British summertime approaches and despite centuries of inclement summer weather and the direct experience of the year before, all arts programmers thoughts turn to one thing: the outdoor event. Gillian Bates gives some helpful insights into hosting successful outdoor events.
In the glorious fantasy of our mind?s eye, the sun always shines, the crowds are always jolly and the hired toilets always flush. But in reality, you need to be ready for the unexpected ? and it can take even more extreme forms than British weather.
Two years ago we put on ?A Midsummer Night?s Dream? by the theatre company Oddsocks at Rufford Abbey. We had carefully sign-posted a route to the outside auditorium via gravel pathways and NOT across the grass. The arrows were pointing clearly the way to go, the crowds obediently followed. Then a Dynarod van appeared, parked in the middle of said narrow pathway and began piping out raw sewerage from a blocked main drain. Houses on the outskirts of the country park had complained of blockages and this was the only way to sort it. The noise of pumping sewerage was enough to make the acting of the aptly named character of Bottom irrelevant for that night. However, that was nothing compared to the disturbing image of ladies of a certain aged diligently following the arrowed pathway and squeezing by the 20 foot pumping Dynarod pipe with their picnic hampers dangerously dangling over raw effluent!
The moral? Always have a central co-ordinator who will take responsibility, in this instance, to re-route crowds and co-ordinate the staff to get the crowds to obey. And always react quickly to an unexpected event.
Weather planning
Just because you?ve been planning your event for a year does not mean it will be sunny for you. Have marquees and other forms of shelter on hand to transfer events to. Think of contingencies which mean the show can go on despite that terrible downpour. At The Robin Hood Festival in Sherwood Country Park, the jousters traditionally do their combat on horses, but when it starts to rain they do hand-to-hand fighting instead and the horses stay put.
And always have a note in your publicity and on your ticket, if possible, that the event goes ahead no matter what the weather is. Then it is the responsibility of the punter to bring wet weather gear.
Site visits
Always do a site visit when it is pouring down. This is the top tip from Kevin, one of our technical team in County Media Services. "The number of times I?ve done a site visit in glorious weather and discussed in great detail exactly where the stage is going, to then turn up on the day to see a large lake floating in the corner exactly where you thought the performance area was to be sited." If you can?t visit in the rain, check the ?sogability? with people who know the site or have used it before.
Always do a site visit near the time of the event ? not months before. One programmer was putting on an outside theatre piece and did her site visit in early Spring. The gods smiled as there was a grassy bank which would form a perfect seating area overlooking the stage ? raked seating for free! The day before the event in July she realised the bank was now covered in three foot stinging nettles.
Car parking
It is a universal truth that many an event has been spoiled by inadequate planning of car parking. For a recent RSC touring company production, we had contingencies if it rained, we had contingencies if it snowed. And, come the performance, we had more people on car parking duty than ushers in the auditorium. The car parking was perfect.
Have polite and well-informed stewards on duty in your car parks ? the more the better. And another essential ? if there has been any kind of wet weather and people are parking on grass, you must have a tractor or some other vehicle to pull cars off when they get stuck in the mud.
Good housekeeping
There is absolutely no use staging a great event if no one can find it, or turns up late because they got lost. To get those nice yellow signs on the major roads you need to apply at least six months ahead to your local authority, and, on site, you still need plenty of signs to help people know where to go. Always ensure that your site is wheelchair accessible and train stewards and staff in advance to consider the special and particular needs of visitors.
Plus first aid. Even if the odds are a million to one against that accident happening, it will happen! St John?s Ambulance need to be booked well in advance and are fantastic. Have an accident book and a lost child point. And before the event don?t forget to do a risk assessment. Scary, but essential in these litigious days.
Toilet and shower hire is a strangely difficult business. This is possibly because those of us who?ve experienced toilets at large outdoor festivals really don?t like to think about it at all. Be realistic about the audience numbers you expect and don?t skimp on the amount of cubicles. When hiring these toilet blocks beware of the small print. £300 for the weekend might seem reasonable until you realise there is an extra £300 just to tow it to your site. Always try to include one disabled accessible toilet, depending on the numbers you expect.
Performers and the public
Make allowances for artistic temperament. Performers need briefing and clear instructions. They will have been given a running order. The bigger the ego, the more likely they are to insist that the running order is kept to by everyone else? but not them. Have a strong and authoritative stage manager who makes it clear that they keep to the running order. If you are running a festival, also have a strong and authoritative compère, not opposed to ending an act.
Even for outdoor events, some performers expect a fully fitted changing room with Jacuzzi. If you have kindly supplied them with a tent to get changed in, try to discourage them lighting it brightly from inside. Activities, such as actors changing costume and other more intimate moments, become highlighted in glorious black shadow detail on the outside, much to the delight of passers-by.
With the public, never underestimate the effect of alcohol. And then remember this expression: ?Joe Public is like water ? he/she gets everywhere.? No matter how clearly you have roped off, sign-posted, stewarded and crowd controlled, that one renegade visitor becomes a steady trickle of people which soon turns into an uncontrollable torrent. Be cautious, be wise and be very clear in your instructions as to what is OK and what isn?t.
Remember ? if it?s pick-upable, it?s nickable. The list of pieces of equipment ?missing in action? grows every summer. Believe me, it?s a strange feeling to go to the marquee the day after the show to find, as if in a dream, there is no longer a marquee.
Picking up the pieces
Oh and one very last thing ? always budget in staff time and equipment for clearing up. There is nothing more pitiable than seeing the one member of the team who didn?t leave with the audience wandering around clutching one black bin liner amid 18 tons of rubbish.
May the sun shine on you and yours!
Gillian Bates is Marketing Manager for Arts, Nottinghamshire County Council. t: 07811 025237; e: gillian.bates@nottscc.gov.uk