You get booked for a show for let’s say 15 or so and when you show up it’s the birthday child and one or two others?

What do you do? You’re regular show which may include bringing up multiply children? Or do you have a plan “B”?

Now just the opposite, you show up and the entire neighborhoods there (or way more then should be), what now? How do you handle it?

If your giving away goodies or tying balloons what happens?

Easy. You always carry material suitable for solo use and involving only one child. Always.

And unless there is a last moment epidemic, the parents will know how many children are arriving, within the odd one.

And you make phone contact the evening before, though do avoid dinner time itself.

Any problems will show. This call is most important - it can surprise how often some aspect has changed and no one has thought to tell you. Self protection.

If you are suggesting that invitations are sent, replies received and then children do not show in quantity, that is a social situation unheard of here, at least among the classes of people I'm used to. And in poorer ares, to be frank, I find their manners and attention to social niceties even stronger because parties like this are the exception, rather than the rule.

This is where you will find they have invited everyone from the 2 year old to the 12 year old. Carry on. Do your show as you know it best.

Look, in these more difficult circumstances you must concentrate on the audience. So it's vital you do the routines you know inside out, that you can do drunk or sober and work the audience.

Don't take risks. Part of pros defence mechanism is the elimination of risk allowing total concentration on the audience.

In this business you have to be prepared for anything. Stuff like this happens from time to time. You can not let it shake you. Always have alternatives to your show. Carry extra props and have routines ready to substitute for your normal show. After awhile you will learn to edit on the fly.

I always do what Tony suggested.

I call 1-2 days before the show (follow-up) call which pinpoints the exact number of children that should be there. Even with that, you will face unexpected surprises. This is why YOU MUST ALWAYS CARRY EXTRA MAGICAL EFFECTS.

For some reason most magic books and courses don't cover this topic, which is why most of us learned it the hard way.

Hope that helps.

Gerry

I've done shows for literally 4 or 5 kids when the parents have expected 40. I just did my normal show. Obviously it wasn't as good as when the room is packed, but it still went over great.

Truth be told I was more worried about the little girl, I felt sorry that there weren't more kids there.

I cry a little in side. The child will remember for ever that they invited 20 kids and only two came.

I was scheduled to do a birthday party for 20-30 kids, and due to the weather only one of her friends showed up. I empathized with the girl and offered the parents a chance to have another show on another day (mid-week/my approval) and they agreed. I still put on a short show for the birthday kid and her friend that day, and we also scheduled the show for 2 weeks later, and 24 kids showed up, and it was a fun show, and I got tipped $100 for being so accomodating. I got a few really good referrals from the show, also. It pays to be flexible if you can.