By: William Cohen
Was wondering if any of you have had a bad experiance with the teens
in doing fundrasiers in high schools. I'm thinking of doing them, but
these teens today scare me.
What do you all think, are they that bad, do they show any respect for a magic-illusion performer these days? Your comments will be greatly apreciated!
By: TJ
>>Was wondering if any of you have had a bad experiance with the teens
in doing fundrasiers in high schools. I'm thinking of doing them, but
these teens today scare me.
Scare you? Thats only because thats the way the media portrays us. Funny no one says adults scare them when there are people like Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and more. Sorry, just don't like people making general statements about all teens because of things only a few have done.
>>What do you all think, are they that bad, do they show any respect for a magic-illusion performer these days? Your comments will be greatly apreciated!
Never done stage for teens, but no matter what age group I've performed for (close-up), you will always get the occasional heckler. But also depending on the illusions you pick and your stage character, etc will shape what they think about you. Just my 2 cents which may need to be refunded
By: Nathan Marsh
Sorry, just don't like people making general statements about all
teens because of things only a few have done.
as a fellow teen, I have to say that you're right about the "few" part of the sentence...Unfortunately, my experience has been that it only takes a few to ruin an assembly or performance for everyone...and those few do exist...
It's impossible for me to answer the original quarry without knowing the spec's of the group you'd be performing for...under certain circumstances teens in large groups can be obnoxious, under others you couldn't ask for a more receptive, pleasant, audience...in either case it will be a learning experience...a grindstone of sorts-whether it polishes you or crumbles you will be your decision...
a couple of tips:
1.) don't have any darkness in the act...that kind of anonymity will encourage those who want to be disruptive...
2.) don't preach...if you do-be ready for the disruptions but know that you message may be getting through to the silent majority (god...i can't believe i actually used that accursed phrase), but still keep it short and pay close close attention to tip #5
3.) go light on talking and heavy on impressive visuals...
4.) don't use any lingo that doesn't sound natural coming from your mouth
5.) there should be nothing patronizing in your speech and demeanor...act as if they're your equals...
6.) keep in mind that these kids spend their days being bored out of their minds by adults speaking at them...don't make your performance just another nap period for them... nate.
By: Peter Cobb
On the whole, you're dead right! As a once-upon-a-mobster (OK
teenager), I agree that it only takes a few, and the rest won't shut
'em up!
Another couple of tips:
By: Raoul
I think everyone else has basiclaly summed up what I was going to
say. Just to stress two points, for one, DON'T ACT FLAKY. What I mean
is don't have patter all about the big bad wolf and something or
other. Long stories don't cut it. You gotta treat them like when you
perform for adults, not like when you perform for children.
Secondly, don't have tricks that preach. Please don't. Don't change your handling an effect to promote Safe Sex or No Drugs/Smoking stuff. Nothing irritates them (US!) more than to go for some entertainment and have a morals lesson instead.
Oh, and one last thing....always have your flash wand ready.....
By: Shuja
I think if this is your gig, forget about what Eugene Burger and Tommy
Wonder and the like tell you...go for comedy. Just comedy. I think be
as wacky as possible. And the kids like you from the start because
you're getting them out of class! They don't have to learn for a
little while...so make some jokes about how overtime you're going. And
joke (tongue in cheek) about how boring school is...maybe you can find
ways to incorporate this into your show. Invite teachers on stage and
do sucker tricks with them. Like a linking ring routine where you
always offer them to take apart these rings, or put them together. Or
a you can't do as I do kinda thing, except make it one of the students
who can do it, and the teacher who can't. They'll love you. And try to
be...hip...get oversize pants, etc. Play some rock-style music for
musical acts...or when they are all being seated. And don't treat them
like children! If there's anything we teens hate, it's being treated
like 2-year-olds. Treat the kids as equals...I don't really mean treat
them as an adult, it's about halfway. Treat them as adults and act
like a kid. The kids will start heckling if they're bored or if they
don't like you, So avoid those two! I think I've given you some pretty
good advice...I hope it helps!
By: Raoul
This is some very good advice, but I disagree on one point, DON'T act
"hip". You will get laughed into a corner. Act normal, be normal. With
teens you gotta be super-realistic in your dressing and talking. Don't
put up some phony accent trying to act cool. Dress smart-casual, I
mentioned this in another post regarding teens performances, but
Blanish is probably best. You shouldn't look too outstanding, but have
the obvious charm all good performers possess that turns heads when
they walk by. I myself have never seen Blaine perform, so I can't say
if he gives off "charm", but from the pics I've seen of his dress
sense, dress a bit smarter.
And another thing I forgot to mention, flourishy-type magic is best. While you might not go around springing a deck of cards while doing a retaurant job, this will immediately draw a huge crowd of spectators. Effects like UFO-Yo, pen-thru-anything, Airtight (I know I mentioned card effects are bad, but this effect is just too classic to pass). Metalogic is great too. Attention getter's are what's gonna attract them. Your normal, out-going, unflaky, cheerful personality will keep them.
