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Actors are out there coming from varied experiences and having different reason to work for a charity. Generally it is all about the fun of acting in a haunt but, why they are no longer somewhere else is what you need to eliminate, like egos, over directive ness and such. People can work for free anywhere. Sometimes it is as simple as an excuse to meet others of a similar interest and being welcomed.
In Illinois it shouldn't be a problem finding actors. Even those previously working for nothing wages would work for free once the opportunity was presented as they enjoy it. If it is a charity, you will find many willing to put out in the name of charity as well.
Most people aren't able to give $50 or $100 when an envelope comes from the food bank or the local volunteer fire department. They have to pass on giving away their lunch money to help the united way at work. Hence a little consumer guilt? Being a monster is a way for even the unemployed to have a little diversion and be contributing in some way. There is a little unwritten thing in the head or spirit that if one puts out some positive support, some will come back. This might be total crap but there is something wrong with the human brain in this respect.
So, you really believe in your charity, the money everyone has made an effort to accumulate is indeed being spent on the good cause.
Our actors in this area have come from many sources.
1) Another charity haunt was a good experience but it is the same every year. The performances are expected to be such that does not really scare or entertain but, they did what they were told for the experience and did not find any reward.
2) A local resort had an event one night per year in a real mansion for some 400 property owners at no cost, just to give an event and perhaps give a tough time to the occasional pain in ass customers. They lost their location as it was redeveloped and so they moved in with us in the form of an acting troup and bought a night and brought all the 400 customers as well.
3)Volunteer fire department staff, friends, family and extended contacts there for fun. This reins out to EMS, police, constables and a wild inter twining of friends.
4)Younger kids looking for some acting out release in being part of all things horror
5)Young people who have traffic tickets to worse offenses that have been given community service hours to full fill can actually act in your haunt for hour credits instead of picking up trash or just sitting on a hard bench at the local constables office like detention, messing up the bathrooms for fun.
6)Theatrical types will participate as they are learning and becoming aware of peoples reactions. To them it is an opportunity again away from egos and politics or direction of others.
7) Over time several haunt owners sort of converge their resouces and talent flips back and forth with over flow of too man actors responding to positions available, the end result is growing a market demand for haunts in a region rather than competition.
8) As you become known as the guy with the hearse or what ever, you will find people you had no idea were driving 130 miles every night one way to the big city just for something to do with a car load of friends and now they can do the same 2 miles from home.
9)Friends and family of any of the above see the opportunity for even the disabled to come out and have fun being an actor. They have the time of their lives and those that brought them are greatful for the whole event and seeing them happy and not focusing on other issues.
When actors cost no more than a meal a night (hopefully provided by sponsors) and a provided costume, you can have one every 12 feet and beat a profit haunt with interaction that is limited in staff as it costs money. Our haunt rocks because it is not go down a 50 foot hall to where you see one person saying something in a big square room then another hall trip and one more actor in another large square room. This level of interactivity also means the haunt doesn't have to be 8,000 SF or 20,000 SF in an effort to conquer some level of suckyniess. Also the larger it is the harder it is to detail and theme properly.
Some people who will work for free see other predatory opportuntities you must watch out for and others are simply clinicaly insane. 49 out of 50 will be beautiful people you will get to know just how giving they are. All of a sudden you will have crashed the "everywhere you go are strangers" thing.
In Illinois it shouldn't be a problem finding actors. Even those previously working for nothing wages would work for free once the opportunity was presented as they enjoy it. If it is a charity, you will find many willing to put out in the name of charity as well.
Most people aren't able to give $50 or $100 when an envelope comes from the food bank or the local volunteer fire department. They have to pass on giving away their lunch money to help the united way at work. Hence a little consumer guilt? Being a monster is a way for even the unemployed to have a little diversion and be contributing in some way. There is a little unwritten thing in the head or spirit that if one puts out some positive support, some will come back. This might be total crap but there is something wrong with the human brain in this respect.
So, you really believe in your charity, the money everyone has made an effort to accumulate is indeed being spent on the good cause.
Our actors in this area have come from many sources.
1) Another charity haunt was a good experience but it is the same every year. The performances are expected to be such that does not really scare or entertain but, they did what they were told for the experience and did not find any reward.
2) A local resort had an event one night per year in a real mansion for some 400 property owners at no cost, just to give an event and perhaps give a tough time to the occasional pain in ass customers. They lost their location as it was redeveloped and so they moved in with us in the form of an acting troup and bought a night and brought all the 400 customers as well.
3)Volunteer fire department staff, friends, family and extended contacts there for fun. This reins out to EMS, police, constables and a wild inter twining of friends.
4)Younger kids looking for some acting out release in being part of all things horror
5)Young people who have traffic tickets to worse offenses that have been given community service hours to full fill can actually act in your haunt for hour credits instead of picking up trash or just sitting on a hard bench at the local constables office like detention, messing up the bathrooms for fun.
6)Theatrical types will participate as they are learning and becoming aware of peoples reactions. To them it is an opportunity again away from egos and politics or direction of others.
7) Over time several haunt owners sort of converge their resouces and talent flips back and forth with over flow of too man actors responding to positions available, the end result is growing a market demand for haunts in a region rather than competition.
8) As you become known as the guy with the hearse or what ever, you will find people you had no idea were driving 130 miles every night one way to the big city just for something to do with a car load of friends and now they can do the same 2 miles from home.
9)Friends and family of any of the above see the opportunity for even the disabled to come out and have fun being an actor. They have the time of their lives and those that brought them are greatful for the whole event and seeing them happy and not focusing on other issues.
When actors cost no more than a meal a night (hopefully provided by sponsors) and a provided costume, you can have one every 12 feet and beat a profit haunt with interaction that is limited in staff as it costs money. Our haunt rocks because it is not go down a 50 foot hall to where you see one person saying something in a big square room then another hall trip and one more actor in another large square room. This level of interactivity also means the haunt doesn't have to be 8,000 SF or 20,000 SF in an effort to conquer some level of suckyniess. Also the larger it is the harder it is to detail and theme properly.
Some people who will work for free see other predatory opportuntities you must watch out for and others are simply clinicaly insane. 49 out of 50 will be beautiful people you will get to know just how giving they are. All of a sudden you will have crashed the "everywhere you go are strangers" thing.
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