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innercirclewannabe Inner circle Ireland 1597 Posts |
I was watching an interview with Paul Daniels recently, and he said that there is no such thing as a "bad audience" for a performer, rather, it is the entertainer that it "bad" at his job. Do you agree with this sentiment? After some consideration, I do. Of course Daniels knows a thing or two about audiences having started his career in the working men's clubs all over England.
However, I do think there are a bad venues, and as such, these venues tend to attract trouble makers. I have played my fair share of kips, and it was only last year that I played such a place. I selected a woman who I thought would have been a good participant for the "childhood friend" segment of 4**. She insisted on taking the envelope herself and would not take it from me. This was met with cheers & jeers from the motley crew who turned up . It took some serious improvisation from me to make the routine play out successfully. I took full responsibility for very poor volunteer selection. The crazy part was though that after the show she told me she really enjoyed the show and she had no idea how I managed to get her friends name. She went on to tell me that her BF is a Magician and he told her what to "watch out for" if she was selected. I thought to myself, what a pair of idiots! BTW - Ironically enough I had made my mind up before I performed at that venue that I was no longer going to play these venues anymore, and luckily for me, I am in a position where I can pick & choose my venues. I think you must play these venues though to get the grounding and expertise you need in front of ALL audiences. But,it is stage and invites I only perform in these days. Anyhow, back to the original question, in your experience, is there such a thing as a bad audience, or is it just a bad performer? Robert.
Tá sé ach cleas má dhéanann tú sé cuma mhaith ar cheann.
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
It's not really a matter of bad audiences or good audiences. The problems arise when we find ourselves booked to work a WRONG audience for what we do.
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Every seasoned pro knows that you occasionally come across an audience that it is not going to work for, and it has nothing to do with the performer. I was doing a kids show a few days ago (a wedding) and a ten year old girl was visibly and obviously intoxicated. And she was an obnoxious drunk. Quite clearly in those circumstances it is not my fault if the show is less than stellar.
Having said that, if you are finding this more than a once a year occurrence, you might need to look at yourself, and not the audience.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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sandsjr Special user 840 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 13, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: I remember as a young kid playing the Chopin D-Flat Nocturne. It's so beautiful it would bring tears to just about everyone I played it for. One time my uncle asked me to play it for a group of his friends in a club. Let me just say these guys had crooked noses and wore sharp suits. When I finished one of the guys yelled out, "Hey kid, you know any Sinatra?". |
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george1953 Inner circle Mallorca (Spain) 5943 Posts |
I have worked the Hotel circuit here for 30 years with no problem. However with the recent trend for all inclusive Hotels here, the situation has got worse. The people who go to these places are there for one thing, to drink the free booze. I have had to tell venues I have worked for years ''sorry I won't be coming again'' these places are a nightmare with the police regularly being involved. Luckily I am at a time in my life when I can choose not to work them. So to answer your question 'yes' there are bad audiences.
By failing to prepare, we are preparing to fail.
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Jamie D Inner circle Ontario, Canada 2292 Posts |
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On Jul 13, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: This pretty much sums it up! I've been there before, I had what I like to call a dry crowed. They didn't know if they should react out loud or just stay composed and proper. Tony, did you honestly mean a ten year old? I at least waited till I was 14.
Twitter @darjames
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Scott Soloff Special user Philadelphia, PA 960 Posts |
Of course there are bad audiences!
@Jamie: I was a late bloomer - 15 (Scotch). Best wishes, Scott
'Curiouser and curiouser."
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sandsjr Special user 840 Posts |
Another uncontrollable part of the equation is how parts of the audience affect the dynamic of the audience as a whole. Have you ever been to a movie where the audience response as a group made the movie funnier for example?
