Crafting the Perfect Opener

I feel like a beaten dog.



I’ve been on the road a LOT lately.



But after this latest run, I’m absolutely delighted about one thing.



I FINALLY nailed down my new opening for the middle school version of my bully prevention show.



Openers, as all magicians know, are critically important.



A good opener sets the tone and grabs the audience’s attention. And gets them invested in your show.



In my eyes, a good opener should match your audience demographics, too.



The right opener for a corporate holiday party gig may not be the right opener for a child’s birthday party.



I’m not saying it can’t work. Just that I prefer to thread the needle a little tighter.



I’ve never been a fan of the idea of an all-purpose show.



So I create a different opener for nearly every show I create.



But how should you structure your opener? Should you open with something flashy that gets everyone’s attention?



Or should you start with a talking piece to really introduce yourself to your audience?



Honestly, either approach works. My approach changes depending on my demographics.



In my school shows, I tend to prefer a quick opener. In a school show environment, I’m in front of several hundred kids at once.



And while I do often get an introduction from a school principal or teacher, it’s still up to me to set the stage for the show.



So I open my school shows with a quick rundown of expectations – clapping when you see something you like, remaining quiet while I’m talking, etc.



I try to get through that as quickly as I can, because often the kids are restless, having been sitting and waiting several minutes while classes enter.



After the ‘rules,’ it’s time to get down to business. Each opener must grab the students’ attention and show that this show will be super fun and visual.



And to make things even more challenging for myself, I also require each opener to tie into my show’s theme.



So my bully prevention show opener needs to tie back to bullying. Same with reading, character, etc. Each show has its own opener.



Often, it’s easy. For my reading show opener, I use a flash appearance box from my friend Peter Loughran. It’s basically a flap box where I make a big Dr. Suess hat magically appear.



That one was easy.



The math one was a little harder.



What I eventually came up with was Bowling Ball from Briefcase. After the bowling ball appears, I talk about how the bowling ball’s volume was too big to fit inside the briefcase, making it magical.



My science show opens with the classic Shrinking/Growing Head optical illusion. Again, it ties in perfectly to STEM.



None of this is to say that your opener has to be quick and flashy. But it works for me.



The above examples are from my elementary school assembly programs.



For middle schools, I take a different approach.



I feel middle schools respond better when you perform as a real human. If you come out and try to be a Fun Character (capitalization intended), you’ll read as false, hollow to the kids.



And they’ll turn on you.



So strutting out, posing, and making a bowling ball appear won’t have the same impact on older kids.



Remember, all of this is from my own perspective and experience.



Your mileage may vary.



Here’s how I now open my bullying prevention show for middle school kids: I tell them we are going to tackle a very serious subject today.



I then mention that we’ll have fun and do some really cool things. But I never want them to forget one thing.



Bullying hurts.



Bullying always leaves a mark.



During all of this, I’ve already invited a student onstage.



I’ve positioned her to my right, one hand balled in a fist, held against her chest.



As I’m delivering my lines, I’ve taken out a book of matches and shown them to the first row of kids.



The book of matches then spontaneously combusts. To prevent smoke alarms from going off, I swiftly plunge the matches into a quart-size container of water on my Lefler table.



Right after I say the line about bullying always leaving a mark, I turn to the student.



“Please open your hand.”



That’s when the students react. The student has a prominent black smudge on her hand.



This opening is so much fun for me. It introduces the overall theme. It’s dramatic. It’s magical. But it does not make light of a serious subject.



Best of all, it immediately establishes my cred with a very tough audience.



Here’s another example of an opening from one of my current shows.



I sometimes perform séance recreations for both high school kids and adults.



Picture this scene…the audience walks into a small, dimly lit room. There are strange objects on a table in front of them.



They’ve been told in advance that the show will be about ghosts. So some are wondering if the show will be hokey, scary, etc.



Some audiences are extremely nervous. When I have a group of female teens, they are almost always extremely nervous and giggly.



The adults are usually understandably skeptical.



After the audience is seated, I open by saying this:



“I don’t believe in ghosts.”



This immediately subverts expectations.



Suddenly, I’m not a guy who is going to try to scare them…yet. At least as far as they know.



But it also prevents them from being asked to take too big a leap. In séance work, you gotta earn every step of investment from the audience.



After that opening line, I dive into the premise of the show, in that I’m a skeptic but am going to try some experiments, mimicking what mediums did in the past.



All with the hope of getting some kind of a result.



It’s a much slower type of opening. And for this audience in this setting, it works perfectly for me.



So, when crafting your opening, consider your audience. Consider what kind of mood you want to set.



What overall ‘theme’ are you shooting for? Is your show wild and crazy or more cerebral?



If you’re doing an educational/motivational show, don’t fall into the trap of thinking your opening effect does not have to be educational.



I recently read a book by a performer I highly respect and adore. And for years, he performed hundreds of school shows each year, like me.



But in his book, he said that performing a quick opening without directly tying into the message or theme of the show was okay.



Technically, he’s right. Schools will forgive you if your quick 30-second opening has nothing to do with your educational theme.



I just think it’s better to have an important educational tie-in right from the start.



Yes, it’s harder, especially if you want an appropriate opening for each show you offer.



But your show will be so much better! And teachers will appreciate the added effort, too.



After all, they pulled kids out of class to see your show.



There is perhaps no better way to make an excellent impression on your audience than with a great opener.



Have a great week!



--Cris



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