Tips for Outdoor Shows

I hate outdoor shows.

But like many magicians, I’ve done a ton of them.

I hate outdoor shows simply because they are not conducive, in my opinion, to the best experience of magic. The sun causes problems, there’s the wind to contend with, and it just seems like Murphy’s Law intervenes to create the worst possible conditions for your show in a myriad of ways.

These days, I rarely do outside shows. Because I don’t do many birthday parties anymore, I’m rarely even asked about outside shows.

Most schools and libraries host their events indoors. At least, in my area. And when I get the occasional request from a school for an outside show, I politely turn the prospect down.

But this weekend, I performed outdoors. The client was someone I’d known for 20 years. She’s hired me multiple times for different events dating back to 2003. So, I felt like I had to take the gig.

To perform outside successfully, you gotta prepare differently than you do for indoor shows. Well, at least I do.

First, no silks. No matter how closed in I am for a gig, I never do silk tricks. Why? Simple. Even if the client says I’ll be protected from the elements, even the slightest breeze causes silks to disappear.

The only exception I’ll make (and I did it this weekend) is Silk to Egg. The silk is never just placed on a table. I’m either holding it or it’s stuffed into the plastic egg, which I’m also holding.

I will also refrain from doing any tricks with large props that require their own table. For me, it’s just not worth the risk of having the wind blow an expensive prop to the ground and it breaking.

Two years ago, I broke that rule. In the summer of 2021, I wound up doing six or so outdoor library shows. The pandemic was still in full swing, and I didn’t feel like I could turn the gigs away.

I wound up carrying with me a few larger props that required their own tables. I got through each gig without incident, but every time the wind kicked up. I got nervous.

But in most other cases, if a prop won’t fit into my Lefler table, it ain’t going to the gig.

Another pro tip: I try to rope off or otherwise designate my area as MY area.

For birthday parties, this is less of a big deal. But for a public event, like my gig this weekend, people wander around everywhere.

I was performing for a big community event. It was basically a small fair, with bounce houses for the kids, a classic car show, food trucks, pony rides, and various musicians.

Those last two inspired the picture at the top of this week’s newsletter.

My client told me I’d be performing in the “big pavilion” in the back of the park. Right next to the pavilion, pony rides were going on. Rather than walk straight to the pony ride, kids and adults alike cut through the pavilion to get to the ponies.

Adding to my woes, two different musical acts were set to perform in the pavilion, one right before me, and one right after.

I like my client, but like many, she doesn’t ‘get’ the needs of performers. And musicians, especially bands, need a ton of setup/warmup time.

The first band was set to play until 15 minutes before my start time. The second band was set to start right after me.

All in the same pavilion.

Fortunately, the pavilion was huge. I gathered both bands together and explained the situation because of course no one had explained the schedule to them.

I suggested we carve up the pavilion. The first band could take half the pavilion. There were six or seven members, and they needed a lot of space. The second band was a husband-and-wife duo. They needed about as much space as me. They took a quarter of the pavilion, next to me.

I seized upon the event organizers’ hospitality. I “borrowed” the line of flags you see in the picture above. I wrapped it around the posts outlining my quarter of the pavilion. I zigzagged it and made it impossible for anyone taller than three feet to cross without rolling around on their tummies.

The result?

Once I put my makeshift barrier in place, not a single person tried crossing into my territory before, during, or after my show.

It worked so well that I now have a long thick roll of caution tape I can use to protect my turf in the future if I ever allow myself to get roped into another outside gig.

The final pro tip I will suggest is water. Keep yourself hydrated. Even though it was only in the mid-70s Fahrenheit while I was performing, I kept a big jug of water nearby so I could stay hydrated.

When I was a preteen (around 12-ish), I had a sleepover with two friends. We slept outside in sleeping bags. It was during the summer, and I woke up the next morning feeling very sick, ultimately vomiting all over our front yard.

I’m not sure if I technically had heat exhaustion or not, but ever since then, I don’t do well in the heat outside. So, I take steps to protect myself.

In the end, I surprisingly had a really fun time at the show. Kids and adults were enthusiastic and responsive. It was probably my favorite outdoor show in a decade.

I still hate outdoor shows, but by being prepared, I hate them less.

Until next week…

--Cris

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