[filk] Re: Orycon

On 13 Nov 2001, at 12:03, A. Prather wrote:

> I will be happy with any solution you can think of which
> reply
> 1. Is fair
> 2. Rewards appropriate behavior
> 3. Gets everyone out of having to start later than 2200 hours.
>
> It is not fair to give certain performers longer sets. It is not fair
> to schedule anyone later than 2200 hours. And it is not fair to
> penalize people who show up by not giving them what they explicitly
> requested.

As I see it, this last sentence is the critical point. If the person responsible for scheduling does not pay attention to performers' preferences, then absolutely nothing will help much. If that person DOES heed those preferences, then there are a great many workable options.

(This of course presupposes that the performers communicate their desires to the scheduler in a proper and timely manner.)

Since no solution will work if the scheduler treats the performers callously, let me assume that the scheduler will treat them as well as the constraints of the schedule permit.

I would disagree with one of Anne's statements. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving certain performers longer sets than others - on a reasonable and semi-verifiable basis, of course.

replyAnne, Cat & Callie, Cecilia & her guy, the Knight Music crew collectively, and a number of others are firmly established in the filk community as consistent quality performers and reliable people. If one of them wants an hour concert and is willing to make a commitment to that, then a serious effort should be made to accommodate the request. I bet that any two people who've been actively in filking in the area for two years would agree on over 3/4 of these people.

Or maybe one of them wants to take it easy, and only asks for a twenty-minute slot...

Then there are people like, well, me. If I were to get an urge to drive the audience - um - I mean - do a filk concert, considering that I've never done one before, I'd think that giving me (& other lessestablished  performers) a twenty-minute slot should be sufficient, and a nice way of easing scheduling constraints.

(Having a twenty-minute slot, rather than an hour, for a newbie who really shouldn't be on stage, is merciful to both the performer and the audience.)

Once the schedule is published, the major performers' gigs should not be moved simply because a minor performer doesn't show.

Neither should the minor performers' slots be moved much. But at twenty minutes each (and held strictly to that max), they can be scheduled to a specific hour, and any no-shows dealt with IN that hour:

• Build a list of alternate performers. This list will consist of (a) people who asked for a slot - in good time - but didn't get one because there wasn't room in the schedule; (b) people who signed up late; (c) people who want a second slot (including major performers); (d) people with a history of no-shows - the worse the rep, the lower they go on the list.
• If one of the scheduled performers doesn't show at the beginning of the hour, blot the jerk's escutcheon and see who's present and interested off the list of alternate performers. I've never been to a filk concert that didn't have at least three filkers I recognised in the audience. If two or more are available & willing, take whichever one is first on the list (and cross off whomever you take).

(A no-show who gives decent advance notice or proffers an acceptable excuse, skip the blotting. After all, sometimes "life" is a four-letter word.)

That way, people who do things right get treated as well as the reality of scheduling permits: a scheduled gig if possible, or first grab at any vacancies that may arise. Those who have scheduled gigs know for sure when their slot is, and don't have to worry about it being moved due to someone else not showing up. Those who don't, have multiple possibilities of a fill-in slot, some of which may be more convenient for their schedules than others. Received on 11/13/01