Cruise Ship Do's and
Don'ts
When Mark Stevens was
getting the latest SME catalog together he asked
me if I could think of the "top five doís and
doníts" for working on cruise ships. His idea
was to have a sidebar for one of the articles
in the "catazine" (my word).
For a sidebar in an
article it is important to keep the items brief
and without lengthy explanation. However, for
people interested in cruise ships, we can explore
the topics in detail here on GeMiNi. A cruise
ship job is oddly different than in other performing
situations you may find yourself. With that in
mind, here we have the expanded list of Cruise
Ship Doí and Doníts:
Do have a professional
act. Each passenger watching your show receives
a "comment card" at the end of the cruise. The
professionalism of your act will be graded each
cruise you take. It is sink or swim out there,
so learn your craft well before attempting a job
at sea. Furthermore, a cruise ship job is not
a place to "wing it." There is too much at stake.
You should absolutely know how long your sets
run. The Cruise Director might tell you to do
twenty-five minutes on one show and forty on the
next. He is depending on you to cover exactly
those times. There is a schedule on ships. Some
are tighter than others are, but typically they
may need to entertain one group while another
is eating, then they shift. The timing must be
right, you donít want to hold up the kitchen!
Do have cue sheets
for light and sound technicians. Early upon
your arrival on the ship you will be contacted
by the stage manager. He or she will want to know
what special requirements you need and how much
rehearsal time to schedule. You should be familiar
with your technical requirements. Talk to him
about the kind of lighting and sound you need
and any backstage help you will require. At rehearsal
you should be able to supply written cue sheets
that explain how and when all the technical things
happen during your act. For music I use a programmable
minidisc unit and recommend that should you use
recorded music you get the highest quality playback
method you can. If you use extensive and complex
lighting, I recommend you bring videotape of your
act to show the lighting technician how youíd
like it to look. Light fixtures change from place
to place, but the same mood and affect can be
created from various sources.
Do understand there
is a live band on the ship. If you will work
ships a great deal you may wish to utilize this
lost resource. Live music behind your act can
make it more alive and vital than you ever imagined.
Even if you currently use no music at all, consider
the use of the band on the ship. Most Cruise Directorís
will expect "play on and play off" music for you.
This means, after you are introduced and as you
walk on the stage there should be music playing.
Likewise at the end of your set and you take bows
and walk off, music plays again. Most ship bands
have stock "tabs" (another word for the above)
that can be used, but I think it does you good
to investigate the possibilities. I had special
tabs arranged for me; they are played in a "funk"
beat and are quite lively to compliment the fun
and light atmosphere of my act. You may want a
different mood created and "play ons" can do just
that.
Do understand stage
deportment; how to enter, exit, take a curtain
call, etc. This is all part of professionalism.
First impressions matter, but never more than
when you are on stage. During the first 30 seconds,
your audience will size you up. They make judgements
about you that will color their attitudes about
what you do. The first moments are critical. You
need to strategically decide how you will present
yourself immediately upon your introduction.
Likewise you should
give careful consideration to the end of your
act. How will you finish? How will you exit the
stage? Cruise ship shows all have emcees, so you
will be called back to the stage for a bow. Iíve
seen many inexperienced performers finish their
acts and walk off stage and miss their curtain
call.
Typically, an act will
finish their last routine and take a bow as the
M.C. announces the actís name. The band will play
a quick and bouncy piece of music as the performer
walks off stage. The emcee will then ask the audience
to "call the performer back," with another round
of applause. At this point the entertainer walks
back to the stage to receive the applause. If
the emcee deems it necessary (by the audienceís
enthusiasm) he may bring the act back for more
bows. Some performers have little bits of business
or extensions of their acts to add to the effectiveness
of their curtain calls.
Do research the
ships you intend to work on. I think it wise
to know, as much about the situation you will
most likely find yourself working. Do your homework.
This may include such trade magazines as "Cruise
Travel" and "Porthole." It would be wise to read
books on cruising and travel guides. Talk to others
that have experience. But donít overlook Cruise
Line Brochures as a resource. Much can be gleaned
from these brochures, including the market they
cater to and schematics of the shipsí decks. Once
you get used to reading them you can tell at a
glance what kind of showroom facilities you will
be dealing with.
Do be prepared.
You canít run to the magic shop or hardware store
once at sea. Even when in most of the ports you
call on it will be hard to find resources. So
the best bet is to come prepared. This means careful
planning. If you are not normally well organized,
use packing lists. Map out everything. Know where
everything belongs and how many supplies of consumables
you have.
Proper flight cases
made a big difference for me. It used to be a
matter of flying to a ship, then unpacking to
see what the airlines had broken, and then trying
to fix that thing up for the contract. Then I
started having custom fit cases made for all my
props. That did the trick. The repairs are minimal,
but my cases sure show the scars for protecting
all those precious contents. Most of my cases
are made by Encore Cases. The owner of Encore
is a performer and understands our needs quite
well. I recommend them to you. Contact; Encore
Cases, 8818 Lankershim Blvd., Sun Valley, CA 91352,
USA. Telephone 818 768 8803.
Do have a quality
audition videotape. No one, but no one, gets
booked without a videotape. The better your tape
the better your chances of getting booked. All
the other promo you send will only support that
video.
