Me and Alberto are trying to make the sign up process fairer to everyone.
We’re abandoning ”first to arrive gets to sign up first” and
we’re abandoning taking names out of the hat.
Sign up will be from 8pm until start of the 2nd round.
The host will take EVERYBODY’s name and your preference for what round
you’d want.
Then just before the start of the 1st round he’ll draw up a list based
on 2 principles:
1. Fairness.
2. Making a good show.
Fairness means if you didn’t get to read last week, or your leaving
forever tomorrow, we’ll give you priority this week. If you got a crappy
spot last week (audience not drunk yet, everyone had left, you had to go
after Troy…) we’ll try to rectify that this week. Generally most people
prefer round 2 but we can’t put everyone in it everyweek. If there is some
bizarre reason why you have to go on at a particular time, let us know.
Please note fairness is a goal that we will strive for but the host will be
(1) human and (2) possibly drinking, so you will have to settle for the
closest to the ideal of fairness that we can get.
Our other principle, ”Making a good show,” means that the host tries to
mix things up, not have all the long prose pieces together or all the songs,
or all the French stuff. Puts some snappy fast slam stuff after a long
prose piece. That kind of thing.

Just before the 2nd round starts the host will draw up a list for the 2nd
round and also should have a pretty good idea for the 3rd by then too,
possibly even a finalised list. Sign up closes.

If there is no way you can be at the Chat Noir between 8pm and the start of
the 2nd round, (because you have a kid, your job keeps you late, etc) let us
know.

1st and 2nd rounds we’re limited by the heat. We can only get through 8,
sometimes 9 people then we need a break. 3rd round can go longer – till
midnight – if the host feels the energy is there and the audience are not
simply remaining out of politeness. (!!) And it’s not too hot.

We think this is gonna be fairer and make for the best show possible. Let us
know what you think. Will you miss the hat?

Cheers all, David