Monday, January 27, 2025
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Do this and get your solo show or cabaret booked! — Douglas Taurel



When I get to the theatre, if I can’t use my wife, I look to ask an employee of the theatre and or event space. Usually, someone young who is helping out but that you feel will have free hands after the end of the show. If it is not my wife, I always pay them $25 for their effort, and I’ve always been able to find someone who says yes. It’s an easy $25 of 10 minutes of work. And no matter how good they perform for you, always pay them. Good karma always comes back around. If the theatre does not have a young person like a stagehand who can help you out, look around, and there will always be someone who will be kind enough to help you out.

You can ask a friend to show up at the end of the show. You can also ask stage managers, assistants who helped during the tech rehearsal but have nothing really to do during the performance and even friends of the producers and even coordinators who you chat up when you get there. If you are kind, respectful, and understanding of everyone’s stress and needs, you will find someone to help out. I always have.

Yes, this does mean that you have to take on more roles during your show, but the more tasks you take on, the more you will grow as a producer, and the more opportunities you will present yourself. You need to not only perform your play, and you need to be the showrunner of your play.

How I direct them. 

Tell whoever is helping you record these videos to keep the camera running when they begin filming and not to cut in between audience’s reactions. Keep the camera angle on a wide-angle because you can zoom in later in post when you are cutting your trailer. 

Put the camera on a Gorilla tripod or handheld tripod so that they can walk around and ask audience members for their thoughts after your performance. You don’t want the camera on a stationary tripod if you can avoid it.

You want whoever is helping you to move around quickly and efficiently as they are holding the camera on a gun. You don’t want to drag individual people to a camera that is on a stationary tripod. One it’s hard to get people to come to you, and second, it’s very intimidating for them. Most people are not comfortable talking to a camera pointed to them on a tripod. 

Tell the person who is recording for you not to take it personnel when people tell them NO, that they don’t want to be recorded. It’s hard for us actors to understand, but speaking to a camera can be intimidating to the average person. If they say no, tell them to say thank you to them and to please move on to the next person. You only need four or five at the most to cut a compelling trailer.

The language I ask them to say to people is: “Excuse me would you mind sharing your quick thoughts if you LIKED the play? It helps us with the marketing of the show”. The keyword here is “LIKED”,  because you want them to start talking they liked the play at the top of the video

You can buy excellent soundtrack music to enhance your trailer and give it a more cinematic feel. You can purchase music from www.Audiojungle.com for around $15 to $30 per song.

Also, over the years, I have learned that have a microphone on your camcorder dramatically improves your audio when you get testimonials from audience members. A lot of times, the lobby’s are loud, and it can be tough to get good sound. You can buy a simple Rode external microphone that plugs straight into your Canon camera and latches on. Rode External Microphone.

Once you export your trailer to your computer, upload it to Youtube and Vimeo so that you can share it with potential theatres and producers who might be interested in your play. A helpful link telling other theatres and producers how successful your play was recently is a great way to spark interest in your show and improve your chances of having your show booked.

You have to think about it from their end and have an understanding of the risk they are taking. It’s always a big risk for them to put their name and reputation on the line for you and your play, especially if it’s a new play. By creating a trailer for them, you are helping them, taking some of the guesswork out, and making the decision process easier for them.

Below are a few of my trailers. If you have any questions, you can email me or reach via my social media platforms. You can do this! 



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