| 5.1 | Programming Activities | | | | Children | | | Teenagers | | | OlderAdults | | | Professional Performers | | | Cultural Diversity | | 5.2 | Some Ideas For Activities | | 5.3 | Programming Performances | | | Multiple Stages | | 5.4 | Street Parades | | 5.5 | Fireworks |
5.1 Programming Activities The programme needs to be attractive to many different people and needs to provide a range of activities that will encourage passive and participatory involvement.
Most activities should appeal to a general audience, whilst others should focus on the needs of particular groups; children, the elderly, cultural and special interest groups.
| | When planning for these specialised interests, take care to consider the special needs of the group. The special needs of any group can be discussed with representatives of the group itself. The Hawkesbury Social Atlas (2000) provides a comprehensive demographic profile of the Hawkesbury showing who lives in the community, including their ages and their diverse cultural backgrounds. |
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Children Local schools, kindergartens and playgroups may have suggestions or resources that they are happy to share for children's activities. You should aim to have both active and passive activities which are workable, coordinated and interesting. Children's activities need experienced staff. This will make the delivery of activities much easier and safer. Remember that children have a short attention span so games shouldn't run too long. Make sure you organise to supply adequate resources for your activities. For example, drinks after physical activities, smocks for painting and so on.
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Teenagers
Youth clubs, scouts, girl guides, high schools and colleges can all be approached for ideas and participation. Each group will have a particular skill or resource that can be used in your event programme.
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Older Adults For resources, participation and suggestions visit local groups that service the elderly community, E.g., Senior Citizens' Clubs. Most Community Centres have programmes for the elderly. Leisure centres quite often have programmes and clubs specifically for older adults. Suitable seating must be provided and refreshments need to be accessible when older adults are participating in the event.
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Professional Performers Finding professional performers is a matter of using whatever contacts you can to get in touch with the performer you want. Visit other events and festivals and talk to performers who appear suitable for your event. Ask them what they charge and if they would be interested in performing at your event. Gather contact phone numbers whenever possible. Council's Arts & Events coordinator may be able to help you, or look up the website of Artfiles 2002 www.artfiles.com.au for a comprehensive listing of artists and performers in the local area.
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Cultural Diversity When looking for groups to perform, look at the cultural groups within your community and develop the public's appreciation of their performances by getting the MC or group to talk about the history, significance or custom of a particular dance or display.
As a mark of respect for the traditional owners, many organisers now begin their events with a Welcome To Country ceremony, which is a way of acknowledging the traditional owners of the land. A Community Support Fund exists to enable Indigenous artists, performers and speakers to attend community events. Contact Projects For Reconciliation 9835 2970.
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5.2 Some Ideas For Activities | Aerobic displays | Dance groups | Garden show | Maypole dancing | Skateboard display | | Antique Fair | Danceathon | Gem display | MimeMini-farmyard | Stamp collectors corner | | Art shows | Disco | Glass blowing display | Mini-Golf game | Stilt walkers | | Badge making | Displays | Go-cart races | Model machinery | Storytelling | | Ballroom dancing | Drumming display | Hat parade | Music workshops | Talent quests | | Banner making | Egg and spoon races | Have-a-go games | Musical instrument making | Tea dance | | Bicycle races | Ethnic crafts | Historic walks and tours | Musical comedy | Teddy Bears' Picnic | | Boat races | Ethnic food and games | Horse riding | Opera | Theatre Productions | | Bowls tournament | Face painting | Indigenous arts & crafts | Orchestras | Tug-O-War | | Brass bands | Fashion parades | Inline skating display | Paper making | Video making | | Cake decorating | Fencing display | Jazz bands | Parades and processions | Vintage car display | | Candle making | Festival ball | Jumping Castles | Outside Radio Broadcast | Welcome To Country Wine tasting | | Celebrity games | Festival breakfast | Jewellery making | Performance workshops | Wood chopping competitions | | Children's rides | Fireworks | Kite making and flying | Pet shows | Writing groups | | Competitions | Fortune-tellers | Lantern/torchlight procession | Local produce | | | Choirs | Flag displays | Leatherwork | Photographic exhibitions | | | Church groups | Flower show | Local & school bands | Photography workshops | | | Clowns | Folk dancing | Martial arts display | Police horse or dog display | | | Colonial and international games | Fun run | Mask making | Pottery | | | Craft expo | Garden party | Masquerade ball | Puppet making | | The activities you choose are entirely up to you, but for high levels of participation and involvement the diverse nature of your community must be acknowledged in the event programme.
