There’s nothing more satisfying than the feeling you get when your studio is thriving! When the hallways are buzzing and the classes are full, you feel such pride in having grown your business to a successful place. But it’s not all sunshine and daisies, of course. Success can also mean growing pains in every facet of your business—especially at recital time.
As your studio gains families and dancers, you will inevitably need to decide how to present your recital in the best way possible, which may mean adding shows as you grow. The single 90-minute performance that worked well five years ago might no longer be a reasonable option if you’ve doubled your student count since then. While there’s no magic enrollment number that equals two shows (or three or four!) there are certain factors you can consider in your planning process.
Here are the four factors to consider when deciding whether to add another show for your recital:
- Your enrollment vs. the number of seats at your venue. Take a look at your current student count and compare it to the number of seats available for you to sell. If each student brought two guests, would you fill all the seats? What about three or four guests each?
My takeaway when it comes to available seats is that you a) want your customers to invite as many guests as they want, and b) you don’t want to risk selling out of tickets. Turning people away not only feels bad for a studio owner, it’s just not great for business (I’ve been there and wouldn’t want to go back!).
- The total length of time for a show. If your recital is over two hours (including intermission), it’s time to consider adding another show. If Disney can’t keep our attention for more than two hours in a movie, then we probably can’t keep an audience’s attention for longer than that either.
To forecast what this year’s recital length would be like, look at the number of routines your recital has and how long each routine is estimated to last. Total up that amount of time and add in a minimum of 30 seconds per routine as a buffer, plus the time you allow for intermission, announcements, or any other presentations. That should give you an accurate approximation of how long your show would be.
An ideal number will be under 120 minutes. We’ve gone to as many as six shows in the past and then cut back to five shows to try to make things easier on the staff. But the shows got too long, so guess what? Back to six shows we go in 2019.
- Backstage organization. Think about your venue’s backstage area: are your students feeling cramped in their dressing rooms? Do they have to wait long stretches of time before they dance on stage? A yes to either question might be a sign that it’s time to branch out to an additional show.
Ask your staff and volunteers what it’s like backstage from their perspective. Sometimes all the organization in the world won’t help if there is simply not enough space.
- Customer feedback. If you haven’t already done so, survey your customers about their previous recital experience at your studio. Ask questions like:
- Were you able to get the tickets you needed?
- Was the ticketing process painless or panicked? Was the length of the show too short, too long, or just right?
- Did your child have a good experience backstage?
These answers will be useful for you to evaluate as you are making recital decisions, and they may nudge you toward adding another show if the feedback tells you that it was hard to get tickets or the show felt too long. Understanding the recital from your customers’ points of view will be helpful, so offer the survey with an open mind and a willingness to make changes.
As you make recital plans and decide how many shows to present, look at these four factors as your guide to the best path forward. Most studio owners I know are always in pursuit of a perfect recital plan so the day can run smoothly and customers are pleased with the experience. While perfect may not be practical, I do believe excellence is always within reach!
In the comments below, tell us how you plan to proceed with recital this year, or what you are thinking about doing differently. You can also connect with me on social media @mistylown to continue the discussion of recital shows. In the meantime, I’ll be cheering for you as you plan for the big show!
