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Sheryl: If you have as an artist, a package put together on some ideas on how you might help presenters sell the show, I think that’s also very useful but also recognizing that what they’re doing and why they’re being safe is partly economical, it’s that they just aren’t getting the same audiences.

It’s always a good idea to ask the presenter: how did your last season go? What were the successes and you know, what worked for you, what didn’t work for you because then you get a sense of what they’ve done in years past, previous seasons and then you kind of know, and also find out find out what’s happening in their communities. In a community like Kitimat that’s very based on one particular industry, is there something happening in that industry that will affect in fact the people who live there and the fact that they might move out of town, that people might be moving into town. Find out what’s happening in the community and you can do that by talking. Certainly BC Touring Council is able to provide you with who is touring in the region but we won’t know who may be in the community and what’s happening in there in particular, so that’s a very good point Heather.

Again presenters are being a bit more safe so, it’s good to keep that in mind.

Question: Sheryl, I’m Margo Gram from the Centennial Theatre [North Vancouver]. Our challenge we have just started presenting adult, an adult series and for us the challenge is to find, to tap into the tours that are existing for venues that are roughly the same size as us to try to get a sense of who is doing what, where it will fit in terms of not competing with us and how we can fit in and start making tours so we’re not recreating each year a completely new series from scratch

Sheryl: Right. I do think that’s really important that the Presenters do work with each other, quite often they’ll try to look at what each other’s doing. What we did last year following Pacific Contact and I’d be interested to know whether you found that useful was I went and contacted people who were at Pacific Contact, the presenters, and asked them to submit who they were interested in booking not necessarily who they were booking but we put together a spreadsheet and we posted that on the web and we let presenters know. We didn’t necessarily say to the artist, go have a look, it was mainly for the presenters so they could see what other presenters were doing and if there was an opportunity to work together, that would sort of give them the idea of “oh well, so and so is interested in the same artist, maybe I’ll talk to them about the possibility of booking them in the same time frame or is there any fee reduction that we can get if we offer the artist a few performances in one geographic area so, very good point. Was that useful?

Margo: I found that especially useful. It was a really good start as to just being able to refer to the list and I know that it was also useful in talking to artists afterwards if they were trying to set up tours. I knew that list and I can say to the artist “well I know last year at Contact that such and such a theatre had been interested, you may want to contact them”, so it had worked both ways very well for me.

Sheryl: Um hum. Would the artists having access to that list be problematic for anybody? Do you feel that would be difficult if they sort of knew who you were intending to book but maybe you hadn’t spoke directly with them or would that be…how do the artists feel about that? How do the presenters feel? If we posted a list, should everybody have access to it? Kelly?

Comment: I’m Kelly Redcliffe from Two Planks and A Passion Theatre Company and certainly I’d like access to it but it’s done in other provinces. I’ve been to Contact Events in other province. For example Alberta Contact, they send you a sheet after the show and say who expressed interest and then you’ve got that. You make the call but it’s yes or no but you still develop that relationship and it’s not, I don’t think it’s an infringement on anybody it just helps you direct your time. It’s a better use of time if you know if there’s even an intention so I’d find it very helpful.

My name is Patrick Cameron. I’m from Montreal. All the presenters, there is a clique in the province of Quebec of over 30 presenters and there is one presenter who hires an act and usually it tours with all the other presenters and it’s also like that with my competitors so there’s a follow-up, they help each other and um, publicity and promotion wise it’s good because anywhere you go, there’s the artist who’s playing in all the cities for all the presenters in a certain amount of time. Is there anything like this here in BC? Is there an association? I know there’s Pacific Contact but…

Sheryl: Well it’s, sort of informally there is particularly, I think of Heather in Kitimat. She’s really done a great job at coordinating the Northwest. Now we do break down our regions in the province and so geographic regions for touring. Heather has done a really great job, she contacts the presenters, finds out what they’re doing and coordinates that and then she sent it to us last year of who would be presenting what. Maybe Heather you could speak a little more to what you do in the Northwest.

