11 Things Every Performer Should Do

During The Coronavirus Quarantine

by David Kaye

These are very strange times we are living in now. And no one knows how long things
will be this way. When it comes to our work, we can only plan for the near future.
Because we don’t know how many months this will last. We only know that we have to
stay safe, isolate from others, wash our hands, and don’t touch our faces.

We have all lost gigs. It is human nature to see an empty

calendar and feel like you are in big trouble, that you won’t
be able to make money, and that you will be sitting around
with nothing to do. But I’m here to tell you that you should
relish this down time! This is your chance to reflect on many
aspects of what you do in order to help your business. In fact
instead of thinking of this as a period when you won’t be
making any money, I will show you how this time is when you
can make lots of money.

When I hit a dry spell I am elated! It means that I will finally

have time to do all the things that I have been too busy to tackle. I hope I can convince
you to feel the same way. Let’s get busy. Here are all the things you should do now.

A. Learn Something New

1. Learn New Tricks.

Has it been years since you added a new trick to your show? Have the kids at your
repeat shows grown tired of the same tricks? (“We’ve seen this a hundred times!”)
Maybe it is time to replace your hilarious 20th Century Underpants routine? Are your
repeat clients not calling anymore? It could be because you haven’t changed your show
since Y2K. These are just some of the reasons to add a new routine (or two or three) to
your show.

Another good reason to add new material to your show is that maybe you are bored
with your show yourself! Are you just sleep walking through your show? Are you thinking
about what to make for dinner while you are stuffing that silk into your thumb tip? Adding
a new trick to your show is a great way to reinvigorate yourself and get excited about
doing your show again.
We all have tricks on our shelves that we bought but
never opened and played with. (See photo on right.)
Now is the time to take them out and remind
yourself why you bought them in the first place,
because they are tricks you want to put into your
show!

2. Learn a New Skill

One of the best ways to set yourself apart from your

competition is to have a skill in your show that they don’t have. Now is the time to learn
that new skill. Skills you can learn and add to your show include puppets, juggling,
balloons, bubbles, and so much more.

I want to tell you a story. My first international gig came to me

very early in my full-time career. I was flown to the Caribbean
island nation of Grenada for a week-long festival. The
problem was that the performers stayed in a house way out of
town on a high hilltop. We were trapped in the house with no
transportation. We would get picked up at night and driven to
the festival. But during the days we were stuck in the house
with nothing to do. And so I learned how to spin a ball on my
finger. One of the jugglers taught me and I had time to
practice all day, everyday, until I got it. I did learn how to do it
and I can still spin a ball on my finger and do tricks with it.

Whenever I spin a ball on my finger I think about those days

when I had nothing else to do but practice. If you come out of this crisis with a new skill
you can perform for the rest of your career it will be the best use of your time.

3. Read Your Books.

You know all those books that you bought that are still in their wrappers? You know, on
that pile near the bed? I know you have them sitting there. We all do. Well, now that you
have some time off you should
finally read them. The same goes
for that pile of DVDs. Crack them
open and see what’s in there. You
bought that stuff for a reason: you
wanted to learn the great material
that’s in there. So now is the time
to do that.
B. Take A Good Look At What You Don’t See

4. Look At Your Props.

When I see used magic for sale, and I see destroyed silks and wooden props with the
paint chipped away, I think to myself, “These props looked just like this at the last show
this guy did.” This guy used these crappy props, which looked exactly like this, in a
show that people paid money to see!

Noticing that our props need to be repaired or replaced

is just something we don't do. It is something we can’t
do. Our props deteriorate so slowly that we just don't
see the change. But now is the time to take a good look.
Repaint your magic wands (I can usually use a black
sharpie to do this), touch up the paint on your wooden
props, replace your silks, clean out your rabbit
production box, and buy a new coloring
book. And fix that thing that is always doing
that thing. You know, that thing.

