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Just need to share a few thoughts and get things off my chest (hope that's ok ). After today's children's party i have just done i have decided to retire from the children's entertainment business and concentrate purely on the adult and corporate market. I have been thinking about this for some time now and decided today. The healthy diary i have shows that there is a market for my adult work. Concentrating on adults will enable me to get much better routines and i am currently putting together a stage illusion show, just need the right assistant. I have worked out that with the cabaret stuff i do already i can do between 45 mins and 2 hours illusion / magic shows.

Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts with you.

wow - that's one heck of a decision. You've got to follow your dreams though. Good luck with it...

Risky but i could not take another day like today I have something up my sleeve that will increase my money from magic so i am not too worried.

Hey, Stephen - if you'd like to update your website, or dress it up a bit, hit me up. I'd be glad to offer my services.

Lol Stephen I know exactly where you are mate, I only do the children's gigs when there is absolutely nothing else on.

All the best mate.

Happy toad, you know the score don't you It has been getting worse and worse. Luckily i have a couple of things on the go that will help and with some regular bookings in the pipeline i am not worried. Had quite a few props wrecked today, so enough is enough. Thanks for the support guys

Had a lovely early night booking tonight, lovely adult audience, they even laughed at my chinese coin joke (coins have holes in for Peeking!)

I'd be interested to hear of the experiences that have helped make your mind up (and perhaps others will be too). I don't do childrens performances myself but still have an interest in the actual performance and am intrigued by the 'it's been getting worse and worse' statement.

Nice to hear about your evening performance going well

Reasons to retire part 1

1. I get a bigger thrill out of table hopping for adults (i love children don't get me wrong).

2. Parents saying there will be 15 children there, you get there and there are 55

3. Children fighting when i am trying to work and no parents stopping them (this happened years ago but i will never forget that one)

4. The most famous saying in magic "If you don't enjoy it then you should not be doing it"

5. I have a chance to buy some illusions to add to my cabaret shows. Good prices from a very good source.

6. Children smacking me over the head with a balloon for 30 minutes

7. There is a good market for adult magic and concentrating on that area will enable me to get better effects and routines.

8. Cannot say as advertising is banned

9. Someone has offered me a potental regular teaching booking for magic (you teach young children). Need to think about that one

10. I find children are hard to please, if it is a mixed age groups then you need something for everyone. With adults you know the kind of things they respond too.

11. You spend all the time getting your 'setlist ready', you choose the effects and patter. You get there and the parent says "Oh, would you mind just making balloon models and doing only 1 trick )

Part 2 to follow (i need a beer )

Thanks I'm half way through a can of Stella so cheers

The replies are kind of what I expected but still nice to hear from the horses mouth (so to speak) and it's nice of you to sepnd the time sahring this.

Interested in item 2 as I've had the 'there's 60 coming to the wedding' but you need to ask how many are coming to the reception as that's where I'm performing. At times you can double the number attending the reception.

Weddings are diiferent, like table hopping you can repeat earlier effects when you get further along the tables. i love weddings!

I cut my reasons list down to 11, i had 95!

Before i forget, if anyone knows who can build or sell me a proper 'fire cane' could you please PM me. I think they are only made by illusion builders but i am not sure

Quote:

Weddings are diiferent, like table hopping you can repeat earlier effects when you get further along the tables. i love weddings!

Me too - my absolute favourite type of venue and performance.

I

cut my reasons list down to 11, i had 95!

Crikey

Just checked my diary, i have a children's party for the 20th, so that will be my last. Just taking the children's party details off my website.

dat8962 wrote:Thanks I'm half way through a can of Stella so cheers

What's that matter lagerboy, afraid you might taste something?

Hobgoblin all the way tonight.

Hobgoblin goes straigt to your ankles and stays there - YUK

I bet that you're a ZZ Top lookalike

2. Parents saying there will be 15 children there, you get there and there are 55

How true is that lol though I had one a few weeks back where they said there would be about 20 and there ended up being 3. I suggested rather than doing the show as planned we did more close up stuff and the mum said she would rather do the regular show and that she would get all the adults in to watch. I then heard her forcing unwilling adults to come through a see the magic. It ended up with about 12 adults and 3 shy kids. Half way through one effect there was a crashing sound behind me and grandma was bouncing down the stairs, half the adults rushed out but told me just to carry on. Needless to say it killed any atmosphere I had been able to create with these already unwilling adults and 3 shy kids.