Do buskers have more than others to talk about?

[worldwidese]

By my calculation, there are more buskers posting than other performers.

Does this mean they are more chatty, they have more to say, they are less inhibited, have more free time, or is it just that they are the only kind of performers still around?

How about some words of wisdom from other performers, or at least a show of hands to see if variety artists and other genres still exist.

[Thom]

I'm a variety entertainer that works strictly from the stage.
I've done some street performances (several years ago) for publicity. But I wouldn't call them "street shows."
More like "a couple of minutes to get your attention" or "just me showing off for fun."
I work theaters and have a 45 minute juggling and sideshow act presented with a Vaudeville feel to it.

Thom
www.thombritain.com

[fracksfreakshow]

Yeah I'm trying to be like Thom. Performing on stage but if I see a good chance on the street hit it. And Thom I haven't been avoiding you it's just the people at the club haven't emailed me back. I'll let you know as soon as I know.

[Todd]

I'm a performer who works Ren Fests and on the stage. Doing Ren Fest is sort of like doing street in that you have to work a bit to gather the crowd, but once you get them sitting they are more than likely to stay through the end. Have done raw street, but I'd rather do stage. It is a different feel than street. The fact that an audience is committed to seeing you allows you (the performer) to be more intimate with the audience. Ren Fests are sort of a middle ground between street and stage. There is still that raw feel of street with the open air and distractions/opportunities in the outside, but you have them in a marked seating area of a stage, so you can find moments to get intimate with them.
Funny story about a former street act that does stage is from Avner the Eccentric. He was a teacher of mine when I was at Dell Arte. So we go to see his show at this huge theatre and he rocks. He has the audience in the palm of his hand. The best part is he plays with the audience. People show up late and he does the 'looking at the watch' bit. A woman takes a photo during the show and he takes the camera and plays with it. He has several great audience interactions, but for some reason not all the bits felt 'real'. So the next day in class he asks if anyone has questions about his show. So I rase my hand and ask "Were any of those audience members 'plants'." Did he set up or plant people to do those 'improv' bits. "Do you really want to know the answer to that?" he asks. "Yes." I mean we are there to learn the ins and outs or doing shows like his.
"They all were." he says. I thought that was so great. He took improv bits that at one time were things that might happen when he was doing street and Ren Fests and found a way to weave them into his theatre show. By mixing the two performing mediums he found a way to really broaden the appeal of his show and play with theater techniques.

[firegirl]

that's a really cool story, todd!

(curiosity? ~ todd from the daring devilinis? or the zukes? you don't have to answer ~ if it is either of those todds ~ i just want to say that i think both of those shows ROCK & i've watched you guys for years!)

i, too, perform at ren. fests. - it is how i got started doing variety comedy (up until about a year ago i had a 'bawdy, wenchie singing group' and then i started hanging out with a lot of jugglers/fire eaters/escape artists/magicians... and, volia!) - i actually just completed my first season as an actual 'variety act...'

it is in the past six months that i have started being picked up to do corporate events & club gigs... mostly coming out of contacts that i made either at the ren. fests. i've performed at or from contacts w/in the improv. comedy scenes in boston & la.

oddly enough ~ i am embarking on my first ever 'busking' experiance this month ~ i have been contracted to do some club gigs in new orleans & at the encouragement of the 'pack of wild variety artists that raised me in the woods' - i think i'm going to get out on jackson sq. and do a little street performing. i've just added a couple of new stunts to my show & i figure it will be a somewhat low pressure way to work the kinks out of them...

now ~ when i started doing ren fests. i started out as a 'street character...' this is really the only kind of street that i've ever done... other than assisting a friend of mine w/his magic act on venice beach & the 3d street promenade... i'm suspecting that this is going to be an EXTREMELY different experiance.

any tips, advice or suggestions from the esteemed panel of buskers?

~firegirl

[Todd]

Devilinis, and thanks alot for the compliment. Good luck with the street thing. Just stay in control and dont be thrown.
Big hats!

[firegirl]

hey ~ that's cool... your partner was actually one of the inspirations behind me adding fire into my act... i'm originally from glmf in ohio & 'to the hilt' are friends of mine ~ i went down to southern ohio one year to visit w/them - saw your show & have made it a point to catch it everywhere i could since!

~regards~
firegirl

[le pire]

Hey Firegirl,

So, as your name suggests, do you do a fire-act? Do you do poi, meteors, torch / staff swinging and all that?

I'm over in Paris France and the club / torch swinging that people (mostly girls) do out here is PHENOMENAL. There are a lot of contact jugglers out here, too. They have a very fluid style and do things that michael moschen never even began to explore.

étienne

[firegirl]

right now i do a 'comic' fire eating routine... basic stuff ~ extinguishes, suspensions, transfers & blows... plus a couple of gimicks i created out of my sick & twisted mind.

i have done poi ~ i don't use it as a regular part of my show for two reasons ~ a.) in club shows it always seems that i'm limited in space... and, b.) the ren fests. i perform at are during the day & i just feel that it looses some of the impact.

tho' i love doing the poi and i'm constantly looking for places to include it. i've just started working with bali finger torches ~ one of my best pals is a phenomenal middle eastern belly dancer & she's been teaching me the bali all this season.

don't do much juggling of any kind ~ i'm too big a klutz... i've been trying to learn for years to no avail. (but, i am adding the straight jacket & manacle escapes to my club show. yippie!)

hey, thanks for asking - you're the first person other than todd to talk to me on this forum.

~firegirl

[This message has been edited by firegirl (edited 12-22-2001).]

[fracksfreakshow]

hey firegirl, now frack has talked to you. Not as cool as Todd, but I have more piercings than him. I'm just a lonely sword swallower though with human blockhead, insectivore, pierced weight lifting and bed of nails. But now I've talked to you so add me to the list.

[firegirl]

*laughing*

cool. thanks frack...

~firegirl

[le pire]

firegirl,

I do torch swinging in clubs. You can do as many intricate patterns as poi but with far greater control. If you screw up with poi you are generally left with two tangled up chains, but if you screw up with torches... well it's very difficult to screw up actually!

I use music and it's either the opener or the closer of my show (it's the opener when I follow someone who has put the audience to sleep or made them want to leave the room or just hang out at the bar)

Tried doing it in a street show, during the day and it had very little impact...

hey Frack,

I was wondering when you where going to just get to the point and put up a personals ad. Maybe you can help Martin find a nice little japanese girl, too...


étienne

[firegirl]

hey etienne~

thanks for the advice... i'll have to try club swinging ~ forgive my ignorance, but just regular fire clubs (like from dube?) or is there special equipment?

~ merry x-mas one and all ~ (it just snowed here last nite, so we're gonna have a white x-mas... yea! then two days until i head south of the mason dixon line where i can unfreeze my blood!)

~firegirl

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[firegirl]

that seems so bitter and loaded a suggestion... ?

nah ~ thanks anyhow. i'm not a buddist monk.
~firegirl