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Dear John

What's the best advice you can give me?

First published 4th January 2007

Question:
What are the best pieces from Dear John's advice pages from 2006 that I can take into the new year?

Answer:
I can't speak for the people who ask the questions we feature each week but I know that in asking our experts about them on their behalf I have personally learned a great deal - and let's face it, any selection of 'the best' is always going to be subjective. The usefulness of any piece of advice is often only apparent when you need it rather than when you read it. It's always fascinating to hear the inside story from someone who is a specialist in their particular field, especially when they can shed some light on one of those 'How do they do that?' questions that have been bugging us for ages. And sometimes a piece of advice which doesn't seem particularly relevant when we first come across it turns out to be exactly what we need to sort out an unforeseen situation months or even years later.

I know the single most useful piece of advice I ever received in my own career was given to me when I was starting out in the comedy business and was lucky enough to work with the late, legendary Queen of Irish Laughter Maureen Potter. But before I share that, here are some nuggets of wisdom from answers to questions this year worth bearing in mind in the future.

What the experts say:

The basics...

Some advice seems blindingly obvious but the majority of bad gigs on and offstage don't happen because we invented some incredibly complex new way of mucking things up - it's usually because we've forgotten something blindingly obvious.

"When you are doing a musical tribute act, you can look as much like the person you are supposed to be as you want to but if you open your mouth and you don't sound like them, you may as well give up."
Barry Steele, Roy Orbison tribute artist

"You need to be clear on what you want the audience to do - if you ask kids to put their hands up, you have to tell them to put their hands down again when you are finished, otherwise there will be one or two hands remaining up ten minutes later."
Potty Patrick, children's entertainer

Getting a foot in the door...

Ask not what your prospective employer can do for you - do your research so you know specifically what they can do for you - and more to the point, what you can do for them that they might actually find useful.

"I am often asked what I look for in prospective clients. The first thing to remind you is that, like us, different agents have different specialisations. Performers need to take this on board to avoid wasting your time and money on submissions to agents who just don't deal with the kind of work you do."
Sharon Harris, agent, Harris Agency

"In the media training I do at schools, one of the main points I always make is that it is a lot better to be specific about what you want and can do than just vaguely want to 'get into broadcasting'."
Valley Fontaine, broadcaster and media trainer

It's never too late - or too early...

Whether it’s the changing face of technology or the ageing process, there are going to be circumstances outside our control.

We can either moan about them or pretend they don’t exist – but it is usually more effective to embrace and make the best of them.

"New media is the most exciting place to be right now. Actors, presenters, directors and musicians who have spent their careers hoping that someone else will decide whether or not they are good enough to get the chance to do their jobs are able to bypass the waiting game and broadcast their work to the world."
Gia Milinovich, presenter

"More mature dancers tend to be quicker to pick up what overall effect the choreographer is trying to achieve and identifying their own part in achieving that. In terms of getting regular dance work, this ability to do what you are asked when you are asked will get you further than the occasional flash of youthful brilliance in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Jenny Belingy, dancer

There's no such thing as a solo performer...

"Try to disregard all the technology that surrounds a TV studio and focus on your performance but do not disregard the technicians. They really are all there to support you, not to trip you up. I find it helps a lot if you can familiarise yourself with the crew. The more comfortable you are with the people around you, the better you will perform."
Gillian Joseph, Sky newscaster

"While we take it for granted that athletes need looking after to keep their bodies at peak fitness and their minds perfectly tuned, we do not give performers anywhere near the same care and respect.
"With the stage being so competitive, it's not surprising performers tend to suffer secretly, forcing themselves to keep going through the pain and anxiety. The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine can advise about possible sources of help. Most importantly, it's totally confidential."
Naomi Wayne, BAPAM chief executive (Tel 0845 602 0235)

John sums up

There are many other useful tips in the Dear John and Legal Eagle archives, as well as the 'How to' sections of the Stage website. You'll also find the links to ask your own questions, which can also be posted to me and my colleague D Michael Rose care of the Stage office. On that note, I'd like to share the best piece of advice I ever received. When I was a young aspiring comedy type, I commuted from Dublin to London every weekend via the dreaded overnight ferry and red-eye bus in my quest to break into the London comedy scene. Maureen Potter, then in her seventies, had been a huge star in London and the rest of Europe during the war years and had recently earned rave reviews for the Broadway production of Juno and the Paycock. Despite having severe arthritis, she was still performing her own two-hour show, replete with topical humour, to adoring audiences at Dublin's Clontarf Castle. If anyone knew the secret of showbusiness success it was Maureen. So what was the priceless advice she gave me that fateful day? Sadly I never got round to hearing it, because young idiot that I was, when she enquired how the comedy was going in London, a combination of nerves and youthful arrogance led me to spend the next 20 minutes talking about myself.

Although, like Maureen, that golden opportunity has passed, I thank all the questioners and experts who have contributed to Dear John in 2006 for giving me the opportunity to demonstrate that I've learned to shut up and listen - at least a little more often. I will be doing my best to search out lots more tips and tricks worth listening to in 2007.

* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk

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