Talent Show Ideas and Tips

Oct 13, 2010
Lori Krein

Talent Shows for Fun and Fundraising - Lori Krein

Talent shows are held by schools and organizations because they are fun, involve the community, and give students a chance to show off the talents!

Talent shows can also be a great fundraiser through ticket sales, concessions, t-shirts and even a bake sale! But the most important part of a talent show is that the kids (and/or adults) have a chance to show off their performance skills.

Participating in a Talent Show

Gives students recognition for non-academic talents
Provides character-building lessons during try-outs, practice and performance
Allows middle and high school students to practice their staging, sound and lighting skills
Enables all involved to experience team building and cooperation
Provides an opportunity for parents to partner with performing arts teachers, administrators, and other parents

Organizing a Talent Show: The Basics

Gather a steering committee of students, parents, local business owners and teachers. The committee is responsible for overseeing the planning, promotion and implementation of the talent show.
Choose the date. Be careful not to pick dates around exams or school-wide testing! Reserve a space to hold the show, notify the administrators, and get yourself on the calendar.
Recruit non-performers to help. Keep a list of people who want to participate but not perform, along with their particular skills and interests.
Schedule auditions. Auditions encourage students to prepare their routine, and allow the organizer to screen for potential problems or inappropriate acts.

Talent Show Details

Backstage: Where will acts wait until it’s their turn?
Timing: Limit acts to 2 or 3 minutes.
Staging: What equipment is needed for each act, how will it get to where it needs to be?
Sound: Who will start/stop recorded music? Will live music be picked up by the audio system? Who’s responsible for sound checks?
Lights: What are lighting needs? Who’s responsible for lighting checks?
Timing: Decide who will keep track of time. Have a plan for what to do if an act goes over.
Food: How long is rehearsal? Will students and teachers need refreshments during rehearsal or during the show? Are concessions going to be sold during the show?
Supervision: Who will be in charge of making sure everyone is ready when it’s their turn?
Stage Fright: Do you have a plan if some of the kids get scared? (for younger kids, keeping a bag of "courage pellets" (candy) handy can help.
Tickets: Will patrons need tickets? Will they be sold ahead of time, or at the door, or both? Ticket prices?
Grand Finale: Will all performers be invited back up on stage?
Judging & prizes: If this is a competition, what is the process for scoring results and announcing winners?
Appreciation: Decide how the staff, parents and students that helped with the show will be recognized.
Set-up/Clean-up: Recruit volunteers to both set up and clean up the stage and auditorium.

Talent Show Fundraising Ideas

Sell T-shirts, food, glow bracelets, etc.
Sell advertising for the printed program and sponsor banners to be posted near the stage
Sell tickets – either at the door, or ahead of time
Sell flowers, ribbons, or other favors for the audience to give the performers
Record the performance and sell DVDs – a high school student, parent, or professional can record and edit the DVD
Create a photo-book and sell copies

Publicizing the Talent Show

Flyers. Hand out flyers to everyone you know. Include the date, time, location and types of performances.
Print and web. Ask your local newspaper, church, school newsletter and websites to run a free announcement. Include the day, time, and address.
Posters. Have kids help make colorful signs with the date, time, location. The more posters you put up on telephone poles, at school, and at nearby businesses, the better. If you have corporate sponsors, be sure to list them.
Word of mouth. Tell all your friends and their parents.

General Program Tips

Stagger the acts so all the singers, dancers and musicians are distributed throughout the show.
Recruit student to pepper jokes in-between acts to keep the audience engaged and give stage hands time to setup.
Find an outgoing student to announce the acts and thank them for their performance. This person can experiment with different costumes or hats.
Add one or two teacher acts to the show

Prepare for the Show

Many of the acts will require music. Create a digital master mix or CD with all of the songs in order, according to how they'll appear on the stage. Then create several more copies, in case you misplace the master.
Decorate the stage, set up the lights, check the sound system.
Run at least one dress and tech rehearsal. Everyone should go through their acts quickly and in the correct order, so that the stage hands know when they need to move a mike, plug in a spot or cue a CD.

Participant’s Guide

Performance ideas: singing, dancing, magic, comedy, dramatic monologue, juggling, yo-yo tricks, mime, gymnastics, reciting poetry or playing an instrument.
Practice in front of family and friends prior to the audition and the show. Ask for feedback! If you have trouble, modify your act so you feel more comfortable.
Go to the audition with a positive attitude. If you make it in, great! If you didn't, ask the judges for feedback so you know what to change next time!
Don’t want to be on stage? Sign up to help backstage, make the set, sell tickets, make posters and flyers, or serve refreshments.
Prepare: Select your clothes and make-up, then practice a few times in full costume.
Participate in all rehearsals.
Be professional: If you make a mistake during your performance, just keep going. Your audience is less likely to notice a mistake if you act like nothing happened.
Pace yourself: Make sure you move around the stage a bit, especially if you’re singing, and try to make eye contact with people in the audience.

Talent shows are a blast for the participants and the audience … enjoy!