By the way, even the greats of the past performed with beaten up props. High-end
magic sales and auctions sell the actual props that were owned by famous magicians.
When I am at these sales I see that the wooden props used by the great magicians are
beaten up and in desperate need of a paint job. This is especially true of props that
belonged to the great touring magicians.

5. Look At Your Costume.

This is something else we just don’t do. Take a good,

close look at your costume. Is it worn down at the knees?
Are the colors faded? Are there tears that need
repairing? And the number one problem, have you
gained so much weight that it is time to get new pants?

Here’s what I want you to do. Look down at your belly

right now. Do it! Now be honest with yourself. Do you
need new pants? And while you are already feeling bad
about yourself, don’t forget to check if your vest is too
small as well.
Maybe the whole costume needs to be replaced. Or maybe it is time to make a big
change in the way you look. Are you too old to pull off the colorful clown? Does
everyone else in your market wear a vest? Maybe it’s time to say goodbye to your
beloved Bugs Bunny tie. For an honest answer, ask your wife. Believe me, she has had
an opinion about this for a long time.

C. Review Your Marketing

“Marketing” is a topic that includes dozens of

different elements. There are books on
marketing for magicians that will instruct you
about all the things you can do to boost your
business. The point I want to make for you here is
that you have time now to really sit down and
analyze your marketing strategy, so do it.

6. Look At Your Marketing Materials

Here are two of the things you can take a good look at to see if it is time to update
and improve.

Your Business Card

Have you had the same card for too long? Do you need to add your new email address
to it? Are you writing your new phone number by hand on each card you give out? Are
you older now than you look in the photo on your card? Is the card you are using the
same one you used when you were in high school and called yourself The Great
Jeremy-ini? Print a new business card. It is so fast and easy to do now using web sites
that do it all for you. If you don’t know what I am talking about, ask your grandson to do
it for you.

Your Web Site

What information needs to be updated? Have

you had the same site for too long and it looks
outdated? Have you started to do strolling magic
but it doesn’t say so on your web site? In the Upcoming Shows section of your site does
it list, “Book release party for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Danville Public
Library, July 2, 1998.” Review your web site and update it.
D. How Does All This Make Me More Money?

Remember I promised you that you can make money during this uncertain time? Have
you figured out how to do that yet? It’s simple.

If you recharge your marketing plan then this will result in booking more shows. If you
refresh your props and refresh your costume your clients will see that you take pride in
your show. This will result in more bookings.

If you put new tricks in your show, your repeat clients, both the kids and the adults, will
have renewed interest in watching your show. Plus you will feel better about performing
and it will show. Your clients will see that you love what you do.

All of this will result in booking more shows and making more money in the coming year.
This is money you wouldn't have earned if you had not taken advantage of this slow
period and done a thorough review of your work. Congratulations!

E. Become a Virtual Entertainer

If this thing drags on for months, and live shows continue to be discouraged, then we
will all need a new income stream. The obvious place to turn is the internet. Even in
these early days of the virus many kids classes have gone virtual. In New York you can
get karate lessons, arts and crafts classes, dance classes, sing alongs, and storytelling
on line. Take a look at the email I received listing 25 NYC groups providing free
activities on line for kids. And magicians are not far behind.

There are many platforms that you can use to perform on line. These include Zoom,
Skype, Facebook Live, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, and Instagram. The amazing thing
about our current situation is that there is no Saturday at 2:00 time slot that everyone
wants. With kids home every day there is no Saturday! These virtual events can be
scheduled seven days a week. Plus, you are not limited to your local market. You can
make virtual appearances in the homes of children all over the country!

I see four ways to make money by performing on line. As time passes and magicians try
these ideas I am sure people will come up with inventive ways to distinguish themselves
from all the other magicians doing on line virtual work. It will be exciting to see what
people do with this new medium for us.

7. Virtual Magic Classes

Just as every other kind of class has migrated on line you can teach kids, one on one,
how to do magic tricks. This could be tricks with objects that they have around the
house or magic tricks using props that you mail to them ahead of time. The technology
would feel to the child like grandma is calling on FaceTime or Skype. Charge the same
as you would a live magic class. Those of us who have experience teaching magic to
children will be able to do this right away.

