I just took my daughter to see a magician last night and he was INCREDIBLE!!! I've not done much entertainment for children and honestly haven't known how to go about it. I have entertained children, but only sometimes is it successful. This guy was amazing. His audience management was impressive, he got the kids involved and kept the show rolling. All the kids were having such a great time! I was astounded.

My question is how do you go about putting together a show. I don't mean routining. That I can do. I have a series of tricks and even some jokes and lines here and there, but what I saw last night was a SHOW! It was true entertainment. Come to think of it, he really only did 6 or 7 tricks in the course of an hour! He was just incredibly entertaining and a real PERFORMER as opposed to just a guy who does magic.

Where do you start? I know it takes plenty of practice and plenty of shows to learn from, but are there any books or videos out there that will help me get started in how to make my PRESENTATION the very best it can be? The whole show I mean? So far, I've stuck mostly to adult shows, but I'd like to do more magic for kids. I just want to know how to manage them. Not only that, but how to make it a truly enjoyable experience for them. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Again, I'm not looking for tricks here, I'm looking for presentation.

Thanks
Dann

I think you need to allow for the kids to be involved, as you said above. Talk to them. Ask them questions. Interact with them as much as possible. They like to participate and be acknowledged. Don't play down to them. Work WITH them. Have fun. But you can be serious, too. They like drama, too. I don't find them all that different from an adult audience. Above all, be real.

Look around this forum, both for ideas in the many posts, and for enthusiastic recommendation of books and videos that will get you started.

You have already demonstrated, by what you wrote in this post, that you have a good idea of what to look for. So many people approach the task by thinking "what tricks do I need?" and you are thinking "how should I present the tricks I choose, whatever they turn out to be?"

You'll get plenty of help here.

May I humbly suggest my DVD "The Birthday Party Business," see excerpts at http://www.goodmagic.com/websales

Who was the person you saw?

It takes a ton of time in front of an audience to perfect a show. In my corporate shows I can do an hour with 5 tricks. The rest is just playing off the audience, joking, etc. There is no book that will teach you how to make your show good, because everyone has their own personality. In my shows sarcasm plays a lot and I use it to my advantage, if I ask someone on stage to help me out and they take a bit longer than usual to come up I'll say something to the affect of, "Why don't you take your time getting up here..." It just works for me and my personality.

Two books I can recommend, which have nothing to do with kids is both Derren Brown books, especially his 2nd book. He talks a lot about audience management. If you've seen Derren perform you'll know what I'm talking about. He grabs his audience by the throat and never lets go.

Have fun, and perform as much as you can and you'll soon discover what works for you and what doesn't, remember there is more to magic than just the trick, you are there to entertain.

I too am looking at starting a kid show. A lot of people I talk to reccommend David Ginn. His website is http://www.ginnmagic.com. He has published a couple books which are available on that website.

Hope that helps!

Alex

Let me second the above reference - I started with David Ginn msterial over 25 years ago. It is not only good, but very flexible - very soon the routines shaped themselves to my personality like walking across a stream step by step on stepping stones. They provided an excellent start and they still hold up.

He has written more than a COUPLE of books! And ^you are right. Ginn's material is great to start off with. It is a bit old, but it can be easily twisted to the modern era.

Flourish Dude,
His name is Gordon Russ. I believe he is from Detroit. His site is http://www.gordonthemagician.com He even states that if you hire him and you're not completely satisfied with the show, he'll tear up the check and refund the money. I hope my show is good enough that I can say that some day. Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll look into the above materials. Any more advice is welcome. Thanks again.
Dann

Stannmaple,

Have you considered taking acting lessons?

These are often available from community colleges and local theater groups.

Here is where you will get the "performer" part.

Best of luck,
Tod

I've not looked seriously into it, but it has crossed my mind. Acting and theater have always been of interest to me. As for David Ginn, what book or video would suit best what I'm looking for (performance, not tricks- although learning a few tricks wouldn't be a bad thing either) Does anyone know what stuff is good from experience? I've also looked into "the birthday party business" by Ross MacRae as stated above. Does anyone know any more about this DVD from experience? Thanks
Dann

If you are going to go with David Ginn for performance of kidshow material...and not just tricks...Go with Professional Magic for Children.

If you want a bunch of By-play for children shows as well as performance tips and tricks...go with Kidbiz.

Personally I like Kidbiz better, but they are both Great books for the subject!

Performing magic for children was a great book for me and I've read quite a few over the past 12 years and average 365 shows a year.

Although a faster than normal pace, plenty of visual and oral comedy, a true love and desire to perform at any time and any place for any and every age (of children from 3 to 12 years), a strive towards professionalism (meaning - keeping yourself and your props extremely well cared for), proper and understandable speach, making sure that your audience are comfortable and making the effort to meneuvre children (even in the middle of a routine) to a different position so that they can see you better, enjoy and go with the flow allowing for some lapstick and spontanious response to correspond with what is happening when it is happening, non-stop eye contact with every single person in the audience at all times, smile smile smile, stand straight and be in control on the stage, concentrate on having fun, practice your double takes and facial expressions daily in front of mirror and live audience, challenge yourself to be funnier every show, let them think your a clown even if you realy only want to be a magician (it's o.k - no one will lose respect for your performance and your character), add a touch of dicipline if and when needed to remain in control, lower your voice when you want to calm things down, raise your voice and talk faster when you want to heighten spirits, use a quick trick to begin the show and find your two funniest routines and put one in the middle and one at the end of your show, let your adience go wanting more.

