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wol Loyal user Norfolk, UK 238 Posts |
Did a kids party yesterday at one of the biggest house si have ever been in, This used to be a hotel (in the 60's) before that a private residence and now again a private house, for a family of four!! It was huge, they hadn't yet moved in so said we had the run of the place! We chose the main lounge as it was the same size as anaverage village hall and we got 46 kids in there (9yr olds!) all jummping around, some of the worst behaved children we have had in a long time! We try not to be the souty listen to me entertainers, but we don't allow a few to spoil it for the many, but it was hard to control some of these, the parents watched amused at there funny children! After the first 20 minutes (our longest time to date to get all the children in the same groove) we knew it was gonna be tricky but after an hour of subtle (and not so subtle) comments they all came round! It was made harder coz the mum had gotten a hundre helium balloms on ribbon that she wanted as decoration, we advised they not be in the same room as the party as they could hazardous (little kids,tangled in ribbon!!) so they were moved in to one of the hundred other rooms, but the kids knew they were there and they kepy coming back! Which parents found hilarious! It was an uphill struggle all the way but at the dad pops out the wallet (with a thud) and dishes out our fee with a £25 tip! Well he gave my partner the cash, she said we got a fiver tip, he then caught me and says, I think I gave you guys the wrong money, I call kate over she says oh I'm sorry, he says no worries here's the rest, I wanted to give you guys £25 extra! And they want us back for his 40th when they are all moved in! Bizarre gig, and Potty I think the financial status has a lot less to do with the bahaviour of the kids, these guys were loaded and had little sh!ts, where as we have done parties where you know they had saved all year to pay us and the kids hwre that much better behaved coz they knew it was a rare treat, neither is for sure, its down to the family not the families money! One thing tough, the birthday child at this particular party was lovely, its was sad it was over shadowed by some really nasty kids!
Keep passing the open windows!
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todd75 Inner circle 1277 Posts |
Jakeg....
If it works for you, by all means keep doing what you are doing. I just feel that if you invite the children to be loud that you are also inviting them to get out of control. Remember that at birthday parties the kids are already pumped full of energy and most of the time sugar as well before you even arrive. I personally want the kids to be quite (except of course when they are laughing or clapping) so that they don't miss anything and also so that everyone can hear. FYI- I also use a small sound system for all birthday party shows where there are more than 5 children. Why? loud adults that stand at the back of the room, kids that just have to talk, etc. etc. etc. It has made my b-day shows 10 times better! If I am louder than everyone else I obtain the control. |
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AaronTheMagician Loyal user 291 Posts |
This reads kinda long... sorry.
Hey Randi, Been missin' ya at the shop lately. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have ever bought a PK ring... Anyway, I've got an odd gig where I'm doing 2-3 kid shows a day here in town. The place is like a rival to Chuck E. Cheese's, but no animatronics or giant rats running around the place. Luckily, ONLY once in a great while do I get some really unruly kids... The worst I've had happen so far is a couple of boys started throwing bits of pizza because they thought it was funny and then coaxed their friends into doing it as well. The parents, predictably, just sat and watched... talking and chatting, totally oblivious to the fact that their kids were morally corrupt and proud of it... Anyway, I walked to the boy who started the mess and grabbed his chair and dragged him to my performing spot. "Look at alllllll that yummy pizza. I've already had all I can handle... I suppose YOU get to eat all of it! No? Well guess who gets to clean it up?!" (Which made the adults, who were surprisingly aware, laugh). All the kids stopped, and I continued the show. Other "worst shows" include getting mobbed by a group of 6-year-olds who all wanted to pet Rocky Raccoon... he lost an eye in that skirmish... Or the time when the kids thought it would be cool to sneak around behind me (which, given the venue, is not hard to do) and hide my case... ...which the parents said I should just make "appear," instead of tell their children to return... ...or when some young 'un got the smart idea to reach in Mr. Magic's pockets and pull out two red sponge balls... and proceeded to say to an audience of mostly church-going people...well, the phrase you'd expect someone to say when they pull two small red spongeballs out of your pants. Randi, everyone on here has offered some great advice. The best I can tell you has already been said... "It all comes out in the wash." When kids get bad, I think of the money instead of their bright and shiny faces. It's a sad incentive to press onward. |
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todd75 Inner circle 1277 Posts |
Well said Aaron...
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randirain Inner circle Fort Worth, TX 1650 Posts |
So we all have horror stories...
I did another show this weekend for kids. I didn't want to and was dreading it the whole time. This one was outside at an apartment complex. Some monthly block party for the kids. A friend of mine usually does it, but he couldn't. So he asked me. It actually went pretty good. But I didn't hardly do anything. I didn't even take my table, as it was only 30 minutes. I even stuck around and did some fork bending for the older kids. They loved it, wanted me to give them all my forks. When I ran out, at least that's what I told them, they started to try to dig through my bag. Little farts!! Any way... that was the worst. So some of my faith in kids are restored. And these were minorities, outside, a lot of them. The other show was middle class white kids. Goes to show that money or race has nothing to do with anything when it comes to horrible children. Randi ps.. Aaron, I don't miss the shop. But nice to hear from you. |
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GWSchott Veteran user Southeastern Michigan 361 Posts |
Randi, I wish I knew what to tell you. I know where you're coming from and it's very, very frustrating at times. I believe that crowd control is the parents' responsibility, not the performer's, and when that line of defense breaks down there's not much you can do to defend yourself. Although I haven't had to do it (yet), if push came to shove I'd stop the show and ask to speak with one of the adults privately, then explain that unless they bring the crowd under control I'm outie. That might sound harsh, but I'm getting paid to be a magician, not a bouncer...that costs extra
Yours In Magic,
Gordon |
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randirain Inner circle Fort Worth, TX 1650 Posts |
Since then... I have had some success with a new aproach I came up with.
What I do now is teach the kids on how to watch a show. Because that's really the problem. This has worked pretty good so far. It seems to give them a job to do. They sit, watch, interact, and applaud. I teach them when to do all this. If that makes any sense. Randi |
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vincentmusician Loyal user Toronto 264 Posts |
What to do about bad kids? A book could be written about this. Every situation is different. Also there are many ways to handle it.
You are at some time or other going to get a bad audience. That is the nature of being a Birthday Party Magician. Not every solution will work. So the First thing I do is ignore it. Usually it is not the whole audience, just one or two kids. If it is a lot, I change my show and try to figure out what the reason is for their behaviour. If nothing works, I speak to the parents. If that does not work, I stop the Show. Your there to do a Magic Show, not to fight as a Soldier in World War Three. |
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MeetMagicMike Inner circle Gainesville Fl 3500 Posts |
Fourteen years ago Randi gave a great answer to this "problem". Instead of deciding kids are brats, figure out what YOU can do better,
Quote:
Since then... I have had some success with a new aproach I came up with. My approach is to get to know the audience while I set up. The kids learn that I am not scary, I'm a nice guy and I'm funny. I let the older kids know my show has some tricks for the little kids but the show will also be fun for older kids and adults and some ot the tricks might even fool them. |
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Jolly Roger V.I.P. Sedona, Arizona 1667 Posts |
Quote:
On Apr 29, 2007, Tony James wrote: This cracked me up! I miss Tony! JR |
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ezystreamlive New user Australia 35 Posts |
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On Apr 29, 2007, randirain wrote: try a scotch straight up so you can slam it down fast. then note the suburb and be cautious about working that suburb again in my town yeah I know and avoid the kids who are little sh!ts they all tend to be in a particular suburb and culture |
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