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Hi I've picked up a few days doing magic at an oap day center. The audience will be aged between 70 and 90 and some have dementure.

I was wondering if anyone out there has worked this type of gig before and if so what went down well?

I'd suggest just going quick visual stuff.

I have done a number of nursing homes, with residents aged up to 103.

NO card tricks (some have difficulty seeing the cards, and some have difficulty remembering them).

Lots of flash and color; avoid long, drawn-out plots and stories.

If you need an assistant, get a staff member; all the residents may not be ambulatory.

Basically, do what you would do for young children (minus, of course, the nursery rhymes).

Right then think I'll drop that gig, cards and a bit of coins is where I'm at when it comes to magic

Why drop it ?? ... If you can do card and coin work, adapt it !!!

You can do this. Stop finding excuses :p

Big colourful and visual is the way to go with old people's homes. Without sounding patronising to the residents, think along the same lines that you would with Childrens magic.

Tristan - you can do this. It's easy. If you can do a full length seance show, you can do a 30 minute OAP magic show!

You will get very little response from the "guests" during the show. This can be a bit weird, but forget about it and keep ploughing on! I found it easier to aim the show at the staff. After all, it's them that will book you and keep booking you. If the staff enjoy the show then it's a job well done.

themagicwand wrote:Tristan - you can do this. It's easy. If you can do a full length seance show, you can do a 30 minute OAP magic show!

And I know which one I'd rarther do, which one is easier

Oh and I've never done kids stuff so got none props. Been asked not to do anything for kids.

Reverend Tristan wrote:Been asked not to do anything for kids.

Then just do a mainstream mind-reading show and involve the staff as much as possible. Even easier!

well yeah could do, got two days work at an hour each day

How about some reverse reading with esp's ??

They choose one, and transmit it to you .... ??

How good are your card skills ? Maybe use a one way deck and get everyone to choose a symbol, bit like a game of pairs, but you end up with everyone matching?

How about the who am I game, where they all write down names on post it notes or whatever who they remember from their past (im guessing youll end up being george formby) whack it on your head and you "psychically" guess who. Maybe even tempt a staff member in a race to see who can guess who first ? It will get some resi's involved by having them "cheer" the staff on.

If you have time, maybe print of some old photos of peeps they would know and do a living and dead test ? Or even for cheapness and ease, write names in large black letters on white a4 cards, hold them face to you, ask the collective group ??

Etc etc etc ....

Use, dont use, whatever ....

thanks tinker

FairieSnuff wrote:If you have time, maybe print of some old photos of peeps they would know and do a living and dead test ?

If you are performing for OAP's I personally wouldn't recommend anything that touches on the subject of mortality.

Try anything involving nostalgia.

Reverse-engineer a modern effect but use old props e.g. a 3d or 1d coins.

I use a 'nana's neckless' where I tell a story about my gran working in a factory during the war and she used to make jewellery from old parachute chords and steel nuts.

Prediction effect (equivoque) using photos of very old adverts. Then produce the modern day equivalent of the forced item to prove the prediction.

If they don't appreciate the magic they might enjoy seeing the old items and it becomes more of a discussion about what they did during the war or what you could buy for a shilling back in those days.

Some of them will see you as an entertainer, others will just enjoy having someone interesting to chat to - so don't be put off if you fail to get the normal reactions to any of the magic.

Magick wrote:

FairieSnuff wrote:If you have time, maybe print of some old photos of peeps they would know and do a living and dead test ?

If you are performing for OAP's I personally wouldn't recommend anything that touches on the subject of mortality.

Why ?