I did a school show for 100 3- and 4-year-old kids last week. As usual I got the kids screaming and laughing. One of the five teachers in the room came up to me onstage to ask me if I could do my show more quietly. There was one kid who thought the noise level was too high. Off mic I said to her, “I’ve got 100 kids who want to see my usual show, and one who doesn’t like the noise. I’m going with the 100 kids.” After the show one of the other teachers came up to me to tell me how ridiculous it was that the teacher wanted me to do a quiet show. I made the right call.
I want to write today about being interrupted during your show by people in authority positions, how annoying that is, and what you can do about it.
When I first started performing magic as an adult I was street performing in Manhattan. Busking. It was a great period in my life. It gave me freedom, money, and great friendships as we all tried to navigate the police, the best spots to perform, and the weather. One of the things I really enjoyed about street performing was that I was the boss. I could do any show I wanted. I could choose any volunteer. And best of all, if I wasn’t happy about the audience or the way the show was being received, I could just stop the show and tell the audience the show is over. “Buh-bye.” This is my show and my rules. If I am dealing with an audience that is not behaving, I can just say, “The show is now over.” Then I wait a few minutes for the crowd to dissipate and for the next crowd to roll around, start building another tip, and start a new show.
I am a magician. And I love performing my show. But I also consider myself an artist. And an artist shouldn’t be beholden to the benefactors by allowing them to dictate how you express your art. But sometimes, at birthday party magic shows, parents want to tell you what to do. I had a great example of this at a recent show.