talkmagic.co.uk

I have been doing shows for Childrens parties and events for about 6 years in Ireland ... The fantastic thing about Children is that they just believe in the Maic. Once you make something vanish .... the amazed look and complete belief is priceless.

Adults and teenagers etc all just wish they could figure it out.

Children will also constantly burst into rounds of applause which is so flattering when they are small as they have probably never done that for a performer of any sort before.

Its a great ego boost too

totally agree,

Isnt it just a fab feeling to know that sometimes a trick will go wrong yet the children dont realise it and they love the trick anyway!!!

I wish anyone who does childrens magic the best of luck!!

Have fun with it.
Tom

Hi All

I'm David and new to this site as i stumbled upon this discussion.

I am a childrens entertainer, full time now for 12 yrs.
I also run MKP Entertainment and have a website www.mkponline.co.uk

We are always looking for new talent out there so if you enjoy working with children and have a flair for entertainment and live in the UK then do please get in touch.
We are mailnly looking for anyone who can perform childrens magic with a small disco.
But we do get enquiries for table/close-up magicians too.

I think it would be great to have a section where childrens entertainers can swap ideas etc.

I tend to find that magicians clubs etc are far too snobberish and too clicky and I generally have no time for them so somewhere on-line to chat would be great.

Cheers
David
( Scruffmagic)

form filled out and submited.

I myself am a kid. I'm 14 and I just recently started out doing magic and I think it's lots of fun.
You know if it weren't for kids, nobody would have made it very far into magic in the beginning. It takes pretty good tricks to amaze most adults, so you have to start somewhere. Doing shows for small children is a good place to start because you won't get eaten alive.
Adults that hate kids are nitwits because they used to be a kid as well.
Everyone has to start somewhere and if everyone were mean to kids, where would you go when your 80 years old? Certainly not a nursery because everyone of the generation beneath you would think you're a bunch of jerks.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
I say why not make a children's section because if they have a good start then when they're your age they'll be 10 times as good as you are now.
Not that one section of this site is going to start an epidemic but just be supportive just like everyone hopefully supported you when you showed of your first trick.
I bet houdini didn't get up one day and say "I think I'll lock myself in a tank and ecape within 2 minutes." He probably started with a pair of dollar store handcuffs or something.
I know everybody understands my point because how many of you can stand on a skateboard?
Look at Tony Hawk ripping the ramps and he's pobably older than alot of you guys too. I know for a fact that Tony Hawk turned pro when he was only 14. Good thing nobody told him tricks are for big kids.

Oh yeah. I'm for the section where kid's can talk about novice tricks too.

Hi and welcome.

I'm Tom and I'm 15 from Glocuestershire. (UK)

I see you are 14 - I'd love to chat with you. Do you have msn? PM me if yuo do and are up for a chat!

I say why not make a children's section because if they have a good start then when they're your age they'll be 10 times as good as you are now.

Hmm, I think you will find the discussion is about a section for magic aimed at children not a section for children to discuss magic.

At what age do children start to like wooden Vent dolls - Would anyone reccomend keeping this for adults or at least what age do you reckon most kids would be ok with seeing a wooden vent doll

I have a cute soft bear that i usually use. I have now purchased a wooden Vent doll - I dont know where and to what audience to use him.

I think kids aged 8/9+ would be ok! Any younger i think would be a little scared of them as they blink and stuff and are quite big.

Any advice on this one? Should this post be on the Vent forum???

Mezemo wrote:Doing shows for small children is a good place to start because you won't get eaten alive.

I don't have any experience or anything but from what I've heard children are one of the hardest audiences to please because they have no inhibitions about insulting you or revealing a trick. If you do a bad trick to adults they will usually go along with it and clap at the end, even if they saw how it was done, whereas kids, I hear, will eat you alive.

There was an incident with DC(opperfield) doing a trick using a double to a kid on TV, and the kid said, loud and clear, "But there are two cards there!" .

Kati

"There was an incident with DC(opperfield) doing a trick using a double to a kid on TV, and the kid said, loud and clear, "But there are two cards there!"

Cor - scary! If a kid can catch out David Copperfield - either the kids clever or David had a bad moment!

Hi Again

I personally would try the vent doll with all ages.
It's not what you use that determines wether the chidren will like it or not but wether the routine is funny enough at their level.
I currently have a gorgeous dog from "Practical Magic" and often get shouts of "Its your Hand" for the first few seconds but this is soon forgotten in hounds (pun intended )of laughter when he starts cleaning himself in the way dogs do then licks my face.After that I have them hooked.
Kids just love toilet humour

Children are only the hardest audience to play too for those not experienced enough to handle different situations.

Make the magic fun and interesting with the emphasis on "fun" and the children will not look for the mistakes or how it works as they are too busy enjoying the show.
Try and baffle them with the clever stuff and they'll make your life hell.

If you're finding children hard work or uncontrollable then i suggest you go back to the drawing board or try another line of work and leave it to the proffesionals.

Re: Wooden vent doll in kiddies shows.

To be honest Tom, I reckon more often than not he would un-nerve most of the kiddies most of the time... Unless you are using him soley for 8yrs and Older.

In my experience, any puppet that appears "human like" tends to freak them slightly. However, Vent Puppets, like animals, birds, etc seem to be accepted as non threatening. Use them for the kiddies shows.

I once had to use my Adult caberet Puppet, that of a boy (as pictured with me), in place of my large rabbit Vent puppet. I used him for a month, using the exact same material that the rabbit normally uses. I certainly noticed less of an openess / interaction from the little ones when the Boy puppet was performing. Since the rabbit came back, spontaneous laughter and open interaction returned.

I am also realiably informed some American research has been done in particular areas of psychology which proves little ones feel they can interact openly & without inhibition with Puppets that are more "fantasy based". If I recall correctly, the research using vent figures based on "Human" types showed the very opposite.

At the end of the day, there's only one way to find out for yourself. But, be prepared that he may freak some of the younger ones.

best Wishes

Karl

Thanks Karl,

I will try him out withvarious age groups. However i think i will stick to the older ones because of the charcater i have now given him. (Naughty, not well mannered etc)

As you say "he may freak some of the younger ones." He scares my fellow performer who is 16 so i think i shall only sue him for older age group audiences. If the response is not good then i will go back to my soft puppet who everyone loves. lol

Thanks
Tom

MagicTom wrote:i shall only sue him for older age group audiences

The younger ones may not have got the concept of law courts and the UK system of justice quite yet .

Kati