3 Powerful Lessons From My New Show

Ohhhh…this one’s gonna hurt.

I have to cut the closer to my new show.

I recently completed a short run performing my new Crime Scene Science assembly program.

It’s an educational science show for grades K-5. I’ve spent the last few months fine-tuning the show, getting graphics made, and so on.

When it came time to perform the show, I was delighted with how the kids responded to most everything.

Except that ending.

Crime Scene Science is a forensic science show. It demonstrates how science is used to solve crimes.

I learned the basics of the show, the true educational material, from another school assembly presenter. His show was educationally sound, but light on the actual entertainment.

So I came up with the idea of creating a ‘crime’ onstage during the show.

During the show, six volunteers are selected to be suspects in a fictitious crime. Each is invited to select one of six sealed paper bags on stage.

They’re sent to their seats, and my new AI assistant, Disembodio, reveals the crime: one of them has stolen an important rock from a museum.

My AI assistant is just me, via prerecorded audio, with my voice modulated to sound like Alvin and the Chipmunks.

After that, I demonstrate various evidence-gathering techniques throughout the show.

Each time, Disembodio determines whether or not the evidence points to a student…or a teacher.

Did I forget to mention that I selected three student suspects and three teacher suspects?

Eventually, we get to the big reveal of who took the rock.

I should point out that despite the entirely hands-off procedure of paper bag selection, I know immediately who took the rock thanks to my trusty PITATA Stone Code trick.

So now all six suspects are on stage. We go through a quick bit of questioning. Five of the suspects give goofy, nonsensical answers.

One suspect claims they are innocent…and they don’t know anything about a black rock.

Many of the kids in the audience pick up on the fact that at no time during the show did I mention the COLOR of the rock.

Only the person who took the rock would know the color.

It’s a wonderful moment.

Then my conclusion came crashing down, landing with a thud.

Throughout the show, I recorded the key pieces of evidence on my Evidence Board, really Joao Miranda’s Card in Window.

It’s an expensive prop, over $3000.

I thought using the Card in Window throughout the show would establish it as a necessary prop, and the ending would floor the kids.

I have the key suspect, the one who made the comment about the black rock, sign a playing card for “handwriting analysis,” only for it to magically appear between the two panes of glass on my Evidence Board.

I thought it was a great ending to the show.

But it fell flat.

The kids didn’t care.

I’m still proud of the show. But now I gotta introduce a new finale to the show.

Here are three lessons I learned as I trotted out this new show to schools.

1. The kids LOVED the idea of some of them being suspects.
This really surprised me.

I loved the narrative device of having kids and teachers become suspects.

To me, it took the science premise and turned everything we did from theoretical to relevant, because we were solving a crime in real time.

But I was amazed by how excited and eager the kids were to become suspects.

Of course, when I spun around and started pointing at teachers to tell them they were suspects too, well, the energy and excitement doubled.

I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Because making members of the audience suspects instantly creates an emotional hook and throughline for the entire show.

It’s similar to what I do in my Murder By Magic show.

2. My AI recordings were an effective way to introduce another character into the show.

This was key to making the show play bigger.

Adding a second character to a solo show is almost always a good idea. It adds another element and helps move the plot along.

While Disembodio doesn’t add any conflict to the show like a good vent routine, it’s still another element.

3. The ending Card in Window trick felt bolted on.

I thought this would play really well. But the problem, in hindsight, should have been obvious to me.

We are going through this investigation, using science along the way.

I demonstrate the science, I explain the science.

Then, out of nowhere comes a card trick.

It just felt…off.

I still think it’s an amazing trick. I’ll find another use for it in a different show.

But this was a reminder to me that any segment in a themed/educational show must feel organic, like it belongs.

The biggest lesson? If the audience does not respond, then the trick/segment has to go.

Continuing to ignore this would mean always ending my show on a down note.

It doesn’t matter how expensive the prop is.

The only thing that matters is how the audience reacts.

Have a great week!

--Cris

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