Street theatre is one of the oldest forms of performance there is. Buskers and performers have been entertaining audiences on street corners for thousands of years.

Some very successful acts have started off as street performers including stand up comedian Eddie Izzard, singer-song writer Jack Johnson, magicians Penn and Teller and the hugely successful Cirque Du Soleil. So if you are considering the life of a performer, street theatre could be a great way to get started and gain vital experience.

It’s important to be clear on the various types of street theatre performance. Busking, where the performer asks his or her audience for donations at the end of a show is the most commonly known type of street performance. Paid street theatre performance occurs when a shop, local council, event organiser or shopping centre employs one or more performers to entertain passers-by on the streets of their town or local area.

For the purpose of this article, I will discuss how to get into paid street theatre. The route into busking is dramatically different and basically involves hitting the streets and hoping people put money into your hat.

When we look at street theatre it’s worth paying attention to the meaning of the word theatre within this genre of performance. Some street performers are actually more like circus or comedy performers, they don’t play characters or tell stories, they perform skills and make people laugh. Other street acts are much more theatrical, having characters, plots and storylines in the classic sense of the word 'theatre'. Either way, the route into getting work is very similar and both can be done at the same time.

If you are keen to get into street theatre the first question to consider is do you have an act ready for the street? If so you can contact agents, shopping centres, local businesses and street theatre festivals to try and generate some work. Another opportunity is to keep an eye out for showcases. Lots of street theatre festivals and agents offer new performers the opportunity to showcase their work in front of potential bookers of their act. Be warned though, whichever way you do  it becoming a successful freelance performer is a long slow process but if you persist, you will get there.

If you don’t have an act that’s ready for the street, you will need to try and get work with an existing street theatre company. There are many of these companies throughout the UK and if you have a good look around on Google you will find plenty. Contact them and see if they are looking for any new performers. If you are enthusiastic, passionate and willing to work for little money until you prove yourself, there is a good chance of getting some work from them. Once again persistence is the key here, it’s a competitive field and hard work is vital if you want to succeed.

Performing on the street has a beauty and an honesty that is amazing to experience. Passers-by only stop to watch your show if you catch their attention. They only stay and watch if you do a good job of entertaining them. Rocking a crowd of people on a street corner is a fun and satisfying thing to do. The street will also teach you many vital skills that can be used in all forms of performance and entertaining should your career take a different path in the future.

For more information on how to become a freelance performer or entertainer you can visit my website – www.howtosellyouract.com

Good luck.