i have a party and i desperetly need a routine. this is wat i have:

cut and restored rope
equal unequal ropes
sponge balls
coloring book
PB&J illusion
dove pan
slush powder (magician junk tank)

HELP ME!!

Well, what are your tranzitions? What's your patter, are you just doing the same old thing as always? What's the dove pan for? How will you set up slush powder? How will you carry these things to your show? What age range is this geered for? These are just some of the many questions I can just think of off the top of my head which need to be answered.

If you are performing the coloring book trick than you ought to use the vanishing crayons too.

Why? I did that trick for years without ever using vanishing crayons, I think the way I did it, there was more audience participation and everyone had a lot more fun then hey look, colors disappear from there and go over here!

Let me ask you this. How in the world could you accept a job and you don't even have a routine????
I hope that you are doing this for free because if you are getting paid you are ripping off the customer!
I am bewildered at how many people get on here and ask help to get a routine for a party coming up.
I suggest you not do it for the simple reason.. you aren't ready and it will show.

Agree, what are you doing??!!! Routine??!!!!!!!!!

You don't ask that question after you get a gig, and if that’s all you have its going to be a short show and that’s assuming you have the ability of not only doing the tricks technically but actually know how to perform and entertain. I'll tell you what though I won't tell you a routine b/c you'll probably take and fumble all over it, but I'll pray for you. Good luck buddy. On the positive side of things it'll be a good learning experience and make a good chapter in a book ("5 Reasons why you're not ready to perform: #1. You don't have a routine ...)

Ok, I changed my mind I've been there before too and I'm not that mean, so here goes...

(just had a thought, I can't even begin if I wanted to because I don't know how old the kids are which makes a big difference)

Some general tips:

-Repetition is good (running gag)
-Productions are better than vanishes for kids
-Get a TT
-Don't be yourself be goofy (I say that b/c I was way to cool when I 1st started)
-After this don't go out and buy a bunch of new tricks
-Do buy a good book/video on magic for kids; you'll save a lot of money on things you don't really need (Anything from David Ginn and a good balloon video)
-Last but not least: Set rules at beginning or you WILL lose control and be mobbed

Buy the Mongolial Pop Knot routine, or something like it, By Whit Haydn, which is a nice ten minute routine that combines the two rope routines. If you have a decent sponge ball routine, that is good, but doing a sponge ball routine for three, is different than doing it for 20. You have to rehearse exactly how you stand, how you show the sponge balls so everyone can see, etc. You might get five minutes.

Obviously the coloring book and PBJ are OK too.

But you should never take a professional gig, if you are not set up to do a professional show. Why don't you call and say you will sing and play your guitar too for extra money, and then go out and buy a guitar and some beginners music? See the point?

If you have a party, but do not yet have a routine, you should not be doing the party. Routines are something that have been perfected after many months/many years of rehearsal, and real world experience. Throwing something together at the last minute would be doing a disservice to your audience, other magicians, and yourself. No last minute advice from anyone here is going to change any of this.

I use these effects in a variety of ways but a series of related routines or theme is definately a MUST for your show/party. I would like to give you some tips, but would like to know.......

How do you plan to use your Dove Pan? In other words, what do you plan to put in before you put the lid on and what to you plan to have there when the lid is removed?

What do you have in mind for the Sponge Balls? Are you doing a solo manipulation routine or want to use a spectator?

Finally, the slush powder! How do you plan to use it - with plain water, OOM (fake milk) or real Moo Juice (milk), Kool-Aid, etc.?

Why should some of us who has invested countless hours and money to put together a show to entertain people give our tips away to someone who is to lazy to do the same?
If you are planning on standing up there and doing magic tricks with nothing else you are in big trouble. It's not WHAT you do it's HOW you do it. Every show that I do I critique it nip and tuck it to make it better. Several times a week I perform it in practice sessions and this is a show that I've done many times.
Put your time into kid, put some effort into it. Then go out and do a show. You will make all of us look bad.

Are you telling me in you carrier, you have never once accepeted a job without being fully perpared? I know I used to do it.

umm actualy you can only make your self look bad. if you guys live far away from each there will be very little chance that there will be word of mouth

I've NEVER accepted a job unprepared. I don't want to look like an idiot.

You are correct. I have NEVER accepted a job unless I knew my routine PERFECTLY. To do otherwise would destroy my reputation as an entertainer and hurt every other magician in my ring. Even my "impromptu" magic is well rehearsed and perfected before I ever do it in public. The only difference between a show and an impromtu routine is that I will vary the order of the effects performed when doing walk arourd so that no two impromptu shows are the same. But every effect is practiced and rehearsed until I could do them in my sleep.

Peter