Cleaning Up After a Show

Sometimes people are just rude.

The picture above is from my local park. We don’t have sidewalks in my neighborhood, so I drive a half mile each day to walk my dog, Stanlee.

The park is large and spacious, with plenty of places for my pup to sniff and explore. It’s relaxing, and a great way to start my day.

But on the day in question, I spotted what you see in the picture above. Look closely. It’s a poop bag. Some guy was walking his dog, picked up his dog’s business…and left it for someone else to clean up.

This was stupid and baffling to me. The guy took the time to bust out a bag and pick up the doggie business.

This park has garbage cans every hundred feet or so. Yet this guy was too lazy to walk over to a garbage can.

Like I said, some people are rude. And inconsiderate.

He would have been better off just leaving the poo on the ground, not in a bag. It breaks down pretty fast.

Right now, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with magic. Because I’ve trained my brain to generate ideas for this newsletter, admittedly some of my inspiration comes from odd places.

That abandoned poop bag reminded me of a bad habit many magicians have.

They often do a poor job of cleaning up after themselves.

We’ve all seen it – bits of rope, card stock, mouthcoils, and – the most egregious of all – snowstorm confetti.

I love Snowstorm. It’s one of my favorite effects in magic. It’s beautiful, magical, and if done right, can be done surrounded.

But it leaves a big mess. I know of many magicians who won’t get re-booked for events simply because they were too careless with Snowstorm.

Me? I always clear it with the client. Always. And I’m honest about it. Here’s what I say:

“So I do this great effect where I make it SNOW indoors! It’s beautiful, everyone loves it, but because it’s confetti, it makes a huge mess. What do you think?”

99 times out of a hundred, they always say yes. Partially because it’s such a perfect trick for my Christmas show, everyone agrees it’s perfect. Unless I get conned into doing an outdoor show (very rarely), I only offer Snowstorm for Christmas shows.

Mostly it’s because I try to give every one of my shows a few special effects that fit that show perfectly. And partially because I hate making a mess.

When I do Snowstorm, I immediately ask my client for a broom to clean it up. Usually, they insist on taking care of it themselves.

So, clean up after yourself at your show. Because this extends far beyond just Snowstorm.

I have seen magicians litter stages with multi-phase cut and restored rope routines. By the time their routine is over, the stage is covered in little bits of rope. Clean those up!

I use a mouthcoil in a couple of my shows. Like Snowstorm, I love mouthcoils. It brings the house down every time, especially the way I do it.

But bits of mouthcoil and tissue paper wind up on the floor, too. I clean those up after every show.

Even balloons can leave a mess.

I perform Steve Taylor’s wonderful Airhead Rudy during my Reading school assembly. When that balloon pops at the end, bits of balloon fly toward the audience and hit the floor. I clean those up too.

And here’s another example of cleaning up after yourself that pertains only to kids show performers. Don’t forget to remove the tape line.

Many library performers put a line of masking or painter's tape down on the floor to mark where the kids need to sit. Sometimes I remember to bring my own tape. Other times I forget and the librarian who hired me is kind enough to bring their own roll and out a line down for me.

After the show, I always pull that tape up myself.

Don’t forget the furniture, too. Many libraries and birthday shows feature performing space that is very tight. Big comfy couches have to be moved to accommodate the performance.

When you’ve finished your show, be sure to help your client move all that furniture back to where it belongs.

Setting aside the Snowstorm for a moment, you might look at the above examples and think, “Hey, he’s making a big deal about nothing. Nobody’s going to notice a few stray bits of rope.”

Maybe. Maybe not. But I contend that by leaving our performing area in as pristine of a condition as possible, we are showing our clients that we care about our venues.

As a hypnotist, I’ve performed in various venues and have had bookers say things to me they probably would not have if they had known I was also a magician.

Many event bookers view magicians with disdain. And it’s because of their ‘wrecking ball approach’ to the stage.

I always tell my clients that I’ll be the easiest entertainer they ever work with. Other than a power outlet for my sound system, I literally need nothing from them. This always impresses them. And being easy to work with extends to leaving the area in the same condition I found it…or better.

Want to impress your clients? Adopt a similar philosophy for yourself.

Now I’m off to finish the upgrades to my elementary school show training course. It’s the first significant upgrade I’ve done for it in years. There will be sections in it on modern SEO, Google Ads, and so much more.

Details will be coming soon. And when the upgrades are live, you’ll be able to get the course for its current price of $299 for a limited time before I double the price. This special offer will ONLY be available to newsletter subscribers.

Details soon.

Have a great week!

--Cris

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