Make More Money with Theme Shows

I read the email again and laughed.

It was early in 2022. A past client of mine from the NYC area in Nassau County, New York had reached out to me.

She was looking at booking me for a school assembly once again at her school.

Before COVID, I had performed at her school several times over the years.

The teachers and students both enjoyed my shows. The kids enjoyed the shows because of the magic. The teachers enjoyed the shows because of how well I weaved the messages into the magic.

I didn’t particularly want to go back to the school. I find the seven-hour drive from my house to the NYC area exhausting. And navigating the traffic and hustle and bustle of the area is extremely stressful.

I admire people who thrive in the big city. They have a major advantage over skittish types like me.

So I gently turned my client down.

But she surprised me by asking if they could at least book one of my virtual shows.

Like many magicians, I started offering virtual shows in 2020 as a response to the pandemic. I didn’t particularly enjoy it.

One of my shows, my virtual science show, was a fairly big hit. The advantage of that show is with just a few materials, kids could do the science experience right along with me.

But not all clients wanted science. Many still wanted my other shows, like bully prevention, reading, character education, and so on.

I reluctantly began offering virtual options for those shows, too.

I know some magicians turned their virtual shows into true art. They invested in the right equipment. They offered cool green screen effects. They crafted special interactive virtual presentations. They added costume changes. Their efforts were extraordinary.

Me? I just couldn’t get excited about performing magic for the camera.

Still, the shows booked, much to my chagrin.

As 2021 turned to 2022, most of the virtual show requests went away. I boxed up my studio lights, bought a treadmill, and thought virtual performing was behind me.

Then my past client asked for a virtual show.

I decided to be brutally honest with her.

I told her I didn’t think my virtual magic shows were very good. I said I did not feel comfortable offering a product I couldn’t 100% stand by.

Her comment?

‘Your show was okay.”

She was willing to book a subpar show for one reason.

My theme.

After 20 years as a professional magician and being my own boss, I consider myself an expert at theming shows.

Unlike many so-called school assembly performers, I weave the messages and lessons into the tapestry of the magic I’m doing. Too many performers take the easy way out. They perform 40 minutes of fun magic in a 45-minute show. Then during the last five minutes, they talk to the kids about self-esteem.

Trust me, clients hate that.

Why do I bring all this up? Is it to merely regale you with my awesomeness?

Not at all.

I bring it up as a way to tell you about one of the great secrets of magic.

Theme shows are a highly effective way to set yourself apart from the competition.

Are you a kids’ performer looking to charge higher fees?

If you’re looking at breaking into the school market, you need educational shows.

Create a theme show. And it doesn’t have to be educational.

One guy I knew was making a killing years ago by offering a Harry Potter magic show. I’m not going to get into the ethics of that. I only mention it to show you that a theme show doesn’t have to be educational.

And theme shows extend beyond kid shows, too.

I remember years ago an incident at a mentalism show I was performing. The show was a rare daytime corporate holiday party. (Most of mine were nighttime affairs.)

The show was going well. I was in the middle of performing my blindfold act when I heard an audience member say quite clearly, “Oh, the guy last year did that.”

Apparently, that lady forgot that just because I couldn’t see that my hearing was unaffected.

And when I heard that, I realized I had to create something unique that no one else was offering.

That led to the development of my Murder By Magic show.

Once I launched that show, my fees went up drastically. And closing bookings became a lot easier. Why? Because I was offering something no one else was.

Want to offer a theme show? Start brainstorming.

If you’re a kid show performer, look at popular kid trends. Build a show around something popular now.

I’d advise against using any copyrighted characters in your show.

But you could create a Superhero Magic show. Or a Dinosaur Magic Show. And both of those themes are evergreen, meaning they’ll still be popular five years from now.

If you’re an adult performer, here’s a free idea. What if your entire show was framed as an infomercial?

Every routine you do is wrapped around this crazy product you’re trying to sell.

I toyed around with this idea years after creating Murder By Magic. I wanted another theme show for corporate groups.

So I came up with some ridiculous fictitious product. And every routine was me telling them something about that product.

And after every routine, I’d give the price and ask for orders. Obviously, no orders were placed.

So I’d get frustrated and go on to the next routine. And after that trick, I’d ask for the order and give the price.

But in a twist, the price was higher.

So in addition to the overall theme of the infomercial, I had the running gag of the price getting higher and higher, the exact opposite of what most infomercials do.

And because I was getting more frustrated, my performance become more desperate, slightly crazed.

I didn’t develop it as well as I could have. But I still think it’s a good idea.

If you want an easy way to create theme shows, check out my products HERE.

Until next time, have a great week.

--Cris

P.S. By the way…whenever you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you grow your magic business to book more shows at higher fees:

 
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Not sure how to move your magic business forward? I’ll analyze your complete magic business (website, market, competition, and more) and give you a complete game plan for getting your performing business to the next level. Find out how HERE.

 
4. Work with me privately.

 
Need help in multiple areas? I can help you with your website, direct mail, email, or other marketing strategies. I also offer consulting services for crafting magic routines or even entire shows. Want to find out more? Shoot me an email at cris@theprofessionalmagicianclubpro.com.

To find out more how I can help you book more shows at higher fees, click the button below to see my list of services.

© Copyright Cris Johnson, Inc.