Haunt Owners! Who trains your actors?

[geoffgbeck]

If you own a haunt, I am sure you got into the business because you like halloween and enjoy having a venue where people come to get "scared". But, other than ticket sales and the fun feeling that the acting "family" has throughout the season, how do you know that the quality of your actors is truly the best it can be? Or, better yet, how can you turn your "good" acting crew into a "great" acting crew. Training is the key! You need someone who with years of experience to boost your actor's desire, skill, and continued dicipline towards the art of acting/makeup'character development. I ask this question because I bet that a lot of haunt owners don't really think about this or truly understand what this means both to the quality of their show or what an investment it is to their actors. You may have heard this before, but the true success of a company comes from the employees you hired, and not necessarily the product you sell. But, here is the "secret"-as a haunt owner your "real" product IS your actors! You need to treat your actors like a product! I mean this in the most respectful way. I am Geoff Beck-a midwest looking average kind of looking guy who looks like he may live next door to you, and maybe pick up your paper for you. But, as a product, I am a fierce, funny, finatical actor/makeup artist that will scare, terrify, and entertain huge amounts of customers. So, I am THE PRODUCT! Both as an actor you might have in your haunt, or as an acting/makeup professional that acts as a consultant for haunts. This is not a self-boosting promotional ad! Yes, I have a gig this year as the acting/makeup coordinator for Morgan Manor in WI, and have done acting/makeup seminars at over a dozen haunts accross the country. My point is to ask you-the haunt owner, "who trains your acotrs?" What IS the quality of your show? How much time, money, experience do you invest in your actors? Do you or some else train them on different acting styles? Do you do pre-season acting seminars? If yes, do you start like in august, or do you just wait until a week or two before the season starts, and then expect at least half of your actors-being completely new-to just pick up acting and makeup in a week or two and be "great", or even "good" enough to truly scare and entertain your customers (ie, your bread and butter), so you have an "awesome" show. Yes, there may be some "cynicism" in my tone here. I won't deny that, but you can't have realistic high expectations for your "product" (i.e., actors) unless you really make their development/talent a number one priority. After all, you won't have customers coming back year after year, unless you give them the best "product". TRAINING IS THE KEY! So, again, I ask you "who trains your actors?" Just some food for thought. Thanks for listening. Have a great season!

Geoff Beck
Acting/Makeup Coordinator
Morgan Manor, WI

[Lord Barnabus]

And here I thought I was going to answer a question to help out a fellow haunter. But then the further I got into that paragraph, I found out that I was looking at someone who wants me to hire him to train my actors. Why would I do that? I train my actors. My guests get scared. It seems to work fine. And I decided to post for the heck of it.

[SteveR]

fwiw

>> I ask you "who trains your actors?"

We use drama coaches.

[Jim Warfield]

When I first opened I did it the trully lazy , but effective way, I simply hired local old guys who all the women in town were already afraid of (for no real reason)
They were old, had strange limpy ways of walking, breathed heavilly, talked sometimes in their native tongue of "Jibberish".
The thing that always amazed me was that if any of those frightened women had their dreams invaded by the likes of these guys (to force themselves upon them), these guys were the most slow-moving, physically weak and helpless people in this town!
Maybe those slow-moving old fashioned monsters made the mental connection in these women's minds to making these guys seem scarey?

[geoffgbeck]

Training Acotrs

Just to set the record straight for Lord Barnabus who replied to my post. I was not intending this to be an ad for myself so a haunt owner can hire me as a makeup/acting coordinator. As I posted in my orignal thread, I already have that position this year at Morgan Manor. My point was to get haunt owners thinking about the type of training they invest in their acting crew, not to make them defensive. If a haunt owner trains their crew themself, then I would ask "how much time do they invest?" If the answer is one or two weeks before the season starts, then I would say "they're not qualified to train their own actors." Just because a lot of haunt owners may own or rent a piece of property, or may have a few dollars lying around doesn't make them the best person to turn their pop-out-scare actors into actual "performers." At the same time, I admit that just because I've been acting myself and training actors for more than a dozen years doesn't mean I can run my own haunt (not yet anyways). So, I ask haunt owners to check their ego at the door, and really focus on what is best for their actors. "They" should be your #1 priority, and they need seminars on acting styles (loud/violent, insanity, slow/stupid, interactive), makeup workshops and one-on-one instruction from your most experienced crew members (or maybe an outside consultant). You should either purchase training DVDs for your crew, or at least advise them how to get these training tools, so they will take it upon themselves to cultivate their skills. There are very informative books by Dick Smith, Tom Savini, and others that are also great resources for you actors to learn. You would be amazed at how much time young adults will spend on this strange art form to refine their skills. It becomes a matter of pride with them, and is also friendly competition. I suggest that if time and money allow, you should have acting/makeup seminars in August, or perhaps even in early summer, so you can give them "homework" assignments so they practice on their own. Time is money, so again, if you can get your actors to do a lot on their own, and then have a coordinator work with them throughout the season to keep them focused on their character developement, then you will "reep" the rewards of your investment. That is what your actors truly are, and they are the ones who make your haunt a REAL SHOW! Thanks for listening.

