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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
Hey everyone, this is my revised show. I would like to know what you think of it. This is more of comical type show.
Opening- I walk around the children performing a misers dream with an instrumental version of money in the back ground. 8ft wand- I start out by introducing my self, and stating what is about to happen. I then go to reach for my wand and become confused when I cannot find it. I then start asking the children if they have seen it, after not finding it I put my hands into my pocket in frustration only to find my wand. Coloring book- I introduce this as my favorite coloring book in the whole world. I ask if they would like to see it, when I show it to them I am horrified to find that the pictures are no longer there. I then tell them that this book is special because it will figure out what they are thinking, I then rub it with my wand and they have pictures I then tell them to think of colors and then show it is actually colored. I then tell them to keep thinking or else everything might disappear. Sitting next to my Square circle is a toy rabbit. This rabbit has a hands free head set. I introduce this rabbit as my boss. I can only perform what my boss tells me to do. He puts what he wants me to perform in his breifcase (square circle) Square Circle (production 1) from my bosses breifcase I take out my first set of instructions Afghan Bands and two scissors. Afghan Bands I grab two assistants from the audience one boy and one girl. They each choose a circle and a scissor (one is a fall apart the other is a stuck blade) After handing them out I talk to the audience not paying attention to the two while everyone else sees what is going on. I then look at what is happening replacing their scissors with two real scissors. While they are cutting, I mention how they should have two complete separate circles the same size. When they don’t I mention how something is off today. Square circle (production 2) I go back to my boss were I ask for my next set of instructions. This time I pull out a set of cups and three balls. Cups and balls I show all the cups empty and go about having balls jump from cup to cup. The balls do not listen to instructions very well and do what ever they feel like doing. The final load happens to be two rabbits and a carrot. Sponge bunnies I again bring an audience member up to help me. I go on about how the balls have taken the form of the bunnies but still maintain their mischievous ways. The bunnies end up multiplying making my job even harder. Change bag I start about how the only way to get these bunnies to behave is to change them back into the balls that they once were. So I put them in my empty change bag and waving my wand if transform them into candy. Dove Pan (cake production) I call the birthday child up because it is their birthday and they need a cake. I then tell them that we are going to make the cake. We put in all sorts of stuff such as egg, pepper, milk, fish, water, dirt. Since I don’t know how long to cook it we are going to use the magical song "Happy Birthday". Square Circle (production 3) I mention that my boss has something to say before we go. I pull out a banner that when unfolded reads happy birthday, but when folded and unfolded again reads Thank You. I also like to perform cut and restored rope, and pb&j, yet I cant seem to figure out were I can put them if any were. Thank you for reading this. Paul |
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Harv Inner circle I'm building a fence with 1127 Posts |
Hi Paul,
Sounds very promising indeed. The one real way you are going to know if this show works is by performing it a few times and gauging the reaction of the children. You will find that many of the routines will change somewhat as you perform them more often. Have you timed each routine so that you know approximately how long the show will run? From the sounds of it, it will peobably be more than enough time as you need to add in the byplay between yourself and your assistants and the audience members. As for PB&J and the cut and restored rope....again depending on the length of the show you outlined those two tricks could be part of show #2. If you find that one of your routines is not working to your satisfaction you could drop it and replace it with one of the other two. The bottom line really is to try out the show you have outlined with your personality and showmanship and see how it goes. Good luck and let us know the result. Harv |
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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
Harv
thank you for that. I have yet to time out this new routine, I am in the final stages of hammering out the script. The one thing that I am now hoping for is that it is not to long of a routine. Paul |
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Jim Snack Inner circle 1338 Posts |
The only thing that concerns me is handing out the scisssors to the children who come up to help. Suppose one of them happened to have an accident and cut a finger! It could happen. I would re-think that routine. Otherwise, I agree that the only way to know if anything works is to try it out in front of an audience of kids.
Jim |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
I agree with Jim. You have the basics for a nice routine and show. I too do not hand out scissors to any of the children I perform magic to. There is just to great a risk of either having the child hurt themsleves or embarrassing the child if they fail to be able to cut the rope.
