Okay, so I’m a little tired of people saying that line and a little tired of being duped into baby-sitting some stranger’s children and their friends for an hour or two. However, the ramblings you are reading here do not reflect the fact that in actuality, kids shows can indeed be very fun!
What you have just read, was not something that I agree with, at least not in its totality. These ramblings were from a magician friend of mine who had just returned from a rather “bad day at the office.” Let me tell you a little about what performing for kids is all about.
Kids shows can be the most fun you’ve ever had as a magician simply because kids do not usually live inside the boundaries of reality. The mere fact that they are kids, opens up an entirely new realm of prestidigitation that is not possible with adults. To see the smile on a child’s face when you extract a ball or coin from their nose or to see the excitement in their faces as a silk mysteriously turns into a candle right in front of their eyes, is priceless. You are a hero in those children’s eyes. You can do anything, you are a magician and you are amazing.
For some magicians, performing at children’s birthday parties is simply a means to an end. In other words, they are meaning to end it all together. Yes, its true. Many magicians would rather be that famous magic guy, up on stage in front of millions of adoring fans performing miraculous feats of the impossible, making the space shuttle vanish into thin air. On the other hand, there are many magicians who love to simply listen to the children laugh at his jokes and gasp as they watch a rabbit come out of his big top hat or squeal with delight when they think they’ve caught the magician in his trickery.
As my friend pointed out to me, we magicians do indeed perform our fair share of magic shows for children. Its not the bane of our existence as he would have you believe, but rather the part of our existence that actually defines why we exist in the first place.
To entertain.
If you are a magician that doesn’t enjoy laughter, smiles and cheering, then don’t do magic shows for kids, they probably aren’t for you. If, however, you enjoy being adored, loved and revered by kids all over the planet, then performing for kids as well as adults, is certainly up your alley. Remember this one tid bit of information, it may keep you in your stead when you are contemplating giving up your kids shows..., those kids will someday grow up to be adults who remember the magician who performed poorly or left their show or didn’t show up at all because he hated kids shows. Those adults will remember you and suddenly never give magic another thought.
