Granted, busking in San Francisco is crazy difficult. People have a such a "don't talk to me, don't look at me," shield which they put up in this city. Once you break through that sheild, it's all good, so long as your show is under ten minutes. Those two factors (short attention span and difficult crowd building) are what makes these streets so tough. You are constantly struggling to gather a crowd. Once you do, you run through the show, have some great laughs, meet people, pass the hat, and then BAM, you're back gathering a brand new crowd.
I like longer street shows. Twenty minutes has always felt perfect to me, so having to cram everything into seven minutes (including the crowd gather) is hectic. Back in Sactown, I could get away with that length of a show. But here in SF, I feel people are so excited to see all that the wharf has to offer that they are very hesitant to commit much time to a street performer. Ironically, I feel there's not much to do at the wharf BESIDES watching street performers. You'll see more stuff, learn and laugh more for far less watching street performers than a trip to Hooters, the Aquarium, and the Sea Lions.
That's actually one of my problems with the Wharft at SF: everything is so in your face. Give us money! BUY THIS! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS NOW, but first pay. It's exhausting. Obviously this is why everyone puts up the "don't mess with me" shield I'm talking about. But still, there should be more stuff to do which doesn't require the committment of money up front. Street Theatre is great for that reason; you see the show, and then desided how much to pay. People don't get that. They just think "If I stop, I have to pay this kid."
Cagigal is talking about doing a documentary on Street Theatre in SF, and I really hopes he pursues this. I'm such a big fan of the art, and you will definately see me on the streets in the coming season.
BTW, I totally forgot about the sunburn that comes with this type of work...:-(
-Ryan
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