Anatomy of a Kid Show

I have just gotten back from doing my first kid show in 25 years, and boy, did I learn a lot. First, some background: I’ve been studying magic for 36 years, so I’m not exactly a novice. I’ve also done my share of kid shows back when I was a teenager trying to earn a few bucks. As many of you know, I took a 12 year hiatus and started to get back into magic last year, and along the way I have amassed quite a bit of stuff. When my daughter’s gymnastics teacher asked if I would do some magic for her summer camp, I eagerly volunteered.

I spent a few evenings going through my closets full of gear and gradually put together a list of effects I thought would be appropriate for the size and age of the group: about two dozen 3 to 6 year olds. I spent hours rearranging the order, waiting for a natural flow between effects to appear, and then worked on my timing to get it all down to about 20 minutes, leaving 10 minutes for balloon animals.

As I started to get into the spirit of rehearsal, I realized that even though I was doing this show for free that I stood an excellent chance of getting several referrals from this gym school. Not knowing what the Tulsa marketplace will bear, and not needing the money, I told myself that if this generated any future revenue I would put it back into my hobby and maybe do some more free shows for non-profit organizations.

I loaded an old graphics program and designed a neat looking business card in about an hour using some quality, full color artwork from Husting's MagicClips. Then I printed them by using some Paperdirect business cards and my new $4000 1200 dpi Tektronix thermal wax color printer. I quickly turned out 100 really slick looking cards. Printing on demand. It’s the only way to go.

Getting nervous about the lack of a good closer, I visited the local magic shop, Top Hat Magic, owned and operated by fellow 4F’er Steve Lancaster. I let him talk me into buying a pair of Multiplying Bananas and Multiplying Bunnies, a squeaker, a magic coloring book, and an inexpensive oversized top hat with a false bottom. I reordered the effects and was ready for a dry run.

The night before the show, I offered to perform a private magic show for my 2-½ year old daughter, Alex. She loved it but suggested I add A Day at the Circus because it was her favorite trick and she likes clowns. She was right, so I added it to the list.

The next afternoon, about an hour before the show, I showered and shaved and spent twenty minutes looking for something to wear. It was an informal environment, but I always thought the magicians had to look professional. We’ve also experienced one of the hottest summers in Tulsa's history: almost every day has been over 100 degrees and the humidity makes it feel even worse. I put on a salmon colored, short-sleeved silk pullover and a pair of light linen pants and was ready to go.

I threw everything into my Mak Suitcase Table and loaded everything else into the car. Ten minutes later I was wheeling my stuff into the gymnasium waiting to the kids to clear out of the back party room where I would be performing. After kibitzing with the manager for a few minutes, I was finally allowed to the back room. The kids watched me through a large picture window as I set up and they smiled and waved excitedly.

After a few minutes of prep, they let the kids in and I got started. The show moved fast, the kids kept shouting and laughing and clapping, and it was over before I knew it. Just as I was getting warmed up, it was time to wrap it up. I left out a few items as the show progressed based upon their reactions and demeanor. I liked having more than I needed to fill the time slot. It allowed me to be more flexible in my pecking order and trick selection.

At the end I offered to make balloon animals and began to pump’em up. A big mistake here: being anal retentive I had previously separated all the of the colors of the balloons into their own respective zip lock bags. The premise here was that I wanted quick access to the childrens' favorite colors. This was a bad strategy. While each kid walked away with his favorite colored balloon doggie, it took more time than if I had simply pumped and twisted and moved on regardless of favorite colors.

I thanked the kids as their teachers escorted them out, and I packed up the show, carefully making sure I had not left anything behind as I had done so frequently when I was a teenager. Once I was sure everything was in the case, I rolled it out and thanked the manager for having me. She offered to pay me for the balloons. I laughed and said, "No, thanks." I did ask her to put my stack of business cards on her counter and to refer work as it came up. She said she would.

As I was loading my stuff into the trunk of my car, a Mom pulled up and asked if I was the magician and if I had any cards. I told her they were on the counter inside and to feel free to call me. I pulled away hot, tired, but oddly satisfied. I didn’t do too badly and I might even get some repeat work out of it to help feed the hobby and the urge to perform.

