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Margarette Special user Memphis area 956 Posts |
How many times has this happened....you ask for a volunteer, everyone raises their hand, you select one child, yet two stand up and start moving towards the magician! What to do? Do you tell one to sit, and bring the other up? I think that if you turn the 'extra' child away, the message you are giving could be..."You aren't good enough to help me." Whenever this has happened to me, even if it's holding one of the props I usually hold, I never turn a child away. This most recently happened to me on Monday. Most everyone knows that I lost half my magic show due to lost luggage, yet this one school really wanted me to come do a show for them...even after explaining about my lost luggage. I did something I don't recommend....putting together a completely new show over a weekend! I purchased, well put on my account until the airline settlement comes thru, several very quick to learn magic tricks. Well, during one routine, I needed two volunteers, yet three made their way to the stage. I did not sent the third child back to his seat. What he did was he held a prop that I normally held. It wasn't a big deal, but the look on his face....he could tell all his friends that he helped out the magician!! It wasn't a big deal, to me, that I had an extra assistant onstage.
One time I saw a magician say "you there in the striped shirt"....yet there were four kids in the general vicinity with striped shirts, and all four went up. He turned three of them away and sent them back to their seats. The devastated looks on their faces is one thing I never want to experience (but...I've got a striped shirt..why didn't he want ME?). It's not that difficult to find something for the extras to hold, and the rewards are definitely worth it! If you do cards, let the extra hold the box...or cards you might not use...let them hold silks, or just stand there as a back up to make sure the other one does it right(hey, companies do it all the time...they are called consultants)! Never turn a child away! You never know how it will brighten their day to be the "magician's assistant!" Margarette
The only stupid question is the one not asked.
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Adam V Special user 603 Posts |
You mean unless they're stinky right? Cause I don't want a stinky kid coming up and making my props smell bad. I knew this kid once who smelt so bad my eyes actually started watering when he came near me. Never turn a child away unless they're really really stinky.
Adam V - 9 out of 10 dentists recommend him.
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Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Good point, Margarette.
And it's a mistake I must admit I have made. It's so easy to include an extra youngster and it really costs you nothing! This is especially important today. Kids today are raised on a diet of computers, television,and DVDs. They rarely get to see a live performance of anything. You may be the one live performer some of them will ever see! Let's not make it a memorable occasion for the wrong reasons! |
ChrisZampese Veteran user Hamilton, NZ 341 Posts |
I have experienced this before, I got two extra helpers for a particular effect. I told the rest of the audience that this trick was extra special and that I needed to gaurd it from other magicians who might want to get their hands on it and then posted the extra helpers as security just in case. I had a couple of water guns, some dark glasses and a sherrifs outfit so I dressed them up like a sherrif and a CIA agent.
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are
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nappa Regular user new york 108 Posts |
LoL good idea chris not only make them come up on stage and seem cool to there friends now there cia agents with water guns to shoot there friends nice one
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Cheshire Cat Special user Wilmslow, UK 941 Posts |
Not so much the problem of the wrong kid getting up, but of course there may be another one attached on an invisible string! i.e. brother, sister or best friend and they are inseparable. I always have a few spare wands handy just in case. Yep, you may well be the first live performer a child sees. We can get through 10 or 12 parties a week (husband and wife working apart) - but we always work on the theory "you are only as good as the last one you did".
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tkuhns Regular user Kirksville, Missouri 134 Posts |
Wow, that's some excellent advice. That just happened to me in my last show -- luckily, I happened to need two volunteers for that trick, so I just let them both come up on stage and it didn't make a bit of difference.
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
I have made the mistake of turning a child away quite a few times. I also made the adjustment of including the additional child quite a few times. For example when I performed the Chair Suspension at times I included an extra person. I have the extra help me at removing the chair and board. I use two individuals for Misers Dream. At times I used three if there is an extra volunteer.
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Gerry Walkowski Inner circle 1450 Posts |
Mike,
Some of these threads your commenting on are over a decade old. I'm just saying. . . Gerry |
Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Though they are old, there is sometimes gold in them hills.
A wise friend of mine said if you don't forget the basics, you don't have to go back to them. You are already there with a firm foundation. From there, you can continue building. Side note, what is the largest number of kids you have used on stage? (not audience participation) Harris
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
Neznarf Inner circle NY then AZ now 1840 Posts |
Learned that the HARD WAY back in the day.
I turned a walk up kid away and they started crying. Magician from Hell the parents thought. I think. Anyway if I get a walk up kid I just give them a job even if it lessens the trick.
"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning how to dance in the rain."
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Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
It could be that pre-qualifying who you are talking about could help make these incidents less frequent.
The boy with the striped shirt there raise your hand. The fellow with the green shorts. Will the kid with the wiggling fingers there please stand up? I haven't tried this method but it could help. -Mary Mowder |
Mary Mowder Inner circle Sacramento / Elk Grove, CA 3659 Posts |
In fact when an extra Child comes up, I play it by ear.
I often do send the extra Child back. I am clear about which Kid I'm talking about. I point (yes, I know it's rude) and I describe as well. When two kids come up one is clearly not needed for my routine (from my perspective) and it is clear to the other Kids that someone extra came up (because of my clear description and pointing). If the extra Kid stays then it tells the others that one acceptable way to come up is to come up when you were not invited. So, if I let an extra Kid stay it will be because they are a shadow Child type or some other exception. Often extra Kids coming up is just another form of confused little Kids standing up at inappropriate times. Most of the time I just say, "Have a seat Honey." and tap them on the head. It works just fine (perhaps this is some kind of hypnotic induction but they usually sit right own smiling). Most of the extra Kids who come up should be sitting with Mom and will not help the flow of the show for the rest of the audience and I feel my highest loyalty is to them. Part of my job is to teach Kids how to enjoy a live show. Of course, You should do whatever works best for you. -Mary Mowder |
MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts |
Quote: Extremely well stated. On 2013-06-28 15:23, Mary Mowder wrote: |
Joseph_Then Special user 747 Posts |
Note that a situation will arise where you allow one extra kid to stay on the stage and help. Very soon, another "extra" kid will come on stage, then another "extra" kid will come on stage.
Are you going to turn away all the "extras" of the extras, where the extra kids will be standing behind you while you hide your props? Or will you want to find ways to turn away the kids with the best possible way? |
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