December, 9th, 2008
last updated September, 3rd, 2010

Viewed 378 Times

Open Mic:

Roles

by Chris Sunami

1. Overview

   Administrative:
   
   • Director - Christopher Sunami
     
   • Apprentice Director (suggested - Syl)
     
   • Volunteer Coordinator
     
   • Records Keeper
     
   • Guest Artist Coordinator
   
   
   Coaches:
   
   • Lead Vocals Coach - Eileen Howard
     
   • Apprentice Drums Coach - Juan Crutchfield
     
   • Adult Guitar Coach - David
     
   • Pitch Coach (suggested - Shirley)
     
   • Harmony & Backing Vocals Coach (suggested - Joey)
     
   • Lyrics Coach
     
   • Style (Costumes) Coach (suggested - Iola)
     
   • Dance (Choreography) Coach (suggested - Nana)
     
   • Poetry (suggested - John Gilmore)
     
   • Songwriting (suggested - Kenny)
     
   • Storytelling (suggested - Sally Crandall)
     
   • Performance
     
   • Theater
     
   • Vocal Warmups (suggested - Sparkle)
     
   • Youth Guitar (suggested - Randy)
     
   • Keyboards
     
   • Childcare - Ramona
     
   
   Events:
   
   • Hosts
     
   • Judges
     
   • Guest Artists - (suggested - John Gilmore, Sally Crandall, Is Said, Jackie Calderone)
     
   • Setup & Cleanup Crews
     
   • Hospitality Team
     
   • Chaplain
     
   • Set Design
     
   • Videographer (suggested - Marcia Jones)
     
   • Host Captain
     
   • Hospitality Captain (suggested Heath, Rose)
     
   • Greeters
   
   
   Auxiliary:
   
   • Publicity
     
   • Press
     
   • Neighborhood Captain (suggested - Darryl)
     
   • Video Producer (suggested - David Edgar)
     
   • Internet
     
   • Outreach
     
   • Callers
     
   • Transportation

2. Administrative

   Philosophy Captain (Director):
   Ensures that policies and practices of the program always align with the goals and values of the program. Provides visionary leadership, and ensures that all participants are familiar with program goals and values. Recruits and trains program leaders and coordinates all program activities. The chief purpose of this program is social reform through community building. For that reason it is important that every decision be founded in the values and overall philosophy of the program.
   
   Volunteer Captain (proposed):
   In charge of contacting organizations and individuals to find volunteers to fill all positions. The goal is to find a position for each volunteer that will be a good match for the person who takes it, but that will also challenge him or her to, learn, grow and gain capacity. We recruit volunteers first from within our pool of regular participants, and we try to ensure that all participants, including audience members, have ample volunteering opportunities. Volunteers are essential to our program. Using volunteers helps us maintain our program without a budget. Volunteering also teaches participants to take responsibility for their own community, and offers hands-on experience in building a better society.
   
   Records Keeper (proposed):
   In charge of maintaining an up-to-date database of the addresses and phone numbers of all regular participants, and also of tracking attendance and overall demographic information for participants. Also in charge of distributing and collecting participant surveys twice a year.
   
   Guest Artist Coordinator (proposed):
   The guest artist identifies, recruits and schedules guest artist to attend and perform at the talent showcases and acquaints them with program expectations.

3. Coaches

   Coaching Captain (proposed):
   The coaching captain is in charge of recruiting, training and mentoring performing arts coaches.
   
   Coaches (current):
   Vocals Lead Coach, Drums Apprentice Coach, Adult Guitar Lead Coach
   
   Coaches (proposed):
   Pitch Assistant (helps performers work on pitch by leading unison scale singing), Lyrics Assistant (drills performers on lyrics), Rhythm Assistant (helps performers with rhythm by leading clapping exercises), Harmony Assistant (helps teach harmony singing), Warmup Assistant (leads vocal warmups), Dance & Choreography Coach (helps performers add steps to their performances), Costuming Coach (helps performers develop a “look�), Performance Coach (helps performer developing a compelling performance style), Poetry Coach, Storytelling Coach, Theater Coach, Songwriting Coach, Youth Guitar Coach, Keyboards Coach, Sheetmusic Assistant (responsible for making copies of music, making sure songbooks are available, and for obtaining lyrics online).
   
   Students:
   Since students are not paying for their lessons, they need to make a commitment to their own performance education by attending lessons regularly, rehearsing consistently at home and by taking the coach's suggestions seriously and conscientiously. At their first session, each student should create a written list of goals for himself or herself as a performer. One copy should be taken home and one copy kept by the coach. It should be updated often, and should structure the coaching sessions he or she participates in. Students are also responsible for taking care of any materials they are given, and for bringing them to each session. Lost materials will not be replaced.
   
   Childcare Captains:
   The childcare captains take care of children under the age of seven during rehearsals and performances so that their parents can concentrate on the event. They should work with the children so that they can present a group song or dance at the end of each session. They are also responsible for guiding the children to clean up completely after themselves.
   