No doubt, you all have had many similar experiences, but I wanted to share some thoughts with you and bring them up for discussion elsewhere on the site:
Dress: What do you wear for your kid shows if you are not a clown/magician? I did not know the room I was to perform in had no air conditioning. Being a sweater by nature, my lovely linen pants had wet spots all over the crotch by the end of the show. I looked lovely in front of the children, I’m sure.
Preparation: I guess if you do this all the time, you don’t have to prepare. But then again I know many pros who rehearse just as hard the night before a show even if they have done the material 1000 times. How long and how frequently do you rehearse your act?
Impact of Parenthood: Being a Dad improves your performance and patience. Without a doubt, between the time I was a teenager and the time I got married, I lost my patience for children, and in fact never saw myself having any of my own. Love does strange things to you, and now I have two children: a new two month old boy and a  2 ½ year old girl. Now I still am not the most patient Dad in existence, but I have learned how to communicate with my kids in words and looks and actions, and this really does improve your ability to perform for other children. And if you are a good Dad, they just seem to know it and feel real comfortable around you.
Business Cards: I used to have quite a collection of business cards as a teenager. In addition to collecting everybody else’s, I used to run the High School print shop and so had amassed quite a number of different styles of cards for myself. I remember every teen magician I knew was striving for the perfect magical looking business card. This time around I settled for creating my own on the home PC. Admittedly I have a much higher quality printer than most people, and I was able to design a simple but elegant full-color logo and card. What about you? Do you use more than one for different audiences (kid shows vs. corporate)? What does your card say about you? Send me your card and I will scan it and add it to a new online library.
Review Update: I’ve changed my mind about a few items I purchased over the past year now that I have actually used them for a performance:

The Mak Suitcase Table I have reviewed earlier is still a good table to perform with, but it definitely is lacking a few things. First, it is a bulky table, making it difficult to load into a backseat of a car. If you have a nice leather interior you better watch that metal trim. Second, the wheels suck. They must come from the same place that grocery store shopping cart wheels come from. This thing has a mind of its own. Third, the case has no lock, so everything fell out in the trunk. Fourth, the cutout space for the handle is understood by the design, but why didn’t they add a simple hinged flap to fold down on the inside so people can’t look through your table to see what you are doing?

The Mak Run Rabbit Run may be a bargain and a great trick for children, but the kids realized there were two or more bunnies right away, which really surprised me. Afterall, they were between 3 and 6 years old. How astute could they be? But the truth is you can see the extra bunny in the sliding compartment if you are sitting on the side. The big question is why is the prop so oversized? It’s so long it will not fit into a regulation suitcase. So I was forced to wrap it with some black felt, and carry it awkwardly under my arm.

The Confusing Crayons may be a great kid version of the Topsy Turvy bottles, but it still lacks an ending, and I just could not bring myself to perform it. The jumbo crayons, though, made great magic wands for the Magic Coloring Book (see, I was ready for the segueway). I also pulled the Fraidy Cat Rabbit (thanks Eric wherever you are) because the door sticks a bit and sometimes the shell reveals itself. I also pulled the Multiplying Bananas; I’m still not sure why I bought this. Let’s face it the sleight isn’t difficult, but it looked pretty obvious to my 2 ½ year old that I only had two bananas, so how could I bring myself to perform this in front of the older kids?
Something for the Adults: I did remember to bring along a trick for the adults who might show up -- just in case. While the teachers were amazed by the kid show (which amazes me), I never did get a chance to present my new favorite trick: Pen through Bank Note. This is a twist on the Cornelius effect. It’s very similar but different enough to be devious in the clean up as you can actually hand out the same pen after the penetration. The fact that it looks like the same fine point plastic pens in everybody’s office drawer helps a lot. It doesn’t look gimmicky and there’s no switch. Combine this with El Duco’s Business Card Scanner and you got a helluva combination: first, change a blank business card into a real full color business card, and then push your pen right through it and restore it visibly as you hand it to them. Magic in the spectator’s hands could not be more powerful.

Well, as you can see, I have learned a lot even after 35 years in magic, and I have lots of questions to ask all of you. In an effort to kick things off for the millennium, I am asking you all to click on the links and to respond to the questions. Let’s get some damn dialogue going on here. The Internet is supposed to be interactive. If I wanted to talk to myself, I'd stare in the mirror:

Help Design the Ultimate Kid Show: Click here to join this thread which discusses how to design an appropriate show for children.
Balloon Animals: Click here to participate in this thread which discusses the importance of incorporating balloon animals in your kids' shows.
Setting Your Fees: Click here to participate in this thread which discusses the importance of doing pro bono (free) shows to help seed your marketplace.