The Compere

Te Ao Hou, September 1963, Page 12

The Compere This is a most important person. He (or she) is the link between performers and audience, having the duty of explaining and interpreting the items to non-Maori speaking members of the audience, even though they may be in a minority. He must be a person with a good, clearly audible voice, fluent expression and a good stage presence. Often it is an advantage if the compere is not a performing member of the group, but this is not essential. The compere is there to do a job and he should get on with it. The compere who tells “funny” jokes (usually about “Hories”) and who tries to be a star in his own right can ruin a whole performance. Each item should be introduced with a concise description of the type of item, its significance and some idea of what the words mean. It is best if the compere can do without a public address system, but if there is any danger that ONE person in the audience will be unable to hear then it is essential that some means of amplification be used. One warning: do not touch the microphone or the stand while speaking.