No matter what, with all the variables at play I believe a good performer, with good material and an appropriate audience is going to make for an entertaining show at the least. I will say that Paul Daniels is a very talented comedian too. His wit could win over a wide array of audience types for sure! He has a way of making you not take yourself too seriously. You gotta love his spirit! |
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Tom Cutts Staff Northern CA 5925 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 13, 2014, mastermindreader wrote: I will REquote this as I'm in total agreement. Maybe this will make it clear. Take your worst audience, the unruly drunk crowd, the out of control child, and then put a specialist in that audience in front of them and see how it differs. Many performers love to not be at blame when there is a mismatch. It's your show, it's your booking, it's your fault. All of it. YOU are responsible for the outcome of all of it. That includes finding yourself in the wrong venue for you, or in front of the wrong audience for you. You know why real pros are great at these kind of things... EXPERIENCE. So go home and learn from your mistake. Learn how to adapt for that event, or learn how to avoid it in the booking process. Both are valid paths. Blaming the audience isn't. |
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saysold1 Eternal Order Recovering Cafe addict with only 10794 Posts |
My worst gig this year was for a well known sports championship "after party," strolling performance prior to dinner for 90 min.
The party was for 55-75 years olds - ranked as some of the "best in the USA" in this sport that had just been competing for days. What I discovered was that the majority of the attendees were as competitive off the filed as they were on - and I ran into many folks all night not listening to directions, challenging me, making offhand jokes, and generally being a pain in the tuchas. The attendee group from Hawaii interestingly I found to be the friendliest btw. Partly it was my fault for not knowing/asking in advance that I would be performing while they were in long buffet lines (hungry and cranky!). But there was unquestionably a vibe all evening that was unmistakably confrontative and tiresome. So I agree that once in awhile you just get a slugfest.
Creator of The SvenPad Supreme(R) line of aerospace level quality, made in the USA utility props. https://svenpads.com/
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saysold1 Eternal Order Recovering Cafe addict with only 10794 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 13, 2014, Tom Cutts wrote: I agree with all you said - my taking the gid and not knowing what I was getting into was my fault. However, some audiences are better than others - no question. Thanks Tom.
Creator of The SvenPad Supreme(R) line of aerospace level quality, made in the USA utility props. https://svenpads.com/
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Scott Soloff Special user Philadelphia, PA 960 Posts |
At first I wasn't going to chime in, then changed my mind.
Had a gig last Sunday for a July 4th celebration on the 18th hole of a country club. Booked to do strolling mentalism. Showed up early, gear in my pockets and ready to go. Only there was a couple of problems. One was the breeze. Immediately, that knocked a couple of items off the roster. It was easy to visualize cards flying off for parts unknown. A bigger problem; however, was that almost no one was seated at the tables. Practically everyone was standing around either socializing or getting food and drink. I spent a few minutes standing there looking over the scene. Finally, to myself I said, "Screw it." For the next half hour I walked around approaching people, politely apologized for interrupting their conversations, handed out my business card and said that I would be doing palm readings in a short while. I pointed to where I would be set up and made my way to the next group of people. The original gig booked for two and a half hours. I read palms for a little over three. Once the line formed it didn't let up. Managed to get one pee break. BTW, do I have to mention that the readings went over very well. Moral of the story: We're professionals. In this instance, I was being well paid to entertain. It was my responsibility to take a potentially disastrous situation and turn it into a positive one. One of the nice things about what we do is that it is not 9 to 5. Every show is different, as is each audience. It is incumbent upon us to adapt accordingly. Best wishes, Scott p.s. Sometimes I run on at the mouth. Apologies in advance.
'Curiouser and curiouser."
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mastermindreader 1949 - 2017 Seattle, WA 12586 Posts |
Well played, Scott.
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Scott Soloff Special user Philadelphia, PA 960 Posts |
Thank you, Bob.
'Curiouser and curiouser."