   Policy: Any child under the age of twelve must have a parent or guardian in the building at all times. When children are in the play area, two adults should be with them at all times, and the door should not be closed. Children should not be disciplined by the childcare captains. In cases of serious behavioral issues, the child should be removed from the group and returned to his or her parent.
   
   (Coaching Policy......)

4. Events

   Hosting Captain:
   The hosting captain is responsible for selecting and training the hosts (masters of ceremonies), chaplain and judges; for keeping track of who has performed those roles in the past; and for making any announcements not made by the host, including the list of acknowledgments. The hosting captain should rehearse the list of names and acts with the host before the show, particularly in the case of younger hosts.
   
   Policy: Hosts should be chosen in rotation, so that everyone who wants to host may get a chance. Preference should be given to younger participants, regular audience members who do not perform, and new participants who may not yet feel comfortable with performing. For chaplain, preference should be given to older participants and regular audience members who do not perform, but not new participants. For judge, three people should be chosen. One should be the guest artist if there is one, or else an expert or highly skilled performer. One should be a regular audience member and/or performer, and one should be a new participant (these are just guidelines –they do not need to be followed rigidly).
   
   Hosts:
   The host chooses the order of the acts, introduces the performers, encourages applause, and fills time between acts or when there are technical issues. The host should be lively and enthusiastic. However, the host is not an act and should not take time away from the performers. The host should be encouraged to speak loudly and into the mic, to be enthusiastic about all performers, to add an element of showmanship to introductions, to be prompt to the mic when acts finish, and to select the next performer ahead of time . The host should announce all acts from the stage, but be seated and quiet between acts. If the host is also a performer, he or she should perform last, and be announced by the hosting captain.
   
   Judges:
   Judges should always begin with praise for something done well, and all criticism should be constructive. At the same time, the role of the judge is to help the performer work towards a higher standard. Awards Policy: We do not offer cash awards or trophies, either for participation or for competition success. We are promoting the concept that participation (in the arts in general, and in the program in particular) is its own reward, again towards the goal of self-sufficiency and personal empowerment.
   
   Chaplain:
   The chaplain delivers a prayer at the beginning of the show. The prayer should be brief, and should mention the performers, the audience, and any sick or absent participants. The prayer helps set the tone and atmosphere for the performance, and pays respect to the fact that we are an outreach mission hosted in a church. However, we should also keep in mind that this is a secular event, and that we want people of all faiths (or none) to feel comfortable and welcome.
   
   Performers:
   Performers should be on time, and must sign up prior to the start of the show. Performers should only perform once except if there are five performers or fewer, and should keep performances brief. Performers should stay for the whole show if possible.
   
   Selections Policy: We welcome music and entertainment of all genres and kinds. However, we ask that all selections be appropriate for an all ages audience, and thus that, as much as possible, they avoid curse words, crude sexuality, and glorifications of substance abuse or violence. We are not here to censor art. We recognize, however, that all things are not equally appropriate on all occasions. We are trying to build a kinder, more positive, more life-affirming culture, and the art we promote should reflect that.
   
   Rehearsal Policy: Regular participants should pick a piece to perform at or before their first rehearsal session. They should practice it thorough the week to master lyrics and the basic sound, and perform it at the Open Mic session. They should then continue to rehearse it for the next two weeks, adding choreography and other performance enhancements if possible, leading up to the final performance at the Talent Showcase. Anyone who wants to perform regularly at the open mic needs to commit to putting in the time and effort to rehearse.
   
   House Musicians:
   House musicians are available to assist performers as requested, Positions include drums, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass, keyboard, and background vocals. Policy: House musicians must be certified by the performance coaches as maintaining an acceptable standard of performance. House musicians should only play when they are requested. When not performing, house musicians should sit in the audience. House musicians need to rehearse with the performer prior to the performance.
   
   Guest Artists:
   Professional performing artists attending by special invitation. They typically attend during Talent Showcase week and can double as judges. As time allows, they perform twice at the start of the show and once again at the end. Guest artists inspire regular participants and encourage them to reach a higher standard, and expose audience members to a professional caliber of performance.
   
   Audience:
   The audience is expected to arrive on time, to sit in the center front of the seating area, to turn off all cell phones, pagers and video games, to remain seated and quiet during performances or announcements, to give full and respectful attention to each act, to applaud each act, and to never boo or taunt any performer. The audience should not sing along unless invited by the performer. These expectations should be explained to the audience at the start of each show by either the hosting captain or by the host. An attentive audience is an essential part of a live performance experience. All audience regulations are designed to create the best possible experience for both the audience and the performers. All audience members must make choices. If they wish to be part of the Open Mic, they need to give each performer their full and quiet attention. If they prefer to socialize, they should do so outside of the Open Mic environment.
   
