talkmagic.co.uk

OK:

Kid's show, of course! Doing my thing, outside and a young kid jumps up next to me and starts touching my props! I get him to sit down, and he pops right back up again! Kids were shouting out things they saw, and one kid shouted out "This is ridiculous! Let's go have fun!" The kids all followed, leaving me with two, count 'em, TWO, children watching the rest of my show. I continued and heard a voice behind me say, " I can do magic too! Watch my trick!"

I turned around and the little bu**er had my Rope To Silk Gimmick! I took it from him... it must have dropped out of my pocket previously... and I packed my things. He followed me all the way to the car asking "Can I have MY magic rope back? I lost it than found it and then YOU took it!" I finally hopped into the car and thev kid gave up.


I'll stick to adult shows and mentalism acts from now on. They are what I do normally anyways. I hate kid shows...


If I ever do more, and of course I will at one point of another, how can I calmly and professionally handle the cases above? I have dones shows in my career for kids, and I could handle the minor problems, but this was a nightmare. Thank you!

Michael Kras

They probably saw that you hated the gig, so they thought you were no fun. You should learn audience management towards children. Also, how old were the kids? 9 and up seems to be fine.

hey i am brand new on here but i know what you are talking about. i am 22 years old and when i get a new routine together i like to perform it in front of my little cousins (8 of the little buggers) they work perfect because they all for the most part have different personalities for me to deal with. sorry for the long thread, but i have a lot to say.

the first category is the middle kid. i have 3 of those to deal with and its always hard. they are the ones who want to have the attention on them and when you are holding it, they get pi**ed. i have found that if you somehow include them into the beginning of the routine they get their fill and shut up for the most part. even if its a simple pick a card trick.

the next ones are the ones who want to ruin your show. this would be my little cousin Casey (basically a mini Paris Hilton, just waiting for her to go to jail too) the trick with her is to position yourself away from her and seat her behind the others so if she randomly decides to jump up and come around to destroy the trick, you have enough time secure anything needed.

third is the group of kids who dont believe you and insist on knowing how you do it. these are the ones that make up the majority of my group. They understand not to mess with me during the presentation but i have to pay them off in a sense. with these kids i get them to quiet down and enjoy the show by telling them if they are good i will teach them how to do a trick of their own at the end of the show. usually nothing special, but at least entertaining like sticking a straw up your nose and out your ear. they really seemed to love that one. but i at least use it in the performance first.

finally is the type of kid who every magician loves and that is the shy believer. i have one named holly who i love to death because she is calm enough and so wide eyed that i can perform all of my close up tricks for her. like the dollar bill float and loops butterfly. she is always happy to see anything i can do and really believes i am magical. she is the main reason i keep doing magic, because to see the light in her eyes when something happens is more rewarding then anything. these are the people who help boost all magicians and their enjoyment is our purpose.

Last Christmas I did 3 back to back half hour shows for groups of 6/7 year olds in a local school. I have to say that It was an absolute joy to do. They were absolutely enthralled by some pretty basic magic, disappearing silk, magic coluring book, foo can etc.

I have worked with other childrens groups and have never had any real trouble except for the sweet young lad who told everyone that his dad had that trick after every effect I did!!

With children I find that if you bring them right in to the show from the start they stay with you and unlike adults they are not using analytical processes to deconstruct tricks.

I suppose it helps that I am older, have brought up my own children and have grand children. That is a pretty good background to work with. Until you get to that stage however you can still get a great response with children if as I say you draw them in. Get them to shout out the magic words, tell them they are not loud enough and get them to shout them out again. And start with something visual. I start almost all of my performances, children or adults with a silk disappearance to TT. If you can make something solid vanish you set up your own credibility as a magician. Thats my opinion anyway.

The most important thing when performing for children is to make it fun. You can do the best magic in the world but if they're not finding it fun they'll loose interest. And once you've lost their interest it's a nightmare to get it back.

The fun aspect is much more important than the magic side of it. I personally think that when you're doing anything for kids, you're better off performing like a clown rather than a magician.

Remember you learn more from one bad gig than you ever will from a hundred ones that go perfectly.
How else do you improve as a performer?

Performing for children is a real skill that takes some learning. They don't have the same sense of decorum or boundaries that adults have.

I saw a kids entertainer walking back to his car after a gig on Spring Bank Holiday Sunday. He looked thoroughly miserable so I went over to tell him that I sympathise. "Animals" is how he described the little fun bundles.

Personally, I stay away from the witless midgets.

I take my hat off to kids' entertainers. One really has to love kids and entertaining them to make it work. I am absolutely convinced I'd be rubbish at it. I don't like the magic enough and I don't like large groups of young children. This is bound to reflect in my performance.

I actually wear ear plugs at kids' parties.

Im brilliant with Kids.. and I only say that because I was an uncle at 5 and have no less than 24 nieces and nephews ranging from 5 months and ovulating to 19 years old. Plus over 120 cousins or crying out loud.

Over the years I learned how to deal with kids of all ages, I know what makes em tick, what makes em sick, and what makes scared to get on the wrong of me.. I know what to do when kids are bored and how to calm down the overexcited..

saying all that.. I wouldnt like to perform magic for kids.. as they are like Marmite.. you might love em one day and hate em the next!!

As adults we are prone to mood swings.. usually you can use your mood to create an atmospehere in magic to dusguise how you feel. You have to be bubbly with kids.. and Im not a naturally bubbly person..


Sorry Michael that this post probably didnt help at all!!

if a kid ever tries to wreck your show.. punch him in the nose!! Your 14, the parents would understand

I.D wrote:
if a kid ever tries to wreck your show.. punch him in the nose!! Your 14, the parents would understand

I really do feel ID that you need to check into some sort of clinic!!!

I did but I came onto the Nurse.. then the arresting officer.. the judge.. jury.. and the prison guard.. then I came onto myself as the padded walls weren't up for a quicky..

so they let me goo.. hehe.. i mean let me go..

come along quietly ID it will be easier!! there there

As I see it, you are either a children person, or you're not. Know yourself well and choose your performing conditions accordingly.

Of course, that applies only if you're an adult. You're in a practically impossible situation when performing for children Michael, because you are a child. You are one of them (shudder). Your chances of holding their attention or getting any respect for your 'boundaries' as Tomo put it are nil.

My advice is not to go anywhere near an audience of kids until you're at least old enough to drive that car away yourself, and apply for a gun licence.

Thank you everyone! I am DEFINITELY not a children person. I am truining in my Colouring book and Strat-O-Sphere and going back to close up magic. I am also going to start mentalism.

Performing magic for a bunch of 8 year olds is the most demanding form of magic possible. They are the most critical, difficult to fool, and violent people you will ever meet. Performing for drunken adults is a walk in the park after performing for a bunch of sugar-high kids.

Don't worry about it Michael, we've all been there. You'll be a better performer for having gone through the experience, and when you sit down with a bunch of civilised adults to perform some close-up you will feel yourself >sigh< inside and will mentally tell yourself "there...that's better..."