How to Organize a Talent Show

How to Organize a Talent Show: By Alice Woodbury

Why hold a talent show: Talent shows are a great way to display talent in your own community as well as give people of all ages a chance to show their talents. They can also be a way to raise money for a good cause. Also it provides the people in the community with a great show and allows them to come out and have a good time!

The Plan: Asking Questions:  You should sit down, whether it’s by yourself or with others who are planning the show with you and ask yourself some important questions before you start. Who is the audience? Who will benefit by putting on this show? Will their be prizes for the winner? What kind of design will the show have? What is the theme? Where can we put this show on?  When is a good date to have the show? Also which time will it start and how long will it run? Why are we putting on a show? Are we fundraising or should it be a free show? These are just a few examples but you will probably find you will have more questions as you are planning the show.

The Audition Process:  It’s a good idea to hold auditions for your talent show. It doesn’t matter if you only want certain acts for the show or if you want all acts to be in it, auditioning is a good way to screen performers in case there are some acts you feel might not be appropriate for your venue and audience. Also how many performers do you want to have in the show? You don’t want to have too long of show so be cautious with your numbers. In this case you could also do a wait list if necessary and notify people if spots become available.

The Audition Process:   To let people know about the auditions you should start advertising 2 weeks to a month before hand so people can prepare. There’s no specific rule for when you should have your auditions with relation to your show time. You generally would want to have 6 weeks or a month at the least before your show date. This allows for rehearsal time for your acts and other preparation for the show.

Audition Space:  Where you want to hold your auditions is important. You want to make sure that you have enough space for performers to perform their acts in. As well depending on your show, you might want to have sound equipment set up in case someone will need it. Microphones will be handy for singers and speakers if the acoustics are not good. Where you audition doesn’t necessarily have to be where your talent show will be. Church halls are good for audition space or school auditoriums if you access to one. If it’s an outside event you will more than likely want to hold your auditions outside so your performers can get use to volume levels for their audience.

Audition Process Continued:   Make sure you get everyone’s contact information during the audition and let them know then if they are in the show or when you will let them know. Write beside their names what their acts are. That way you can plan accordingly how you want the line up to be scheduled. For example, you might not want to have two people singing with guitars lined up back to back or two comedians one after another. But it is generally up to you how you want it to go. Let people know when rehearsals and show times will be so as to have everyone present.

Advertise: Get the message out about the show. Do this at least a month before the show so it can really get the word out. Put an ad in the paper or see if you can advertise on a billboard. Email all your friends, get them to email their friends. Create a Facebook event and share it with everyone that way. Any way you can think of is good. Your performers will have their friends and family there too so you know you’ll have a good, supportive audience.

Rehearsals: You don’t necessarily have to do rehearsals for a talent show. They are suggested but your performers will or should be practising on their own. I do however recommend a run through of the show for you and your performers to know how the show will run. You can do this a week before or a few days before the show. ( I wouldn’t recommend the day of since that will be leaving it a little to late)   With your rehearsals you’ll want to have your line up ready so your performers know which order they will go in. It’s good to have an MC or Host so they can introduce the acts. With rehearsals you can have the host practise what they will say, maybe have all the performers submit a little blurb telling something about them and their act. You should schedule everyone so that they’ll each have the same amount of time. Remember that you don’t want to have a 5 hour long show and you’ll also need an intermission for your guests so use your own discretion for allotting time (maybe 3 to 4 mins. per person) Another great thing about rehearsals is you can see how long the show is going to run, that way you know if you have to cut some time or lengthen it.

Just before show time: A week before the show you should contact your volunteers & performers and see if everyone is still coming to the show. You never know, sometimes you have someone who can’t make it for whatever reason. This is where your waitlist comes in handy (keep in mind people on your list may not be available depending when you call since it might be last minute) Double check that everything is good to go still with the venue. Check to make sure you have enough chairs. nIf you are having awards/trophies make sure they are purchased/donated and there at the venue. Verify numbers of people who are coming. Check with your performers and see who’s coming from their friends and family. If you are low on numbers you can still do some more advertising or just adjust your seating. The day before the show make sure the performers have their instruments, costumes, sheet music, etc… there at the venue ahead of time. If not remind them to bring everything they will need to the show. Make handouts or post up a list where the performers can see their line up. You can even assign a volunteer to remind people when they’ll be going on. Set up your venue how you like. Will you need refreshments for your intermission? Will you need to display signage for the washrooms? Is there a theme you need to show with decorations? Make a list and verify everything is where it needs to be.

It's Show Time (GULP!):   Don’t be nervous! This is what you’ve been planning for. Everyone is ready! You should have everyone arrive at least an hour or two before the show so they can do sound checks and warm up. (Make sure you or someone is there to let them in should they be a little early) Have all sound equipment checked and ready to go. Double check everyone is present. If not don’t panic, that’s why you have contact information. If you can’t get a hold of them, they could still show up and if they don’t show, just adjust accordingly. Maybe have the winner of the show do a repeat performance in their place, make a longer intermission, etc… Make sure you have a volunteer at the door to take tickets or donations if you are having them. Also to hand out ballets for their favourite performer if you are having a winner.  Have everyone in place before the show starts. If you have a prize(s) for the winner make sure you display it/them somewhere nice. Make sure the MC/Host is ready to go when you give the signal. If the MC is you then let everyone know when you are going on. Let you or the MC know to inform the guests at the beginning of the show where the washrooms and fire exits are. As well when the intermission will be. Now hold on cause here we go…..

That's it! You did it!: There! You just put on your first talent show! How was it? You’ll find that your town has a lot of great talent! Of course there are things you learn along the way with the show but you can use that for next time. Make sure to let your audience and performers know when the next talent show will be. I’m sure they all had a great time!

If you like this article than maybe you'll be interested in my other articles How to Plan a Surprise Party http://www.bukisa.com/articles/190671_how-to-plan-a-great-surprise-party or How to Plan a Clothing Swap Party http://www.bukisa.com/articles/185001_clothing-swap-party-ladies-and-gentlemen-if-you-like-clean-out-your-closets