the 21st of Oct I have a gig to work a stage and walkaround... 1st a stage then walkaround, then another stage... then a walkaround etc... for about 3 hours..


The shows are going to be for kids between 4-10yrs old
The Walkaround is going to be for the kids AND parents


I plan on doing these effects for the walkaround:

scotch and soda
Some Pen true dollar
the EXchange
Multiplying/ normal spongeballs
Nemesis
.....
And I have NO idea what I should do for the stage...


Please post what effects you suggest for both

Thanks for the help!

for stage i have had some success with the following:
dove pan
color changing silks
D'lite
disappearing silk
appering silks
earplugs
some card manipulations
Daley show with jumbo cards
floating dollar
magic coloring book
chinesse Linking rings
and some rope magic

These are a few cheap, but good stuff for stage.
for walkaround just make sure that you do more then cards. Try 3 ring circus or the mini coloring book. stuff like that. especially with littler kids you have to do more then cards. in my experience kids dont uderstand some card tricks ( ages 4-6). that is the best advice i can give you

some suggestions for walkround would be
jokers wild
a card to pocket routine
ambitious card
floating dollar
pen through
Paper clipped ( a favorite of mine)
Ship in a bottle
spongeballs
torn and restored card might be good
vanishing things with a TT
rabbit from a hat ( pm me)
rubberband stuff
3 ring circus

How many people will there be? It there will be any less than 150 or so, this gig will be murder! Performing 3 hours for the same faces would be grueling for the most experienced performer, and based on the effects you listed, it seems like it's safe to say you would not be counted among the most experienced. To be completely honest, and I'm not sure if you want to hear this, but I feel compelled to let you know what you're in for, it doesn't sound like you will be ready for something like this by October. But then again, I don't know where you lie on the experience range, so just take a good long honest look at yourself before agreeing to do this and if you have ANY doubts as to whether or not you're ready, I ask that you don't do it. For the walkaround you may want to think about switching the sponge balls to switch to sponge rabbits. The reason I say this is 4 year old's hands will not be big enough to conceal two normal sized sponge balls, if you're doing anything in their hands which I would highly recommend with children that young. That's one of the very very few things I've found that will entertain them. For the younger ones, keep your magic to vanishes and appearances in impossible places. The more colorful the props the better (silks, sponges, markers, etc...). A TT, and a pull may prove to be invaluable. For the ten year olds you can do more complicated things but they still need to be simple. I'm not sure of the venue, but you may want to reconsider Scotch and Soda. Walking around continually using a bang ring may look pretty inappropriate. Look into Ring Leader by Greg Wilson, some resetting rope (ring and rope) routines (Full Circle is my recommendation), and D'Lites. That's all I would recommend gimmick wise. I'd also HIGHLY recommend that you learn some other disciplines i.e. balloon sculpting, juggling, face painting, etc. I'm sincerely hoping that you have a fairly large repertoire of impromptu, strolling card/coin effects that don't require a table (more than just an ambitious card). If I can think of anything else for the walkaround section I'll add to it, but please let me know a few details first (you're ability, age, # of guests, venue, etc.)

it is going to be a show for like 30 mins... then walk around for 100 then another show then walk around and MAYBE another show.. its going to be about 150 kids about 200 parents

This is great! Your first gig!

hmmm... Here's a few suggestions for crowd pleasing stage tricks:

Cut and restored rope
Sucker Die Box (have some fun with your specs / uses a lot of time)
Strat-O-Sphere
Bottled Up
Cups and balls (classic)

Walk around:

Humming bird card (if not windy)
All "spectator non-thinking" card tricks
Hot Rod (for little kids)
Television Box
Raven (In spectators hands, if possible)

Here's some of my suggestions, I hope they help you a bit

I'll try and post some more a little later

Wow, hard to read, heard of a paragraph...

Not trying to write essays, just give advice coming from 4 years of professional experience!

Kids may not understand card magic.

The date for your show is going to be here before you know it. By the sound of your post, it doesn't seem as though you have a lot of stage experience (I may be wrong on this point and, if so, I apologize). I also don't know what experience you have doing walk around, but out of an abundance of caution I will assume it is minimal (Again, I apologize if I am wrong).

For the "stage" show you will need effects that are large, visual and very direct. The children will not likely have a lengthy attention span to follow anything intricate. Plus, if you don't know the exact performing conditions, you will need to anticipate the worst environment possible. This means bad angles, bad lighting, bad sound, no backdrop. Think about these weaknesses when deciding what effects you are going to choose. You may also want to focus attention on bringing your own lighting, backdrops and sound system if the quality of your show is going to be affected by it.

As for the actual effects, that becomes difficult since I don't know what you own. I doubt if you are getting paid enough from this one show to justify going out and buying a whole new stage show.

For walkaround, you will need at least 6 different Acts (not just routines, but entire acts). The acts do not have to be extremely lengthy. I would suggest only about 5 minutes per act. Each trick or routine within the act must reset automatically and be extremely angle proof. This will allow you to do quick mini-shows without repeating tricks too often. Even if people follow you around you will be able to perform different tricks for different people.

After your stage show, kids are likely going to swarm around you for your walkaround. Be sure to pick your effects knowing that the kids are going to want to touch your props (they are not being mean, it's just a natural instinct for kids). You will need to develop strategies for controlling kids in that kind of a close up setting as opposed to the stage. These strategies are extremely different.

Then you will need a performing plan. Are you going to do all 6 acts on one side of the room and then do the same thing on the other side? Are you going to take turns with every part of the room, rotating the acts as you go? Are you going to be dressed differently for the walkaround as opposed to the stage show?

I know I'm throwing a lot at you to think about and, I really haven't answered your question. I am doing this to try and let you know that an effective performance has to do with a lot more than simply what tricks you perform. You are putting on a show. This is theatre. And if you are going to do it right, this should be theatre at its very best.

I know that hindsight is 20/20 and you may feel a little overwhelmed by everything. In retrospect, you need to ask whether accepting this gig was appropriate considering your level of experience and the repertoire of magic you have at hand.

But having already accepted the show, I sincerely hope you do well. If I can be of any further assistance, please let me know.

if its mostly stage, so the metamorphosis if you have a substittion trunk, use appearing and disappearing canes. mabye some dove work...people really like it when i produce my parakeets, it really gets the crowd exited.

When doing stage magic, usually every time, get a trick that:

Packs BIG and Plays BIG


...just thought I'd add that even though lot's of people know this