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Stage show practice...

How do you gauge the length of your stage show ? Say your booked to do a 1.5 hour show. Do you do role play / act it out and time it to see how long the show will take approxiamently ?
I understand there is always things that can come up your not prepared for.

Thoughts/ Comments.

Kenda.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anthony Jacquin on July 21, 2008 at 10:18am: Hi Kendra,

you should be able to gauge the length of your intro and then up to the point where you get people on stage by simple rehearsal. You then have a choice of induction of course. In my first show I totally underestimated how long I would need to do a drop back on 18 people. This was because I did not hit them one after another but started to pick and choose them based on who I liked the look of.

If you are using another induction it might be a bit easier to gauge how long you will take for this. Then you have deepening and procedural instructions. Again at first I possibly spent too long on this - about 10 minutes, now it tends to be 4 or 5.

Once you get into your routines it is a little tougher to gauge at first. My advice is know what you want to do and ensure that you have more than enough material. Then based on how it is going and who you have on stage you can have the skeleton of what you want to do and deviate as necessary.

From my experience it is much more likely that you will underestimate how much time you will spend on a routine than overestimate, but having extra material in the bag gives peace of mind.

Time soon flies by once you are on stage and have your subjects wide open and ready to receive. The more can you flow from one routine to another the better.

Good luck.

Anthony
www.anthonyjacquin.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kenda McCaskill on July 21, 2008 at 10:21am: Thank you Anthony, appreciate the input.

Kenda.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by John Cerbone - The Trance-Master on July 29, 2008 at 4:01pm: In all the years I've been doing stageshows, gauging length has never been an issue.
First, it's important to have a powerful introduction. Couple this with the right background intro music.
From my perspective, walkout then larger than life, bigger than any audience that's in front of you, dynamic, fun, powerful and mighty.
Do some suggestibility/concentration tests that you are comfortable with that you can make work, and know them ice cold, and make those fun.
Next I generally demo several people, and invite the rest up.
I work the induction as long as needed to get everyone hypnotized. Then I work in the first few routines, and then take note of how much time I've been working. Always bring more show than you need, just in case.
From that point, always remember you are the Ringmaster, the coordinator of the stage worth of fun.
Keep it moving, keep it safe, and make it the best party anybody's ever seen.
That's what I do and have done in fifteen U.S. states so far including working in Las Vegas.
Generally, I'm not happy with the show unless I am soaked with sweat by the end of it; the only one showing to remember where I wasn't and that because the temperature dropped to 30° by the end of the show outdoors in New England in the winter. I do remember having to hold a microphone with gloves on, my hands were too cold to hold the mic.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kenda McCaskill on July 30, 2008 at 9:44am: John, you make me want to run out right now and do a show - very motivating advise.

Thank you !

Kenda.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kenda McCaskill on July 30, 2008 at 9:48am: John what is a good opening song to use when you are calling members up to
the stage. I have a few tunes rolling around in my head - just don't know the names of them.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bruce Taylor - Just Another Hypnotist on July 29, 2008 at 5:19pm: Can the stage hypnotist comment on what they have done when they first started to gather there routines and put a show together. Also did you practice with freinds or family to get the routine down? Sorry, not trying to kidnap your discussion Kenda.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kenda McCaskill on July 30, 2008 at 9:44am: No problem Bruce...

Kenda; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Geoff Ronning - www.StageHypnosisCenter.com on July 29, 2008 at 5:53pm: Kenda,

YES, you for certain want to rehearse the full show and time it.

Bruce and Kenda,

The best way to practice is the same way other performing artists prepare, in private. I recommend you go get a bunch of stuffed animals and set them up. Act as if they are your volunteers. Then go over your induction, again and again until it is second nature.

When you are ready to really pump it up. Get a set of file cards. Write out one challenge per file card. That challenge should be anything you can imagine happening to you during any induction / and or show. Things like:

* Opens eyes and looks at me
* Wakes up and stands up
* Wanders off stage
* Vomits across the stage
* Starts laughing
* Takes off panties and writes Hypnotists name on them (OK, that is a joke)

The key is to write every challenge you can imagine. Then shuffle the file cards, turn them face down and deal them out one file card per stuffed animal, face down.

Go back to rehearsal.

Cruise along with your show, then when you are feeling comfortable flip one card over and deal with the challenge spontaneously.

Solve that issue and continue on.

Get comfortable and flip another challenge card over.

Do that every night and in a few weeks you will be confident and able to handle almost any situation you can imagine (99% that will NEVER actually happen). In addition, you will know the length of your show and can adjust it accordingly.

Have fun,

Geoff; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bruce Taylor - Just Another Hypnotist on July 29, 2008 at 6:04pm: Geoff,
I appreciate your response. I just read your book last month. Great job. Well written. May visit your class in the future. I just started a new position at work and need that to jell first. I was just intersted in what everone has done.

Bruce; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Geoff Ronning - www.StageHypnosisCenter.com on July 30, 2008 at 3:53pm: Bruce and Kenda,

Thanks much for the responses. Bruce, thanks for picking up my stage hypnosis book and the kind words about it. I look forward to the chance to meet in person, in the future.

Geoff; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kenda McCaskill on July 30, 2008 at 9:47am: LOL - love it...

Thank you Geoff. Excellent stuff in here !!!

Kenda.; ▶ Reply to This