talkmagic.co.uk

Nine year olds are an easy audience. They are great fun. They respond to card tricks, thumb-tip vanishes, sponge ball routines, cups and balls, good strong coin magic, rope magic. Don't even think of die boxes or colouring books.

Jean Eugene Roberts used a rude word in his post and as a man of the cloth I am suitably horrified. I hope he doesn't use words like that when he is entertaining children. And fire should NEVER be used.

As for the Die Box I see no reason why it cannot be used. I have been told that it even works well for adult audiences. Billy Mc'Comb tells the story of the time he saw a magician tear up a night club with it. And of course Roy Benson used it too for older audiences. It is a different trick entirely to Run Rabbit Run.

Nine year olds are still children. It is true that some of the baby stuff should probably be left out but a very high percentage of standard children's magic can still be used quite successfully.

mark lewis wrote:And fire should NEVER be used.

It pains me to have to disagree with you, but I was recently hired for a ninth birthday party specificially because I fire-eat. It is not part of my children's show, but it was that day. Anything is allowable if it is done right.
As for the Die Box, in the hands of someone who knows what he or she is doing, I can imagine it working with any audience. The problem is that most children's magicians take a prop like that and use no imagination. They just go through the motions. That is why I get turned off by props.

I find that sponge balls usually go over well. And audience participation is a good way to keep them interested. Tricks like scotch and soda, or go go gone are usually hits with kids. At least in my experience