You've Brought the Wrong Show. Now What?

I looked up in confusion.

Kids were entering the gym for my first show. But they all looked so…big.

Concerned, I scurried over to the first teacher I could find.

“Excuse me,” I said, trying to hide the panic in my voice. “What grade level do you have?”

“Fourth grade,” she said. “These kids coming in behind us are fifth grade.”

Oh…NO.

I had set up the wrong show.

Today’s assemblies were for two groups: K-3 and 4-8. Each assembly was to be at a separate building.

This school’s building was being rebuilt from a fire. So half the school was in one building while the other half was in separate quarters a few miles down the road.

Think of the Abbott Elementary story arc where they had school at an abandoned mall for a few episodes.

I had set up the K-3 show. Lots of colorful, fun, visual magic.

But the grades 4-8 kids were entering for their show.

Yup, I had the wrong show set.

I ran up to my client and breathlessly explained what happened.

She smiled pleasantly and said, “No problem. How much time do you need?”

Calculating quickly, I said, “Not long – 10 or 15 minutes.”

She escorted the admittedly confused kids back to their classrooms as I raced to my car to grab the middle school show.

Fortunately, I had a few things working in my favor.

First, my SUV was right outside the gym doors. That almost never happens.

So I was able to grab the middle school show case out of my car quickly.

Second, the middle school show set up very quickly.

Most of the show was mental magic, a little Bizarre, and one optical illusion.

My big closer required no props at all from me. Just a few things I could grab from the school.

I was able to get the show set up in just a few minutes.

I still had my colorful backdrop and banners up, but the kids would just have to ignore them.

When the kids came back in, I started the show by apologizing and explaining what had happened.

Then I went on to perform an amazing 45-minute show.

The result?

Rave reviews and interest in bringing me back.

Yes, I got lucky on a few things. But my preparedness (is that a real word?) allowed me to recover from a very dumb mistake.

First, I had two separate shows for the two age groups.

I’ll keep singing this song from the rooftops til the day I die:

You can’t perform the same show for young children that you do for middle school kids and/or teens.

Well, you can. But I feel (and I’ve seen the evidence with my own eyes) that for best results you give each age group their own unique experience.

I’ve seen this work not just in my shows but other pros, too.

Some folks I know who I consider good friends say they perform the same material but presented in a different way based on the age levels.

I have no doubt it works for my friends. They’re great performers.

Me? I chose a different path. One of specialization.

This also really impresses the client.

Time and again I have clients come to me after seeing two shows and say, “I can’t believe how different the shows were!”

That leads me to my second point: I have each show packed separately.

My Reading show is in one case. My Science show is in another.

In the case (no pun intended) of this school, they just wanted a “for fun” show.

And knowing I was going to two separate buildings, I packed each show in its own case. This helped me get set up for each performance faster without a lot of shuffling.

The key to professional performing is being prepared. If I’m walking into a new client venue for the first time, I don’t know what to expect.

Oh sure, I’m usually told ahead of time whether it’s a gym, cafeteria, or auditorium, but those venues can vary wildly.

Then there was the time I had to set up in a hockey rink, but that’s a story for another time. Maybe next week.

Even if I’m performing for a longtime client and know the venue, the circumstances may vary wildly every time I walk through the doors.

So I try to control as many variables as possible. That means I bring my own sound system and mic. My own extension cord. My own cart.

And each show packed in its own case.

Things rarely go exactly as planned at any show.

But by preparing as much as possible, you’re ready for when things go sideways.

Since this newsletter was mostly about a middle school show, it makes sense to mention THIS.

Have a great week!

--Cris

P.S.

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