It's merely an observation, Tom. Just as a single example - I sat through various Punch & Judy and similar shows with the RAF children. The RAF children relished these programs and looked forward to them...the American children seemed mildly interested to generally disinterested. As you yourself have pointed out in other threads - Humor changes by region and cultural differences. Children are children and certain things will entertain nearly every child nearly every time...but differences do exist based on culture, customs and environs. Differences exist from one side of my hometown to the other. British children in general are no more or less persnickety than our American offspring...but certain styles do excel in one area more so than in another.

As to which nation can lay claim to the greatest - no offense, but I couldn't care less as long as the child standing before me thinks I am the greatest performer to enter his or her young life at that precious moment. I'll leave that argument to others better equipped and more interested in pressing it.

I'm actually pretty sure that bad kids entertainers outnumber the good ones on both sides of the pond. For years I was convinced that the American guys were far superior to us Brits, but that was because we only hear about the good ones! Now we have Youtube and these internet forums I have come to realise that the overall standard is pretty much the same.

Returning to topic, coming up with a routine for the breakaway wand or any other prop is all about trial and error and experience. Brainstorm a few ideas:

Who gave you the wand?
Is it valuable?
Will the wand break more than once?
Can you combine it with other comedy wands?
can you start with a regular wand and the switch it out so the breaking wand will be more of a surprise?
Can you 'mend' the wand by magic?
etc. etc. Get the idea?

Then get out there and TRY these ideas in your show. Note which ones succeed and fail and adapt your routine accordingly. Don't agonise too much about creating the perfect routine before you try it out - if I only kept in the stuff that worked the first time out I wouldn't have a show! You will learn more from a couple of performances than you will in MONTHS of rehearsal! At the end you will have a great routine. Either that or you will decide to throw the thing in the bin and try something else - it might just not be for you, and THAT'S OK!! We are all different!

Out of 50-75 shows with a break a way wand, one child, asked, "Did I really break your wand?" Some kids are very tender - I tried to give some comforting words after that comment.

I use it as part of a wand montage and because things go wrong or funny with all the other ones, the kids just see it as a gag. I've never had a child get upset. Also, my reaction to them breaking my wand is so cartoonish and over the top that they always laugh.

I have used the breakaway in hundreds of programs. It always breaks in the kid's hands. Since it is not used at the start of the show, the audience already knows I am a goof ball and we are all having fun. The child or kid always grins or giggles. If done right the child understands they are part of the slapstick and silly gag.

my 3 cents,

Steven

Just wondering...is there more than one of these available? The one I have doesn't "square up" very well and I was wondering if there was a better quality version out there.

There used to be a more expensive version of the break-away-wand. I believe Hank Lee used to sell it but I am not sure if it is still available. As for it being better, I don't know. It should be because the cost was about 5-6 times more than the old standard model.

Regan

I have had a poor quality breakaway wand, and also a nice quality one. I intentionally sought out the nice quality one, after having the poor quality one. Everything lined up better, and the string was better quality. One other difference between the two, is that the poor quality one that I owned had a link you could remove. The nice quality one did not have that extra piece. The nice quality one also cost more, as was mentioned before.

The nice one I had was made by Supreme Magic, and I got it from David Ginn many years ago. Because Supreme is no longer in business and David has a good turnover in his product line, I doubt he still has the Supreme Breakaway wands any more.

But that is one of the nicer quality wands out there, if you can find them.

- Donald

I have used the breakaway wand for as long as I've been performing and its always gone over great. I've been using the same wand too, never had to replace it. It cost me something like £3.00, and it has no extra piece. I recently bought one put out by MAK. It has the extra piece, but the wand doesn't line up properly, the piece slips out too easily, overall its pretty useless. It cost a little more (£7.50). Don't bother with it, you'll never use it!

Mark

It's not the wand causing the problem but your acting...too many get trapped up in the trappings. Define your motivation on why to use the wand and how to handle it's breaking. And if one approaches performing as an art there should be only one rule...there are no rules.

For 20 years I have done a plate spinning routine where I punish a child for making a mistake...the audience completely turns agains me. But because I have established my character and engaged the audience in my performance they let me get away with it. The payoff comes later where the roles are reversed and the child gets to punish me for my mistake. It breaks all of the so called rules but it achieves a level of artistry because everyone in the audience can relate to the feeling of disappointmnet of failure.

I recently took this routine to China and it played very strongly because of these universal truths...

I close with a favorite quote

Talent for talent's sake is a bauble and a show. Talent working with joy in the cause of universal truth lifts the prossessor to a new power as a benefactor.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson


Kevin

"And if one approaches performing as an art there should be only one rule...there are no rules."

Oh, how very true!