Minstrel Booking
A pretty good month for the Minstrel. Average paid attendance of 92.0 for the regular shows (Up from 80.5 for Sept '11.). And 94.5 for the past 12 months (up from 81.6 from previous 12 months). We are $2340 in the black for the past 12 months, but $51 in the red for the month of September. A negative in the P&L for a month with a relatively good attendance indicates that the $7.00 door price may not be sustainable with the increased rent. We'll keep an eye on things for a few more months to confirm, but chances are we will need to raise the door to $8.00. I'm not too concerned that it will affect our attendance greatly. But I am concerned that it will affect the creel. There's a big psychological gap between 7 and 8, where 7 is close to 5, but 8 is close to 10. People will be less likely to drop a ten dollar bill in the creel when they have already paid "close to" $10 at the door.
Mark Schaffer and I have come to the conclusion that the After-Show Gatherings have not been achieving their stated goal of drawing more people into the Folk Project's musical community. The participants in the after-show music have been for the most part the usual suspects. And the few newcomers who have taken part have shown no proclivity to come back or to come to Evenings of Music. We're going to try it again after the Past Presidents' Concert, and then make a final evaluation.
New bookings this month:
· December 7: The Chorus Song Night has been booked with Stuart Markus (of Gathering Time), Big Jeff DeSmedt, Katie Weiss, and myself.
· March 1: Dulcimer wizard Butch Ross, with Mandeville & Richards opening
· March 15: The Folk Goddesses, a female harmony trio.
· March 22: Silk City (featuring Barry Mitterhoff) with Just Left Town (bluegrass / swing trio featuring Frank Sole) opening.
· March 29: Jacob Johnson (the guitar virtuoso who opened for Bill Staines this month) with local bluegrass group Blue Jersey opening.
I am starting to look for a suitable opener immediately after confirming the booking of a feature act, rather than waiting for several months.
Highlight for October: Finest Kind on the 26th: spectacular harmony trio.
Mike Agranoff
Program Chairman
The Minstrel
Morristown, NJ USA