Applications closed – for info only

Apply now to join our SPARK! team in 2023.

Spark! is a high-tech extravaganza of amazing drumming, stunning costumes, dynamic choreography and – LIGHT! Lots of light!

To join us you will:

• have excellent rhythmic skills. You will probably be a drummer or percussionist. But you may be a dancer with great rhythm, a beat-boxer or a precision juggler. We’re open minded but some rhythmic skills are essential.
• be a comfortable mover! There is a lot of choreography in the show and you need to move well.
• be energetic and hard-working. This is a very physically intensive show with lots of movement and big drums.
• be based in north east England. Within one hour travelling distance to North Shields for rehearsals.
• be up for adventure and flexible in your availability. We’ve lots of shows booked for 2023 and beyond at some amazing events, with more coming in daily.
• enjoy travel and meeting people. We travel A LOT! (over 40 countries and every part of the UK too). In the last year we’ve performed at the World Cup Finals in Qatar; F1 in Azerbaijan and had a couple of great sunny trips to the Maldives. In the next few weeks we’ll at Spain, Hungary and a couple of weeks in Oman to that list. You’ll see some amazing places, eat wild and wonderful food (and hang out in lots of airports at 4am)
• be professional and reliable. Your word is your bond!
• be a team player. We will spend a lot of time together at shows and on the road so a good attitude is a must

The qualities above are as important to us as experience. Whatever your experience, think about applying. We all got started doing this when someone gave us our first break. This could be yours!

You’ll get to do some amazing shows in some amazing places and we always try to cram in some sightseeing and fun too as this random gallery of our experiences from the last few years shows.

So how much will you earn?

Performances:

Performance fees average £225 per day.

The performers who were available for the most shows in Spark! earned around £21,000 in 2022. This was part time – about 95 days work. Some of this was very intense work (like 30 days in Dubai) whilst in other periods there were not any shows for 2-3 weeks.  Some performers choose to just do UK shows or work on other projects (bands, dance companies etc) at some times of the year. In addition performers received the majority of their meals (some belters!) or per diems (additional food allowances) for most time away. If you blend Spark! with some other flexible work or other projects (as all our other performers do) then it can be very rewarding in every sense!

Your income will depend upon a number of factors such as:

• How much work you are available for – those who are most available and flexible obviously do the most shows
• How many performers we need for a particular show. We need between 5 and 10 per show depending on the booking.
• Your skills and how hard you work – if you put the effort in and learn more than one part in the show, you will get offered more shows.

Initial rehearsals:

Initial rehearsals will be 12-15 days spread over late-July to mid-September.

We’ll try to make them fit around existing commitments new performers have. It is likely to be 2-3 days rehearsal per week. Ensure you have at least 20 free week days (or work you could re-arrange) between mid-July and mid-September so we can have some flexibility scheduling in the rehearsals. (If, for example, you’re away all of August, this is unlikely to work for you)

Rehearsals will be paid at £120 per day (equivalent to £600 per week). This will be paid in two parts: 50% at the end of each week’s rehearsals, and the final 50% after you have done your first eight show days with Spark!

How to apply? [applications closed]

1) Find out about Spark! and whether it’s for you:

Check out our website at www.worldbeatersmusic.com to see images and video from the show

Instagram is full of great images of us around the world – https://www.instagram.com/worldbeatersmusic – Can you imagine yourself being there?

We’re also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/worldbeatersmusic where we post from some shows.

Fran, one of our performers who has just left us after nearly a decade with Spark!, kept a beautifully-written occasional blog on some of the more wild and wonderful places we go. Find out what it’s like outside of the shows: https://longhaullumiere.wordpress.com

2) Check you can make the audition day.

We will be holding an audition day in North Shields on Thursday 15th June 2023 – 9.30am – 4.30pm

You must be available for this day. If you’re not free, then we can’t consider you this time.

If invited to audition, you will work for one full day with some of the existing Spark! team. You will learn two pieces of music and some choreography that goes with them. We’ll have a go performing in the dark with the drums illuminated (ooh!). We’ll get to know you a little; we’ll tell you more about the show (including the financial side). We’ll go as far as to say it will be fun!

3) Make a one-minute video of yourself stepping and clapping this simple pattern

Once you’ve learned it, prop up your phone or get a mate to film you stepping and clapping the complete pattern four times. It’s what Ashling and Mark do in the final part of the video. Your finished video will be round about one minute long.

Give it everything in the video – first impressions count! Pay attention to how sharp Ashling and Mark make their turns in the video; how their chin is up and face is “engaged”; how their head is controlled and not rolling about. Note also the tempo they go at. Many videos we are sent have people looking down at their shoes, not giving an energetic “performance”, looking around bored half-way through or not even clapping the right pattern! Needless to say, they don’t get an audition, so don’t be that person.

It is meant to be quick and rough, but we need to be able to see you from head to feet clapping the rhythm & stepping in time. And do say “hi” at the beginning of it too 🙂

Upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox or another shareable video service and include the link to it in your application. (If using YouTube mark it as “unlisted” [not public or private] so we can see it but the rest of the world can’t – instructions here if you’re not sure – https://goo.gl/rJC66T)

4)Applications closed

Apply by 5pm on Monday 12th June 2023. No applications will be accepted after this time. However we will be assessing applications on a rolling basis as they come in and may be able to give you a decision on whether you will audition sooner than the deadline, so get it in a ASAP.

We’ll let you know either way by 10pm on Monday 12th June whether we’ll be inviting you to audition on Thursday 15th.

We know there was a lot of info there. Send any questions to spark@worldbeatersmusic.com or ask us on Instagram or Facebook – it may be useful to others.

Apply now and good luck!