I have read in the book called "Seriously Silly" by David Kaye, that when you perform for kids, the entertainment dont come from the climax but from the story. Just like riding a roller coaster. It is not the start or the end, but the ride which is exciting. Do any of you guys have any good routines, or some good jokes you would like to share?

My daughter does storytelling magic. The kids really seem to like it! Its an all original storyline, and my daughter and I developed it together. Her "character" starts out in the beginning of her show, and as she tells her story, she compliments the story by using magic to make it visual for the kids. Throughout the show her character appears in the story. We will soon be developing it further to make it longer. We also intend to inject a little more humor into it-- the kids tend to sit quietly and ooh and ahh, as you might expect when they hear a good storyteller. Now, we want to capture the same attention, but also get them laughing too. My daughter is definitely a little charmer.

We will also soon be developing a NEW storytelling routine also, based on an old classic book. We started thinking about the idea a while ago but now I really want to start to get serious in working on it (well, after Christmas, she'll need some of the magic she's getting! ) for next year's stage performances.

bill malone's "sam the bellhop" tells a great story. I recommend getting the tape, well actually now dvd! It's a great story and it is entertainment at its pinnacle.

Other than that, I incorporate stories in almost everything i do. Easy ones are the color monte and similar tricks, of how you were tricked ect. But for a bigger show, i like the idea above of a charactar throughout.

It just makes it easier to flow from one trick to another, because you are building an actual story. The kids get caught up in it.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Does any of you have any story ideas, which you wanna share with me, because i cant find out anything.
So if anyone could post a great story for a routine, so i can just get an idea of how a story can be like i would be very happy.

Thanks for your help until now, and i hope someone will help me a little more.

Magiske Morten

My friend David Ginn is the master of story telling magic for kids. He is a firm believer in applying stories to magic for kids, and he does so quite often.

Does any of you guys have an example of a story you wanna share with me?

Yes, I have several examples, however, I won't share them with you. Get off your lazy butt and start writing your own story. You have to base the story on the character you portray as a magi. Your character will not be the same as either one of mine so my stories just will not work for you. Neither will anybody else's stories work because you have your own character that has to tell the story.

Here is some very BASIC stuff a very LIMITED amount of words to get your mind going.

Sure...


How about your some crazy Indy Jones fellow who goes on teasure hunts and you have found all your tricks from there one by one tell a story where each item came from...

OR

Maybe you wear a wacky wizard costume and you a Merlin type guy who has all these tricks in your attic.. tell a story for each..

OR

Maybe you have alot of animals in your act and you don't like to leave them home so you talk about why and introduce each one... magically of course...

OR

maybe you are some type of Medcine Doctor from the 1800's who travels around trying to sell all of your "Snake Oil" effects and explain how each works with a story line...

OR

maybe your are some Ripley's Belive it or not kinda guy who travels the world and finds odd things from all over the world and here they are (your tricks)


OR

maybe you are some type Willy Wonka fellow (candy man guy) who has all these wacky inventions for your factory?

Dress the part! Stick to the story!.. The tricks are secondary!! IF you just do the tricks you WILL get FLOP!

Good Luck!

thanks a lot for your help.

Magiske Morten

probably the only story trick i really really appreciated.

I believe that every trick should have a narrative arc, and I prefer, whenever possible, to fill that arc with an actual narrative of some sort.

Sometimes those stories are ones in which the props represent something else, but more often they are stories about the props themselves.

I also try to have a narrative arc that runs through the entire show, sometimes with an over-arching theme, and sometimes not.

My Christmas show, for example, has a strong Christmas theme and a definite narrative arc that carries the show forward, and each trick involves a narrative that contributes to that arc.

In my character shows, such as "Crocodile Jack's Swamp o' Magic" and my "Mistwood Academy" shows, the narrative arc is influenced by the character I am playing, with each trick building on that character.

In my more generic shows, the narrative arc is not so much as story as it is a narrative flow -- clearly identifiable beginning and end with strong transitions from trick to trick throughout. Each routine has its own intrinsic narrative which might be an actual story... or not.

One more piece of advice buy this book on this very subject:

http://www.penguinmagic.com/specialorde ... hp?ID=9819

Has anyone here used Arthur Stead's magic routines choreographed to music? I think I've asked before, but I really want to get one for my daughter. Just haven't decided which one I want to purchase. I have used one of his songs before and loved it.

Funny you ask... I am looking for some music to ad to my act right now.. Just bought a ICU that basically is a unit I ad all my song to my IPOD and play them with a remote device..

HoweverI haven't added any music yet... I am really looking for advice on cd to buy myself..