What kind of performance will be effective? Street theatre generally takes place outside, where the wind and background noise can make it hard to be heard. Music can be a great inclusion to attract attention, but make sure that all music and voices are loud and clear. To gather a good crowd, emphasise the visual side of your performance with lots of movement, costumes and even simple props. If you are performing a skit or play, keep it short – like people’s attention spans.
Do I have to get permission?
Yes you do. If you plan to perform in a publicly owned space, e.g. a park, you must get permission from your local council. Some councils, particularly in big city areas, will ask you to purchase a busker’s licence (which is usually priced around five to ten dollars) and may request that you audition for them at a named place and time. You may have to display this licence while you are performing. In some states, those under fifteen will need the permission of a parent or guardian in order to perform. If you perform in a group, each member of the group will have to be licensed.
If you want to perform in a commercial area, e.g. a mall arcade, you need to get permission from the management of that commercial area. The same council licensing rules will probably apply.
What are the restrictions on what I am allowed to do in my performance?
Generally, your performance must not target or insult any person or group within the community. If you want to perform in protest of a particular group, you need to register as a social or political demonstration with the council, which is a different process.
Keep clear of businesses and houses, and only perform in your licensed area. There will probably be a time limit on your performance, which is commonly one hour, but this varies. You may not juggle or throw sharp objects, or make excessive amounts of noise that would be considered noise pollution by the police, e.g. using air horns to get attention.
You cannot sell any merchandise, with the exception of original music CDs, and you cannot harass people to take leaflets or make a donation. However, you can accept donations by putting out a hat or guitar case. If you want to donate that money to a particular cause or charity, you may have to register with the charity as an official collector.
Each council has slightly different requirements so it’s a good idea to check these details with the person you contact for permission. If you’re not sure if your act counts as a safety risk, some councils will offer to assess you in the audition.
Contacts:
Below are the contact details for councils in city areas. Most cities also have annual busking competitions - so for some fun and extra coverage of your issue, why not enter your performance?
This work is licenced under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs licence.
© 2008. First published on actnow.com.au
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