get a request back to send in a DVD or CD of your shows.

The best advice I can give an entertainer starting out as a solo act is, if you desire to work as a guest entertainer, you must conduct your business just as any headliner would! Hire the best creative talent your financial situation can provide and work together to create a solo entertainment that is well thought out, diverse of music styles, and captures as large a demographic as possible.

Good Luck!!!