Interested in using the show FREE to raise funds for
charity?
Here's
How
About
Me
My name is Derek Blevins and I have
been involved (semi professional) in the entertainment industry in Northern
Ireland for over thirty years. I currently perform under the stage name of
Dickie Ray. Just four years ago I decided to turn professional and with this in
mind I began to work around the local club circuit as a one-man performer. At
the same time I decided to put together a show, which would be unique to the
industry. After over three years of research and planning I have come up with
the unique show I aimed for.
About
the show
The show is a tribute to the main stars of the Irish Showband era of the 1960s. That in itself is not unique but the fact that the show is performed exclusively by one man interacting with a computer and on screen footage is totally unique. I am unaware of anything similar anywhere in the world. The closest I have found is a show called "Dance hall queues and hucklebuck shoes" which has toured the Irish Theatres for a few years now to sell out crowds. That show however has a cast of around 10 to 15 people...not to mention the road crew and would be an expensive show to stage. This limits the show to Theatres only. My show on the other hand is a one man performance and needs just 3 stage crew. For this reason we are able to stage the show in much smaller venues such as town halls and parish halls. We can also play the theatres however as the on screen footage can be projected to cinema size if necessary to give a much bigger appearance where it's needed. Experience has also shown us that the show works just as well as a dance and is not restricted to a seated performance. This in turn opens doors to bars hotels and clubs. In short all we need is a stage, changing facilities and space to project and the venue is suitable to the show.
How
can we help your charity?
On seeing the success of the charity shows I realised that we could actually make our living helping charities and at the same time cut any risks to ourselves associated with the cost of staging a show. The idea of putting on a show for charity is not a new one. But in general there is a need to engage the services of a "celebrity" to entice the audience. Then there is the need for several local support acts and a band to provide the backing music for the evening. This generally costs in the region of £1,500 to £2,000 to stage a show not to mention the cost of hiring a venue. An audience of 200 people paying £10 per seat may just about break even and is often considered not worth the risk.
With my show however the financial risk is a very different story. The show needs no celebrities as the subject matter draws crowds. We need no support acts as the show stands up to the entire evenings performance. We need no backing bands as the computer provides that. We need just £400 to stage the show ( We may charge a little more for travel expenses depending on distance). However our use of on screen footage creates an outlet for television style advertising. The projection can run for a period of time before the show and during the interval. Local businesses therefore can be approached to cover the costs of the show and the hire of the venue, ticket printing etc. (Note there are venues which will hire free to charity). Business men are not being asked for a donation but actually being sold advertising. Their advertising at a charity event will in turn be good PR for the business concerned. Having covered the costs of the show the charity then only needs to sell tickets and the entire income from the tickets is profit for the charity. Now 200 people paying £10 per seat will raise £2,000 for the charity. Even a venture which flopped selling just 30 tickets at £5 each would still be £150 profit.
We believe we could perform a maximum of 4 shows per week throughout Ireland ( or with any Irish community outside Ireland where the showbands are remembered). At an average of £1,000 per show 4 nights per week over 48 weeks ( we will need the occasional break) equates to £192,000 per anum for the charity. There is likely to be a suitable venue in just about every village in Ireland should we resort to the local school.
How
can your charity help us?
As we move further afield with the show the chances of us getting our choice of venue and places to advertise correct begins to reduce. By working with members of your charity local people are able to choose the venue most appropriate to our target market ie over 50s. Local people know when is the best night of the week to draw crowds in their area. They know which businesses to approach to secure advertising. They may even manage to make a profit from the sale of advertising alone even before ticket sales. They actively sell tickets for the show reducing advertising costs to a minimum (We can supply all posters needed). They know what is a reasonable ticket price for their area. All ensuring a good size audience. In short everything is arranged at local level increasing the potential for a successful evening for everyone.
In closing we would of course work closely with any committee or organisation staging a show. Time permitting we would assist in any way we can with selling advertising helping select suitable venues or any area an organisation feels they need assistance. I say time permitting because if we are working four nights per week throughout Ireland and putting together 3 or 4 new adverts for every show we may not have a lot of time available. However this idea could be profitable for both ourselves and the charity and we would do all we can to insure it's success.
I look forward to working with you
Derek Blevins
PS I can provide references from Entertainment agencies as to the standard of the show and references from Charities who have staged the show.
PPS With this venture the show can be provisionally booked and the total costs ascertained and sponsored by the local businesses before anything is "cast in stone". All monies are also handled by the charity at all times. We are only paid when the event is complete. In this way there is no financial risk to the charity at all.
