Scheduling, Fee, and Set-up Information
Storyteller Sharon Kirk Clifton
Telephone: 812-346-7930
Location: North Vernon, Indiana 47265-6565
Fee Information
BASIC FEES are based upon audience size and number of sessions. Clients who return the signed contract with the Reservation Deposit on time (due 28 days after confirmation of date with the Storyteller) and who pay the balance on or before the last show or workshop described in the contract will receive a 15% discount on the Basic Fee, as a courtesy for prompt payment. (See "What Do I Get for My Money?" below.)
EXPENSES include the following:
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TRAVEL COSTS: round-trip transportation--if by auto, calculated at a "per mile" rate from and returning to North Vernon, Indiana, according to MapQuest.com yahoomaps.com. This varies according to fuel costs, but is fixed once the contract is signed and returned with the reservation deposit. If by air, travel expenses include round-trip airfare and car rental, unless client provides a chauffeur.
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LODGING (if needed): The Storyteller prefers to make her own arrangements. Lodging allowance is $99 per night. If the Storyteller agrees to allow the client to arrange and pay for lodging, the client representative arranges for lodging in a clean, smoke-free, first-floor or elevator-accessible room and makes payment arrangements with the lodging provider prior to the Storyteller's arrival, so that check-in is smooth and prompt. (The Storyteller will not stay in a Marriott hotel because of that family of inns' promotion of pornography. This includes Courtyard Inns and others.)
(The above fees are effective through December 31, 2008.)
A non-refundable reservation deposit of 25% of the "Total Fee" (Basic Fee plus expenses) will be due with the signed "Program Agreement" (within 28 days of the confirmation of the booking). The balance will be due on the day of the Storyteller's final program.
Sharon does up to 90 minutes of storytelling a day.
Of course, if the Storyteller can "block book" in an area, participating clients can share in expenses. (Block booking simply means that the Storyteller would have multiple clients in an area and in a specified window of time.)
Scheduling Information
Venues will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis. A specific date is not reserved for a client until that client has confirmed it with the Storyteller. Inquiries about fees and availability do not constitute a reservation. The 25-percent reservation deposit is due within 28 days of confirmation; if the Storyteller does not receive that deposit, the date is then open to other potential clients.
Sharon will send two copies of the contract, signed by her. Please read it carefully, sign both, and return one to Sharon, along with the reservation deposit (see above) and detailed directions to the venue.
Equipment/Material Needs
Unless she is telling in an intimate setting, such as in a small log cabin, on a porch, in a library event room, in a bookstore, or under a tree with a small group, Sharon requests a microphone, preferably a hand-held or lapel mic with a wind buffer. She also needs a straight chair, wooden rocking chair, or stool that is chair height, not bar height.
Please be sure that someone is at the site of performances to welcome Sharon, help her unload (and re-load following the performance), show her to the performance area and a warm-up/dressing area, and assist with a sound/lighting check.
Physical limitations require that the performance area, green room or dressing room, and restrooms be accessible, i.e., no steps. If your site cannot accommodate these requirements, Sharon will have to decline your invitation. She may be able to recommend another teller that would be suitable to your event.
What Should You Expect?
Sharon is an energetic, interactive, traditional teller. Her well-crafted tales snatch up audiences of all ages into the web of imagination. Years of experience, extensive research, theatrical training, respect for her audience, and passion for her art show through every story she tells.
No recording is permitted, unless prior agreement with Sharon has been made.
Client should announce or post notices that cell phones are to be turned off or set to vibrate.
"What Do I Get for My Money?"
This is a fair question.
When you hire Sharon, you're getting a professional storyteller who has nearly 40 years' experience (20 professionally, i.e., was paid to tell) telling for audiences of one person to two thousand in varied settings, including schools, libraries, festivals, churches, museums, corporate functions, conferences, hotels and B&Bs, private homes, under oak trees, in cow pastures, and on courthouse lawns.
When you hire Sharon, you're getting a master storyteller who is passionate about her work and who loves people, loves interacting with them and drawing them into a story, loves awakening the child inside the most sophisticated adults.
When you hire Sharon, you're getting a storyteller who has spent, and continues to spend, extensive hours researching and preparing for your performance. That preparation often includes shopping for just the right, authentic fabric, patterns, and accoutrements (especially for the historical programs). She sews her own period attire, making sure that all stitches seen by the public are hand-sewn. For educators Sharon offers, at no extra cost, teachers' guides based on Dr. Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Higher Order Thinking Skills, guides that Sharon prepared. (Sharon is a former classroom teacher, teaching English and reading and facilitating the gifted and talented program.)
The old adage says, "You get what you pay for." That's not necessarily true. Sometimes you get more.
Contact
812-346-7930
And let the telling begin!
