Audiences
You either
love them or hate them. If you hate them you
should not be in the field of entertainment
in any shape or form.
Audiences
can be good or can be bad. Many performers say
that they never blame the audience for failure
in entertaining them, that it is the entertainer
at fault. However, as we all know, audiences
have their bad nights too.
An audience
of children is a completely different matter
than say an audience of adults. While children
have no inhibitions and tend to say you are
rubbish when they feel like it, adult audiences
often feel within themselves that a performer
is not entertaining but don't verbally shout
this aloud. Unless drunk, or those who simply
love heckling, adults generally behave themselves.
Selecting
the right material for the right type of show,
or for the right age range of children is extremely
important, as all of us know. Presenting Run
Rabbit Run to nine or ten-year-olds
is not a sensible answer to obtaining good results
or recognition. Alternatively, young children
of three or four years of age would never sit
through Chinese Ring routines, intricate egg
bag routines or any such material which has
too much involvement. Animation type tricks,
puppet routines, and even the live white rabbit
cannot fail as long as the performer has a soft
approach. Small children of three and four,
tiny as they are, while seated on the floor
look upwards to what can be described as a "giant"
towering over them. This can be frightening.
Small is beautiful.
It is
an obvious statement for any experienced performer
to say that the more shows you do, the more
practice you obtain in front of all types of
audiences. Dealing with hecklers can be a problem
if you are not used to them. Knowing techniques
and ready-rehearsed backfiring jokes will come
with experience. And just because you want to
increase your income doesn't mean that you should
advertise yourself as a children's, entertainer,
cabaret performer, table-hopper or mentalist,
not forgetting an outside stunt operator. The
individual MUST know his or her capabilities.
Specialize in what you do best, and try to advertise
your show as something different. Separate yourself
from other performers advertising in your local
papers.
Ask yourself
if you want to present a 'complete' party show,
or just simply offer the magic show. You may
well be making more money moving from this street
to that one, within your area on Saturday afternoons,
rather than just accepting the ONE main complete
party service. After all, people can only afford
a certain amount. After they send out invitations,
buy the foodstuffs, and those drastic whistles,
and hats, they still have to find the entertainer's
fee. And Mum often gives all the children a
goody-bag filled with sweets, toys and novelties.
Some parents have the additional Bouncy Castle,
especially during the summer months, so the
children can obtain extra fun (normally outside)
when the sun is shining.
Your
audience has to be pleased. If you don't please
them you are at fault and your repeat engagements
will be nil. Word soon gets around. Statements
such as "He couldn't hold them for the entire
time" Ö "He picked the wrong material" Ö "He
made my little girl cry" Ö Will certainly not
increase your reputation.
Whilst
you cannot pick your audience you can work with
them, not against them. Unless you are Penn
& Teller or Freddie Starr, your audiences
will not love to hate you.
And remember
if your last audience in your last show didn't
like you - something sure was wrong.
Cheers!
Ian
