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SimonG-97 Special user 508 Posts |
Recently I have turned down a lot of kids shows, money that I could need soon. Anyway I always turned them down because I thought non eof my material was simple enough for kids.
so I put together this show, Does it sound ok ( it would run half an hour I guess. ) Magic colouring book ( if the kids are 8 or 9 I would skip this I guess ) professors nightmare cut and restored rope six card repeat silk vanish with TT egg bag linking rings. I think the linking rings egg bag and six card repeat may be to confusing though.. Do you think this is ok? |
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billappleton Inner circle Los Gatos, California 1154 Posts |
Hi Simon,
You might want to try "the little darlings" section for this post. Your set looks good but I think you will want more material. What about some sponge balls? Also if you have any boxes, tubes, or bags these are usually a good finisher. Produce some candy, etc. Best... |
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peppermeat2000 Elite user 428 Posts |
You need to be more specific...when you say "kids", what ages are you referring to? I have taught school for over twenty years and find that most first graders would grasp all of the basic routines of the tricks that you list. It really comes down to how you present the magic to kids. They will probably enjoy your personality more than the magic so make sure you prepare that aspect of your act first. Once they like YOU, they wil more than likely enjoy your magic. Kids love props too. I find Hippity Hop Rabbits,Peanut Butter and Jelly, and the Die Box to be popular with younger audiences. I'm curious as to why you would not perfrom the Coloring ook for 8/9 year olds? I currently teach at the middle school level and kids at that age still get a kick out of a basic routine using that prop.
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SimonG-97 Special user 508 Posts |
Oh , ok my bad. I think I just put it here because of the parlor stuff in the show.
I guess I could get a flower box production , that could be ok. And I have a dove pan so I could produce a bag of candy at the end. I guess one or two more things could be added . Thanks Simon |
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cairo Elite user 406 Posts |
Simon check out the Silly Billy book and DVD
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SimonG-97 Special user 508 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-08-28 10:38, peppermeat2000 wrote: Ok, I will keep the colouring book, I am ordering a Flower box production too, that has props too. Most of the stuff I mentioned I am getting at christmas , I excpect the show to be routined and stuff by January 2012. Just ordering some props at the moment, Simon |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Simon,
I'll post under the assumption that you refer to kids of elementary school age (under 12). The secret to working for kids is to understand what they appreciate. The tricks hardly matter in regard to the actual magic content, although creating a good mystery is always a big plus. The main thing is to know that the ride is more important than the destination. I gave this same advice to a friend of mine recently. Kids appreciate situational comedy. Funny things that happen are better than funny jokes. Instead of just producing something from a box, don't be afraid to get your hand stuck in the box, too! Sight gags are your best friend. The more boring the prop(s), the more comedy you probably need, but in the right combination, you'll score big!
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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SimonG-97 Special user 508 Posts |
So magic, plus mucking about , equals good Kids magic. Eg , cutting a rope, Uh , oh werent supposed to do that. Can you put it back together , Oh you cant? Well heres what well do ............ etc etc etc.
That kind of thing? |
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Nick Astle New user Clinton, BC 97 Posts |
You might think about getting a square circle, I find that is easily a Kid-favourite, particularly if you fill it with candy!
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peppermeat2000 Elite user 428 Posts |
IMHO a production of candy must be handled very carefully...some performers have found that the magical appearance of candy can result in an unexpected stampede of children
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Dr_J_Ayala Inner circle In search of Vlad Dracul and his 2169 Posts |
There is this effect called Lollipop in which you start with a lollipop of one color, place it in a paper bag and it changes color. Then you repeat it three or four more times, and each time it changes to a different color. Just when they think you have that many lollipops in the bag, you tear it open and show it empty. That would work well for kids too.
As Michael Baker said, kids really do appreciate situational comedy. Just think of all those kid jokes that are so terribly corny and horrible (at least to adults) - kids of most ages love them and will eat them up. Things like the old "Look under there..." "Under where?" "I just made you say underwear!" or using the words 'six' and 'sick' interchangeably. Sight gags are great too, and most kids get the joke with those. "That was great, but do you want to see something a little greater?" Then proceed to show them a small (really) kitchen grater. I hope this information is useful to you. |
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Nick Astle New user Clinton, BC 97 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-08-28 17:08, peppermeat2000 wrote: Haha props flying everywhere, methods being revealed inadvertently, innocent victims trampled....You are right, it needs to be done carefully! Depending on the situation, I guess. I've done it several different ways - promising to give it out after if they stay put, handing it out to select few who are behaving, or even throwing it out into the group for added excitement! LOL That always gives the opportunity to transition, since they are too busy to notice whatever you're doing. |
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jcmazzolado New user 51 Posts |
The best advice so far was to get the Silly Billy book. There is a lot more to kids shows then putting a few tricks together with jokes and mucking about. Many Family and Childrens entertainers spend countless hours developing routines for their shows.
