Hello,

I had a disaster the other day...... I had been working towards a show (close-up card magic) for three months and on the night, a guy that I knew turned up and started to go crazy...... about magicians and my magic.... (although he did not know how any of the tricks that were done) he kept going and resisted every move I made for him to leave.

When he did leave, my routine collapsed into a shambles... I just started doing the first things that came to my head. (it was horrible).

That was my first ever REAL show and it was an absolute disaster..... Please could you give me some advice on how to deal with these kinds of people and how too keep going?

Thanks
Performance 7
17 years old
UK

For your next show, which you should do, despite it not being a brilliant show. What you could do is just stop doing tricks while he's there and see if he get's bored and shuts up. Or maybe just say to the rest of the audience that you're not willing to perform for someone like that. What exactly was he saying? Good luck for your next show.

I'm wondering what was meant by "go crazy". My understanding is that he was cheering you on, in a shovel when a teaspoon would do kind of way.

Sounds like you got rattled. We all get rattled from time to time. What rattles one bothers not another. The idea is to obtain control of the show, be the show, and don't give up the show. Whatever happens, don't get rattled. Remain calm but don't go deer in headlights. Much can be said for lowering your head and hitting the line. Involving Potentially Bothersome Characters can sometimes feed their need for attention. It's an attention war and you have to win without inflicting casualties on the enemy. Remember, the P.B.C. is a part of a large group, the audience. They must be your highest priority.

Darwin Ortiz has a great game plan when dealing with hecklers. It's simple, just ignore them. Engage everyone else around them in conversation, but do not include the heckler. Do not even make eye contact with him. A heckler loves attention, and by trading blows with him you still make him the center of attention, and that is just what he wants. Next time this happens to you, and believe me if you perform a lot then it will happen again, try Ortiz's approach.

Perhaps you should consider finding a new hobby. I'm kidding!

I must repeat an earlier question: What do you mean by "going crazy"? If that ever happens you should threaten hecklers with physical violence. If you're not intimidating enough, then you should get a gun. I'm (not) kidding!

Here are two sage pieces of wisdom:
1) Don't take everything too seriously!
2) Consider finding a new hobby.

Oh, I'm kidding again. You can never take this sort of thing too seriously.

Tomorrow is another day. He'll wake up and continue being an ***. You'll wake up, progress as a magician, and subsequently bring more happiness and wonder to other people's lives.

Next time, slap him in the head

I think there are good and bad hecklers.

Good hecklers aren't out to destroy you. They're generally extroverts, like to be the centre of attention, and in their view are actually contributing to your act. They want to be liked. So I humour them. If they say something funny (as good hecklers sometimes do), I'll laugh with them. If they take the mickey out of me, I don't take it personally; I might tease them back, which gives them the attention they desire. The beauty of being a magician, rather than a comedian, is that you're not expected to reply to every interruption with a lightening-fast one-liner. And if, like me, you're one of those people who comes up with a clever reply to a heckle about three days after it's been said, then this is a bonus.

Bad hecklers, on the other hand, aren't very nice people. They're out to ruin your confidence. You can't win these people over. They won't be happy till you throw your cards on the floor and burst into tears. Fortunately, these are a rare animal, but they do exist, and (unless you've got the wit and gall of Bill Hicks or Jerry Sadowitz) the best defence is to ignore the prat. If they persist, then finish your trick and move on. Thank the other spectators for their time, and walk off without giving the heckler the courtesy of eye contact or a smile. They'll get the message.

This is actually a blessing in disguise. You have experienced in your first gig what many have never experienced in years of performing. While I have no answers that cater to your vaguely described occurrence, I assure you that your style and finesse in these situations will evolve on it's own the more times this may happen.

Don't worry too much about how to deal with this... it's not that often of a problem.

Get back on the horse - don't let it stop you.

I don't really do professional magic shows, but I do play in bands & frequently play bars. In many ways, it's similar. Hecklers there are usually pretty easy going & tipsy, they just shout things to make their friends laugh, and if you the performer play along, it can totally enhance the show. Some of my best band playing memories stem from going back and forth with a heckler from the audience - and having it be a fun thing. Once in awhile though you do run into someone **** bent on completely destroying what you're trying to accomplish on stage. When that happens, there's a simple solution: call the management over, explain what's happening if they don't already know, and have the guy removed from the premises. Then on with the show.

I've done thousands of shows, and over time I've gotten much better at handling hecklers. If ignoring them doesn't work, you might try using them in a Special Trick. Have them come up to assist you, sit them down in a chair and tell them you are going to try a mind reading experiment which requires that they cannot see. Place a towel or large hanky over their head that covers their face, and ask them to think about a number between 1 and 100. Tell them that you will guess that number after some time. Then carry on with your show for the rest of the audience. The audience will find this funny, the heckler will soon realize he has been had, and when he does you may ask the audience to give him a big hand. After he sits down, he will likely not pipe up anymore.

Dear Todsky,

I thought that you were going to suggest placing the towel over the heckler's head, then (quietly), moving the entire audience over into the next room (if space and time allow). Thus, the towel literally becomes the "cover" for supreme misdirection.

Seriously, consider the method (and the madness). It might actually serve as an alternate way to solve the Heckler problem.. that is, as long as it fits your character.

Using this method, if successful, the audience ends up with a non-heckled show, and (when he removes the towel to check out the reason for the sudden quietude) the heckler ends up witnessing a miracle... with the sudden realization that the magician has made both the audience and himself disappear!