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TonyB2009 Inner circle 5006 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 13, 2014, Tom Cutts wrote: Many of the posters on here would blow me away as a mentalist. But as a kids performer, I am as good as it gets. After thousands of shows spread over two decades and three continents I can say that with complete confidence. I am the specialist. If a ten year old girl is ****ed at my show, it is not my fault. I did not give her the alcohol. A pro can analyze a situation and decide whether or not it is his fault. The only reason the show didn't fall apart completely was because of my experience, but it was not an optimum situation. Here are some other examples. A complete powercut in an Arctic hotel (mid-winter, so no outside light either). Forty screaming kids, terrified. I switched from magic to storytelling and kept it under control, but no one would say they got the show they expected. Again not my fault. A student venue that had promised a full sound system for my hypnosis show. Full system was there - but they hadn't included a microphone and CD player. As the venue was a boat-trip away I did not have my van and spare sound system. Again not my fault. It is not always the performers fault. A good pro knows that.
Check out Tony's new thriller Dead or Alive http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alive-Varrick-Bo......n+carson
http://www.PartyMagic.ie |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
I love live theatre.
As a professional I need to have lots of tools to handle What ifs. I don't know about you workers out there , but my early Toilet shows taught me more than my A+ ones. By toilet I mean they went bad / south. Many went that way because of A. Fear B. Not enough rehearsal C. Moving to a too high level venue to quick D. Fill in yours here. Harris. Still too old to know it all
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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MichaelCGM Inner circle Oklahoma City 2286 Posts |
Yes, there are bad audiences. There are bad venues. There are bad clients. Some of it we can adjust for. Some we cannot. I do not agree with the concept that professional performers can always make the best of things, or pull a good situation out of a bad situation. The only thing we can do is to take as many professional precautions as possible during the booking process and, perhaps make a few contingencies for unforeseen problems, but I don’t buy into being responsible for every aspect of a client’s function. Sometimes, one just has to walk away. It happens to the best of the best.
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Scott Soloff Special user Philadelphia, PA 960 Posts |
Quote:
On Jul 13, 2014, MichaelCGM wrote: Very true. In every aspect of life one is always running into walls. The question that presents itself is "Do I go through the wall or turn back?" Sometimes the answer is one and at other times well, the other. Our job, obviously, is to use our experience and judgement to make the appropriate choice. Just thinking out loud... Best wishes, Scott
'Curiouser and curiouser."
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DWRackley Inner circle Chattanooga, TN 1909 Posts |
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I took a nearly 20 year sabbatical from performing, when “life” got in the way. My memories of performing for children is that I’d rather feed them to the crocodiles. Fast forward to a couple months ago, when (with a little stage experience outside of magic), I find myself hooked into performing several “regular” magic shows for children, and the experience is completely different! I got raves from parents, teachers AND the kids, who thought I was the greatest thing they’d ever seen. Weeks later, when I run into some of these folks, they’re still talking about it. I mean “just” regular magic.
I would like to assume the reason is that I’ve learned something in the interim. Certainly children are not “more respectful” than they were thirty years ago. I think I learned how to “connect”. Now THAT’S amazing! Of course as a Mentalist, I’ve NEVER had a bad audience! LOL! Of course there are folks who simply don’t know how to behave; they don’t even have to be drunk, just self-involved. Part of the game is learning to spot them and recognizing the best (least invasive or distracting) way to neutralize the threat. If you approach it as a game (at least for me) it takes the heat off.
...what if I could read your mind?
Chattanooga's Premier Mentalist Donatelli and Company at ChattanoogaPerformers.com also on FaceBook |
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sirbrad Inner circle PA 2096 Posts |
There is "bad" everything regardless of how great you are at anything. To take blame for every bad thing out of your control is not only delusional but is just silly. That is like saying if someone got robbed they deserved it. You can't control everything all the time, I know after 34 years of performing. You take the bad with the good and eventually you get to a point that you are able to minimize most of the bad and be more selective about what shows you work. Especially once you are more successful and can afford to be selective as opposed to just trying to get any gig that you can.
The great trouble with magicians is the fact that they believe when they have bought a certain trick or piece of apparatus, and know the method or procedure, that they are full-fledged mystifiers. -- Harry Houdini
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