Sometime about 6 years ago the scout troops in my area broke tradition with scheduling their B&G in February and sometimes have the dinner in May.
That's not the point, just an observation.

Anyway. I like to tell them that I'll be performing three tricks "right out of" the Cub Scout Magic Book - and I do. three quick rope tricks while standing and then I mention what page they are on. And I hold the book up.

While the book is out of print (I believe) they are plentiful on the Bay and... what better way to connect to the buyer and the audience then to perform something that's part of their culture. Trade show performers incorporate sponsors products or services as part of their normal course of practice. so even if you take a 20th century, and substitute it for blue & yellow handkerchiefs, that's better then bringing-out all your regular stuff (Not that your regular stuff doesn't kill).

Blackstone JR had a production number where he started with a small silk and produced larger and larger silks, ending-up with a 20 foot wide Americana flag THEN all the silks were dropped and a menagerie of animals, including a camel and elephant, appeared on stage. I asked what he called that number and he said "A mess" Then he said "I call it Americana BUT when we are in a different country, the last giant flag is the flag of that country and we call it (Assuming he was in Japan) Japaniana or Mexiciana if in Mexico or Austrialiana down there."

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So - how do you customise you show..... without going to extremes?

Customizing is something I add with a dash rather than a bushel barrel.
They include:

Song-time of year, holiday,interest of group
Some known songs, some parody

Change patter of effect in my prop room

Use of an extra prop- adding a basketball to all school assembly

Add details in the middle of a ventriloquist routine.

Ask consumer for additional information - key points- celebrants- pet phrases

A b/day of a 40 year old "kid" theme K-state and Abba.
I used purple balloons, sponge balls and handkerchiefs. My 3 foot rock and roller marionette danced to Abba music.

Harris
Still too old to know it all

I can customize when asked - I am doing a pirate show on Saturday, and did a Wizard of Oz show recently. The way I customize is exclusively through patter. I tell plenty of stories during the show, and that is what I use to work to a theme.

I bought 4 Cub Scout neckerchiefs and had my wife sew together a set of "20th Century Neckerchiefs" with funny boxer shorts as the center load - performed it with the Cubmaster and got big laughs every time.

Tony, I'm going to guess that you can customize when asked......

I've seen double posts here (obviously a bug) but this is the first double-down of a bug.
It's a double-down bug. A buggy double. A quadruple Elpost'o. A miracle!

I am sorry if I quadruple posted. Meant to triple post!

The old, sitting down and getting out pen and paper...or if you prefer your laptop/tablet...or etch a sketch.

Writing, and of course Re-Righting and Re-Righting again.

Harris
reader & "righter"

...Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0......tion=all

Some of the url will not highlight above. Copy and Paste the full line.

The big things I do to customize the Scout shows is a neckerchief 20th Century and a burned & restored neckerchief. I also do the Kellar Rope Tie that I tie in (bad pun intended) to scouting and tying knots. I leave it at that. I believe that too much is too much. In general I think about TV shows and the ratio of content to commercials, and I follow about that same ratio of themed tricks to standard tricks.

BTW, I sell a lot of my souvenir magic books at B&G's . At $5 a pop, an autographed magic book is a really nice souvenir that most parents are happy to purchase.