Meet Sheree Zielke
I have over 40 years in the entertainment business. I have seen many acts from those just starting out to those into their twilight years. I have heard all the patter, seen most of the routines, and critiqued many performers in my job as a director of our special events company.
I have little tolerance for hackneyed schtick, but I love a twist on the tried and true. I just watched a video with Eddie Redmayne performing with a dinosaur of a magic trick: a Magic Coloring Book. Refreshing and fun.
Coaching Options
Now why did he do that?
I shook my head in bewilderment while watching a veteran mentalist performing a popular mind-reading effect. He was confident as he spoke, but his instructions and some of his actions struck me as illogical. The problem with his routine was blazingly evident, and it would have taken a very small change in his patter to correct. So why hadn’t he done so?
Did he not realize his oversight? Or worse, did he know and not care?
I will give this performer the benefit of the doubt; I will believe that he simply was unaware of his mistake. And that’s too bad. It will not take a genius to figure out the hole in his show.
Most solo performers go it alone, with nobody really questioning their routines, or forcing them to see possible issues through the eyes of another. Practicing a routine in front of mirror, in front of a group of family members is a weak form of preparation: the mirror doesn’t question and the family members won’t be candid. If a polished, professional show is the goal, then solo performers should steel their egos and lay out their show in front of a person who will be brutally honest.
Solo entertainers need an editor, someone who knows the business, someone with a trained eye and ear enabling them to catch inconsistencies or hackneyed routines, and in some cases, sheer nonsense.
Sometimes, a fix is small, a tweak in patter, a change in action, an upgrade in costume. But sometimes, a fix is very involved happening over a long period of time. And once done, the show will shine.
Do you have the courage to present your routine to a knowledgeable third party knowing you will be criticized? Will you have the stamina and fortitude to make changes and to stick by those changes instead of sliding back into bad habits? Then you are on the road to entertainment greatness.
Find a mentor, a coach, an agent, a fellow artist, someone willing to invest time in you, watch your show, and who will provide you with critical feedback on all elements of your act: your patter, the freshness of your routines, your attitude toward volunteers or toward your audience as a whole, your choice of dress or costume, mannerisms, vocalizations, delivery of lines, patronization, egoism, bad habits.
If you don’t have such a person, perhaps I can be of assistance.
I shook my head in bewilderment while watching a veteran mentalist performing a popular mind-reading effect. He was confident as he spoke, but his instructions and some of his actions struck me as illogical. The problem with his routine was blazingly evident, and it would have taken a very small change in his patter to correct. So why hadn’t he done so?
Did he not realize his oversight? Or worse, did he know and not care?
I will give this performer the benefit of the doubt; I will believe that he simply was unaware of his mistake. And that’s too bad. It will not take a genius to figure out the hole in his show.
Most solo performers go it alone, with nobody really questioning their routines, or forcing them to see possible issues through the eyes of another. Practicing a routine in front of mirror, in front of a group of family members is a weak form of preparation: the mirror doesn’t question and the family members won’t be candid. If a polished, professional show is the goal, then solo performers should steel their egos and lay out their show in front of a person who will be brutally honest.
Solo entertainers need an editor, someone who knows the business, someone with a trained eye and ear enabling them to catch inconsistencies or hackneyed routines, and in some cases, sheer nonsense.
Sometimes, a fix is small, a tweak in patter, a change in action, an upgrade in costume. But sometimes, a fix is very involved happening over a long period of time. And once done, the show will shine.
Do you have the courage to present your routine to a knowledgeable third party knowing you will be criticized? Will you have the stamina and fortitude to make changes and to stick by those changes instead of sliding back into bad habits? Then you are on the road to entertainment greatness.
Find a mentor, a coach, an agent, a fellow artist, someone willing to invest time in you, watch your show, and who will provide you with critical feedback on all elements of your act: your patter, the freshness of your routines, your attitude toward volunteers or toward your audience as a whole, your choice of dress or costume, mannerisms, vocalizations, delivery of lines, patronization, egoism, bad habits.
If you don’t have such a person, perhaps I can be of assistance.
Your Investment
I offer consultation services either as a single appointment ($100/session) or a set ($225.00/3 sessions).
I am so sure about my ability to critique and refine your act, that if I see an act that needs no improvement whatsoever, I will refund the entertainers money. In its entirety.
If you would like to have Sheree as your coach, fill out a Coach Request form and you're on your way!
I am so sure about my ability to critique and refine your act, that if I see an act that needs no improvement whatsoever, I will refund the entertainers money. In its entirety.
If you would like to have Sheree as your coach, fill out a Coach Request form and you're on your way!