Hi,
I've often noticed how if I happen to have a funny pair of glasses or a wig on a table a kid will always want to put it on. I usually let them and they always get a big laugh from their friends.
Thinking about it, I decided it might be a good idea to do a routine with lot's of funny props for the volunteer to wear. I came up with a routine about clowns. I have a volunteer who is going to be a clown, I have a large bow-tie, a multi coloured wig, giant sunglasses which I get them to put on then the routine is about finding the nose, I do sponge balls with green sponges which then change to a nose and then the nose vanishes,appears flies through the air etc. there's a lot more too it than that and the whole nose part is going down well (running smoothly?).

My problem is with getting the kid to wear the props. In some cases I sense the child is embarassed. Not excessivly so, I'm very aware of making sure my volunteers are 100% happy so am fairly sensitive to their mood. While, in most cases, they are not percievably embaressed I can sense that they are a little. If I'm sure they're going to be embarassed I change the routine and put the stuff on myself. This however leaves the volunteer with not much to do at the start of the routine.
I need your help folks this is what I have been trying to solve this problem:

• Try to make sure I have the right volunteer: I leave it to later in the show so I can suss out which kid would be good for the routine. When I do pick the right kid the dressing up bit goes down a storm, they love it and the other kids love seeing them fool about in silly clothes. I look for a kid who isn't shy and likes to show off a little but not too much. There seems to be a very fine margin between the kid who will be embarassed and the kid who show off too much. I still can't get it right.
  
• Tell the kids what they will be doing before they volunteer. Doesn't seem to help they all stick their hands up anyhow
  
• Assure the volunteer that they will be making their friends laugh rather than their friends will be laughing at them. Obviuosly this has to be done subtly. Maybe, I'm not doing it right. Any suggestions or lines I could use?
  

Nothing seems to work 100%. Any ideas folks?
Is it just too silly a costume, not cool enough?
Is the fact that I'm trying to make sure they're not embarassed perhaps making the volunteer realise that it could be a potentially embarassing situation and therefore causing the feeling in the first place?
Am I missing something in my whole way of approaching it?

Thanks for any words of wisdom you can give.

George

Kids love to dress up, but becoming a clown in front of a large group of friends is a tough sell. I know that if you ask, all kids will volunteer....but they often don't realize what it entails.

Try preselecting the child if you are doing school or birthday shows. Talk to parents or teachers about good candidates.

I do a skit where I have 3 volunteers come up to the stage and help me... I dress each one up in a funny hat, a pirate patch, a due rag and a big cape... I used to have this problem a lot. The children are always egger to get up on stage and help, but then get up and have stage fright or get shy or embarrassed. Now I always tell them what I’m going to do ahead of time… Like I say… “Next, I’m going to need some volunteers to come up and help me. – but… in order to do this I’m going to need you to put on some very silly magic costumes in front of everyone… So who wants to come up and put on the magic costumes??? Now the kids know what to expect… The problems of shy and embarrassed kids have been decreased by 99%. Still you get the occasional one… if this happens once they are on stage and I see them uncomfortable I ask them to pick out someone from the group to take their place on stage. I play it up and make them feel important that they get to pick a person to come up on stage… Now I get a willing and better stage helper and the shy kid feels good and looks like a hero to everyone else.

I use a magic hat during my show, sometiomes the kid refuses to wear it, sometimes they put it on then throw it on the floor, In both cases I just put it on myself.

As you say George nothing works 100%, I think your doing all you can and putting the stuff on yourself is the only real option if a kid chickens out once there up with you. You could try, alternating, IE:- when they refuse you put the first bit on, then offer them the second etc.
Pre-Selecting the candidates doesn't always work either as the most confident kid can clam up with stage fright, the same as I shy kid can come into his own.

I'd suggest when you pick a helper you tell them you need someone special who may have to dress up, But don't tell them what the outfit is.

Thanks for the advice guys, superb.
Lorne: That certainly could be a solution to try. Since I left it to the second half of the show I thought I could probably work out a good volunteer by then but my judgement seems to be way out when it comes to prop wearing kids.
I'm kinda worried your right on the account of a clown may be a tough sell too.

Jimmy: That's exactly what I did the last, about, 7 times. Told the kids exactly what they're going to be doing. It's amazing to me how it isn't working!! If it's working 99% for you then I must be doing something wrong or approaching it the wrong way, can you think of any of the other things you do to assure them? I think if the same method that's working for you is not for me there must be another factor in the way you approach them that you have right and I haven't.

Clive: I think your right maybe the dressing yourself up isn't too much of a difference. I also ask them if they want to wear some of the other props before I put them on. Sometimes they'll try one on.
I had an idea today that was to put all the costume props in a box then send the kid to pick something ,for example 'that I can wear on my head from the box'.
While they're finding the wig, I'll telling the kids that I hope he picks me out 'a cool hat or something' and time it so the kid turns around with a multicoloured wig as soon as I finish saying it. I think doing it this way might be quite funny and good for giving the volunteer something to do to.
I can see the problem with pre-selection, now you mention it, even though parents can tell you if their child is shy or not even they probably wouldn't be able to say if their kid would mind dressing up as a clown or not. Kid's are fairly random.