We hold menu parties twice a year, in April and September, and this is where you get the opportunity to book shows for the forthcoming season, to hear details of the shows, listen to clips and meet some of the performers who come along to give short extracts or talk about their shows.
The list of shows (the menu) covers all different genres and these will be presented at the party, and all the details are contained in the menu brochure. We hold two evening parties per season, one in the west and one in the east, to make it easier for travelling.
After you have made your choices from the menu, we will confirm the dates with the artists, and issue you with a confirmation contract. We send you two copies, and ask you to fill in details such as performance start time, box office telephone number. This is really important as it’s used in our season brochure. You then return both copies to us; we’ll sign them off and return one copy to you for your records.
Once you’ve returned your contract, we will send out the artist’s contracts, and give them your contact details for publicity materials.
You will be paying a minimum fee or 80% of the box office takings, which ever is the greater figure. You keep the other 20% and any sales from refreshments, raffles etc.
After the show, we need to you complete a box office return form detailing your ticket sales and send it back to us along with your payment.
There are lots of ways of promoting your show but it does take enthusiasm and commitment. Whatever methods you apply, be sure to be very clear about the following:
Carn to Cove ask all the artists to provide posters for you to use. We ask for about 30 A4 posters and as much as 200 leaflets.
You are responsible for the ‘overprinting’ of the posters. This means there will be room on the posters for you to paste onto the poster a simply printed note with the details of your venue, the date and time of your show and a contact telephone number.
Put your posters up:
At the venue, at work, Arts Centres, Bed & Breakfasts and hotels, bus shelters, cafes, churches and Parish Council notice boards, council buildings, drop in centres, hospitals, in village and other local shops (supermarkets generally have community notice boards), lamp-posts and telegraph posts, libraries, local theatres, museums, post offices, pubs and clubs, recreation, centres and swimming pools, schools and colleges, surgeries, tourist offices.
At the above places they should have space to take a dozen or so. Send a leaflet in the post to all your contacts, members of your village hall, friends and business colleagues.
One of the most effective ways of promoting local events is word of mouth. If you are enthusiastic about your show, that enthusiasm will definitely rub off! Tell everyone you know about the show and tell them how great it’s going to be.
Put a notice in the free listings of your local paper. The newspaper usually requires about a fortnight’s notice. You should not have to pay to be included in newspaper listings sections.
Write your press release, invite the newspaper to send a photographer to take a photograph of, for example, a couple of volunteers putting up posters.
BBC Radio Cornwall is also worth contacting, your local parish magazine and newsletters too.
If you have access to email, send details of the show to everyone you know who has an email address.
Word of mouth can start A.S.A.P.
Posters & contact the press about three weeks before your show.
You can choose to sell tickets locally and online through ticketing system, Ticket Tailor which is operated by Cornwall 365.
You can set an allocation of tickets to sell online and an allocation to sell on the door.
Creating a technical information sheet is the easiest way of arming yourself with the right information should anyone require it. It helps you be absolutely clear on what you can provide on a practical level. It should include:
When the company arrives
The performer will not expect quality changing rooms, but they welcome:
Your volunteers should:
Health and Safety during the event:
At the end of the show:
There are always things to do afterwards – ask for as much help afterwards as for setting up or one lonely person (probably you!) will be stacking chairs whilst everyone else is in the pub!
In general, if your performers are ‘adopting a role’ (theatre, opera etc.) or you are promoting music or public dancing you need to be covered by a Premises Licence. We recommend that you check with Cornwall Council to be certain of what kind of licence you need for what type of performance. The contact is Jessica who is based in the Penzance office.
You can contact Francesca, Carn to Cove Programme Manager with any questions you have.
