Street Performers FAQ

Kiwi Comedy Ltd. has been touring New Zealand and international street performer festivals since 1996, creating unexpected fun and memorable experiences in 20 countries.

The magical experience of capturing the attention of passers by and through connection, charisma, comedy and content, transforming them into a laughing, cheering, excited audience.

Done right, street performers can inject a fantastic sense of spontaneous engagement and a tangible sense of community.

Done wrong... Well, we can offer advice to help avoid a few common logistical, scheduling and booking mistakes. Things you might not think of, easily overlooked (even more easily rectified) and which make all the difference.

So, get in touch and see how adding a spectacular street performer can work with your event.

SOME TIPS FOR HAVING STREET PERFORMERS AT YOUR EVENT

A quality street performer will keep an audience of hundreds of people, laughing and engaged for 30 - 60 minutes at a time. Here are some tips to help maximise the impact of street performers at your event.

Street Performers can be largely self sufficient. They're uniquely specialised in making something fantastic, out of nothing, but a few small steps to set the scene, build atmosphere and inform your audience, can help them hit the ground running, and let them deliver their very best.

Location
"Do a show and the people will come..." - Nice idea, but not quite accurate.
A good performer will create an audience, but that requires people either passing by, or already nearby.

The performing pitch should be easily visible and identifiable, and it should feel nice to be there. (Is it the kind of place you'd choose to hang out in?).
If it's hot, the audience will prefer to stand in the shade. That's good if the shade is right next to the show, but not so good if it's 50 meters away.

Vehicles
Do vehicles drive through interrupting the show? (that's not going to work, is it) ;-)

Physical Space (see the picture above)
As a general rule, a good street performer will gather as big an audience as will fit in the space, so long as they can hear and see the show.

A typical street intersection (12m x 12m) is usually enough space for the show, the audience AND the psychological "wiggle room" that lets people feel comfortable about being in the space.

As a rule of thumb, you should have twice the space an audience will fill.

Scheduling
-Schedule it wisely

-Avoid having two shows playing at the same time, unless the audience numbers and space can support them both.
-Avoid sound conflicts (bands, generators, vendors' music, other performers)

Hospitality
Street Performers are extremely flexible and adaptable. Treat them well and they'll go the extra mile.
-Provide a green room & safe secure storage, so performers are fresh, relaxed and ready to excel.
-Provide water & healthy snacks or deals with vendors onsite

These really help
-Provide a sound system & operator or volunteer
-Create a dedicated Street Performance zone
-Staging and signage.

-Ensure your vendors and site staff all understand these points
-Promote street performers as a feature of your event
-Include details on the public schedule so people can find them. (specify the act, location & time)

And, if you'd like more help, do get in touch about producing a street theatre event.