This'd be a great job without the feckin' clients!

[Guest]

Curious how others might handle this circumstance:

In my renaissance show I do a bit on the proper use of a chamberpot. It's funny, and, more importantly in school-shows, it's true. So I have a teacher evidencing interest in a show, but with this proviso...

----
You should note that our district is VERY CONSERVATIVE. While I'm sure the "chamberpotty" humor would be funny and very much enjoyed by the students, it might garner parental complaints. As you can imagine, we like to avoid those. I teach the Medieval Ballads unit every year (usually in the fall), so I'd like to consider having you come again if all goes well this time. It takes only one parent complaint for our principal to cancel any future possibilities. To be on the safe side, I recommend the chamberpotty type of humor not be included. [I know censorship is not fun. Trust me--been there, done that.]

It's like the people who change "ass head" to "donkey head" in productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Irks the shit out of me to edit my show to suit the tiny, pinched minds of these ludicous puritans.

Thoughts, strategies?

[Seamus]

Chamberpots are for pre-schoolers

Try changing "proper use of a chamberpot" to "proper use of a chambermaid."

[Magic Mickey]

That suck. I'd say that if you take the gig then you have to change the bit just for this client or just tell them that you apreciate there thinking of you for the show but don't think that it would suit the audience and don't do the show.

[pablo]

Honesty, integrity, whatever.

I do lots of school shows, and I've heard variations of this warning: "Our principal doesn't like this, our parents don't like that, yadda yadda yadda, whatever."

I'm usually very blunt with whoever is considering hiring me. I tell them that I'm not doing my show for the anal-retentive principal or the hyper-sensitive parents. I'm doing my show for the students.

My advice: Be honest. Be blunt. Be bold. Or you can just tell them whatever they want to hear, then go ahead and do the chamberpot routine anyway.

Integrity is a bitch.

[Magic Mickey]

You are doing the show for the students, but it is the priniciple that hires you, invites you back, and recomends you (or doesn't) to other schools.

[Guest]

----I'm usually very blunt with whoever is considering hiring me. I tell them that I'm not doing my show for the anal-retentive principal or the hyper-sensitive parents. I'm doing my show for the students.

My advice: Be honest. Be blunt. Be bold. Or you can just tell them whatever they want to hear, then go ahead and do the chamberpot routine anyway.

Integrity is a bitch.----

Sure is!

Have talked to the teacher (saying much the same thing) and we're on the same page.

Prolly won't do the bit, but will be looking for other material equally nasty to dicuss; maybe a bit of frank discourse on Aquinas' attitudes towards wimmin, and the connection to knuckle-dragging misogynists like the Promise Keepers.

Thanks for the input, all!

cd

[Stretch]

Show them how much you care

"76.1% of consumers studied said they could remember the brand name of a company that gave them a promotional item in the past year -- versus 53% who could remember a TV or print ad from the past month, and only 27% recalled an online ad."

"73% of those who used the promotional product that they had received stated that they used it at least once a week"

" 52.1% of participants reported having a more favorable impression of the advertiser since receiving the item."

"76.3% of attendees had a favorable attitude toward the company that gave them the product."

"52% of participants in the study did business with the advertiser after receiving the promotional product."

"Salespeople who handed out promo items received 22% more referrals than those who did not give out free gifts."

So give out tastefully imprinted chamber pots, bed pans, and adult diapers.