My son has been expressing some interest in being part of my act. I'm sure he would be good at it because he has A LOT of natural Charisma. (He rolled a 20 in charisma for you gaming geeks.) I'm trying to find ways he can be in the show.

As the title states he's only 5 years old.

Any advice? Should I post this elsewhere in the forums?

Thanks,
Ostler

My daughter started working with me when she was 7 years old as she performed Hippity Hop Rabbits, coloring book and stratesphere.

She is now 13 and has done a few shows by herself!!!

We also do the Gypsy Rope Escape together!!!

Good luck and have a nice day,

Walking Bob in Iowa

I should have mentioned that it is important to give your son an active part in the show rather than having him be just a gopher. If he has a part in the show he will be more inclined to practice and improve. I have found that adults and especially young kids really go out of their way to be nice and encourage young performers.

Walking Bob

Hi there,

Like Walking Bob's daughter, my father is a magician and I have been assisting and performing in his shows since I was four. At the age of 12 I started going solo and now I have a completely seperate entertainment business and my fees are higher than his! But as for the beginning, take him along to shows first so he can see what it's like, and be prepared to fill in whatever jobs you allow him to do. I know that there were some days when I said, "No daddy, I don't feel like doing the show today," so be prepared. I suspect that will be when he's a little bit older though.

Good luck to you and feel free to PM me.

Alexa

Lol, I think I got you beat then my man!
My daughter was just a few days shy of her second birthday when she got in on the act!

Check my thread for details of the show!

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rum=17&0

Practice till you both drop so you're absolutely sure he knows what to do in his sleep. You should also know what sort of role he wants. Does he want to assist with handing you props, does he want to help you with a metamorphosis illusion or does he want his own set in your show. Once you know his expectations, you know what to aim for.

Side note: A couple of months back I read about Sacred on the forums here, an illusion that allows you to make a small child appear on stage. If you want to include your kid in the show, this might be a good way for him to make his entrance.

I agree with MacGyverMagic. With my kids we practiced many different days until they got bored. Once board they could do each effect without much effort allowing them to concentrate on smiles and performing to the audience.

I believe kids can be very charismatic on stage and audiences love them! My son performs on stage with me and it seems to be one of my audiences' favorite parts of the show. We practice a lot and talk a lot about his performance at home and before the show. I don't make him do anything he doesn't naturally do though. I believe that the things that come naturally, especially a young child, will be best on stage with the lights in his face. Plus, I don't want to force magic on him anyway as it may make him hate it.

I agree but just check the working of your props after they have been just touching them: I had to experience Murphy's law once with my daughter and didn't like the problem that I had to solve during the performance.

MY son is 8 and asking me to let him help me in my shows -- I do kids birthdays - so not sure how other parents wil feel? if I borught my son to the show as well also not sure how I can include him and if its a good idea to take him at least when I can ...maybe one or a couple of times...

MagicJac,

A risk to having your 8 year old helping with children's shows is the "I'm better than you because I know magic" syndrome. As an alternative, how about having him help you at Veteran's Homes/Hospitals/etc., where he can see the joy that magic can bring to others. Then the value he places on magic won't be how it makes HIM feel, but rather how it makes OTHERS feel.

Just my $0.02

Hudson