These are a few tips bundled together. Understand each and every one and use them - you will be the next success story in your neighborhood.

If you do not understand one or more of them then pm me and I will describe how to take things further.

Good luck with my favorite of all audiences - children.

Dani the magician

Here are the steps I go through in creating a new act.

1) Decide on your character. Who are you? Why is your character there? Why do you do magic? How well do you do it? E.g. You might be an evil, greedy wizard at children's parties to steal all the presents.

2) Consider what sort of things your character would do in a 'magic show' if they could do ANYTHING? Why those particular things? E.g. the evil wizard would try and make thing appear he could keep.

3) What type of existing routines perform that function? E.g. Miser's dream and pretty much any production.

4) What routines DON'T exist that you could create? E.g. Fish to $100 bill switch.

5) What is the goal of the routine? E.g. to make gold coins appear.

6) How many ways can you NOT any magic? What sorts of things can occur BEFORE the magic happens? E.g. He needs something to put the coins in but the tin he finds has no bottom and everything keeps falling through, he even puts his hand through the bottom and picks up things off the table and the children are shouting THERE IS NO BOTTOM and he is replying WHAT! I HAVE NO BOTTOM....etc. etc. etc. Keep adding bits and pieces.

7) Make the magic goal happen OR reach a NEW goal. e.g. instead of gold, the bucket fills up with broccoli or the bucket vanishes or something else happens...

8) Repeat steps 2-7 five or six more times making sure to segue the effects together. e.g. How does the full bucket of gold/broccoli lead into the next routine...

9) Order the effects with the strongest routine last, the second strongest first and the rest in between.

10) Perform, listen to what the kids enjoy and tweek and refine for the rest of your life.

Hi,
If you want to create a great show rather than just a good show then perform the same show over and over for many years don't give in to temptations that people wont book you because they have seen it before... they will book you more than ever because your show will be way beyond the average change the show every year guys or worse pick what to perform on the day! just concentrate on getting the best presentation for what you have, eliminate the dead spots , refine those bits o business ext, after 5 years your show will be above good (assuming you are constantly performing)you will think it is as good as it can be , but when you reach the 10 year mark you will see that it has even improved more
phillip

The best book on getting info on how to put together a kid show is "The birthday Party Business." I do believe D.Ginn's site carries it. Steve taylor's site also has some good material.

Pbjones
sorry my friend I disagree
yes work out all the dead spots and adjust and analyse and change things if they need changing
I change my show - not completely - but I put in things prbably about 4 new things every year and take out bits and pieces. yes of course they take working in too I'll probably do tem for a couple of years till I feel they need changing.
there are things in my show that have been in there for the last 15 years. Im puttinig new things in all the time it keeps the show fresh and me alive.
And also bare in mind - the kids don't care if they have seen it athousand times they will still laugh - but the parents do! - they are the ones that pay and they expect to see new material year after year.

DAVID GINN ROCKS!!!

I'd start here, definitely. His DVD's and book combos are great, yes a little old now, but all entertainment... AS David says....
COMEDY + ENTERTAINMENT = GOOD MAGIC.... and a great Magician.

Kids Like to laugh, they like to be involved, anything that squeeks and beeps and burps and is repulsively stupid to kiddies - makes the performer!

Sometimes I wonder why I even leave home with my biggest greatest tricks e.g. forgetful freddie - magic boxes etc..... it's silly rubber chickens and funny wands that get them screaming and really make the adults laugh as well.

A good show is one with a good theme - my show is the same....... anywhere, everywhere. It's theme and patter changes accordingly.... My show is quite good - in fact people say great, because I have worked on it for some time. I just alter the patter and costume according to the venue and show title.
Good Luck......

Oh yeah..... and it's http://www.ginnmagic.com

Adios!
Magic Mike - THE FUNNY KIDS SHOW MAGICIAN!

Get David Kaye's new book, Seriously Silly.
You can get it from his website: http://www.sillybillymagic.com/

From my experience your both correct, Pb Jones & graemesd.
When I first got started professionaly I put a show together. obviously the more shows I performed the more I wanted to perform (i'm sure you know the feeling). I would purchase more tricks and try to incorperate them into my show. some where good - some were c--p.
After a while I layed out all the props and split all the good stuff into two piles and put 2 shows together.
I ran the shows for a year or so and decided to pick out the 3 or 4 best and funniest (well tested) routines, gags and bits of business and bind them together into one amazingly funny 45 minute show.
Since then I have been performing that show and P.B Jones is right when he says "fine tuning" can do wonders for your show and your name. I am booked day after day, year after year, and have been for the past 12 years.
Although on the other hand, I keep feeling that I must make a change. So I added two "small scale shows" to my repetoire: "magic stories" and "magic lecture"
the stories use props like run rabbit run, forgetfull freddie and others like them. and the lecture is a 20 minute run of a few selected easy tricks followed by teaching the kids how to do them. Of course both shows are presented with plenty of humor.

recently (about a month ago), I gave in to "parent pressure" and produced a new show. Giving it some long serious thought and budgeting myself to around $2,000 dollars (more or less a few bucks - you can never know how much your realy gonna need), I invested in some good quality Axtell puppets, an expencive new prop case for stage, some of the latest magic props (for kids) on the market and today, after a month of performing - with my experience and knowledge of stage work with children audiences of all ages, I can boast what seems to be going in the direction of the "next best hit show for kids".
So, will work on the show for the next few years with lots of trial and error.
Now I have my "classic" magic show + my new "coola Buba Show"

Enjoy,
Dani the magician