The Hat

[Neil Brown]

Dear All,
How do people feel about the issue of "The Hat?" Is it to be left on the ground, so that people throw in money when they want, or is it to be passed around by the performer at the end of his act? Do certain techniques work better in some countries than in others? Is it best to be traditional and use a hat, or do you prefer a bucket or somesuch? Or is it irrelevant if you have a good show? Whatever you think, please place your postings HERE!
Neil

[Scot Free]

There was an act here in Vancouver some years ago who did a prop-comedy doctor show-Dr.Jay (very funny act). I believe he used a bed-pan as his $ reSEPTICal. I'd shutter to think what people would have left in it had he just left it on the ground.

Depending on the type of act you are talking about, ifyour show has a begining and an ending it is wise to wait 'til the end to collect. Break it down-you gather a crowd, max it out and hit 'em all up for cash at the same time. I think there is a certin element of peer preasure at work too. When alot of people are giving at once it seems to obligate others to follow suit.

I don't like to give advice but DON'T put "it" whatever you are using to collect your hard earned $ on the ground. You are not a begger, proudly accept kind donations standing up, hat in hand.

[Steven Ragatz]

Try it both ways and I am pretty certain that you will answer your own question.

In my experience, I received dramatically more money when I held the hat and did an official pitch at the end of the show than when I simply placed the hat on the ground.

There are several dynamics that can help you take advantage of the situation and promote more generous hats. I'm sure that some of these have been addressed on this forum before, but I think they warrant being repeated.

Mention that you are going to pass the hat before you actually do.
Ask for the money that you want (don't even mention the word "change")
Hold the hat so that they are giving the money to you, not the ground.
Make you and the hat visible - hold it up so that everyone can see the money going in.
Prime the first donor to provide an example.
Keep the audience engaged the entire time during the money pitch.
Don't forget to ask the people in the back, up on balconies, etc.
Be gracious when accepting money. Let them pay you, not your character.
Don't count your money in public.

To prime the first donor I would tell the audience, just before the finale trick, that I was going to be passing the hat. I would tell them that this is my show and it is how I make my living. I would watch to see who was prepping their wallets. When I finished with the finale trick, I would immediately snag the hat and begin the money pitch and the applause peak. I would try to go straight to one of the people that had already gotten the kind of cash out that I wanted, and were ready to drop it in. I would then announce a couple of complimentary jokes about the individual, set them up as an example, and chastise the rest of the crowd, telling them to should follow my new best-friend-in-the world - the good example.

Some folk will pass the hat first, refusing to start the show until they meet some certain quota. I don't recommend it. Maybe they make more money, maybe not. I don't know. I've never stuck around to actually see the show.

Some places will put restrictions on how you can ask for money. One place I worked would not allow me to hold the hat and actively approach people. They thought that it would be less like begging to require the hat to be on the ground. My solution to this problem was to do a hat manipulation routine during my final thank-you. I justified it by making it part of the "act." The routine included several gestures that coincidentally (ahem!) resembled hat passing gestures. I would hold the hat until the first person with money would come up. Just before they would drop in the cash, I would place the hat on the ground. By this time, most of the people who were going to give had already prepped their donations and were making their way to the front. It was not ideal, but it was an effective compromise that worked around the ignorant management.

If you have big enough crowds, consider multiple hats. You can setup several stations around the pitch.

These are just a few suggestions that I used as a juggler. I would love to hear some other ideas from other performer.net readers.

Steven Ragatz

[ 01-30-2002: Message edited by: Steven Ragatz ]</p>

[martin ewen]

You've got your trickle or your flush.
trickles when the hats out the entire performance and passers by trickle money into it as they come and go, suits less structured performance, musicians use it and also statues and others. The hats on the ground to in part explain what your doing, you can do really strange stuff (basicly anything you can think of) and with a hat next to you with some money in it people will put you in context.(we put a dead fish on the ground and used it to bait flys that we whacked with a swat as a show this year)
A trickles more personal for an audience member, they have to come to commit themselves to acknowlege your worth all by themselves and make a personal statement by coming foward.
Its not nearly as efficient as a flush but it has its qualities in my opinion.
A flush is basicly your whole show being a subtile (or not so subtile) feat of social engineering that uses tags (mentions of intent ie money and amounts) combined with structured skills, personality and timing to illicit a herd response at its end wherein your crowd, because you've made them feel grateful, guilty, obligated or even entertained (and quite often a mixture carefully calculated) stampede foward like mindless drones to deposit the beginnings of your morgage/orphanage donation/binge, in your hat.
Some performers are masters of the flush and thus convince themselves that they are really really special.
But honestly anyone with a unicycle, a good sense of timing and the ability to recite memorised text can make a killing.
Others have quirky innovative styles and breathtakingly talented shows and never come close to the masters. (anthony livingspace comes to mind)
Others, in their own absurd category, are called nick nickolas.
Myself I use a trickle flush combo, I don't make huge hats but here I still am.

[The Pretty Good]

I personaly keep the hat on the ground with the receptical tip down(not to collect money yet). I think that way people realize that I am going to use it but it is not the right time to come give me money during the show. I do not pass the hat until after I do my hat lines and my finish move. But I have been told many times that I should "collect" money before I do the finish trick to prevent the big huge walk off that will occur. I have tried it but I didnt have much luck doing it that way. Mabee I should try it again but I do not think that it should be like that. I think that I should pass the hat at the end of the show.

[Sean Miller]

Due to the way I've set up my act, I normally use the trickle for street work and a flush for the period faire stage act.

When I'm doing street work, I try to keep the hat at about waist level and open with seed money it for all to see. Normally I start with three fives and five ones. It just makes things easier for me to count at the end of the day. Along with having the hat out in the open, I throw in hat lines several times during my presentation.

Now, when I'm doing the half-hour stage show at fiares and festivals, then I close the show with a hat line. Depending on how the stage is set up, I normally use two hats, one in my hand and one on the stage. The one in my hand is my hat, a big cavileer-looking thing made out of saddlehide. The one on the stage is the coffin that I carry my torches in. Since the torches are used during the show, the coffin is empty. I make sure to place it on the front of the stage and say something like, "The coffin lies here and I'll be in the back with my hat." Truthfully, it was not my idea, but I caught someone putting money in the coffin after one show and then overheard them talking about it to a friend. The candle flickered to light and I thought there might be something to it. Hey, it works.