In a movie, you may have seen the manager of a rock band talk about their “rider” as they negotiate with a venue. We’ve heard about them before, but what is a rider?
A rider is your answer to numerous phone calls, confusions, and trial-and-error. It is a document you send to the venue that specifies all your show needs. It may include your lighting plot (or layout), production schedule, stage size requirements, promotional specifications, catering needs, etc. It will only be as complex as your performance is on a technical level. My illusion show rider is around 23 pages, but contains full specifications with a lighting cue list to sound settings. For a show as complex as an illusion show, everything should be covered.
As you create your rider, put yourself in the producer’s shoes. Do not burden them with unnecessary requests. While it may be nice to have a dinner for the show crew and their families, this request may be too much for the venue to handle. You want to earn the reputation of being easy to work with.
We all know that in the illusion world if a single light is out of focus, then an entire illusion is given away. Because magic is such a meticulous art, you need to make sure you’re covered. Handle everything in your show rider.
Sammy
