MagicGizmo

Before we start, let me offer my categorization, for the purposes of these posts, of the different types of kid shows.

There are two types of kid shows that roughly correspond to two age groups: those under 5 years of age, and those 6-12 years old. The obvious question that then arises is, "What about those older than 12?"

Well, in case they haven't told you, teenagers don't don't like to think of themselves as "kids" and this is reflected in nearly all they do. If you look at the other forms of entertainment and activities they consume, you will see that they prefer more mature material all around. Because of this, it may not be the best idea to show up with a bundle of silk scarves, props with cartoon rabbits, and a story about a spaghetti factory. They would prefer a magic show that respects their becoming an adult.

At the other end of the spectrum, those five years old and younger are mostly just excited to be there, and are quite happy to be entertained by an entertaining character, whether or not they realize that something impossible or incredible has taken place—though it's great when they do!

Between the extremes, there is a demographic for magic shows delivered with items that are somewhat different from what would be used for very young children or presentations different from what would be presented to adults and older children. When I refer to kid shows and magic for children, it is this 6-12 year old group that I am primarily referring to.

Now that the definitions are out of the way, let's begin.

There is no other magician with more power and influence to shape the perception of magic among non-magicians than the kid-show magician.

But, with great power comes great responsibility.*

Your performance is going to answer the question, "What is a magician?" for most of the children and many of the adults in attendance, and it will establish (perhaps for both groups) the ground rules for appreciating magic and interacting with magicians. This is not a job to be taken lightly, of course. Two ideas emerge from this:

I believe a good kids magician understands he is working for the adults too.
I don't believe in doing lesser magic for children.

In other words, I wouldn't do a trick if I had to justify its inclusion only on the grounds that it "works" for kids, that is, it gets by. Just as a personal standard, I would not measure the quality of a routine in screams and laughs, for if I am presenting myself as a magician, and not as a clown who does tricks, then I want there to be a high level of mystery too. And, with each routine I want to deliver material that will entertain, mystify, and resonate with the adults as well—whenever possible.

We all understand that we were hired by an adult to work primarily for the children, and we don't want to lose sight of that. But, what I'm suggesting is that the adults who hired you probably believe that magic is a form of entertainment that is really only suitable for young children, that is, that magic belongs at a certain "level." They don't mean that to be insulting necessarily; that's just the preconceived notion they have at the outset.

With your show, you can reinforce this thinking, or you can challenge and change it.

As for ground rules, a friend of mine tells the story of a performer who had to deal with a woman heckling him throughout his routines one night. At the end of the performance, he approached her about this, and remarkably, she genuinely replied: "I thought that's what you wanted us to do!"

It's likely that at an earlier point in her life, she saw a magician who—perhaps in the course of a "sucker" trick—was encouraging his audience to yell out what they thought the secret was. The ground rules for interacting with a magician had thenceforth been defined for her.

While I do advocate for a progressive, highly aesthetic, and even idealistic type of magic performance, I also recognize that the primary focus of many kid show magicians is something much more practical—get booked to get paid. Matters of aesthetics are usually considered secondarily, or tertiarily. This is certainly understandable in the beginning, but it is an excuse with an expiration date.

At some point, we must address the quality of our material and its level of entertainment as it relates to the perception of magic in the general public (i.e., non-magicians). And we would do well to hold ourselves to the highest standard we can. When we do this, we help all magic and all magicians. To perform this examination now (for what good reason is there to delay?), let's be open-minded toward the observations of those who would like to see us get there.

With that in mind, I've seen a lot of common props and routines in magic shows for children that can serve to illustrate a few points worth considering as you fashion a kid show. As you read the forthcoming post about these items, please keep in mind that it is not ultimately about the props and routines; it's about the larger points these help illustrate.