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Happy Holidays to all. My hopes are that this season brings you all that you desire. In my case, I'm quite lucky. I've already gotten what I desired - which was the simple knowledge that prep time for any show can be cut down drastically, and added, in an entertaining fashion, into the performance itself! I touched upon this in the last column, and I wanted to take some time to cite another example of this.
For a few years I had developed my own storytelling performances using balloons. Past columns give a better understanding of the sort of things I look to do and include within a show.
Some folks are pretty set on developing a show, scripting it, and using it in the same fashion repeatedly. It is never changed, and for those folks, great success has been achieved. In my own case, though, I like to look at things from a different perspective. For this, as well as other reasons, I like to build shows that are ever changing, and frequently adjustable to the desires of the clients or patrons.
Despite my desire to frequently change up story lines and create new stories altogether, I would be foolish to lead you to believe that I do not have a few solid staples in my routines. For those who have purchased my book, there is a story in it of a caterpillar and its journey of self-discovery and self worth on its path to becoming a butterfly. It is a story that I have down to a science. I like everything about it, as well as the messages it carries. However, I didn't start this column with the intention of sharing that story with you. A desire to know more about it can easily be appeased by glancing at the book it's covered in.
What I wish to discuss is another story that also happens to be a staple to my routines. This story is known as Hercules and the Nemean Lion. The nice thing about this story is that nearly EVERY child is familiar with Hercules, so it isn't lost on them. The story itself has everything from drama to comedy. It has a hero and a villain. It has audience participation, and so many more wonderful qualities. IF I may say so, it has proven time and again to be a successful routine for children of ALL ages (yes, even the teachers, PTA staff, library personnel and parents).
One of the most successful features of this routine was the presentation of an audience member donning an elaborate lion costume made from balloons. The down side was that it took awhile to prepare. Was there a way to avoid the downside and turn a negative into a positive? Without a doubt!
After careful thought, it seemed the creation of the lion, although altered over time, had reached a point of being polished. It also seemed to be not so much an elaborate costume thrown together so much as a bunch of parts; all created the same way each time, put together in a specific sequential order. Why did it have to occur before the show? There was no specific reason.
My thoughts on this kind of prep time in the past was similar to that presented by the Magic Kingdom - Don't let the people see the aspects that go into the creation of everything as it may pull away from the magical appeal.
I felt the same way about my shows. Having this lion assembled in advance made for great "ahh factor" when the child was suddenly wearing it. But was it really necessary to present it in this fashion? There could be other perspectives that were being overlooked.
Besides working balloon performances for schools, cultural arts programs and libraries, I also worked restaurants. What I always found fascinating was that children AND adults were as entertained in seeing the creation of a balloon sculpture as they were in receiving one. In some cases, actually, there was more interest in witnessing the creative process. With this line of thinking, it was easy to believe that an auditorium full of children might feel the same way. If this was indeed the case, then prep time could be diminished AND MORE performance could be added to the actual show. It was certainly an idea worth looking into.
The next show, I went in and only took the time to create the parts of the creation in its most basic form. They were placed to the side of the stage. The idea was in play, but there was still something missing. The presentation.
I carefully worked it through in my mind that the presentation of the creation of the lion would have to be as entertaining as any other aspect of my show. Luckily, I am a man who has a certain set of tried and true entertainment philosophies and creating the lion's presentation merely needed to follow the same guidelines that were in place for other aspects of my performance.
The nice thing about having entertainment philosophies is that they enable an entertainer to have a sort of format or template in which to create all new things with. Having the template makes things easier in a sense that an entertainer knows what is desired and has a certain set of choices in deciding what will work best for the performance. It removes the "randomness" that allows for clutter to occur when designing these performances or routines. The kind of clutter that makes it difficult for an entertainer to figure out exactly where to even start on creating a new routine.
With the template of philosophies in place, a task that could have taken days to weeks only took a matter of fifteen minutes. The presentation was designed, and like any other portion of my performance called for a high degree of audience participation.
The design of the lion was quite simple really, and the presentation remained as entertaining as any other part of the performance. How did it all come to pass? Quite simple really. I relied on...the truth.
Those who know me will admit that I am QUITE the forgetful person. Sometimes I think I would forget my own name if it wasn't on my driver's license. Anyway, I stepped up on the stage, did a quick five minutes involving Hercules and the direction of the story. I then set up the lion and the child that would be helping me out by playing the part. The next words would set the direction from there.
"Now it's been awhile since I've done this story...and some time since I've created this lion. I am forgetful sometimes, and I fear that since I haven't since a lion for quite a long time (ironic considering that I have a tattoo of one on my shoulder and that my last name is Leo), I may not create this lion correctly. Is it possible you can help me?" "It is! SPLENDID!" "I'll tell you what...I'll ask you if...Adam is it? It is?
Great. I'll ask you if young Adam here looks like a lion and you answer yes or no. NOW be HONEST with me, I can take it! If the answer is no, I'll ask you a second question. That question will simply be "WHAT'S MISSING?" And you folks can shout it out to me"
Now I won't go on to tell you how the rest of the story goes, but suffice it to say that what initially was no more than an entertainer placing a lion costume on a child's body, soon turned into a routine within a routine.
Was it successful? It was, is, and continues to be for many more audiences to come. Does it save me prep time? INDEED! That time saved is now time spent with my family. I can't think of a better thing to do with it. Have I benefited in any other weary from this situation? ABSOLUTELY.
I find I now have a longer show with more entertainment, or for those events that on a tight time schedule, I can now allow myself to do a fewer number of stories within the performance due to the time now occupied by the prep time entertainment routines. Did I mention I have started developing shows that use fewer balloons as well? Less balloons means lower supply cost while maintaining the same or higher amount of money coming back from the performance. Will I use this method from now on to cut down further on prep time? I already have. Last summer I put together a show that used a total of four balloons. The routine entertained for approximately thirty to forty five minutes. The prep time for the routine called for all of twenty seconds to reach into my bag and select the four specific balloons for the routine.
Those who saw my lecture recently in Maryland will vouch that, as hard to believe as it is, this is all quite true. To top it all off, I believe those folks would ALSO vouch for this simple routine being QUITE entertaining.
In conclusion, build your prep time pieces right into the show - It saves time, money, and effort.
I'd be happy to field any question or comments that anyone has on this article. E-mail me at Cloud9@balloonhq.com.
Jimmy Leo - Cloud 9 balloons
Long Island NY
