Ditching Props Between Routines

I looked in my change bag in surprise.

Sitting at the bottom of it was a pom-pom I thought I had lost.

I was in the middle of performing my “Christmas Magic” show, a non-religious kids’ show for schools and libraries.

It’s a great show, one I’ve honed for years.

But at yesterday’s shows, I had a minor boo-boo: I lost one of my props.

It wasn’t an expensive one. It wasn’t even the complete prop. But it was a fun bit. The prop in question is Tommy James’ wonderful Christmas magic wand. It’s a red magic wand with a big white pom-pom stuck to the end with a magnet. Hit the switch and the pom-pom falls off ”unexpectedly.”

Great prop. But at yesterday’s show, as I was cleaning up, I couldn’t find the pom-pom. Today’s show meant I’d have to do the show without it.

So I soldered on, knowing I could simply buy another one from Tommy later.

But at tonight’s show, as I was finishing my change bag routine (complete with Christmas-themed change bag), I found my missing pom-pom at the bottom of the bag.

I was excited but I kept myself from excitedly announcing to the crowd, “LOOK! I found my missing prop!”

It was a magic trick only I would have appreciated or cared about.

But I was doubly happy because now I had this week’s newsletter.

In past issues, I’ve written extensively about staying organized when you put your equipment away. Staying organized makes packing for a show much easier and faster.

I’ve also written about prop placement when setting up for the show.

But what about after the effect is done? What do you do with your prop now that you no longer need it?

For years, I’ve used some kind of ditch table or container. This makes transitioning from one routine to the next faster.

I keep my “ditch table,” a ShowTime Magic cube on a stand, behind my banner on my left.

Once I finish a routine, I place the prop in the cube. That way, I know where everything is once the show’s over.

The key to making this work is knowing your props. How durable are they? Do you really want that delicate card castle at the bottom of the pile when you toss your Bowling Ball from Briefcase into your ditch table?

So know your props first. Second, know where in your ditch table you’re placing them.

It’s far too easy for props to get tangled or otherwise stuck together.

Case in point: My newspaper tear. I use Robert Baxt’s Better Newspaper Tear. It’s fast and easy to set up plus the instant restoration looks just like the classic Gene Anderson Newspaper restoration.

The secret to the trick uses magnets. And they are REALLY powerful.

And I use two sets of magnets – one for my K-2 show and one for my 3-5 show. This prevents me from having to reset on days when I have back-to-back shows.

Because I’m dumping both sets of magnets into my ditch box during my performances, there is the possibility they could come too close together and magnetize.

I’ve gotten them stuck together before and getting them apart is NOT easy.

So as I perform, I have to be mindful of where I put each set of torn newspaper gimmicks.

To minimize mayhem, I do try to clear out my ditch table between shows to minimize mistakes like the one I just described.

The other concern? Making sure little, tiny props don’t get mixed up inside disposable items.

In my anti-bullying show, I use a mouth coil, the aforementioned newspaper tear, and the Kevin James effect Bowl-A-Rama. After each performance, I have to tear off one of the sheets on the big pad of paper.

That’s a lot of garbage to throw away.

And I have to make sure that smaller props, like my thumb tip for the $100 bill switch, don’t get lost in all the crud I’m throwing away.

Here’s another example of what I have to take care of during my Christmas show.

Near the end of the show, I use the Axtell board to draw a picture of the Grinch and animate him.

Not long after that, I perform the floating glass trick Airborne, as my lead-in to Snowstorm in China.

As I place the glass back into my Lefler table to get the fan and snowstorm load, I have to make sure the glass doesn’t tip over and spill water all over my Axtell board. (Lesson learned.)

So there’s a lot to consider when transitioning from one prop to the next. I want these transitions to be fast so I can keep the ‘dead’ spots in my show to a minimum. But I don’t want anything ruined because of my haste, either.

We magicians have the idea of ‘pack small, play big’ drilled into our heads. We’re also told to keep our props organized.

But I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk about taking care when putting one prop away and getting the next one out.

What about YOU? How do you transition between props in your show?

--Cris

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