What If THIS Happens?

I never encountered anything like this at a school show before.

“I’m really sorry about this,” the principal said to me for at least the fifth time.

“That’s okay,” I assure him.

I was about ten minutes into my show when the principal got my attention. He mentioned whispering something to me as he approached.

Turns out the school was having a lockdown practice drill in two minutes.

After the drill commenced, I shut off my mic and waited patiently as the principal explained the purpose behind the drill.

It was about making sure everyone was safe during an emergency, he explained to them.

After the drill was over, he turned things back over to me.

“Thank you for your patience, everyone. Drills like that are super important and I’m glad your school does them,” I said, nodding slightly at the principal.

That wasn’t the only unusual thing that happened at a show this past week.

I was performing my character education show, building up to my big finale when I noticed the gym teacher quietly herding kids to my left.

When he finished, the 150 or so kids watching me were now on one side of the gym floor.

“That’s odd,” I thought. “I wonder – “

Then I saw it. A gigantic pool of vomit. Some kid got sick during my show.

So I continued as best I could.

I’d encounter vomit before. And very young kids who got overexcited during a show and wet themselves.

The first time it happened, I wasn’t sure what to do. So I just kept performing.

Turns out that’s exactly the right thing to do.

The adults in charge don’t want you to make a big deal out of such things. It’s easy to understand why, too.

Drawing attention to the accident only does two things:

1. Causes a commotion it might be difficult to recover from
2. Embarrasses the kid who had the accident

Honestly, I’m more concerned with #2.

The last thing I want to do is embarrass anyone.

But I had to learn the lesson the hard way.

Nearly 20 years ago, not long after I had gone full-time, I was booked for a series of preschool shows by two major chains.

Preschool shows are great. You don’t have to bring any large props. The audience is mostly four- and five-year-olds.

I had the two chains as clients for around three years. But at one chain I made a huge mistake. And it cost me that client.

I was performing at one center. In the middle of my show, one child had a complete meltdown. Just started screaming and flailing wildly.

None of the kids reacted. Neither did the teachers.

At that point and time, I knew nothing about special needs, the spectrum, or anything.

Like an idiot, I said, “Can someone do something about him? It’s really disruptive.”

To no one’s surprise (except mine), the director completely lit into me afterward. She explained that the child was special needs, and we were not to call attention to it.

Next summer, the chain did not invite me back.

It was a costly lesson, one I’m passing on to readers just getting started in magic.

So this issue has one major lesson to it:

If something unexpected happens during your show, just roll with it.

If it’s appropriate, defer to those in charge. If it involves a kid, don’t call attention to it. Don’t argue. Don’t act frustrated.

The event’s organizers at kid shows don’t want one child singled out. They don’t want the child embarrassed, and they certainly don’t want the entertainer to be a disciplinarian.

These kinds of incidents in schools can include:
• Announcements over the intercom interrupting your show
• A kid peeing or throwing up
• A fire drill
• A lockdown drill
• A kid becoming upset or having a bad day

For birthdays and private events, incidents can include:
• A grandparent arriving late in the middle of your show
• A child guest arriving late. (The kids all want to greet him)
• The pizza guy arriving in the middle of your show

For public events, incidents can include:
• Santa Claus arriving before his cue
• Random people walking through your set to get to another area

My point? Things happen.

Most of us will be performing in areas where interruptions can occur. Most of us aren’t used to performing in theaters.

But even if you are accustomed to performing in theaters, unexpected problems can happen in them too.

On one of his wonderful DVDs, Jeff McBride tells the story of a big theater show he was part of.

At one point during the show, the complete sound system went out. No music, no microphones, nothing.

Jeff went out and performed several minutes of magic silently. It gave the tech crew time to repair what was wrong and Jeff wound up being the hero of the day.

Expect the unexpected. Plan how you’ll respond…or not.

And plan for getting through the interruption as quietly and smoothly as possible.

Have a great week!

--Cris

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