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docsteve Inner circle 1831 Posts |
Ok this a thread off the back of some other discussions:
The remit is simple, the product may well be profound. I'm relying on the iq, skill, sensitivity and sheer story telling of the bizarre board to populate this topic: What do you do when a spectator goes AWOL, not because of his "fault", but maybe because of his disability? My own response has been "I'm so sorry - how insensitive of me, particularly as I'm supposed to be the psychic! Forgive me sir, and let me move on, but again I'm sorry for putting you in that position - it's entirely my own fault" The next line has NOT got to be " hey - so who van read/ speak/ stand up" (I can't think of any other actions which!the spectator can't perform in real life gigs!) Any other help here? Thanks Steve
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Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
As I mentioned before with the gentleman that could not name his chosen suit,because he did not know what the suits were!
I new what his chosen card was and was able to work through the effect and made him part of it still. I would never make a point to anyway try and belittle a person. We should always have a respectful out for any situation that may occur! Or, put the blame back onto our selves as the performer!
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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docsteve Inner circle 1831 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-07-03 20:13, Godzilla wrote: Hear hear! I completely agree. Thanks for sharing G
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Godzilla Inner circle Tied & Untied Witches on 5316 Posts |
Thanks doc, for not slamming my writing by the way! The new should have been knew !
"If you watch Godzilla backwards, it's about a big ass lizard who helps rebuild a half burnt-down city, then moonwalks back into the ocean"
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weepinwil Inner circle USA 3828 Posts |
I usually try to take the blame for lack of instruction or turn it around someway that the spectator is off the hook.
"Til Death us do part!" - Weepin Willie
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Jon W. Loyal user 228 Posts |
I think the performer definitely has to be respectful and accommodate the unknown handicap or divert attention away from the handicap as quickly as possible. Having an idea of words to use, like the ones you mentioned, or a gameplan is good. Even so, one can never be ready for everything, so hopefully just being calm and improvising will keep the routine going and the spectator happy. Definitely a unique scenario you pose though and is a good discussion topic.
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weepinwil Inner circle USA 3828 Posts |
I once had a gig at a haunted house and as I was showing this girl magic her boyfriend came up and was a bit jealous because she was really eating it up. I just placed my hand on his shoulder and whispered loud enough for the two of them to hear, "Don't worry, I like dead girls better, they're more fun." I wouldn't use it just anywhere but it did come over as an off statement and disarmed the situation at that venue and the couple went away laughing.
"Til Death us do part!" - Weepin Willie
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Todd Robbins V.I.P. New York 2922 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-07-03 21:35, weepinwil wrote: I think you could use that anywhere and it would get you out of trouble (or perhaps out of one kind of trouble and into another.) |
Dreadnought Special user Athens, Georgia 836 Posts |
I've never encountered anything of this nature with the exception of the occasional drunk but still that was no problem. In fact, I kinda like working with drunk people as you can do anything and it is simply amazing to them.
Peace
"Ave Maria gratia plena Dominus tecum..." Scott Would you do anything for the person you love? |
Paul Prater Elite user North Little Rock, AR 483 Posts |
I once had an audience member on stage who was obstinate and purposely tried to ruin what would be my closing effect in a show. I made a bad selection of spectators and he wanted to challenge the performer. I picked him because he looked like he was closed off and I wanted to involve him. Bad choice on my part.
I was able to save the routine because I was able to think on my feet. Also, I had thought about the outs and though it worked, it wasn't as strong as I like it to be. I asked this spectator several times if he understood the instructions and he said that he did. I think it was apparent to most spectators that he was not being truthful. The fact that I still pulled off the ending (basically an experiment in seeing through the eyes of the dead in the form of a booktest) made it strong enough to save it. But I still haven't answered your question. I think that preparing for the routine and any potential outcomes, inside and out, helps make it relatively irrelevant how your spectator reacts. Also, as Jon said, being able to think on your feet (while staying calm) is critical. I think always being gracious is the way to go. Secondly, I learned to no longer end with a routine that is potentially outside of my control. I guess I should have known that from the start. However, I really like the thinking on your feet and working with the audience approach. |
docsteve Inner circle 1831 Posts |
Thanks for that Paul.
Rich Lavengood speaks wonderfully of a Billy McComb lecture called "What to do when the string breaks" - aimed more at prop failure rather than spectator management, but still apt I think. Not sure if this available in any format, or if anyone here has also heard it - I'd be interested to read more about it. In "Edge..." every electronic piece of kit was either backed-up with low tech outs, or not overt - i.e. if it didn't fire, the audience were non the wiser. The final out was a confederate carrying a castanet for spirit raps! Needless to say, we never needed them, but it sure felt good to know the safety net was there!
