This is an interesting conversation and I hope it continues.

However, just to be clear, our series is not 'open mike'. We book five sets for the evening- three before goodies intermission and two after.

We try to place performers strategically for the optimum, i.e. the new/weakest one is usually #2 in the lineup, and the known crowd pleaser usually goes last, in order to hold the crowd. Generally speaking, it works.