How do you manage applause in your show?

In diving into busking again, I'm finding this to be a particularly fascinating and mind-boggling topic. I'm especially curious to know how people who've worked multiple venues have tackled the subject.

I manage to get applause by doing well and telling them at the get go it's OK to clap when they see something amazing 'cause we are outside.

I'm taking the liberty to post something interesting that Whit Haydn wrote in another post this week about applause. He was commenting on an assertion that it wasn't good to end an act with a volunteer on the stage--unless you were busking. Here's why:

"Number Four [of wrong things to do], Ending with a Volunteer on Stage is right on the money. My four ring routine, when I was still a street performer, ended with the volunteer still "on stage" with me, and I even unlinked the last two rings in front of his face.

The applause for the volunteer led directly into my hat pitch and worked great. In street performing, taking applause [for yourself] at the end can cut into your hat. The audience feels it has given you something by applauding, so by not letting them applaud, that need can be an impetus for them to want to give money instead.

When I began performing more formal situations where the applause was more important an element of success, I found I needed to send the volunteer back to applause, and then do a series of fancy moves with all four rings, and finish on stage alone to the applause."

"Save-a to da end! Save-a to da end!" --Dom DeLoise

Here is the ring routine, from the TAOM Convention last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA6LHN5t9......d#at=419

You can see how I control the applause by sending the girl back to her seat. She gets a great round, and then I am still able to take a good ovation from the crowd at the end. Think what it would be like had I had to send her off and then bow...

That was beautiful. Again!

I used to do something a little unusual in my mental magic shows in China. There were usually 200-300 students in the audience in a big lecture hall with a platform at the front. After the last effect and regular applause, I would call everyone down who had participated as a volunteer in the show--usually about 25 people plus the two girls who helped me during the show--to stand in front of the platform and take a bow in a kind of curtain call. I guess what I did goes against the conventional wisdom, but it felt right and it played very well, at least in China where there is more of a "collective" mentality.

In China, I never saw anyone who received applause who did not return the applause, clapping right along with the auidience. I have only seen a few westerners follow that custom.

That's a pretty broad question. Is there a particular aspect to applause on your mind?

What I'm thinking about is the things that a performer might do in order to manipulate the moments that an audience might naturally want to applaud. Perhaps "fostering applause" might be a better way to phrase it. Kosmo probably had the most impact on me personally, in that he would deliberately subvert applause moments in his set in order to save them for later on, when he needed to hat. Whit Haydn's comments elsewhere (that were very kindly quoted!) were what made me want to start a thread on it, since these are things that no amount of magic theory academia can help you with. If you're doing close-up for a limited audience, that's one thing, but if you've got a larger number of people involved, that's something else entirely...

Todd Robbins is on this board. If you ever get a chance to see him work, that's a master class in audience management! He's a busy guy these days, but perhaps he may be able to add his thoughts here.

It's been noted that different strategies for applause apply to different venues. What works on the street may not so well in a restaurant, and neither of those may have strategies that cross over to stage. As a general rule, you want to stage those moments when it helps to have applause occur and diminish those moments where applause can hinder your momentum (which is a key thing in any performance). There are moments when you want the audience to applaud for something other than yourself (an event, a situation or another person), and there are times when it's important that the applause goes solely to you.

There are some routines that have such powerful moments in the middle that the audience WILL applaud. If you find the applause disrupts the momentum, but the effects are so strong, you don't want to diminish the effects, so you have to change the pacing somewhat to make room. It's like composing a song; you give certain notes more space and others less, and in the end, everything flows toward the finale.

I spend enough energy just trying to get applause... Managing applause? That's above my pay grade!

That is what friends are for.

Any personal philosophy on which is appropriate when?

Any particular rules on when a story should highlight the main character and when it should highlight other supporting characters?

I suppose it depends on what makes the story work.

Applause can be restrained during an effect of repetition, when it is combined with an effect of surprise, so that it can build tension and be released at the surprise. Ambitious Card/Card to Wallet for example.

If you suggest a type of trick or routine and how it ends, maybe we can see how it best fits into your applause management. The routining of the tricks is what determines how the applause management needs to go.

I don't know, it's hard to think of specific scenarios for myself. I'm more curious about how others handle it, for everything from close-up to stage. My experience is mostly in close-up, so while applause is nice, it doesn't necessarily feel vital (a good old fashioned "Wow!" or "Holy #$@!" works just as well, and feels more organic). However, in trying to move into stage and street performance, I've seen a lot of contradiction between the two, for reasons already cited -- if you've got a captive audience, then it's great to have them clap a bunch, whereas if you're trying to avoid walk-offs whilst busking sometimes it's best to stamp out applause so that you can move more efficiently to your closer.

