I am sure your sick of seeing posts like this. ''oh no not another teenager trying to be a magician''. The thing is I want to be a professional. The only way I can reach my goal is through practice and experience.

I want to start kids birthday parties. The reason I want to do this is, I love performing and amazing people. I figure I might be able to start parties during the summer. Now what I want to do is have a hole routine worked out for parties, so if I get bookings I am ready to go. Then in the mean while I can practice and look into other types/fields of magic and can start practicing magic for adults.

I have no experience of performing or making routine's. From my research on the internet I have came up with a ruff routine. I need some helpful comments.


Kids Show

Presentation – Dress well, clean, respectable / be friendly and act mature.

This is a ruff idea of a show. Not much thought put into it.

• Warm up / introduction

Open with -
Music - Card manipulation or multiplying sponge balls.

Start with some sort of patter -

• Humming Bird card (if I do card manipulation as an opener) or Ridged rope (if I do sponge balls)

• Colouring book / Vanishing crayons (for comedy get someone to come up and a use the breaking wand).

• Mouth coils.

• D'lites

• Hippity hop rabbits

• Handkerchief small routine / colour changing silks.

• Then make a sponge ball appear / go into a small routine.

• Maybe slush powder

I don't know what to end with. After the show I want to make balloon animals, so maybe if I end with some sort of balloon trick.

Things I need to add -

• Patter / storyline.

• Comedy / (jokes / breaking wand)

• Audience participation

• Birthday present / small magic trick.

• Animal balloon making / at the end.


There are a few thing's I am not sure about. For one I don't know about the D'lites, and I was also thinking of taking out the Handkerchiefankie routine and just doing some vanish's with the Handkerchiefankie at the opening.

If I where to replace them I was thinking maybe, A cup & ball routine and a rope routine.

Opening with music I think is a great way to get a show going, it gets everyone's attention. I usually open with a musical D'Lites routine. The only problem with the D'Lites is you might not always be able to use them. Just this past weekend I did a show and they wanted it to be in the garage and they had chairs and even a couch blocking the door from being able to close, so always have something else that can be used. You want to give the kids a great/fun time, so keep that in mind when deciding not only on the tricks, but the patter. Tricks like the Peanut Butter & Jelly routine is great for kid shows, that is if you have the right patter. If you haven't read the three part series I wrote on Putting on a smooth show, check it out, it might be of some help. Just start with part 1.

http://www.penguinmagic.com/discuss/vie ... tting+show

Michael,
Have you gotten the book "Birthday party business" yet? If not get it today. Go to David Ginn's site go to books and there it is. It's not the magic that makes the show, it's the performance..remember that and you will be a better magician.