Forgive my digression on this one Todd... just having a bit of fun... now, back to the serious and helpful discussions on an important topic.

Again my sincere apologies.

Jonathan

That's an awesome idea Jonathan.... the heckler will truly be amazed.... How could you move everyone quietly enough?

Of course you would need to identify the anticipated heckler prior to your stage show, but for seasoned performers, this pre-show identification is possible simply by observing the guests' interactions during the cocktail portion of the evening.

Once the heckler is identified, you could then proceed to "prep" the rest of the audience before the show, each individually, off in a corner during your walk-around segment.

You could also choose to prep them as a group. Group prep can be done on stage, on the spot. Just after you place the towel over the heckler's head, mime your instructions to the audience using clear and bold gestures (ie. index finger in front of pursed lips means Shhh... keep this quiet, demonstrate how to walk by standing on tip-toes, then point to the door, then beckon them as you stand near the doorway, leaving the heckler on stage waiting for you to read his mind) ....you get the idea.

Of course this would all have to be done in a very fast and silent manner, and I'm not saying it would be easy, but think of the reaction(s) when it works!

Now... back to some serious discussion on how to handle most hecklers...

In all seriousness... one of the best ways to deal with hecklers is to show them respect and to include them "gently" into your show, modelling the "right" behaviour.

Often, if you satisfy their need for attention and treat them kindly, they will cooperate and even help you to move the show in a positive direction.

The audience is often waiting and watching to see how you, the professional, will react to their heckles. If you treat them unkindly, you not only risk a confrontation and escalating the heckling into amplified proportions, but you also risk losing the respect (and trust) of your audience.

Of course, it's always better to anticipate the would-be heckler early on in the show and deal with him/her courteously "before" he/she begins to interact with you, your volunteers and "the show".

"Nip it in the bud" in a way that maintains respect for all individuals in the audience and you will feel better and more relaxed throughout your performance and better about yourself after the show.

Of course if their "bloody drunk", and this happens from time to time, you would not necessarily do well to bring them up onto the stage to help with a cut the rope effect (least you lose a finger or two by the end of the routine).

Instead, giving them a "shhh" with your finger and a friendly "wink" as if they know a secret that should not be shared (ie. that they will be cooperating with you, quietly, throughout your performance) can often do the trick.

If they end up pushing themselves up on stage and trying to force themselves into your routine, you could cajole them by giving them a harmless role (ie. hold the rope, please, like this....) again, thanking them, winking at them to keep things non-confrontational. Avoid eye-contact with the very belligerent and drunk guests, in other words... ignore them and they often quiet down, or "go away". If they are very drunk and or abusive, graciously escorting them out of the room or having the person who hired you do so may be a possible solution. Even if this causes you to break the routine of the show, if you do this gently, showing that you care both for the well-being of the heckler and the audience, the audience will understand and appreciate your efforts and professionalism.

These are just a few ideas, gained from trial over many years (gleaned originally during my days as a street entertainer, then as a corporate entertainer on stage. The approach has worked wonders for me. I hope that some of these suggestions might be of some help to other entertainers, during such difficult times.

All the best.

Jonathan

If I were you, I would use him for a trick. Make him feel stupid. I love using hecklers in a show. Michael Finney and Bill Malone make the best of hecklers and I do the same. Instead of letting them make you look like the fool, turn it on them and make them look like the fool. You are the one in control, not them. If you are being paid to do a show, it is your job to be in control. Card on forehead is perfect. Everyone laughs at them and they feel stupid and WILL be quiet, I guarantee it. Even a do as I do, like at the start of Bob Ostins Submarine cards, where the spectator always has a card face up left when all yours are back face down. Do something to them where they get it wrong. Even if it isn't magic you do and take 2 minutes out to have a laugh and joke around them. Play on the heckler basically. Brian Tudor has a DVD out called Heckler which is quite good and teaches things for when you get a heckler

Christopher,

We certainly have quite a difference in our approach.

Other comments, from other entertainers, on what works for them when it comes to hecklers and audinece management?

Jonathan

Performance 7,

The most common kinds of opportunities you will have to perform close-up magic for pay will be some kind of hospitality situation. May I suggest that in such a situation, it would not look good for you to be rude to someone, even if they started being rude to you. It won't help the public's impression of magicians either.

Make sure you are not provoking anything in the first place. Then, your challenge is to find a way to redirect a heckler's energy so that he is with you instead of against you, and everyone is happy with the outcome. It may not be easy to figure out how to do that, but when you do, it will be your best trick.

Craig Chamberlain said...

"...Make sure you are not provoking anything in the first place. Then, your challenge is to find a way to redirect a heckler's energy so that he is with you instead of against you, and everyone is happy with the outcome. It may not be easy to figure out how to do that, but when you do, it will be your best trick. "
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Very well said, Craig.

Jonathan

May I just point out by what I said, it wasn't to give the impression you are rude. When I perform, I entertain, I use jokes and have a laugh and make people warm to me very quickly through my personality. What I said before is what I do and it works for me and other magicians, but not everyone, you have to be able to control your audience and still have a good time. Remember, your Magic is only as good as your audience. With experience, you will know what you can and can't get away with.

I seem to remember some kind of story about Houdini (I think it was him) actually doing something like the aforementioned towel on head.

See, maybe it's just me.. but usually I will be nice at first but if he persists on being rude... I"ll just stare right at his eyes and tell him: "Buddy, listen up. SHUT UP, SIT BACK, and ENJOY"