Thank you to everyone thats posted advice and sugestions. And im sorry for my spelling, I wasent paying attention. And im planing on buying gest some small tricks for shows but the rest will be books.And I know what comprehend means.

You should not charge 50 at first work you way up to that
And no those trick i dont think flow into each other
I love the linking rings though
I suggest looking into some more tricks
Sponge balls are great for everyone so ya
I also suggest if you know the person thats having the b-day let them have a discount or for free it always good to pratice
So ya

Ive gone down to $30.

Great advice, then when they tell all their friends that you didnt charge them, and then they tell all their friends, you end up doing all your shows for free, or none at all because you wont work for free forever, because you donated your time to "your friends".

-takes deep breathe-

Okay, guys I'm known to get a little long winded, so beware!

First off, before even considering doing a show you must have a "show". So far, I'm not reading anything that tells me there is a show in place. Please don't take that statement wrong, it is merely an observation.

A show is a set of routines that flow from one to another that has a theme or transition to/from it. Coming up with a "show" can be difficult! Take it from me, I know! I worked with my daughter to help develop hers. She does some excellent rope and silk work, but it is the way she puts them together that makes it entertaining and "work".

Her entire show is based on a bit of story-telling. She volunteers as a Camp Counselor every summer, every school break, and after school. She has the benefit of really knowing her target audience. Utilizing that knowledge she spun an engaging, storyline throughout all her tricks to create her show.

That is your goal -- not what tricks do I need. What is your story, what is it that is going to make your act unique? Once you have the "story", then ask yourself --- what magic would help me best to tell it?

Don't just stand up there and say, "hey, I can do this trick-- oh, and how about this one--- or look, I can do this too!'. That isn't entertaining, thats showboating and will leave your audience, especially kids, uninterested after a few minutes.

As to the money issue -- Paddy is once again correct! Don't under sell your show. My daughter's mentor set her price and she goes by his recommendation. Now, granted it is still considered a "youth performer" stipend, which is less than a professional magician in our area would make, but considerably higher than what you are quoting. And before you ask, no I will not share that information. That is her private information for her to share, not for me to give out.

I hope you find the information helpful. Take it FWIW -- free.

Good luck,

Wendebird

The only problem with not underselling your show (if it's your first) is that if things go wrong (and I don't care how prepared you are, your first show is your often hardest), it'll be hard charging the higher fee. People might feel ripped off and you could have a bad name suddenly floating around out there. At the same time, don't have a ridiculous low price either because it it goes really well, it might come as a shock when you suddenly raise your fees many times over your initial fee.

Decent.

I also like to buy effects and learning material at the same time. The tricks make me anxious to perform and so I study harder.

Every professional magician can have something go wrong in a show. Inevitably, it will happen to everyone at one time or another. However, if you are rehearsed, know your show, you will be prepared to deal with whatever arises at the time. That is what rehearsals are for.

My daughter's first private show was an outside fundraiser. As we began setting up we found a hornet's nest, and yes they were buzzing around, which completely freaked her out as she is afraid of them. My hubby promptly obtained some bug spray and sprayed the area--thankfully we arrived earlier enough to setup to find this out soon enough to take care of the problem. Inside she was still weirded out and worrying about the bugs, but you would have never of known watching her perform. She charmed the audience and received an excellent testimonial from the event coordinator.

Anything can happen whether it is your magic, or the circumstances surrounding you.

Never undersell yourself if you KNOW you are ready.

I understand you, but I was always taught that you never really 'KNOW' if you are ready until after your first show.

I've had it defined like theory and fact. 'Theory (rehersal)' suggests something to be real, but 'fact (actual show)' shows that something to be real. That's why alot of magicians perform their first show(s) for free or very low prices, to reach that 'fact' stage.

Of course, if your daughter had a practice/test show(s) with an actual audience (I'm thinking family/friends/neighbors), that would be different.

And btw, do you perform too? I thought I read somewhere that you had an upcoming show yet elsewhere you said you don't perform yet? I ask this because you seem very interested in magic.

