Don’t Feed The Ducks Tour
I feel truly grateful that I can tour and perform my comedy given the global challenges ATM.
I am currently halfway through a regional NT/SA tour and about to start shows at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. So far I’ve performed ‘Don’t Feed The Ducks’ to over 500 people and as a self-managed act I’m going to say I’m pretty proud of myself.
Thought I’d do a little blog with a couple of tips for other artists, particularly self-managed NT acts, who want to tour their work. Hope it helps.
You’ve got to put in some time. Organising a tour and promoting shows is a time consuming thing. A lot of us have other jobs alongside our art, so it’s really essential we give ourselves time to work on these endeavours. If you’re going to put in money you want to give yourself the best chance of doing well and that requires time.
Marketing is super important. If you’re going to invest any time/money in skills development or employing someone to help I absolutely recommend it in marketing/publicity. Getting the word out there about your show means bums on seats, it also helps venues invest in you. If you can show a venue you understand how to promote your show they’ll be more likely to book you.
Build a community. I am so grateful to all the people who support me and share my events and invite friends to see my shows. These people are the heart and soul of my touring and without them I wouldn’t have as successful a show. Invest in the community and the people who support your art and they’ll return the favour 10 fold.
Set expectations and be kind to yourself. Touring and putting on shows is hard, and it can be exhausting. Make time to look after yourself and be kind when things don’t go to plan- remember it’s not heart surgery it’s not the end of the world. It’s also important to have some realistic expectations - if it’s your first tour you might not get 100s of people to shows, that’s ok, these things build with time. Maybe start with smaller venues and build up.
Be grateful. Oh my goodness we are so lucky. Especially in the NT. We can actually do shows and have audiences. What a damn privilege. Keep that in mind and every show you do will be fun.
If you ever want assistance, mentoring or support with touring, especially in the NT please reach out. Happy to be part of your team.
