Shenanigans in Atlanta

[Joe M. Turner]

Last night I premiered my one-man show, Shenanigans, at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. I did two performances - 7pm and 9pm - and the hotel was pleased. I expect to have a monthly schedule for now, and perhaps it will become more frequent as time rolls on. With good promo ( such as this small piece in Creative Loafing - reporter got it mostly right), it is quite possible that the project can expand.

This was more of a club act than a theatrical show or a parlor show. I had envisioned more of a parlor show but I had to accommodate some changes from the hotel. We ended up putting a small stage in their restaurant and having people sit at tables with drinks, coffee, desserts available prior to showtime.

Just thought some of you would be interested. I'll be adjusting my web site to have a spot listing upcoming performances.

JMT

[Eric Rose]

Congratulations!

It's nice to have some good news....


e

[Guest]

Fabulous, Joe! Congratulations! It's good to have Shenanigans in Atlanta offering a real magic experience in a classy atmosphere! Post your schedule, I'd love to attend. --Mitch Dutton

[Steve Hook]

Congrats, Joe!

[Matthew Field]

Joe -- Great going! I hope you can carry on with the idea.

At Pete says, "Break a thread!"

Matt Field

[MaxNY]

I like the name!

[Joe M. Turner]

Next show: December 29, 8pm.

[Joe M. Turner]

Next show is this Thursday, Jan 26, 8pm. Interesting trivia: former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell bought 3 tix this afternoon.

Thank you, Lance Pierce, for putting Earl South in touch with me. He and his wife will also attend on Thursday.

For this month, we are back in my original choice of room; a beautiful library with fireplace, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, grand piano, etc. If we can keep this room, I have some ideas for magic that involves me playing that piano.

February 23 is the date for next month.

Best,
JMT

[Joe M. Turner]

Treating this thread as a mini-blog...

The February show was last night, and it was my best yet in terms of performance strength. Customer reviews continue to be positive. I am told by my PR consultant that two local publications want to do articles on the show, and "Good Day Atlanta" has now expressed some interest in doing a spot.

I am in love with the room. It is a parlor show, with me on the same level as the audience, but the audience is seated at small cocktail tables so as to have a place to set a drink or dessert. I can accommodate between 50 and 60 in this room using this configuration, and can switch to theatre-style seating should sales require. (From this board to God's ears...)

Dates for March & April to be set asap...

JMT

[Guest]

We ended up skipping March due to schedules -- I was already booked on all the dates that the room could have been available to me, so we had to push to April. The April show was last night and we will have two shows in May.

Last night was strong and well received. I made one change of an item in the show and will probably keep the new piece in. I like introducing a couple of the effects by sharing just a little bit of information about magical history -- mentioning magicians the audience has never heard of, describing something about their influence, and then performing a routine related to them in some way. There were several magicians in attendance, but they sat in the back part of the room and let the laypeople sit up front.

One of the things that has worked well has been to supply a couple of promo tickets to area restaurants in exchange for gift certificates. They can gift their prize patrons with tickets to a unique show, and I get some excellent gifts to present to a couple of my volunteers during the show.

I expect May to sell very well. An upscale magazine in Buckhead did an interview recently and will do a 1500 word piece with photos in the upcoming edition. The Atlanta Business Chronicle is doing an insert called "Living in Atlanta" and on the back page, they do a feature of a prominent Atlantan's interests. The May insert will feature former Atlanta mayor Sam Massell, who mentioned the show as one of the things he recently enjoyed seeing in Buckhead. They called me up and asked for a photo, so that will be a good media hit.

Bit by bit, putting it together...

JMT

[Pete Biro]

Buckhead... isn't that near where the Tom Foolery was located? If so, nice area. ;)

[Guest]

Buckhead is the trendy part of town... sort of Beverly Hills meets bohemia. Lots of bars and nightclubs, artsy places, salons, great hotels, and shopping for every taste from grunge to Nordstroms.

The Tomfoolery was in Buckhead in a little strip mall where one of the great old diners in Atlanta is located, "The White House." I never got to visit the Tomfoolery but have enjoyed the videos and think wistfully about the place whenever I have a White House luncheon to attend...

JMT

[Guest]

Continuing the blog...

The Atlanta Business Chronicle is a weekly business newspaper, but they also publish special inserts every so often -- books of lists (top firms by industry, etc.), special magazines, and other similar supplements.

The Spring 2006 insert is a magazine called "Living in Atlanta," a 70-page glossy publication featuring Atlanta people, businesses, trends, and events.

In the current issue, the very last page features former Atlanta mayor Sam Massell in an interview about his favorite places to go and things to do in Atlanta. For photos, the magazine chose to picture Mr. Massell along with pictures of two of his favorite activities: Atlanta Braves games at Turner Field, and Joe M. Turner's "Shenanigans" at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta.