Heather: Part of it is that you have to recognize there are commonalities within communities and there are also differences so that what may work in a particular community may not work in another and within a region then you are trying to get enough dates, I’d say within five communities, maybe two or three communities where you can bring a performer in, where it would be, the cost would be acceptable for both the presenter and for the artist making enough money in a tour. Our region is quite different because we’re separated from a lot of the, you’re far away from everything so, we do have to work very closely together and again we accept those differences in our communities and it’s just a matter of communication and developing that between the communities, between the different presenting organizations. It takes time and a lot of effort and as a regional representative, I don’t have a problem of an agent or performer contacting me and then I can spread that information out through the other communities. I mean that’s part of my role in facilitating performances coming to our region so, it’s a matter of open communication and no one should feel threatened. One community doesn’t feel threatened by another having the same performer coming in but you also have to, those communities are very cognoscente of that they’re very small and there’s only you know, a certain amount…you have to break even.

Sheryl: The other thing to remember is that there are other presenters in cities and areas that are not, don’t come to Contact and are not involved in our network and it’s not because we haven’t tried but because they usually do their own presenting and they have a production company so quite often they’ll be presenting but they won’t be connected to the people who are here, so the cooperation in the region depends on the people themselves but I know in particular one community just had a theatre was built and the theatre is now programming but is forgetting to work with the community groups who have already been presenting and an outside company comes in from Toronto and says we want to do presenting here because there’s nothing happening but in fact they haven’t done their research so they’re now presenting as well so, it is a matter of people talking to each other and being able to find out what is going on in communities. To answer your question, basically no there’s not. That was a quick “no” but there isn’t a sort of set up as the same in Quebec as there is here.

Patrick: That’s good!

Sheryl: Yeah but it does depend on the people. Heather

Patrick: The way I feel about it is no matter what community, if an act is good, no matter what it is, it’s good anywhere else. That’s the way I feel about it and the more tour dates we get, the cost goes down and everybody helps each other and there you go.

Sheryl: There has been a little bit of an issue with exclusivity and particularly when the communities are very close together and may be presenting the same artist and because of the proximity they feel the audience is spilt if in fact they’re doing the same artists in the two communities are very close so in some cases it depends again where it is but you do need to know who the presenters are in the entire region so that you know that if in fact you are stepping on someone’s toes and that the presenter is aware that you are being presented in another community.

Bronwen Sutherland: Can I ask Margo a question?

Sheryl: Yeah.

Bronwen: Just on sorry…just on the issue of exclusivity, I’m just wondering if could ask Margo [Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver] about that because I know you’re kind of in the middle of it all and so, I’m just wondering is that ever an issue. I mean obviously there are some things that you would not be able to book because it’s in another close area to where you are. Do you ever have any…are there any issues around that?
Margo: We have found that and try to identify the venues where it can work and where it can’t work and so we have some sense of if something presents in an adjacent community then we’re still just stealing from each other’s audiences and so it’s a matter of really trying to figure out where the places are and it will be different for each facility where it works. One of things I ran into this year was problems between in our family series with booking with schools, the artists book with the schools and with us and we just stole from each other so, there was that as well.

Comment: Hi. Annette Campbell from the Canada Council of the Arts and my portfolio is Music Touring. Just a comment that maybe this exchange of information could extend to the artists as well. In my capacity I often get phone calls from people who are having difficulty booking in a given area in Canada and say, they’re wondering is it my product, is it us or is there problems you know, globally with anyone for example, the economy, a downturn in the economy and I think it would be helpful if presenters could give a little bit of feedback to these artists. Say this is what’s going on especially if they’re coming in from another province where they may not be aware of the issues or it can be discouraging if they don’t understand what is precipitating the lack of bookings.

Sheryl: And there’s no easy answer to that and in fact a presenter you’ve been pursuing to have a performance (give a performance), ask them what it is? Is there something you could give me feedback with? Many of them will actually help you and be very constructive as to why it is you’re not being presented there. Yes Rose-Marie.

Comment: Rose-Marie Carrerras (Howe Sound Performing Arts Association): I started coming to this event as an agent so, I’ve stood in those shoes and now I’m currently a presenter and I was here listening to the fundraising for presenters that preceded this discussion and I think that would very much apply to artists looking for performances. You’re in the business of friend-raising so if you call up a presenter, you would like to cultivate that relationship, find out what’s happening in that community, where their difficulties are and what their challenges are. If you can identify their difficulties and their challenges and what they’re up against, then you can more clearly see how your event would help and that’s what we’re looking for.