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5.3 Programming Performances Programming the right acts and presenting them in the most effective way can make or break your event. The choice of acts will be determined by the objectives and the budget of your event. The theme of the event will play a major role in determining the type of performances you will choose.
To programme effectively, you should spend some time finding out who your audience will be, what interest groups they represent and what part of the day they are most likely to attend.
To keep the programme interesting, you should provide sufficient contrast between acts. At peak audience time you should present your headline act. Usually this is toward the end of the programme. The stronger acts should be closest to the main event. The time allotted can be negotiated with each act. Most acts have an optimum length and the act itself is usually the best judge. However if you are not sure, ask colleagues or others in the community about performance times for particular groups. They may be familiar with the performance and recommend an optimal performance slot for the group.
As well as taking into account the performance times, time should be allotted for the changing over from one act to another. Ask the performers how much change over time they require at the beginning and end of their act, and if they will need assistance with their equipment to get on and off stage.
To keep the audience entertained while the next act is setting up, it is customary to play 'change over' music appropriate to the event through the PA system, or have an item that can be performed on the ground in front of the stage, or on stage in front of the equipment, eg. a dance group. A store of cassettes or compact disks (check which is appropriate) should be ready for this occasion and given to the sound engineer at the start of the event. Most large PA systems have cassette and compact disk playing facilities as part of their standard equipment. If you are hiring a smaller PA system, you should alert the sound engineer that you will require a cassette deck or compact disk player on your confirmation of hire. Make sure you put all equipment requests in writing and post/fax them to your sound engineer. This will avoid any confusion on the day.
(see Section Stage Equipment)
Check when you book your performers what equipment they will need to play their backing music on, and what other sound equipment they require. If the act uses a backing tape, make sure the tape is with the sound engineer during the previous act. You should also make sure a person who is familiar with the act is with the sound engineer to tell them when the tape should start and how loud it needs to be. The music should be cued up at the starting point on the tape before it is handed to the sound engineer.
For a bigger event, it may be worth your while to hold a meeting that all performers, the stage managers and the sound engineers attend. Performers can be asked to fill in a stage layout diagram, showing where they stand and listing what equipment they will bring and what they need. This allows the sound engineer to discuss performers' particular needs before the event, to spot any potential difficulties, and to come away with a list of equipment they'll need to operate the sound. It also allows the stage managers time to identify exactly what their job will entail before the day.
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Multiple Stages If you wish to run multiple stages, then you need to take these things into account: - Unless the stages are acoustically and visually isolated from each other, do not run stages at the same time. If you do, you risk dividing your audience between the stages and allowing one stage to drown the other out.
Having a number of stages can be beneficial to your event for a number of reasons: - You can prepare on one stage while another stage is being used. In this instance, visual and/or audio contact is essential to ensure one stage continues neatly into another.
- Different stages can provide different styles of entertainment and therefore cater to a broader audience: you might have a children's stage, an acoustic stage and a rock music stage.
Ensure the comperes/announcers at each stage acknowledge the presence and importance of the other stages. Do not promote competition between the stages.
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5.4 Street Parades Parades can be very colourful affairs and create a focal point for gathering together your audience and leading them into the area of central activity. Costumes, banners and floats can be made by groups in the lead up to the event and be great fun too. Keep in mind that a great deal of time is required to organise partial or whole road closures for a parade (see 4.1 Permits, Regulations and Requirements.)
When organising a parade, it is important to structure it carefully or consider employing a choreographer. Consider the theme, any signs you want in the parade and the best order for those taking part. Parades need a lot of colour, movement and participants.
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5.5 Fireworks Fireworks can add drama and excitement to an event, and make a particularly suitable finale. You are advised to seek a professional, reputable company and to follow all safety guidelines described in 3.9 Fireworks
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