Scan here:
http://www.joemturner.com/press/abc_lia_05052006.jpg

[Guest]

Congrats Joe. And good luck. Carl

[Danny Archer]

One of the things that has worked well has been to supply a couple of promo tickets to area restaurants in exchange for gift certificates. They can gift their prize patrons with tickets to a unique show, and I get some excellent gifts to present to a couple of my volunteers during the show.


JMT [/QB]

Great idea Joe ... I have been doing a monthly two man show in Denver for over 6 months and I know the trials and tribulations you are facing ... keep up the great work!

[Guest]

Last night was the July show. We took June off due to my travel and will probably do the same in August.

It was impossible to predict attendance for this one. Events all over town are struggling to compete with summer vacations and so forth. (I have a singer friend who does a two-person cabaret singing act with another lady, and they have had to cancel two weekends this summer due to low ticket sales.) We had very low numbers until this week, when interest seemed to shoot up quite a bit. After fearing that we'd have to do a show with ten people, we ended up with about 25 on the final guest list. Then as people arrived -- almost late -- they explained that some kind of traffic disturbance had created almost complete gridlock throughout Buckhead. I held curtain for just a few minutes. Two more groups came in after I began. As it finally turned out, we had sixteen actually in the audience, lower than desired but higher than our original expectation.

I used my new iCue2 and had a great initial run with it in this venue. I had used it in one performance elsewhere earlier in the week, and the only miscue was a user error moment. I like it quite a bit.

I'm continuing the cross-promotional marketing ideas. In addition to restaurant gift certificates, I was contacted by a local promotion firm pumping up a a couple of pre-screenings of _The Illusionist_. I gave out free passes to the screenings and they will have my brochures and flyers about the show at the screenings themselves.

I would like to be able to report that the momentum is growing consistently, but it's not -- especially since my show dates are inconsistent. It's not easy working into the open dates that the hotel has and then trying to publicize it. This seems to be an uphill battle. But those that come to the show do leave enthusiastic about it. I may need to consider marketing the show with a "part of the fun is finding it" twist.

Keep on truckin...

JMT

[NCMarsh]

Joe,

I know you really like the room, and from what little I know of Atlanta Buckhead seems like the right area for you to be in.

If the hotel's having the room booked for other events is part of the reason for the erratic schedule -- it may be worth noting that most theatres are dark on Monday nights. Given that, it could be easier to have a regularly scheduled show on Monday nights at a theater...there are certainly many cons, but I thought I would throw it out as a thought.

Best Wishes,

Nathan.

[Guest]

Having worked in theatre, I am familiar with dark Monday nights. That said, I am perhaps too much in love with the atmosphere of this room. The show I do would not be as effective from a stage, in my opinion.

I do appreciate your thought, though. I have considered taking the show as a one-nighter to some small community theatres and basic blackboxes so that there isn't any real gap between me and the audience. But as for a permanent home in Atlanta, my real desire is that it grows enough of a following to get the hotel to buy into it.

I am also working on alternatives with the hotel; that is, if my primo room is booked, could I always have a backup room ready? There are other rooms which, though lacking the same atmosphere, are still quite nice (as they would be, given the hotel I'm in).

Lastly, one benefit to me of being "at their mercy" with regard to their schedule is that it gives me all the flexibility in the world with regard to my own schedule, precluding me from having to turn down a truly profitable engagement elsewhere. Obviously if I move to a permanent, predictable schedule, then I instantly become unavailable on some dates, which is of course the gamble one makes when producing a show like this.

I have learned a lot throughout this experience and it continues to be an education!

JMT

[Guest]

Interesting development... a community theatre in the Jackson, MS area (not far from where I grew up) has booked me in for two nights as a fundraiser. So, Shenanigans is going on the road.

I already know some folks are coming from as far away as Memphis to see it. So if you live along the I-55 corridor (New Orleans-Jackson-Memphis) and are looking for something to do February 16-17, perhaps this will be of interest.
Click here for more information.

[Dustin Stinett]

That's wonderful Joe!

Break a leg!

Dustin

[Jeff Eline]

Congrats!

[Guest]

As they say in Spamalot -- "I'm not dead yet."

Shenanigans returns to the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead tonight at 8pm. We have a capacity crowd on hand; I am likely to be forced to switch to theatre-style seating for this performance rather than the showroom/cocktail tables arrangement we have usually employed.

An investor from a restaurant in Alpharetta (a wealthy northern suburb of Atlanta) has seen me perform several times in the past at other venues and has asked me to consider putting on the show in their upstairs room/bar. We are doing a pilot test in that location on May 24.

If you have friends or colleagues in the Atlanta area, perhaps you could give them a little tip about the show on May 24. They will need to call me directly for reservations for that show, but they can read reviews of the show here:
https://www.zerve.com/joemturner/shnangns/rating

Thanks,
JMT

[Guest]

Atta boy! :)

[NCMarsh]

Joe,

Major congratulations!

Best,

N.

[Guest]

I think this is terrific and benefits the other working pros in the area by showing that good magic can be good entertainment.

Congratulations Joe.