Hi again. No, I don’t perform. I entertain the kids my daughter and me volunteer with using some walk-around magic here and there, but do I do actual shows…no. I would like to someday, but I’m not ready now. My magic may be, but I’m not, which is why I don’t. I leave that up to my daughter. I can actually be shy and reserved, unlike my daughter who thrives being in front of a large crowd. I am trying to work myself up to it, and have been for the last couple of years. The first time I ‘perform' will be in front of my SAM Assembly in a contest. I never get nervous doing magic for kids, but I do adults. So, if I can overcome that obstacle, then I will be ready to perform. When the time does come to perform, it will be for children. I love watching a child’s face light up. I will never forget the first time a child ran up to me and said, "Ms. Kris are you going to do more magic?" and hugged my leg and looked up with a smile and those big eyes of hers. The look of excitement was priceless and something I won't ever forget.

In the meantime, our whole family loves magic and I am content watching my daughter take front and center. I enjoy our time together and helping her plan routines, patter, etc. It is a whole family affair and it is great bonding time as a family.

You bring up a good point. My daughter was already comfortable at her “first showâ€

I have bin practicing and developing my show and have a show next week.I think ill do good.

Good luck braady, and good wishes too! I hope it is a successful event for you. Please let us know how it goes.

thanks, I have had a show planed for 7th graders for a cupple months now and I gest relised that its the day after the the im doing next week.I have two shows next week.

[quote="kristenl"]Hi again. No, I don’t perform. I entertain the kids my daughter and me volunteer with using some walk-around magic here and there, but do I do actual shows…no. I would like to someday, but I’m not ready now. My magic may be, but I’m not, which is why I don’t. I leave that up to my daughter. I can actually be shy and reserved, unlike my daughter who thrives being in front of a large crowd. I am trying to work myself up to it, and have been for the last couple of years. The first time I ‘perform' will be in front of my SAM Assembly in a contest. I never get nervous doing magic for kids, but I do adults. So, if I can overcome that obstacle, then I will be ready to perform. When the time does come to perform, it will be for children. I love watching a child’s face light up. I will never forget the first time a child ran up to me and said, "Ms. Kris are you going to do more magic?" and hugged my leg and looked up with a smile and those big eyes of hers. The look of excitement was priceless and something I won't ever forget.

In the meantime, our whole family loves magic and I am content watching my daughter take front and center. I enjoy our time together and helping her plan routines, patter, etc. It is a whole family affair and it is great bonding time as a family.

You bring up a good point. My daughter was already comfortable at her “first showâ€

Thanks for your kind post Sneak. It really is something I would like to do someday. Again, I find it most rewarding when you can make a child smile!

It probably won't happen until my daughter graduates high school. She starts in the Fall, so that is a mere 4 years. Between working part-time, being a full time "hands on" mom, keeping a household going, and volunteering, I find myself pretty busy! Plus, to be honest with you, I want to enjoy the last few years with my daughter and focus on her before she is off to college. We don't have any children in our neighborhood, and unless I could schedule play-dates for my daughter when she was growing up, I was always her number one play mate. So as you can imagine, we are extremely close. I want to enjoy these last few years that she will actually "need" me. LOL, oh, gosh, don't get me on my sentimental streak!

As to the magic side of things and your comment about liking the "hornet's nest" story, it is a prime example why being prepared is so important. That was her first "private" performance. Her first "public" performance had an even bigger "surprise" in store for her. I posted that story around here somewhere too. Yet, again, she handled it with grace and we were so proud of her. That is the message that I want to send out to some of the kids here, that things will go wrong -- so the better prepared you are, your greater chance of having a successful show.

I always tell my daughter when rehearsing, even if YOU know something went wrong, keep smiling, keep performing, and if you do, chances are the audience will not have a clue that something went wrong.

Again, thank you for your positive encouragement! Magic has led us to some very wonderful and thoughtful people and has really brightened up our lives with their kindness and helpfulness.