Geoff Beck
Acting/Makeup Coordinator
Morgan Manor, WI

[dr0zombie]

I think Geoff strikes an excellent point. Most haunt owners know they lack in costuming, actor preparation, and makeup. They talk about it but rarely seem to do things to resolve these issues. Most of the really great events have these areas well covered. If this is by the act of a single person or just a great group of actors, its still covered. With all the time, cash, and effort that has been put in the last decade into various pneumatic pop-up scares, "actors" is an area most haunts could use to think about. It seems many of us have forgotten that the great cheesy haunts of our youth, that hooked us all so well, were the result of great acting...

Actors really are the key between a building filled with incredible sets ..... and an incredible haunted house.....

- dr0zombie

[Empressnightshade]

If a haunt owner trains their crew themself, then I would ask "how much time do they invest?" If the answer is one or two weeks before the season starts, then I would say "they're not qualified to train their own actors."

Excuse me?
Geoff, I don't believe we've met, so when we do, I don't want to say something right now that might set us off on the wrong foot for later. But, Honey....I really feel you are rather off base right now for the simple fact that not all haunts are the same. We're not the perfect cookie cutter images of the haunt you described and want us to be. I know for sure my haunt's not. Many of us don't have the time and money that it takes to invest in the perfect show you feel we should give. Again, I know for sure my haunt doesn't. There are those, like us, who's actors are also the construction crew, the painters, the costumers, the makeup artists, the scene designers, the donation committee...in other words, we wear all hats. We're volunteer based, have a smaller crew and thus take on all positions necessary to put on our show.

Because not all haunts are created equal, here's another thought.....
Perhaps a haunt is built in such a way that a lot of "performing" isn't necessary or in the equation for their show. That fact doesn't make them a bad show by any means, but rather, a different one from what you described.

I give my actors two weeks of training only and contrary to what you say about not being "qualified to train" my own actors if I do so -- insert a LOUD buzzer here -- I most certainly am qualified. I have been a part of the theatre for over twenty-five years. I'm a three time nominated actress by Sacramento Area Regional Theatre Alliance (SARTA). If that's not enough, throw in my three time Gold Medals I won at the National Forensics Tournaments in college ( Forensics as in Public Speaking, not medicine ) Need more? I've been haunting in some compacity or another for over thirty years. Roll that all in a ball and you get me, a person qualified to successfully train her own actors.

I'm a different kind of Haunter, Geoff. And I like it that way. I refuse to be lumped in a category amongst others. I've found what works for me, my crew and my haunt and I'm sticking with it.

[geoffgbeck]

Actor Training

I am glad that this subject is hitting a nerve with some haunters. My mission here is again to get haunt owners who usually wait until the last minute to think about doing more with there training and earlier in the fall or even late summer like August or September. Some haunt owners may feel they are qualified and also have the desire to train their actors themselves. But, again I challenge anyone who says that two weeks is enough to train 30-60 actors and give them all the creative tools necessary (acting/makeup workshops, video demos, acting practice inside the haunt, costume demos, thrift store shopping, teeth making demos). A two week investment in a crew is not going to be as advantageous to a group of actors, as say 1-2 months. I know this is true because of my firsthand experience as a traveling actor/consultant who has seen how a lot of time and the lack of it has affected acting crews. The "proof is in the pudding" as they say, and again, the more time you (or someone else) spend with your actors training them, then the better, more well-rounded and confident they will become at the art and craft of acting and doing makeup. Thanks for listening.

Geoff Beck
Acting/Makeup Coordinator
Morgan Manor, WI

[Empressnightshade]

I am glad that this subject is hitting a nerve with some haunters.

