4-Pack

If there's one thing a performer like myself likes, it's multiple shows in one area. These days, with the price of gas at 3.19 for 87 regular here on Long Island, it's great when I can work more than one or two shows in an area that's far away. Yesterday I had 4 shows spread over 3 schools in the same school district about 150 miles away. Since my first show started at 9:00 AM, that necessitated getting on the road by 5:00 AM. For those unfamiliar with Long Island traffic, if you don't get on the road before 6:00 AM, you aren't getting there. The Long Island Expressway is unpredictable, which in some ways is worse than knowing you're going to be sitting in traffic. While I despise sitting and not moving, some days I arrive at a show 2 hours earlier than I need to be there. There's never much to do at 7 in the morning, unless you're in Vegas.

Fortunately, yesterday's show wasn't like that. I got there about an hour before showtime, which was perfect. I had plenty of time to find my contact person, bring in my equipment, and set up the show. The first show was for a K-2 audience of about 120 students. This is a bit smaller than most school shows, but they were an enthusiastic audience. The Media Specialist who booked my also requested a slightly shorted show than usual, so I needed to keep one eye on the clock as I performed. My show normally runs 45 minutes, and I've been doing it nearly 15 years, so at this point, I don't need to watch the clock to know if I'm running short or long- the show is pretty set. To cut it by 10 minutes, though, meant I needed to trim some pieces and rearrange the rest. Thus the need for the clock.

Show number 2 was pretty much the same- K-2, only this time about 180 kids. The students were a little more active; they had just been outside to visit with the local firefighters who brought their trucks down, so they were a little tougher to control than usual. Not a problem- I'll take an active crowd over a quiet passive one any day of the week. I'm having a little trouble with my voice this week, though, so that made it slightly more challenging than normal. Once again, a fun group, and some very satisfied teachers.

The last 2 shows were at a 3-6 grade school. Unlike many magicians, I enjoy working with older kids- "tweens". 3rd and 4th grade are easy enough for most performers, but 5th and 6th grade students really seem to rattle a lot of magicians. I've written extensively about working for this age group for THE FUNNY PAPER, a magazine for entertainers. The key for older kids, at least in my opinion, is to have good solid material, obviously, and not to try to hard to make them like you. If you go out and try to be too hip or too cool for the room, they'll eat you alive. The fun part about a "tween" audience is that I can pretty much be myself. I'm a fairly sarcastic person by nature, and kids in this age group seem to like that type of humor. What's nice is that the teachers seem to really enjoy the show, too. The magic is strong, and there's a lot of laughs. It was a nice way to finish the day.

Of course, after 4 shows, I still had the 150 mile drive home. There's no good way to get home any time after 2:30 to Long Island, and my 2.5 hour drive up became a 3.5 hour drive home. Got back just in time to feed the cats, pick up Jen, have dinner, and take a quick walk after dinner. I barely stayed awake for the second inning of the Mets game- late start in LA. All in a day's work.