Sheryl: Find out who their audiences are too. They’ll know best. Who comes to their concerts? Am I even appropriate for their audience is? That’s really important to ask that question but very good points Rose-Marie.

Comment: I’m Trudy McGrath from Vernon and this is my second year here and I’ve really found that the interchange between the agents most important. First of all it was my first year ever and for Vernon to come to the event last year and I went back with so many agents in my pockets knowing that I could talk to them and network with them and I had so much material like I marketed 16 different groups for my committee to listen to chose our five artists. It was just phenomenal. I find that agents are very approachable and even if you say you want them only they will say I’ll see what I can do with surrounding areas or our tour west. Just as an example that you have to dream, last year I talked to a lady who was marketing the Kremlin Chamber Orchestra and when I first talked to her she was totally out of the ballpark and I said we have a new theatre, I don’t even know what my costs will be, they’re probably going to triple, my expenses and said you’re out of the ballpark and walked away. The next day she approached both the Kelowna president and myself and said let’s talk. So in talking she told us that they were going to be in Edmonton and Calgary and we said well you have to get to Vancouver, you need a stopover in the Okanagan so then she came down sizably like about $4,000 or whatever and I then I still I don’t know and Yvonne said maybe and so we kept in touch and you wouldn’t believe it, they’re coming to Vernon. We are now starting our second concert, we’re sold out. Our new theatre everybody wants to be in it. We had no growing room, we’re risking. We’re starting a second concert. All of the agents that I contacted that would give us a variety. We have some very stodgy classical people in our audience and some who like only the lighter classics and some of the more modern things and popular things and all of them just saying is that were risky. We’re hoping we’ll get 215 more people in the afternoon concerts. All of the agents I contacted would give me a half price for the second concert so it’s talking together, it’s networking and getting known and this Touring Council, and Pacific Contact can meet. Every presenter should be here. That has opened up my eyes and as far as bringing in a variety and bringing in artists, I would never be able to have without this Contact.

Phyllis Stenson (Harrison Festival): This is not a burden about these performers. The trust has been built so when they come they know they’re going to see a really good show and so I think that’s really helped in establishing the audience.

Sheryl: Rose-Marie I’m just wondering what’s happening in Squamish?

Rose-Marie: Well our attendance has been down this year because we’re in the lumber industry market segment and I guess the funds just haven’t there but the support in the community has grown and I believe that we need to look to more exciting as opposed to being safe and downsizing.

Sheryl: I’m just wondering about whether you’ve had any challenges this year? Is there anything that came up either while you were on tour or while you were presenting? I know that one presenter mentioned to me that they had a cancellation of an artist and that is something quite often where someone will pick up the phone and say “what do I, I have a cancellation?” and again there’s no easy answer to that obviously it depends on the amount of time the presenter or artist has given and quite often it’s not for…it’s a health reason or that sort of thing. Has anybody experienced that and how did you deal with that?

Comment: We did this year. It’s Jessie [Hendrigan] from Trail [Society for the Performing Arts]. We had Judy Kang booked and she was unable to come at the last moment for whatever reason and we got another violinist in I believe from the same agent who said would you take this other violinist and we did and everybody liked it there was not complaints at all.

Sheryl. Oh wow that’s great!

Comment: [Irene St. Laurent, Summerland Arts Council]: Yes we had two.

Sheryl: You had two cancellations. Sorry where are you from?

Summerland and one was from the United States and apparently there was a lack of contract signing on both parts and this is my first year folks. So anyway we got Aché Brasil to fill one of them so, we’re in the black so we’re doing okay.

Sheryl: Oh good.

Irene: We’re doing okay and thank goodness that they come on last minute notice.

Sheryl: And how did you know they were available?

Irene: Like I said this is my first. I’ve only been involved for the past couple of months so it wasn’t me who booked them but just thank goodness that they were available to come in a snow storm from Vancouver.

Sheryl: Good for Aché Brasil. Yeah!

Irene: Really.

Sheryl: Yeah!

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