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Paul Prater Elite user North Little Rock, AR 483 Posts |
Doc Steve,
I think you also hit on another couple of important things here. As you mention, with the work a lot of us do, you don't have to be 100% accurate all of the time. Also, the audience doesn't know what is to come, so often they don't know if you have messed up or not. |
PROF BC Inner circle 1445 Posts |
Paul and Steve:
I couldn't agree more with what you are saying. For anyone new to bizarre work (or those looking to hone their bizarre approach) it is actually a good idea to go into a room with no effects whatsoever, only atmospheric props. Sit at your table (or stand if that is your style) and tell your stories. Handle the props as if they are the real thing (convince yourself they are), and let the spec's imagination do the rest. You will learn to take advantage of coincidences (telephones ringing, heaters kicking on, floorboards popping) to create a genuinely chilling performance. You will also be learning the most important element of bizarre--how to tell (and sell) the story. Once you develop a reputation as a skillful storyteller with relics that 'really could be real' add in a subtle effect or two for your next performance. After a while you will learn how many effects is 'just enough' (before that 'hey, wait a minute' tipping point where the audience stops feeling all goose flesh and begins to suspect shenanigans afoot.) Now, if ever a 'string breaks' you are prepared to carry right on with your chilling performance because the effect isn't (and really never should be) the main event. For me, nothing is more destructive to a bizarre act than the performer obviously leading up to and expecting an effect to fire. Even if it works perfectly, the expectation of success screams 'trick'. Writers call it 'narrative drive'--that sense that something is always about to happen. That is what makes a book a 'page turner.' It also makes your show work even when there is no effect at all. If you hold them spellbound, they will appreciate and remember.
Phasmologist
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David Thiel Inner circle Western Canada...where all that oil is 4005 Posts |
This happened to me at a fair. It was a family grandstand show. Big audience. I came to a part of the routine where I bring a child onstage with me. I am usually pretty good at picking volunteers. The child I chose was smiling and enthusiastic...cute kid...the perfect choice.
When I got him onstage and he looked out at the audience he froze. I came to realize the little guy was autistic...signs I SHOULD have recognized since I have a grandson who is profoundly autistic. This little fella was obviously high functioning, but still... I really had no idea when I chose him. (Many of these kids copy others...but really don't know what they're agreeing to.) What else was there to do? The kid was standing on-stage with his hands over his eyes, rocking back and forth slightly. I took off my headset mic and whispered softly into his ear so he would relax enough to let me lead him off the stage and back to his seat. The crowd was quiet while I did so. It's a moment I am going to remember for a LONG time...when I got back on-stage, I gestured toward the kid and the audience applauded HUGELY. He smiled...but I'm not sure if he really understood or not. Oddly enough, it didn't kill the show. Not at all. It was a very sweet moment. So...I don't think it was a disaster...but it was a case of choosing the wrong volunteer. David
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except bears. Bears will kill you.
My books are here: www.magicpendulums.com www.MidnightMagicAndMentalism.com |
Jon W. Loyal user 228 Posts |
Prof BC, I like your advice about the balance between using some effects to add to the atmosphere without overdoing it and ruining the realness of the moment. I am looking to hone my bizarre approach and I will definitely be keeping your words in mind in the future. Like you said, focusing on the story and getting others into the story. I am and have been a school teacher for seven years but hope to eventually hone my skills enough to try and do this in the summers some to supplement the income and not just perform to my friends, family, and colleagues and work. I'm not there yet and have a ways to go, but I am getting better and gaining some good advice from all of you all on the board who have been at this for awhile.
I am also enjoying reading some of performance disaster stories. Even as an amateur/hobbyist I run into snafus from time to time. One of my colleagues unexpectedly tried to thwart one of my routines on purpose but I kept cool enough luckily to realize it and finish successfully. Also sometimes when using magic while teaching I have a student who unexpectdely needs some help and in the end it usually just adds to the bit instead of detracting. |
Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
I think any performer who uses audience helpers will one day (if not more often) encounter that "game changer".
I try to hold brief, but usually telling conversations with someone before making the decision to invite them to the stage. Most times I'll be comfortable with that person, and I bring them up. There have been other times though, where that brief interlude rings a bell inside my head and I end the dialogue and move on to someone else. However... Once in awhile you find yourself trying to back-peddle a concrete tricycle out of a tar pit. I had that diagnostic conversation with a spectator before, he seemed to be a good choice, I asked him to come to the stage, and he reached behind his chair held up a pair of crutches, shrugged, and said, "I can't". Awkward, but not damaging. Sometimes though, that unexpected spectator oddity will flat out make your show more than what it was. A few years ago, I was doubling as illusionist, and the microphone man for a freak show. When the freak was laying on a bed of nails, we would bring a couple people from the audience to come up and stand on him. At this particular show, the crowd was huge, so beyond the first couple rows, all we could see from the stage was a sea of heads. When I asked for two people, this guy about 20 feet back shouted out, "How about three?" I looked at the freak for his response, and being the fun-loving soul he was, he nodded approval. Ok, so these three guys start to walk toward the corner of the stage, but entirely in tandem. I thought this was weird, but had no idea how weird it was about to get. Just as they got to the corner of the stage, the crowd parted, and the guy who was in the middle, literally leaped up onto the stage and came toward us on a dead run... if you could call it that. He had no legs, and was a half man, from birth. I just welcomed him as if nothing was any different. But inside, my mind was going ninety to nothing. I could see the collective look on the faces of the audience, which was somewhere between disbelief and wanting to think this was part of the show. Anyway, it was a fun experience, and the guy hung out with us after the show. Really a nice guy, too!
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
docsteve Inner circle 1831 Posts |
Thanks all for some excellent posts. If nothing else, it's cathartic!
There's some top class advice in all this, and I'd welcome more: please, anyone else with something to share, please do. Any strange occurrence may never happen to you more than once, but you can bet it will happen to someone else!
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