Magic Shows for Children

Magic Shows for Children

Congratulations, for you have entered the fantastic realm of magic. You've been to the magic shop so many times that your collection of tricks keeps growing. When the credit card bills arrive after 33 days, your wife will be reminded that this IS an expensive hobby.

It's no sweat! Becoming a professional magician on the side will help you recoup your initial investment and then some. While on the lookout for practice opportunities, you recall that your niece's seventh birthday is coming up soon. You give your sister a call and offer your help in exchange for a gift.

After two weeks, showtime has finally arrived. Your "A" materials are packed into two huge cardboard cartons. You're the one who kicks off the performance for your family and a classroom full of first graders. Everything goes swimmingly during the show. Everyone here appears to be enjoying themselves greatly. As you rummage among your props, you pause dramatically to heighten the audience's anticipation of your next spectacular feat. 

At 53 minutes in length, your short show must come to an end. You mistook your own naiveté for the lack of your tremendous magic's power. Your first magic show was a smashing success with the youngsters. Even your sister, wiping away tears, exclaims, "I have never had more fun than I did seeing your magic act." The event was fantastic. The whole thing was caught on tape by John.

A lot of aspiring full-time magicians start off doing this. After some consideration, they settle on starting out with children's television. Putting on a good children's magic show is a formidable challenge for any magician. Some of the difficulties of performing magic for kids are discussed in this article.

Children are in Your Care, And You are Training Them

Many of the basic cues used in a live performance are lost on young audiences. The majority of today's kids grow up in the era of television. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but the laugh tracks tell the kids when to laugh. Kids can't even watch because there are no sound effects for their amusement. They are fast learners and won't waste any time getting up to speed. However, you must assist them.

The problem becomes considerably more perplexing when applause is added. Kids don't usually clap. They are clueless on how to react to a round of applause. That perfectly timed applause will leave you and your audience with a lot of awkward silence.

How do we proceed? Everything. As a children's magician, the opening is crucial. Your show's opening needs to accomplish four goals: Instill a sense of audience dominance. Instruct the little ones on how to respond to ovation signs. Establish the show's vibe. Present your stage persona.

It's important to get the crowd pumped up before starting your magic act. It may seem silly and unnecessary, yet it can be the difference between a good and bad magic presentation.

Kids are always looking for a good time. Obeying adults is emphasized even in an educational setting. In the beginning of their shows, many magicians make the mistake of not asserting their power. This ends up looking like a fight that might have broken out in a saloon in the Old West.

Stepping out to begin a performance is a great time to lay out the guidelines for the audience. No, what I don't mean is to announce a set of guidelines for the program. Instead, walk out like a pro and get the crowd pumped up.

After you've introduced yourself and everyone in attendance, look around the theater and remark, "This looks like a really terrific crowd." Test your clapping volume, please. In three, two, and one. Really good! Ok, let's give it another shot. "Now we're at the count of three." Say something like, "What do we do when we like the magic?" as a final bit of byplay. Idle question: "What do we do when we love the magic?" (Pause and firmly respond to the crowd.) That warm-up does four things. 

Children will now clap to show their approval of a magician's performance because of you. This helps kids learn to recognize and respond to applause cues throughout the duration of the performance. This show is in your hands, and the warm-up is where you assert that. Last but not least, it establishes a lighthearted mood for the program. During this moment, the audience will form their first impression of you as a performer.

You are Not Entertaining the Children

You will quickly realize that the trickiest part of being a children's entertainer is creating a presentation that is enjoyable for both younger and older audiences. No, what I don't mean is to sprinkle your act with words and phrases that can be interpreted in sexually suggestive ways. Bringing a kid out on stage and then sneaking glances at the grownups in the audience while asking, "Do I have a big magic wand or what?" is about as low as it gets in terms of professionalism.

The best illustrations of my point can be found in children's cartoons. Consider the cartoons Loony Toons and SpongeBob SquarePants. All ages can enjoy these cartoons on different levels. If you want to succeed as a children's magician, you'll need to focus on these areas.

This is an extremely challenging feat to accomplish. This is one of the key challenges when working with young audiences. Both demographics need to be taken into consideration while designing the show. Your unique stage persona is an integral part of the show's blueprint.

Nowadays, You are Not Who You Usually Are

Having a memorable and engaging stage presence is essential when performing magic for kids. Children's magicians no longer have the luxury of doing a fancy magic show while dressed in a used tuxedo. Consider Silly Billy, one of the most popular kid-friendly magicians. His stage presence is exciting and captivating. His program has a lively and amusing tone.

Think outside the box of children's magic and take a look at the kids' TV hosts and the hosts' kids. Exciting onstage personas include Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rodgers, and Peewee Herman. Though they had a track record of accomplishment, their onstage personas couldn't have been more opposite. Each of the entertainers had one thing in common: they all kept the kids' attention by being entertaining.

Your on-stage character should instill awe and delight in audience members of all ages. 

Even as your charismatic stage presence draws in the crowd, you'll want to blow their minds with a carefully crafted magic presentation. For this reason, performing magic for youngsters is quite challenging.

Don't start your magic career performing for kids. Children have no filter and will tell you what they really think. Putting on a successful magic show for kids is a formidable challenge, but the payoff is immense. If you want to become a professional magician on the side, performing for youngsters is not the way to go.