Changing Gears
Versatility is one of the most important skills an entertainer can have, in my opinion.
On Saturday, I had three gigs. No break, just gig, drive, gig, drive, gig. Next week I have four in one day. Three of those are kids parties and the last is a family show at a holiday park.
This Saturday's shows were all different though. The first was a kids party. It was a young man's 5th birthday and all the guests were of a similar age. I performed funny magic tricks, made balloon models and of course, got the puppets involved.
Straight after that, I headed to a wedding party. The guests ranged in age from 15 to 85, and after a quick costume change, I was performing close-up magic and mentalism for some very friendly and pleasant groups of people. It was great fun and I was on fire, if do say so myself 😂
I bid a fond farewell to that party and headed to another party. A girls night in. This was a whole different audience. 15 women, of varying ages and levels of sobriety, greeted me with a cheer and Queen's ‘It's A Kind Of Magic’ blaring out of the loudspeaker. There were calls of ‘Here's the stripper,’ etc and every person in attendance was up for a laugh. It was tons of fun, and in different circumstances, I would have happily stayed and shared a drink or two.
At each party, I did at least one trick I'd performed at the one before. I wore the same trousers at all three (my costume change was from t-shirt and purple jacket to waistcoat, tie and suit jacket). My hair was the same, my voice was the same, I used the same deck of cards…
At each event though, I was a completely different character. At the kids show, I was in charge, but I was silly and funny and getting bopped on the head, whereas at the wedding party I was a little bit smooth, engaging and engaged and a master of illusion.
When I arrived at the third party, I knew I wasn't there to be the centre of attention. I was there to entertain for a while, and to do so while people were coming in and out of the various rooms. There were a couple of guests who relished in being in the spotlight. They kept wanting to be the magician's assistant and getting laughs from their pals. So that's how I played it. I let them, and I joined in with the laughter. And it was a great laugh.
The point is, without experience, I would have approached each event in (almost) the same way. This is why I would advise anyone, whether they are a magician, a singer, a food vendor, or whatever, to give everything a go.
'I don't do kids parties’
'I'm not working at a football ground’
‘My stuff isn't right for a church group'
Stop thinking like that. Go and do the gig. Take the job, because in the future, you will have that experience, and you might still say no, but at least you'll know why you're saying no. But maybe, just maybe, you will realise ‘Hey! I can work this crowd! They love my product!’
Take a chance.