Dear John
 |
Am I too modern for holiday centres?
Question:
I'd like to work in the holiday centre market but I'm not sure if my style of performing is too modern - can you give me some pointers?
Answer:
There is no such thing as being too modern or too old fashioned in terms of material, only being too sloppy and complacent in approach.
As you'll see from our expert answers below, what struck me in talking to successful holiday centre acts and producers on your behalf, was how pragmatic they all are in terms of entertaining their audiences. They know people are in this kind of venue to relax and to enjoy themselves, so performers who work best in this area tend to be the ones who have a similarly flexible attitude towards what they do. But this flexibility isn't achieved at the cost of energy or presentation. One of the big stretches for a holiday centre entertainer is the diversity of audience you may be performing to all at once, from parents to children, grandparents to teenagers. If you really want an act that appeals to that elusive 'everybody', the holiday centre market is one of the last remaining areas of live entertainment which will give you regular practise in working to achieve that goal. Lest there be any doubt this market is a vibrant and youthful one, here are two people who have achieved success with an approach which combines the professionalism of a long and noble performing tradition with the enthusiasm and energy of the best in modern entertainment.
What the experts say:
Phil Beck
Phil has worked in holiday parks for eight years, achieving the key post of entertainment coordinator at just 24. Companies he has worked for include Fairway Holiday Park, Sandown, Isle of Wight and Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park, and Bembridge, on the Isle of Wight, for five years. Phil is currently at Thornwick and Sea Farm Holiday Centre, Flamborough, East Yorkshire.
"Adapting what you do is the key to making your act work in holiday parks - or perhaps I should say, realising the need for adaption in the first place. For instance, people who come from a musical theatre background will probably be aware the holiday camp audience is not necessarily made up of musical theatre fans, so they will need to widen their repertoire into pop music. The approach you take to singing a pop song is very different to the one you would use in a theatrical production, so if you are not a natural pop singer, you'll need to be prepared to put in the work required to be able to do pop properly. We fully understand that working in holiday camps may not be the end goal of every performer who applies to us, but if they are going to work on one of our shows, we expect them to be totally committed to doing it well. In fact, that gift of being able to give your all to any job you do, will take you a lot further (whatever your ultimate career goal), than just putting in a half-hearted effort because you think pop is beneath you.
Having a good personality, enthusiasm and being likeable are essential features of a good holiday camp act - not everyone who can sing and dance can automatically talk well on a microphone. But we're happy to help you polish up the skills needed if you are willing to listen. You need to have a sense of humour about yourself too - a holiday camp audience is here to have fun, not for a deeply moving theatrical experience. But if you can bring your energy to what you do, they will appreciate it and give you just as much applause as you would get in any West End show."
Kimberley Dayle
Kimberley's Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears tributes are increasingly being acknowledged as among the highest quality in this market. A powerful and experienced performer in her own right, she has been a very popular choice for holiday centre bookers in addition to the many other prestige engagements.
"I agree with Phil about the need to be able to adapt your act to the particular environment you are performing in. I'm very serious about reproducing Christina and Britney as accurately as I can - but I also know that the holiday camp market is a family one.
"Although Christina may be the singer with the raunchiest reputation, I've found it's actually Britney who has more material that can be a little adult for family shows. I know how to set pulses racing for my grown-up show, but I make a point of keeping my holiday centre shows family-friendly, both in terms of lyrics and dance moves, so that bookers and parents can relax and know there won't be any embarrassing questions from kids after the show. Make the kids happy and you make the parents happy too - I make a point of getting kids up on stage to sing along and learn easy dance steps, such as the marching moves for Candyman.
"Again I agree with Phil, it is being confident in what you do that allows you to bring the all-important "fun" element to your work without compromising on quality."
John sums up
The versatility so many former holiday camp acts display, wherever in the industry you come across them, is a real testament to the good grounding this kind of work can provide. The fact that established acts from other circuits like Kimberley are happy to adapt their work to suit the market, shows that increased experience should always make an act more rather than less adaptable. For someone starting out, I can think of no environment more likely to give you fast-track experience in developing your product both on and off stage than this area of work. I wish you success with both your adapting and your auditioning.
* For details of Phil Beck's productions visit www.thornwickbay.co.uk
* Kimberley Dayle can be booked via www.showcall.co.uk
* Feedback/queries are welcome to dearjohn@thestage.co.uk
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