Dear Toni,

I produce a very successful revue called, "Broadway Tonight," that performs all over the world. The show consists of four to twelve performers and is a potpourri of all the Broadway Showstoppers and is a smash wherever they perform.

My dilemma is that there are so many venues that I have yet to reach such as Theatres, Conventions and many other venues. My time is so limited being that I also manage a couple of other acts, as well. Just the phone calls, mailings of promo material are more than a full time job for one person. I need an assistant desperately.

My vision is so great and getting this vision to where I want it to be is very difficult. I cannot afford to hire help. I did try hiring someone on a commission basis, but that did not work out. I need a very strong, knowledgeable salesperson that knows this end of the industry, knows how to pitch a show and get the account!

Any advice would be welcomed.
Mara Chapel

Dear Mara,

You sound so industrious and hard working that I feel tired.  As a performer there is nothing so difficult as creating the show, costumes, newspaper-publicity, press kits, casting and performing the show while calling and booking the clubs and venues.  Creating all of this and adding the bookkeeping, daily survival while still keeping the “show going”.  This sounds almost as hard as building the hospital where you are going to have your baby.

”Stand-In please!”

 And Mara, this is exactly what you are doing.  I get a mental picture of you with a kitchen muff on one of your hands with the oven door open and a roast cooking.  You have a phone cradled under your ear while writing with your one free hand a future date for this show on a calendar magnetically stuck to your refrigerator, just like a genuine 2005 Norman Rockwell painting.  I would start advertising for an assistant just like the stars do. You could put an ad in Variety.  Perhaps another way to think about this is to get a manager who would take a bigger piece of the pie but do a lot more of the day-to-day work and free up time for you to just calm down and enjoy the pure thrill of performing.  I would also suggest dropping all other acts you are managing. It sounds like you are multi tasking way too much. Please let us know when and where you and the troupe are performing next.

Thank you for taking the time to write.
Toni Attell

Toni Attell is a hypnotherapist and acting coach. For people interested in her acting classes please call (818) 787-8685. For hypnotherapy go to www.hypnosis4you.net