Remember Your Audience

Seven minutes.

I looked at my phone again in disbelief.

I was getting ready to perform my fourth school assembly of the day. I was 400 miles from home, I hadn’t eaten yet today and really wanted to get started with the show.

As is often the case with school assemblies, the teachers didn’t get the kids down to the gym where I was performing until ten minutes after I was supposed to begin.

Usually, it doesn’t bother me, but this was an afternoon show. And we had a hard stop to avoid bumping into dismissal. So the later we started the show, the more I had to shave from my time.

Most magicians just shrug their shoulders and say, “Great, I’m getting paid to do less,” but my assemblies are different. There are throughlines and messages that connect. And chopping out chunks robs the kids of the lessons I promised when the school books me.

Schools never seem to understand this idea of time, despite my best efforts.

I had just received permission to go over my time a little, which took some of the pressure off.

But when the principal started “introducing” me, she just rambled on and on, haranguing the kids about their behavior and why it needed to stop.

Interestingly, she must have enjoyed the previous show an hour earlier. She began recapping some of the points of my show, pointing to the messages on my backdrop and banners, and so forth.

But her introduction just kept going. She prattled on for seven minutes, meaning I was starting 17 minutes late and despite the extension I was given, I was going to have to chop out material.

As she wrapped things up, she turned to me and said, “Okay, go ahead.”

That was my actual introduction.

I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out, “Thanks,” as I laughed.

Honestly, I don’t care about introductions. Yes, I provide a written introduction for my clients to use. But most ignore it. Or they don’t like standing in front of an audience and don’t want to do it. So I’ve gotten comfortable doing it myself.

(Yes, I understand the value of a good introduction and how it sets the stage. I’m just tired of fighting that particular battle.)

So I began my show. To say I was in a negative state was an understatement.

My entire attitude was just, “I want to get through this.”

But to my surprise, the kids really responded to my messages. They reacted to my tricks perfectly. Teachers were giving me David Blaine-on-TV type of reactions. Teachers were even volunteering for routines. And that never happens.

And this brings me to the point of this issue of the newsletter.

Unless you are lucky enough to be a Vegas headliner, there will be times you encounter a lot of ‘bad stuff’ surrounding your actual gig.

Crappy intros. Less than ideal performing situations. And on and on.

But once it’s go time, you gotta be there for the audience.

Yes, you gotta know your market and please your booker. But if you get stepped on before the gig, you can’t take it out on the audience.

It would have been so easy to just phone it in for that show. But I remembered that I was a professional.

I did my best to give those kids and teachers a wonderful experience. Whether I did or not is up to them to evaluate. But I did my part to the best of my abilities.

So the next time you’re at a show and someone has made you angry, or the check isn’t filled out right, or any number of things that can (and do) go wrong at live shows, set it all aside and give your audience the best show you can.

They deserve it. And you’ll feel better about yourself.

Best of all, you’ll make a fantastic impression on the people in the audience. And some of them could even be your future clients.

Until next time, have a great week!

--Cris

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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.

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