   Equipment Captain:
   The equipment captain is in charge of making sure all the equipment is taken care of, set up properly and put away in the right place. She or he is also in charge of recruiting, training and monitoring a setup and a cleanup crew.
   
   Setup Crew / Cleanup Crew:
   The setup crew is in charge of assisting the Equipment Captain and Set Designer in setting up all equipment and arranging chairs and/or other physical elements. The cleanup crew is responsible for returning all equipment to its proper places, for cleaning up after any refreshments, for returning chairs to their places, for vacuuming floors, if needed, and in general for restoring the sanctuary to the condition it was before the session. All able-bodied persons, including children should participate in setup and cleanup crew to the best of their abilities. A large part of what we want people to learn through the Open Mic is how to take responsibility for their own experience. Helping caretake the space and the equipment to a high standard is empowering and valuable.
   
   Set Designer:
   The set designer is in charge of the physical environment during sessions. He or she arranges chairs, screens and the performance space to create the best possible experience. The performance space plays a large role in the overall experience. In general, the audience should be concentrated as close to the stage as possible, and extra chairs should be avoided. When the audience is spread out over a wide range of empty chairs, it dissipates the performance energy.
   
   Hospitality Captain:
   The hospitality manager is in charge of recruiting and training greeters, and arranging and managing refreshments if there are any.
   
   Refreshments Policy: Refreshments, including coffee, should be served before the show begins or after the show ends, and should be made inaccessible during the show. Our policy is to not serve coffee to children under the age of 16.
   
   Greeters:
   The greeters’ role is to make everyone feel welcome, to perform introductions, to sign up acts, and to encourage people to sit near the stage.
   
   Policy: The goal is to provide a balance between being as welcoming as possible and maintaining a safe environment conducive to performance. People of all ages and descriptions are welcome. Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Those who are intoxicated, violent or disruptive may be asked to return only when sober and ready to be a respectful part of the community. Those who are a danger to themselves and others, or who have a record of offenses involving children can be asked to not attend events at the discretion of the leadership team. In any case where someone needs to be asked to leave, he or she should be spoken to only by the senior leader present at the time. A diverse welcoming community is a strong community. We want to be as inclusive as possible. At the same time, we want to promote an ethic of personal responsibility that includes a high level of behavioral standards. Finally, as a youth oriented program we need to be respectful of our own responsibilities towards the safety of the children in our program, and take appropriate steps to maintain that. We do not disc rim ate against people on the basis of age, gender, sexuality, religion, race, appearance, past history of addiction or past criminal record (if not related to offences against children).
   
   Videographer:
   Responsible for securing video releases from all performers, for taking care of the video equipment, for training video assistants, and for shooting footage of performances.
   
   Policy: We record all and only the people who want to be recorded. We record the performers, not the audience. Where possible, we record entire performances. We try to move the camera as little as possible. We are polite and unobtrusive while recording. Videos are a low budget way of gaining visibility in the larger world. In addition, they offer performers a chance to evaluate themselves and also the empowering sense that they too can be producers of entertainment and not merely consumers.
   
   Video Assistants:
   Responsible for assisting the videographer and filling in as needed.

5. Auxiliary

   Publicity Designer:
   Responsible for designing flyers and postcards and having them printed or duplicated. The hard work of our performers deserves a substantive audience.
   
   Press Captain:
   Releases press releases to local media, arranges interviews and articles.
   
   Outreach Captain:
   Finds and announces outside performance opportunities for our participants, such as festivals, other open mics, contests and so forth.
   
   Internet Captain:
   Maintains the blog, posts events to local message boards, and uploads videos to YouTube as available. Part of our mission is to affect the wider world with our art.
   
   Callers:
   Keep in touch with participants via telephone.
   
   Video Producer:
   Responsible for editing the video footage into internet-ready videos.
   
   Policy: We try to present all performers in their best possible light. Where possible, we present performances at full length. Performances that are too lengthy, have technical issues or performance errors, or that do not present the performer at his or her best will be can be edited into short clips and combined to create a snapshot of a particular week’s event.
   
   Neighborhood Captain:
   In charge of assembling a team to do doorknocking, and to leave doorhangers for special events.
   
   Neighborhood Crew:
   Does personal neighborhood outreach. Nothing replaces personal contact, and we want to make sure we always keep a close connection with our local community.
   
   Transportation Captain:
   In charge of securing and arranging transportation for participants.
   
   Transportation Crew:
   Members of the transportation crew are responsible for transporting participants to and from sessions.
   
   Policy: Transportation must be requested ahead of time. No child should be transported separately from their parent or guardian. All passengers travel at their own risk. All passengers must wear seatbelts. No vehicle will be filled beyond capacity. Any passenger who is regularly transported a significant distance should help with gasoline costs if able.
   
   Recording Engineer:
   Responsible for recording performances, both live and in a “studio” setting.
   
   Policy: When doing studio recordings we strive for a professional product, suitable for release.