I agree that the props are not the most important part. Anyone can go to a magic shop or order items online. The key is to be entertaining with the items you have. Great performers kill with a TT / Sponge balls and a Hat Tear. You have some great classics in your set. IMHO |
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Dr_J_Ayala Inner circle In search of Vlad Dracul and his 2169 Posts |
Quote:
I agree that the props are not the most important part. Anyone can go to a magic shop or order items online. The key is to be entertaining with the items you have. Great performers kill with a TT / Sponge balls and a Hat Tear. You have some great classics in your set. I agree. Simon, I also want to point out (now knowing your approximate age) that it is great to see someone your age using the classics of our art. Practice them, learn them well and respect them - they are classics for a reason. They will also serve you well over your career in magic, whether you are paid for it or not. |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-08-29 18:08, jcmazzolado wrote: The biggest hole in my post was failing to mention that the magician needs to have a natural proclivity for being funny, if comedy is the aim. I sometimes overlook the fact that some people simply cannot tell a joke. "Mucking about" was not an accurate description of what my post was intending to say. Simply mucking about could have the desired results, but could very easily make the magician look like an idiot. The bottom line is, the magician HAS to know how to connect with what appeals to kids. Reading any book (even David's book) might find one face to face with the proper information, but nothing can be lost in translation, or it won't work either.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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magicians Inner circle Teacher and Legend 2898 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-08-28 10:25, SimonG-97 wrote: I would do that for kids or adults and not worry about a thing. Kids are smart.
Illusionist, Illusionist consulting, product development, stage consultant, seasoned performer for over 35 years. Specializing in original effects. Highly opinionated, usually correct, and not afraid of jealous critics. I've been a puppet, a pirate, a pawn and a King. Free lance gynecologist.
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pradell Special user Alaska 560 Posts |
If you don't like spending time with kids, don't just do it for the $. They'll see right through it. Kid's aren't simple. They're complex beings. But they know one thing: whether or not you like spending time with them. You can have a lot of fun during a children's show and be amazed that people actually pay you to have fun with kids. But that's the secret: it must be fun for you and for the kids. So, back to the beginning. Do it because you want to do it. If so, the time will fly by and you'll wish you had more time to spend being a kid yourself. If not, it will be the longest show of your life.
:magicrabbit: |
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Alan Munro Inner circle Kentwood, Michigan, USA 5952 Posts |
Quote:
On 2011-08-28 10:25, SimonG-97 wrote: I perform the linking rings and egg bag for kids and they love it. If the tricks are too complex for kids, how are you handling some of the adults? It's not like adults fair much better than the kids, when understanding a show. I suggest that you find some events, that have no budget, at which you can test your material. If you can't experiment, it'll be hard for you to find what works. |
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Mr. Woolery Inner circle Fairbanks, AK 2149 Posts |
Another suggestion: make things relevant for the kids. So, with 6-card repeat, use Pokemon cards. My younger-set rope routine is a story about how my mom taught me to tie knots. It involves me being proud, sad, amazed, and angry, has only one cut and restore move, a pop-off knot, and an instant knot. Takes about 4 minutes and I've had a couple of kids in tears laughing at me. But all the kids can relate to trying to learn to tie knots, which gives me the initial hook for the routine.
I used to do PNM with a story about when I worked at a spaghetti restaurant and had a difficult customer. Kids like the image of spaghetti that is half an inch thick. It hooks them when I bring out a bowl of "noodles." You have to give them a reason to care about what you are doing. If I just said something like "here's a ball. Now I have two. Now three, now four." That's not a good routine. They may not see how I went from one to four, but they do know they are not enjoying the trick. They are just trying to solve a puzzle. Another example is sponges. I like spongeballs. But for younger kids I like to use sponge teddy bears. Same routine, but I give the bears names and there's one naughty bear who keeps messing things up. I put him on time-out in my pocket and he reappears. And so on. The kids relate to toy animals with names. They also like the imaginary personality messing up my trick and I really do ham that aspect up. (Come to think of it, I haven't done much with my bears lately, so I had best get them out again. I like that routine.) The last time I did a birthday performance, I did a rope routine, a card trick, linking rings, and a puppet routine. Filled almost 45 minutes with those 4 routines and the kids had fun. The whole key here is to make sure your routines place entertainment ahead of the magic trick. Oh, and if you can't make the kids understand what you are doing (with the exception of card tricks), you probably can't entertain adults, either. Kids can follow a basic plot and there's no reason to make a magic trick anything other than basic in plot. Confusion is not magic. And kids will walk out on a bad performance or even tell you that you are boring. Adults will be polite about it but kids are the acid test. -Patrick |
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Dr_J_Ayala Inner circle In search of Vlad Dracul and his 2169 Posts |
Patrick, where did you find your sponge bears and how big are they? That would be an awesome alternative to sponge bunnies...
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