Instead I cut the rope myself but use comedy scissors and byplay so the laughs and jokes are on me. The children chuckle when the scissors fall apart or when I grab a pair of scissors but do not realize that they have handles on both ends. This classic "they see but you do not see" event makes the effect that much stronger for me while maintaining control. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
Thank you to Kyle and Jim
I can see were both of you are coming from about accidents, heck I just cut my self with a scissors at my job the other day. The thing thing that I am trying to do here is maximize involvment on a personal level as much as possible. I beleive I will leave the bands in there, however find a thiner fabric that is easily tearable by hand. Taking what you said kyle about "they see but you do not see" I beleive I might try working my C&R rope routine in there using the those specials scissors. On a seperate note I would just like to thank everyone in this forum for either helping me out personally here, or by typing your wonderful advice in previous threads that I have read. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Paul |
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
Paul:
You are mpst welcome. I am glad to help. If I can be of further assistance to you, simply PM me or let me know. I think you are on to some great ideas. Keep us posted on what you try and how it plays for you. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
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RideorDie99 New user 80 Posts |
Here's a bit of business that I use for the Cake production from the Dove pan. I ask the children... "What ingredient should we use to make the cake sweet?" and they all yell SUGAR! So I pull out a can of Salt with a piece of paper that says SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR on the other side of the can and I initially show the words SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR to the children. I then turn the can around and it says SALT and start pouring in the "SUGAR" All the kids will yell saying. "THAT's NOT SUGAR! IT's SALT!!!" It's really Really funny and will get laughs from the parents and histerics from the children.
STOP DROP SHUT THEM DOWN AND OPEN UP SHOP
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The Mighty Fool Inner circle I feel like a big-top tent having 2140 Posts |
Do you have an idea of how long this show will be? That's pretty inportant when it comes to figuring out pricing I hear.
Everybody wants to beleive.....we just help them along.
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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
Hello everyone
Well I just got back from my first test run of my show. How I wish I could say everything was as smooth as butter, instead try rocky like a gravel road. I however did learn a few things. One of the main things that I learned is that I swam before I actually could. I had run through the routines over and over, yet when I got out there it was a titanic. I beleive that I can only blame my self for this. Two other mistakes was that this was a varying age group from 6-12. However my material was meant for the younger of the group so the older ones were not that impressed. Also the older kids sat in the front of the group. This caused two problems I beleive it meant that the people behind them probably had a harder time seeing. I also think that they might have influenced the rest of the audience or that could just be my thinking. On the up side, I did have a few kids and a parent come up to me after the show and say they liked it. This forum is a great tool, and would like to thank everyone for posting in it, many a things I used in my show. Paul P.S. I have a 19 min video of it, would anyone be interested in watching it and giving me feedback? |
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Sam Tabar Inner circle Austin, Texas 1050 Posts |
Post it here on the Café and we'll give you feedback. You sound like you have a good material there. Regarding performing for older kids, you might want to look into the Silly Billy book. There are explanations there on hoe to perform for certain age groups.
"Knowledge comes from finding the answers, but understanding what the answers mean is what brings wisdom." - Anonymous
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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
Alrighty, here is the link. http://www.carlsonmagic.com/magicshow.wmv. I was only able to film it off a webcam, so the quality isn't that great, but you may get the general idea.
Paul |
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chris mcbrien Inner circle Chicago 1235 Posts |
Robert,
You're starting off on the right foot here. I'ts the story you're telling them using magic to illustrate it. Now I would work on actual scripting...it's easier than you may think, you just start writing out the lines and stage directions. Read Silly Billy's book. Don't copy the routines, just take the psychology of entertainment from it (which I think is the overall thing that was intended). There's the "Look Don't See" thing that's really important (a clown taught me about this principal years ago...it's going to be vital to you if you do kids shows). And video yourself, too. It will start working towards a finished show before you know it. I agree with Jim S., no sharps! As Kaye talks so much about in Silly Billy, it's not the destination, it's the ride! Chris |
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Kent Wong Inner circle Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2458 Posts |
Robert,
Not only am I impressed with your initial planning of the show, but I am INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED with your self-analysis after the show. So many magicians these days blame their audiences and don't take ownership of the responses they get. Well done! Having said that, you did learn quite a few things, such as: 1. different effects play better towards different age groups. I have a different show for the 4-7 age group, the 8 to 10 age group and the 11 to 13 age group. I also have a general family show for mixed ages and several adult shows. 2. The patter you use with each age group will need to be different in order to reflect their emotional and intellectual development. I have always believed that the key point to all patter is to have fun and never talk down to the audience. 3. The seating arrangement of an audience can play an important factor. It's hard for kids to pay attention to you if they can't see you. Once again, very impressive self-analysis of your performance. Keep it up and you will be a shining star in no time! Kent
"Believing is Seeing"
<BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>www.kentwongmagic.com |
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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
Thank you again for your feedback.
