Performer
A source of mirth and entertainment, the performer seeks to delight their audience with song, dance, and even magic on occasion.
Career
Qualifications
To perform, one must be able to sing, dance, or act.
Social skills such as knowing how to read and engage with a crowd are also important traits and can make an astounding difference in the coin one can earn.
Basic literacy is also encouraged, both so that a performer can memorize their lines or lyrics from the page as well as read any agreements before commiting to them with their signature.
Career Progression
Most aspiring performers start out entertaining either on the street or in taverns. If they manage to establish themselves along with a following, a tavern may agree to have them as regular entertainment.
The truly talented and fortunate may find themselves one day scouted and signed onto a theatre company and reach broader audiences.
Payment & Reimbursement
Unless part of a theatre company or troupe, performers will often raise funds by passing the hat around what crowd they succeeded in drawing.
Professional performers, while gaining greater notariaty within an established company, often dont receive terribly much in monetary payment. This is justified as companies and troupes will often supply their performers with housing, meals, etc., thus balancing the compensation.
Other Benefits
A successful performer can usually expect a degree of reputation and regard at least locally. This is especially true for professional performers as stars of popular shows will rarely need introduction at social events.
As mentioned above, professional performers are also often given certain perks on behalf of their company in the form of housing, meals, or clothing.
Perception
Purpose
Performers are just that, artists of expression and entertainment for the masses.
Social Status
Varies.
You typical bard playing a set of songs in the local tavern may be seen as a familiar face amongst the community and one they don't mind tossing a coin to, but rarely does the respect go much more beyond that for a performer alone.
A professional performer, conversely, can gain considerable reknown through the right roles and company.
Despite however much success or fame one might build, though, there are many who will forever see performers as simply that: the entertainment and all that may imply.
Performers who incorporate magic into their shows also often face the brunt of derision from mages in the fields of academia and combat alike.
Operations
Workplace
Performers go where the crowds either are or will be. It does not matter if the venue is a street corner in the middle of the market or a packed opera house, the performer will entertain those who will watch.
Provided Services
Entertainment is a given, of course.
It is rumored, however, that some use performers to act as an extra set of eyes and ears at events. Social events are rife with gossip and boasting. Who is to say if a given perfomer might be listening just a bit closer to the man whose arm she's on than most might think?
Dangers & Hazards
There are the fairly run of the mill dangers such as injuries occured through fumbling a difficult dance step or a mistake made duing the choreography of a scene on stage.
Many of the true dangers are found off the stage. There is unfortunately no shortage of those who look down on performers no matter how talented or acclaimed they may be. In those eyes, they will always simply be the entertainment. Some take this view to a malicious extent, particularly with younger performers.
Thankfully, these sorts of hazards are mitigated by performers staying within the public sections of events where others can see and members of their company can assist if needed
Type
Entertainment
Demand
Middle - Luxury
Legality
Legal
Famous in the Field
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