8. A One-On-One Appointment For a Special Visit

This would be an appointment you

make with a parent to entertain their
kids for a short time. You could do a
short show for all the children who live
at the home. You would make the
show specific to the children there,
using their names often and designing
the show for their age. It would be kind
of a singing telegram that you deliver
through the computer. Again, this
would be a Skype call or a FaceTime
call. Maybe do a show that is 15 - 20
minutes long. You could charge from
$25 - $100.

9. Pay Per View Magic Show

This would be a longer magic show that would start at a specific time that people would
pay $5 - $10 dollars each to watch. You might even do it weekly. Promote it all week
through your social media and emails. After people pay you through PayPal you could
send them a link to the video and instructions for tuning in. This would most resemble a
broadcast with your feed as the only video available. Viewers would not have their
cameras operating.
10. Virtual Birthday Party

This would be as close to a real birthday party as you can get on line. You would do a
full length magic show. In attendance would be the birthday child and all of his friends
from their homes. Everyone would have their screens open so that it would feel like a
big gathering of friends and you would also be able to interact with the kids. There
would be candles on a cake and a big fuss would be made over the birthday child.
Because this is for a birthday party, and there are few other options for celebrations, you
could charge a good fee - from $100 - $200. Maybe even more for wealthy clients.

From the 1950s through the 1970s there was a show on TV called Romper Room. At
the end of the show the hostess would look through her “Magic Mirror” and say hi to all
the boys and girls watching from home. She would say, “I can see Michael and Andrew
and Charlotte and…” Imagine if you had a list of all the children invited to the birthday
party and said hi to them through the video feed. They would love it!

In fact, nothing says you can’t do all four of these strategies! Imagine having magic
classes, visits, and virtual birthday parties booked all week. Plus a weekly pay-per-view
show to promote them all!

11. With all your new income you can buy me something nice in the dealer room.
Summary
We don’t know how long this crisis will last. Think about who you want to be in one
month, three months and six months. Do you want to be the person who wasted months
on social media and Netflix or do you want to look back at this period knowing you
accomplished so much, read those books, and added four new routines to your show.
This is your chance to leapfrog over your competition.

I hope you have learned some of the valuable things you can do while we wait this out.
Take advantage of this quiet time. Your show will appreciate it and so will all the new
clients you get thanks to all the changes you make.

And be sure to click the live links in this ebook. You might be surprised at what you find.

Recommended Resources

Power Marketing For Magicians - This is a great marketing ebook written by me,
David Kaye. It is 45-pages and it is a pdf download. It is an excellent instruction manual
that teaches you how to analyze every aspect of your business to maximize your profits.
Written specifically for magicians. Click here to read more about this book.
Super Sized Silly - This is my most recent book. It is a compilation of my 100 Magic
magazine columns. This 400-page book contains 150 routines that are easy to do, and
that use standard props which you probably already own. With 150 routines to choose
from you will surely find several that you will want to put into your show. Read more
about it here.

About the Author

David Kaye, performing as Silly Billy, is considered to be one of the best magicians for
children in the US. He has performed at the White House, Lincoln Center, and has
appeared on several U.S. television programs. In addition to being a full time performer,
he was a columnist for MAGIC magazine for eight years and is currently a columnist for
Genii. David’s book, Seriously Silly is considered to be the bible of kid show magic. He
was recently awarded the prestigious Performing Fellowship from the Academy of
Magical Arts, in Hollywood, California. (Also known as the Magic Castle.) He was also
named 2019 Magician of the Year by the Parent Assembly #1 of the Society of American
magicians. David is one of only a handful of magicians in the world who has appeared
on the covers of seven international magic journals. He has created many products for
the professional children’s magician.

Be sure to visit
SillyMagic.com
for unique, show-tested tricks and props invented by David Kaye (Silly Billy)