Chris- I am going back through and re-working my routine with stage directions. This will be an indepth look at how everything flows and should make it easier. I am also planning on getting Silly Billy's book, I just happen to be a poor college student at the moment, but I will be getting it. I used the "see don't see" principal in my routine for my PB&J effect. That went over like I wanted it to, only I ran the effect to long. Magicman- If one important thing I have learned on here is that it is out fault and not the audiences fault for what happens. The age range was not by choice, I was doing this after a theatre rehersal was over and that happen to just be the age of the kids that came. I would market this routine for those between the ages of 6-8. Paul |
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Joseph_Then Special user 747 Posts |
Paul, if there is only $50 for you to spend on your next magic props, spend it on "Seriously Silly" book by Silly Billy.
When I read this book, I realised that I wish I have this book when I started out. I asked my friend who just started out in kids show to buy this book, read it and apply it. The next week, he improved a lot more than I expected. It does show the usefulness of the book. It's not a sales letter, but I won't recommend a product without testing it out and it seems like a good results. Of course, read it carefully, don't apply some of the tips without considerations like the "Who farted" joke. Keep it up man! I love guys who always self-evaluate their shows. I'm sure you will improve in time. For your information, if David Copperfield evaluate his show everytime, what excuses do we have for not evaluating our show? |
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Magic Mike Japan New user Yokosuka, Japan (U.S. Mailing Address) 98 Posts |
I just bought Kaye's book, "Seriously Silly," and I also agree that if you have just $50 to buy props, invest it in this EXCELLENT book. There is also a great section about the History of Magic in the U.S. that's worth reading if you're interested in a magical historical perspective. He claims that its origins are in the church of all places!
TO PAUL: You are very wise to put your routine on this web site. From what I've seen all the magicians on this site are very supportive and will help you without you worrying about somebody "stealing your act." I am an American magician working on a very large U.S. Navy base near Tokyo. Most of my shows are for children, although I do the occasional walk-around, or stage show. You will learn what I have learned - EVERY SHOW IS DIFFERENT - YOU WILL HAVE SURPRISES HAPPEN THAT YOU CAN'T ALWAYS PREPARE FOR - AND WORK ON YOUR answering machine message. It is very important and sells you from the get-go. If you like I can script it for you and post on-line.
"There's no limit to what one man can accomplish, as long as he's willing to let someone else have the credit." (These words were inscribed on a small brass plaque which sat on President Ronald Reagan's desk in the White House during his second term.)
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chris mcbrien Inner circle Chicago 1235 Posts |
Hi Mapple!
I'm really interested in your answering maching script myself! I'ver been trying to do a good one. It would be a long distance call for you, but it's at (618)351-1467 (hm) and on my cell at (618) 713 - 6401. Anyone else is free to critique it, too! I always like getting feedback, it's amazing what we don't see ourselves and can learn from watching thru other's eyes or listening thru others ears! would love to see your script to help me improve. Chris |
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20Robert04 Regular user Midland, MI 152 Posts |
I would also be very interested in it. That is honestly one thing that I never really thought about. Does everyone here you their work phone number as also their private number, or do you have a seperate one?
Paul |
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Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
Hi Robert,
Just a couple of comments from me. I was unable to bring up your vid so can't comment on that, yet from the responses it seems you had favorable critiques. Some suggested you read certain books, but I have to be honest and don't agree with that particular theory. I'm always of the mindset that you steer away from other childrens entertainers books until you have your show established..that way it's truly your own personality and your own show.(Prepares for onslaught of disagreement from members) Not to say you shouldn't read books but there's a whole assortment out there( magic and non magic ones) that would assist you when working with kids. Once you've learned routines you can work on your own patter without the influence of another childrens entertainers book. This makes one unique in my opinion. I admire your determination in asking for honest critiques as this will only cause you to better yourself. Seems like your on the right track! I do have an opinion on your website which you can feel free to pm for more info. Lastly, I do have a seperate number for my business line regarding your last question. Chrystal |
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