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We came We saw He wasn’t there! |
To those who have complained, yes, I am aware that my occasional newsletter has become less occasional. I have a good excuse. I have been busy touring Hong Kong, China (well just a little bit of China), Australia, New Zealand, and Canada all within the last 2 months! Can you say Jet Lag? However I am now home and catching up on stuff, first order was spring cleaning, and the garden is waking up so that needs tending as well. All this activity got me thinking…
Is it time to spring clean your act?
Whether you are a pro, a semi-pro or a hobbyist, I am sure that like me, you love some of your old props. They can become like old friends, or a comfortable pair of shoes. And your props and your shoes say a lot about you.
This springtime, unless you’re antipodean, is a good time to carefully examine everything you use in your act. The clothes you wear, the cards you shuffle and your prop case or table, are all shouting at the audience. I want mine to say ‘this guy is a class act’. If they are old and tatty or worse, looking a tad grubby, then you have some work to do.
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Largest EVER “healed & sealed” Perth |
You should not just look at the hardware, some of the software probably needs updating as well. By software I mean the stuff you can’t kick – your lines and patter. Does any of your material contain any sexist or racist undertones? Maybe they are old comfortable lines and you have been getting great laughs with them but that does not make it OK. Maybe you believe that you get away with it because of your cheeky chappy persona but I guarantee that there will be some who are not happy, maybe even offended. As times change, and they do, it is so important for us to keep up with the rest of the world. As a professional it has never been more important that we understand what sexism and racism is and how we need to work hard to avoid it. The internet has given many people a voice, somewhere that they can rant in relative anonymity. You do not want to be on the receiving end of this because there is such a thing as bad publicity!
I know that just mentioning this subject will cause some people to bristle. Some people object to political correctness and fight against it. But it is not about you, it is about your audience and how you make them feel. Our aim should be to spread wonder and happiness and we cannot do this if some of our audience are offended by our words and attitudes.