By: Shuja
I DON'T mean try to be like a rock star. I mean don't act like you're
from the 30's, and PLEEEASE don't be the disco magician...that's old
stuff. Magicians who try to be trendy usually fail miserably...we are
probably the ONLY entertainment form that isn't keeping up with the
times! I mean, even adults now wear baggier pants than they did in the
80s. As far as slang goes, using usual magician talk doesn't cut
it...even saying "cool" is enough (some entertainers can get away with
saying "dude"...if they don't try too hard!)...but using ebonics is a
no no--I agree, that is too obvious. I must admit however
(although I wouldn't reccomend it) I usually like teachers who
occasionally let bad language slip.
I totally disagree that rock music is a bad idea. I think most of us magicians like rock anyway (when we're not doing magic!)...so why not use it? It will accompany manipulation very well...another clever way to make your adult acts appeal more to kids. Flashy techno stuff will bore the audience! And about being wacky...look at all the entertainment that is successful with teens...either nutball (and obscene) comedians, or violent thrillers. So either you can make your show scary as heck, I'd go with comedy.
Actors are cool, singers are cool, comedians are (sometimes) cool, but we magicians haven't been cool since David Copperfield started performing (cause lets face it he's not cool anymore. His inabilty to change has killed him. The entertainers that survive are the ones that keep changing, like David Bowie, Madonna, The Beatles. Yes those are all singers but if we want magic to be accepted as an art form, we should look at why all the other oerforming arts have succeeded in that catagory.)
By: TJ
>>I think if this is your gig, forget about what Eugene Burger and
Tommy Wonder and the like tell you...go for comedy. Just comedy. I
think be as wacky as possible.
I agree on lot of comedy, but being 'wacky' won't cut it. They'll think you look goofy.
>>Invite teachers on stage and do sucker tricks with them. .........make it one of the students who can do it, and the teacher who can't. They'll love you.
That won't work too good unless the teacher end up covered in something. I mean look at our high school pep assmeblies and how no one really cares about the teacher vs. student games.
>>And try to be...hip...get oversize pants, etc. Play some rock-style music for musical acts...or when they are all being seated.
Another bad idea. They'll see right through it. There are always a few cool teachers that all the students like in high school, but if you look at them,they are all adults and are just themselves, not being picky/strict, but not being 'hip' too.
>> And don't treat them like children! If there's anything we teens hate, it's being treated like 2-year-olds. Treat the kids as equals...
Thats true. Treat them like adults with more humor. Im thinking stuff using fire or needles visually getting shoved through you using some kinda 'kids and piercings' patter. Just jumbled thoughts from a teen who has watches some entertainers succeed and other fail horribly at school....
By: Steve V
Don't let 'em scare you. I find most of the trouble making teens (the
minority of them of course since most are normal kids) are wussy's and
need the pack mentality to keep 'em going. Just make sure your show
has some kick *#$ magic in it and do it. Don't worry about the baggy
pants wearin' wanna be's in the crowd.
By: Jon A. Hand
Among the toughest audiences for which you will ever perform are
teenagers and elementary school students. In my discussions with
other magicians, many seem to imply that teens only want to be grossed
out or hit in the libido. Their rationales seem to be that "anything
else is too childish for the MTV/Southpark/Comedy Central generation."
Such well-intentioned magicians have advised Needle Through Arm, Arm
Twisting, Head Cremation, etc., or else "blueing up" the material to
appeal to teen prurient interests. Poppycock! Such material
generally only appeals to immature teen boys, and those young men dont
need such off-beat interests encouraged as "entertainment." I would
never advocate blue material for any age group, because you never know
who is watching that might be offended. You can lose a lot of work
(if you do magic as income), or lose a lot of respect from locals (if
you are a local hobby magician) very quickly.
The opposing view says that the material should contain information about Safe Sex, Personal Safety, or Anti-Drug Use, so the show can be useful as well as entertaining. Poppycock, again! If one were doing a school assembly show, these positive messages would be a selling point to administrators who have to choose what to book with their limited budgets. However, when doing a general show for teens, I would not advise the "message" approach, as teens get tired of being "preached to" by all of the adults around them.
So, what does one do?
I work with teens every day (I teach high school and community college). I do magic for them from time to time, and any good solid material will work. I do card tricks, cups and balls, sponge balls, coin work, etc., and all of the material goes over wonderfully.
I think that ones best course would be not condescending to them, and not trying to cater to their tastes, which comes off as phony to them. Just do for them what one would do for adult "clean" shows, and the show will be fine.
One interesting idea for a large show theme would be a "teen night club" serving non-alcoholic drinks. For teens, I would make the club theme fairly realistic and serious (instead of the satricial approach I might take for a retiree audience). But, with nice round tables and chairs (some high schools have this type of thing in their cafeterias), gentle lighting, and a 16' square 8" high platform (high school band risers, two 4'x8'x8" sections), one can emulate the night club atmosphere well. Good thematic scenery props can be purchased from prom catalogs if you steer away from those that are too cloying. Add waitresses running around the hall to deliver drinks, and you are ready to go. I would think that a quality platform magician with carefully picked material might even be able to make this into a school prom gig, perhaps working the after-dinner part of a formal school prom before the dance starts.
Just keep the small teen show natural and fun, and the large one with a fresh theme that does not condescend, and the teens will have a blast!
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