"All your props are tools which can be used for a specific strategy. When a carpenter goes into a home to do some remodeling, he doesn't always know which tools he's going to need. From experience he expects a great variety of situations, so he comes equipped with a large tool box. The more professional a carpenter becomes the more he can do with his tools. The same can be said about a caring clown. You need to have three things: 1) a variety of tools/props, routines, or strategies with which to work, 2) skill to get the most out of your tools/props, routines, or strategies, and 3) the ability to determine which tools to use." -- Richard Snowberg
This past weekend I did strolling entertainment at the Joint Military Base Lewis McChord Freedom Fest. I wore a fanny pack with several close up magic effects. I also carried a flight bag with juggling props, napkins, pad of paper for trick cartoons, some origami paper, more magic props, and a balancing bird. That gave me a variety of tools to select from.
Most of the time, my audience was a small family group. Once I gathered a large group of kids. I used a few to assist me with magic effects. However, they all wanted to do something. So I pulled out the balancing bird and let everyone have a turn balancing it on their finger. That was the only time I used the bird all day, but it was exactly what I needed at that moment.
On this particular day I made a lot of napkin roses. I got many requests from people who had seen me make one for somebody else. One woman commented that she would like to learn how to make them. So, I taught her. I also taught her how to make an origami flower pot to hold the rose. She told me she is planning to make them for an upcoming party she is hosting.
When I did a close up magic effect for one young girl her jaw dropped open. So I did another magic effect for her and her jaw opened further. I did a few more effects before her parents decided it was time to go on to another attraction. Her mother told her to close her mouth. As they left, I heard her father comment, "I was afraid we were going to have to pick her eyes up off the ground and put them back into her head."
By having more than I needed I was able to select what was best for each particular situation. I have done strolling entertainment at this venue for at least eighteen years.
Amanda O'Leary's caring clown column in the May 2015 issue of Clowning Around, published by the World Clown Association, includes a photo of me and a little boy. I am sitting on my heels on the floor and the boy has his back to the camera. Amanda's caption to the photo says, "Bruce 'Charlie' Johnson working his magic on a little fellow who didn't like clowns 3 minutes earlier."
Here is the story behind the photo.
A large group of clowns participating in the WCA convention returned to our hotel after visiting the Veterans Affairs hospital. It was a boisterous group entering the lobby because everyone was excited about what they had just experienced. All of those excited clowns were overwhelming to a young boy and he fled to his parents.
When I noticed him hiding behind his mother's legs, I moved away from the rest of the clowns to a quiet spot, and sat down on the floor. This accomplished a few things. First, it got me down to near his height so I was not such a large overwhelming presence. Second, it anchored me to a spot giving the boy control over how close we were to each other. He knew that I could not move closer without plenty of warning. That way as his comfort level changed he could come closer to me or back away.
Without looking at the boy, I removed a balloon from my pocket. Normally you want to make eye contact with somebody to establish a relationship. I have found that with young children who are uncertain it is better to avoid eye contact because that bolsters their confidence. If you are not looking at them they think you are not aware of their presence so you are not a threat. Sometimes young children creep closer to me as they become more comfortable with my presence while I am doing something else. Then if I make eye contact with them, they know I have spotted them but they aren't sure what I am going to do so they scurry away.
In working with this young boy I blew the balloon up part way. Then I held one finger against the balloon and inflated it completely. The balloon apparently bent around my finger forming a heart shape. (Don Burda taught me this method of inflating a heart balloon.) This action intrigued the boy and he peered around his mother's legs to watch me. As I tied the balloon he took a few steps towards me.
Then I looked at him for the first time and held out the balloon towards him. He came closer to me, but he still wasn't comfortable enough to reach out for the balloon. I tossed the balloon in his direction. He ran to grab it, and threw it back to me. I bounced the balloon off the floor back to him. Soon he was giggling as we played a game of catch with the balloon. Before long he was having so much fun he forgot that clowns might be a little scary. When one of his throws went behind me, he chased it, brought it back, and handed it to me.
I have used a similar strategy with juggling. I would arouse a child's curiosity by juggling balls. I appeared to ignore them, but I watched them out of the corner of my eye. When they were beginning to feel more comfortable with my presence, I dropped a ball so it bounced in their direction. They would chase it and either brought it back to me or threw it back. Sometimes this evolved into a game of catch.
How many tools do you have available? What new tools can you add? How can you select the right one for each circumstance? What strategies do you know for getting the most out of your tools?
