From: sirtwistalot@juno.com
To: DaisyTheClown123@aol.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 11:12:50 -0800
Subject: building a routine/stories

Greetings~

I am at best a decent twister, better than some, not as good as many
others, nor am I clown and my best magic trick is watching my money
disappear. Having said that, you can take what you what from this
posting. I lay no profound claims on what I am about to post. Read it,
delete it, by all means fill free to comment on it.

When I was first starting out, which was not all that long ago. I was
blessed by being able to attend one of Pat in the Hats jams. I learned a
lot that night, not only about twisting, but how others viewed the
business and how each of them operated. If you are able too, attend a few
jams and learn from those, who actually, do this for a living. If that is
not possible, naturally read the guide there is a lot of good information
in there for you. In fact, I think, what I am about to post may just be a
shortened version of the guide.

Anyway, here is my advice:

1. The first thing you wan to do is decide how long you want your show to
last. This is really important, as it give you a time frame to work
within. 

2. After you have decided that how long you want your show to be, break
it down into smaller units. IT is very hard (at least for me) to come op
with a straight 30-50 minute routine.

3. When making these smaller say 10 minute routines. These routines
should be able to stand alone. The is simple, you can pull say routine #2
because, it will not work at a 4 year parties or you are just plain tired
of doing it, and add a new routine in it's place. This will also, allow
you to change your routine when, a customer says, I say you at Jenny's
party.  You can now pull out two of your ten minute routines to make this
show different for this little girl.(specking as a parent, I would not be
happy, to hire someone, my little girl saw at a party, only to have them
come and do the same thing at my party! But, that is me, I could be
wrong, but it is my money, so I make sure to ask, "Will this show be
different than the one, I saw? If the answer is , 'No, ' I keep shopping.
This only goes to show you, a lesson in phone skills, if I am asked that
question, I say, "Yes, it will be different, and if fact, I was can offer
you this or that... namely a few of my back up routes. See how that
works. Good phone skills is a must these days.

4. After you have enough 5 and 10 minute routines practice, practice,
practice.

David Ginn has a really good back on working kids parties, it if all
about magic, but this book is gold! Kid Biz by David Ginn
(www.ginnmagic.com). I love this book and really can't say enough good
things about it. If you buy only one book this year, get this one.

For a better understanding of how your birthday party should go he is a
list:

1. Audience warm up. I like what David says, "Getting the audience on my
side from the start is important to me. That's way I spend the first
three to five minutes of each show warming up the audience." This is
important, you want them to know who you are and what they can expect.

2.1st  routine

3. Second routine

4. Routine with Birthday child

5. Last routine and balloons

As a rule, once you starting ballooning, you will never gain control of
your crowd to sit still, for magic or puppets or whatever. The exception
to this is  NORM BARNHART COMEDY MAGIC WITH BALLOONS, his act is set up
for balloons with magic ( I did have vol 1, useable stuff, worth the cost
for the balloon from no where, but that is me), if Norm's style is yours,
go for it, it is not my style, so ..

You will notice, I did not offer up any routines, I think that is up to
each performing to work out, you really can't copy someone's routine
because, it is not you or your style. Anyway, I hope that helps.

More on to stories with balloons, in this case the request was for one,
that promotes reading. A few years ago, I bought a series of books for my
daughter called: Disney's out & about with Pooh (sub: A grow and learn
Library). A decent enough series, but what makes this series sooooooooo
good is it came with a parents guide. This guide helps you to talk with
your children about, issues that came up in the story.

The stories are rather long!! In the example I am about to use, it runs
40 pages. The book, I like to promote reading is The honey cake mix-up,
Vol 5. This book will teach child the following:

Different words can sound alike.
Doing nice things for others makes you fell good, too.
tenacity makes things possible.
baking together can be fun.

They way, I would use this book  (and I am by no means advising anyone to
do this, nor am I even implying I do this, it is meanly a suggestion, on
my part), is to take the story, abridge it, make up my own characters.

Then before the event get the name of say four kids. As you start to
twist and tell the story:

"One wonderful morning, when the breeze was scented with new spring
blossoms, Lisa Robins, the bear, was sitting on a log.."

What is someone here named Lisa?? Really, well here, why, don't you come
up here and hold this while I continue on with my story......

You can see, where I am going with this right? OK, good, I really did not
want to have to write the whole thing out.

At the end you can even ask some questions, like the one is the guide,
but that is just my two pennies worth on the subject.

Just me 

Sir T
The unexamined life is not worth living.