Hit a nerve? Yeah, you could say that. I feel it takes a lot of nerve for someone to tell haunt owners what is good for their haunt and actors. "The proof is in the pudding" -- True! The proof is in those who faint and must be carried out and those who hit the emergency exits. It is also in the compliments we receive saying we're much more entertaining than the larger, more well-known haunts.

I guess what erks me the most is your attitude that comes across in your replies -- the "My way is the best way and if you aren't doing it my way, you're only doing a mediocre job" attitude. Thanks for your suggestions, Geoff....but, no thanks. As a haunt owner of an all volunteer crew that is less than 30, I'll continue as I have in the past. Good luck in preaching your message to others.

[Lord Barnabus]

Thank you Empress, you helped to point out quite a few points of concernment.

I may be new to the haunt industry, only having ran haunted houses for seven years, but I don't agree with everything that Geoff has said. I do take some offense to the claim that two weeks is not enough time to properly train my actors. At my haunt, I am the Lord of the House. I am in charge of every aspect of everything that happens here. I start desinging my floor plan right after Halloween, so that I am ready for the next year. I go out and purchase and scrounge stuff by myself. Anytime I go to a garage sale or flea market, or even drive by someones trash, I think to myself if there is anything I can make out of that thing. I purchase everything we need. I get one other guy to help me put up all the wall panels, props, lighting, EFX, animations, and everything else.

I design my own posters, coupons, flyers, VIP tickets, radio promo, TV commercials, get on the local news channel noon shows, print all my promo, take a crew of three to plaster promo around town and surrounding areas.

I hold Fright Team meetings up to two months before the haunt opens, so I can get all of my volunteers on the same page. We go over emergency procedures, house layout, what is expected of everyone, and more. I talk to each worker on an individual basis to get them going on what is expected of them. They get scripts for what part they are playing, to which I give them some coaching of what I would like them to do. These meetings happen once per week, and then we have actuall house training in their actual spots for two nights before the haunt opens. We have never had a problem with a shabby actor. They have always performed above and beyond my expectations. We also do surveys on our guests as they exit the haunt, so we can find out how they liked it, what their favorite room was, which actor they thought was the best, the kinds of things they would like to see us do next year.

So I do not believe we all need to train our actors so early. Some haunts do not have the time or money to do such training. We have an all volunteer crew, and most of them do not have the time to spend away from their jobs where they do get paid. And I know you are just going to reiterate your question again about how we truly need to put more into the training.

Whatever. I guess by your standards my crew can just suck. I don't have the money to pay for the extra training. And I sure don't have the time with all of my work (I do concert production, own a mobile disc jockey & karaoke service, bartend at a nightclub, and even work at a gas station to make a few extra bucks, plus my haunt).

[Lord Barnabus]

Oh and I forgot to mention, not all haunts have a crew of 30 to 60 as Geoff has suggested. I think that haunts that use that many actors, probably already have a way to train that many people. I would be so tickled if I could get a crew of 20 people. My haunt usually runs on a skeleton crew of 8-12 people at the most. A lot of the crew member double up and even triple up in areas of the haunt, meaning that a person running controls in the first room, will be an acor in the third scene, and end up being someone else in about the sixth room. And we have a few select people who can pull this off, without getting paid.

But I guess I should get that extra actor training since my actors have been proven like pudding to basicly not be as good as they should be.

My nerves are hit. I gotta go grab a Coors Light from the fridge.

[Tater]

Geoff Beck

I thought I would throw my 2 cents in here. As far as Haunt acting training goes i have never had any besides the class I took at MHC with Geoff Beck and Todd Poole teaching. I feel that all actors should be given a brief class on how to improv that way they feel alil more comfortable doing the job that you want them to do. Now the question is, Would you rather spend money on Actor Training or Props for your house? Both are really important in getting the effect you are looking for. I was also wondering if Geoff Beck Slices, Dices, and Juilannes fries.

[virgil]

My experience with Geoff Beck

Just to drop my 2 cents in here....for what it's worth.

Geoff did a actor's workshop at my "Night Sins" CD release party
and it was fabulous; IMHO.

[Tater]

Just to drop my 2 cents in here....for what it's worth.

Geoff did a actor's workshop at my "Night Sins" CD release party
and it was fabulous; IMHO.

Oh yeah geoff does great work..I've just gotta poke some fun at him its in my contract

[Empressnightshade]

The greatness of Geoff's work has not been the issue here -- it's the greatness of OURS that has been questioned.