Remember who will be
watching this tape. The Cruise Entertainment Director
will most likely watch your tape only once. He
or she will make a quick judgement about you within
a few minutes. Put you best foot forward and make
sure that what you show is consumable to this
venue. If you are unsure of the suitability of
your tape for the cruise market you might consider
my video tape evaluation service. For a small
fee, I will write you a report on your current
video with my opinion on how it will play to a
cruise entertainment director and make suggestions
on improvements to make your tape a better sales
tool. Contact me via email, magicb@ix.netcom.com for more details.
Do be patient.
Entertainment Directors and agents receive hundreds
of tapes a week. There is no way they can drop
everything to watch each tape as it comes in.
Chances are they donít start looking for a new
act until one of their usual suspects can not
do the job. Therefore it may well be worth it
too you to have an attractive video cover design
to give your tape the edge over the competition.
(Which I also evaluate in the above mentioned
service.)
Do have about 70
minutes of solid material. In most cases you
will need to perform two long shows (25/40 minutes)
and perhaps one small variety show performance.
So it is not just a matter of time, but of three
sets of openers and closers. On most contracts
I carry about a 100 minutes of material, but I
would never consider doing them as one long show.
I have three sets and extra odds and ends that
can be brought out in an emergency (a performer
is sick or misses the ship and the Cruise Director
needs an emergency show).
It is possible to work
cruises with less material. Lines that offer short
cruises or will bring an act in for one show only
are out there. Perhaps you have a 10-minute manipulation
act that would make a perfect opening act for
a larger show. These are all possible. However
you will be limited to those few outlets that
use that type of act.
There is limited cabin
space to keep entertainers. Therefore most cruise
companies will try to get the most bang for their
buck. This means getting the most shows out of
the fewest performers -pure economics.
Donít try to work
on a ship before you have the material. This
is not the place to try out stuff. Much of live
entertainment has moved out to sea, and there
is a high degree of professionalism currently
cruising. Once filled with has-beens and never-beens,
the reality of todayís exploding ship industry
has attracted top performers.
Furthermore, there is
an invisible network between cruise companies.
Although Iíve never understood how it happens,
news travels. Company A knows what company B is
doing. My point is simple, going on a ship unprepared,
not doing well in the ratings may not only close
the door to that one cruise line, but may mean
youíve closed the door on several. Likewise, doing
well on your first time out may mean smooth sailing
for as much work on cruise ships as you like.
Donít wait until
you get a booking to get your travel documents
together. Obtaining a passport is neither
difficult nor expensive. But it can take time.
Many performers get their first invitation to
work on the ship with out much notice. (A regular
act cancelled and the company is willing to try
someone new.) It will behoove you to have yourself
ready to travel. The book the "Cruise Magicianís
Handbook" explains in detail the procedure to
obtain a passport quickly. However, if you have
the luxury of time, you can simply start the process
by making a trip to the post office.
As mentioned above make
sure your act is ready for the rigors of travel.
Donít wait here either. Airlines and baggage handlers
can wreak havoc on equipment. Make sure that you
have proper cases and ways to pack your show.
Donít think it is
all about you. You will be in a situation
that people come up to you daily to tell you how
wonderful you are. This can be intoxicating, but
keep it in perspective. Ship life is not the real
world, "donít" let it go to your head.
You are part of an overall
entertainment package. I think it important that
you support your fellow entertainers. Donít get
caught up in a ratings competition. I have often
been blessed with a situation that I receive the
highest overall entertainment rating on the ship.
But it is like comparing apples and oranges. I
most often get these outstanding scores when there
is no other variety act on board. I never allow
myself the fantasy that I am superior to the other
acts. Simply I am judged on a different scale.
(Indeed I often feel Iím on the ship because I
DONíT sing or dance.) Furthermore when I get lower
ratings than other acts I donít take it personally.
If there was another magician on and there was
a big disparity in our scores, then Iíd wonder
why.
I have adopted the philosophy
that "a high tide floats all boats." I want to
be on a ship with all strong acts. It is a snowball
effect. The audienceís enthusiasm builds with
each show. This means success for the cruise line
and for you.
Donít think you
are done when the show is over. Cruising is
unique in that you live with your audience after
your show. People will be watching you all the
time, theyíll want to spend time with you and
get to know you. This can be hard for some entertainers
to adjust too. Frankly, I find it rather rewarding,
though at times trying.
My advice is for you
to be yourself, but with the best etiquette you
can muster. My wife and I have had a successful
career in cruising in part because we dress properly,
act appropriately and genuinely care about people
that we meet. These are all things that we do
off stage, but they are things that have made
several cruise directors call the home office
requesting the Beckers for their ships.
Donít leave home
without your copy of the Cruise Magicianís Handbook.
This is more than a blatant plug for my book (although
it is that). However, there are far more doís
and doníts than I can write about in this column.
The Cruise Magicianís Handbook is sort of my final
word on all of them. The book was written as a
"handbook" meaning it is reference book. It covers
many situations that only are valuable when they
happen to you. Heck, I wrote the thing and I still
find myself looking things up to see what advice
it gives! And I often kick myself for not following
my own advice on some subject.
Good Luck and Calm Seas! |