Opine Traveller's choice to liken it to a story intrigues me, if only because the conventions there are generally not hard to find, whereas very satisfying examples exist of people who've defied convention.

I read quite a nice section in the Matthew Dowden's lecture notes regarding applause, and creating an opportunity or even a cue for applause with an audience, as well as maximising the reaction when it comes. This is geared towards a close up audience, and may not be exactly what you're after, but having seen Matthew working, he definitely knows what he's talking about. (a lot of the tables he works at his residency are around 20 people and are hence like small stage shows)

Drop me a PM if you'd like some more details on contacting Matthew?

During an effect of transformation, like the Blooming Rose Bush or the Egg on Fan, one must prevent any applause from starting until the desired finish is achieved. Music and lighting effects, a hands up "quieting" gesture that is held immobile during the transformation, a fixed stare, and other such things can cue the audience to watch without reacting until the transformation is complete.

I could go weeks on this! Marvyn Roy used to say that "90% of the act is about the bows!" It is obviously a lot more than that to build the proper foundation to create a state of euphoria that naturally combusts into applause. We've all seen forced applause cues where you begrudgingly clap just to get the performer to stop standing there and waving his hands at us and get on with it. This is typically a structure problem that lead to that moment, not the cuing itself. In every great act, here is a training process that goes on between the performer and the audience. It should be invisible and hopefully not perceived on a conscious level.

There are barometer moments that most pros use to judge the reaction timing and feel of each audience. Based on that feedback, we can adjust what we're doing to make sure we all arrive at the right place together. I've always said that professional is judged by consistency, however it's not consistency of execution but consistency of result. My goal is to always get that reaction even if I have to adapt and change to get the audience where I want them. Again, its about floating a known barometer moment, getting feedback, then adjusting.


Once you know the reaction and feel for that articular audience, the training can begin. There are countless techniques but the two most valuable for me are zone staging and the tension and release technique. These would take an hour to describe completely but basically I divide my performance area (this doesn't work as well for seated close up) into 3 zones. Upstage is my preparation zone, then center is my work zone, then down stage is my interaction zone. If you stay true to these areas the audience will grow accustomed to it and will follow perfectly which works not just for applause but for misdirection and steals as well. The zone can be offset by as little as a foot but it still works. You go upstage to your table to get a prop (nothing has happened yet), then you step into your work zone and the audience turns on their super awareness as you crate the tension for an effect to take place. Build the moment and tension, then create the magical effect. Hold a beat, then release the tension, walk downstage into your interaction zone and internally ask the audience "Well... what do you think?" Remember if there is any residual tension remaining from a guilty palmed object or anything else it won't be a pure reaction. After your question, the audience should react by applause, laughter or anything else. You then reward them by your gracious acceptance.
If someone gives you a gift and you just turn and walk away, you will stop giving them anything. It is the same in this relationship. You have to let them feel that they are feeding you and fueling your spirit which will result and a more special experience for everyone. Let them know that the relationship is growing and escalating and will lead to a more exciting show.

Now, still relaxed with no tension, you go back to your table and get your next effect, then go step into your working zone and started creating tension... they know they have to pay attention again. If you stay true to this technique, it trains the audience not to care when you're at your table and you can do anything you want. Their super awareness is turned off as they think about how amazing the last effect was. There are so many tools in this craft of applause technique including balancing effect with expected reaction, over pumping cues, giving cues without paying attention to feedback, etc.

Remember that you're building a relationship with each audience... the same rules apply as going on a date or building a business relationship. LISTEN to them! They will tell you everything. If you really want to study your cuing and applause technique, shoot your show/act, but just play it back and listen to the reaction without watching the screen. You will here when it isn't natural, when it feels forced, when it builds...

Remember that the applause you generate isn't just for you but it's an indicator for the buyer or booker who brought you in. It is a VERY important commodity they can use to gauge how good you must be. You might think you're good but if you generate huge natural applause, the buyer will KNOW you're great for them.

Here's a specific problem, something used to happen to me when performing Pavel's Walking Knot. Here's the effect and where the applause came every time I performed it:

1. Rope is cut and tied together.
2. Knot is moved down the rope.
3. The knot is untied in the new location and the pieces of rope are separated (applause ALWAYS came here)
4. The rope is tied back together.
5. The knot is moved down the rope again.
6. The knot is untied and pieces are separated.
7. The rope is tied again as knot dissolves and rope is seen to be restored.

In alternate versions, in order to get rid of the anticlimax, I tried getting rid of steps 4-6 and also tried just ending after step 3. I was never really sure if the reason for the applause was the natural applause cue of separating the pieces of rope, the natural rythme of 1,2,3 (1-tying knot, 2-walking knot, 3-untying knot), the natural oomph factor of the effect design, or a combination.