Could you be the next host of Blue Badge Bunch??!
Call Out – Game Show Host (Disabled/Neurodiverse + Female/Non-Binary)
Location: Any
Closes: 16th June 2023
Blue Badge Bunch is an interactive, disabled led game show for all ages funded by Arts Council England. The project has been running for three years, and in that time has toured the UK twice, had a successful run at the Pleasance Courtyard at the Edinburgh Fringe, appeared at Vault Festival and many other prestigious theatres and festivals across the UK, as well as at schools and community groups, receiving critical acclaim for its disabled representation, educational value and innovative, fun games.
The format is a game show containing 4 or 5 games, where each game represents a different disability – drawing with your feet, making lunch one handed while being prodded, sensory overload while following instructions or guessing the symbol sentences from an AAC device. The host presents each game from a ready made presentation on a screen, introduces the two panellists and gets the audience involved in the games. We are looking for someone who can follow a script but is at ease making jokes, ad libbing and interacting with the audience.
Blue Badge Bunch is aimed at ages 5+, but we attract a wide range of ages and audiences for our shows and workshops, from families, young children and teenagers to state schools, private schools and SEN schools, as well as adults, staff teams and teachers.
This role would suit a professional or semi-professional comedian, actor, workshop leader, teacher or children’s performer with some experience of performance and/or working with children. However, we will consider applications from people who have little or no experience, if we feel that they will learn quickly and that they are a good fit for the show.
Our preference when choosing the successful candidate will be for a physically disabled or neurodiverse, female or non binary host, with some experience of performing (in any genre), who lives in a different region to our current host (East Midlands) and is a driver. But we welcome applications from anyone.
The new host would share tour dates with our current host, on an ad hoc and case by case basis. Eg. The producer books a date in a location for three months’ time, and offers it out to both hosts to see who is available, or nearest to the location, helping us fulfil our commitments to reducing our carbon footprint, diversifying our team and offering opportunities to disabled artists.
Auditions Saturday 24th June
Location: Nottingham or via Zoom
How to apply:
Send a video of yourself and tell us –
Who you are
Why raising awareness of disability is important to you
What experience you have as a performer and/or working with children
Something interesting or unusual about yourself
Why you think you are the best choice to be the new host of Blue Badge Bunch
Optional (but we’d love to see!) –
Include a video of yourself doing one of the following tasks:
- Buttering a slice of bread one handed
- Doing an obstacle course
- Drawing something with your feet holding the pen
The funnier the better!
(Please keep videos to 3 or 4 minutes max and please upload to YouTube and send a link).
If you would rather apply with a CV and cover letter, that’s fine too.
Please send applications to bluebadgebunch@gmail.com
What we offer:
£150 minimum fee per tour date plus expenses (with tour dates going on indefinitely into 2024 and beyond)
£250 for 2 dates performing at the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 (dates negotiable)
2 Nights accommodation at the Edinburgh Fringe in a central location
£120 per day for rehearsal dates (likely to be 1-2 days initially)
Ongoing training and support from a Director and Producer
Option to lead paid Blue Badge Bunch workshops
Person Specification
Essential
Available for Blue Badge Bunch dates at weekends and school holidays. (Usually daytime shows, with some evening shows offered).
Experience with disability and a strong desire to campaign for equality for disabled people.
Ability to work with a team of performers, producers and marketing professionals.
Able to work remotely to receive and reply to email correspondence from the team.
Desirable
Available for Blue Badge Bunch dates all year round. (Usually daytime shows, with some evening shows offered).
Previous experience as a performer for a minimum of 3 years.
And/Or Previous experience working with children for a minimum of 3 years.
Previous experience performing for up to 150 people.
Previous experience performing at arts/comedy/fringe festivals.
Proven ability to improvise.
Proven ability to work a crowd and control an audience.
Experience with digital presentations.
Ability to write new jokes for the show.
Ability to contribute to the development of the show with suggestions and ideas.
Access
We are committed to making this role accessible to all.
If you have any access needs or any comments about the accessibility of this role, please include these in your application and send to bluebadgebunch@gmail.com