Nutty's - the process!
Having delivered literally thousands of children’s parties over the last 17 years, one of the joys of what we do is getting to know our Nutty’s ‘regulars’ - you know who you are and we are very lucky to have you. There is one family in north London that I (James) have done FIVE parties for! And another south London family who, having got to know through various parties and holiday clubs, even came to support me on my recent panto job in Sussex.
But it struck me recently that, although these good people have booked many a Nutty’s experience, perhaps they - and you - don’t have much insight into the day to day running of the company and everything that happens prior to us knocking on your front door with a suitcase full of costumes, treasure maps, sweets and other innocuous items that will (hopefully) make children laugh (my endless array of odd socks always seem to be a winner).
Booking
So let’s start at the beginning. We (the entertainers) regularly keep Danny in the loop regarding our availability for the coming months. For example, I have a theatre tour through the spring which will take me out of a number of Saturdays so I will have been marked down as ’n/a’ (not available) over these dates. Next, once Danny has received an enquiry he will pencil in an entertainer. He’ll ping this over in a WhatsApp message and we pop it in the diary. If the pencil becomes a confirmed job, he will swiftly let us know and then the commitment is locked in. Finally, once Danny has all of the details (time, place, theme, number of children attending etc), he will send it all over to us in a ‘jobs email’. So that’s the basic admin of booking the jobs.
Rehearsals
Rehearsals?! We hear you ask. Yes, indeed! If an entertainer has not been rehearsed into a particular theme, we schedule a rehearsal to explore the characters, beats and blocking etc. This is all part of what it takes to deliver a professional, top quality children’s party! A rehearsal typically lasts for 45-60 minutes and takes place at Danny’s house (AKA Nutty’s Towers) in West Norwood.
Party Prep
So, we’ve got a confirmed booking and we’ve been rehearsed into the theme. Now we have to make sure that we have everything we need for the party. Sweets? Check! (I bulk buy from Aldi and keep a huge stash of them in a large drawer at home). Costume and maps? Each entertainer has their own collection of the more regular themes and we often pass round some of the less commonly used costumes between us. Nutty’s flyers and stickers? Boy do we get through a good number of these! Again, each entertainer has their own stash and will raid Danny for more when we are running low. Bluetooth speaker for music? Check! (for the love of god do not forget to charge it!!!).
All of this is packed into my suitcase at least two days before my first party of the weekend - it saves the last minute stress. Having worked for Nutty’s for eight years now, my party suitcase has been dragged, pulled, pushed, carried and hauled hundreds of miles across London Town. Every couple of years, the wheels wear out and I have to buy a new one. I’m on at least suitcase number four!
Check In
Check in happens any time during the week before 6pm on Thursday. This is a chance for the entertainer to ring the client and run through all of the details as well ironing out any other queries they or we may have. It is also a good time to outline the basic structure of the party, find out a little bit more about the birthday child and to put in couple of requests that help to make the entertainer’s job a little easier (pleeeease no loose balloons!!).
The Thursday check in is also a good time to plan a travel route to the party venue. I use public transport and Citymapper is my friend.
On The Day
All the usual things apply for when you have to be somewhere: double check you’ve got everything, set off in plenty of time and aim to arrive 20-30 minutes before a party. When we arrive at the venue or house, the idea is to enter, hide the sweets and get changed all without the birthday child seeing us. It’s never easy. Then we do the party bit.
Afterwards…
Well, we’re all usually pretty exhausted for a start. We quickly message Danny just to let him no how it has all gone and then either head off to do another party or head home - sometimes via the pub!
So there it is - a rough outline of how the Nutty’s booking and party process works. After 17 years, it is now a well oiled machine which we are all proud to play a part in. My current party count over the last eight years is approaching 275 - that’s A LOT of adventures, sweets and party games.
Here’s to eight years more!
