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their appearance to indicate that they are changing
characters. That helps the audience understand what
is happening.
During his Guzzler’s Gin routine, Red Skelton
switched back and forth between the Professor,
reciting poetry, and the Announcer advertising the
product. When he was playing the role of the Professor, a music stand that I was using during the first part
he turned his hat upside down so it resembled a
mortar board. He turned his hat right side up when
he portrayed the announcer.
If you change characters during a performance, how
can you indicate that to your audience?
Streamer Production
I used the instructions to the audience about
Smile exactly as they are described in Dean’s book.
However, the silk magic effect is my own. You can use
Bo Dino’s instructions with any magic effect. I choose
the streamer production because it fit the phrase,
"always follow the rainbow.
I used seven individual twelve-inch square silk
scarves. Each scarf matched one of the colors in the
streamer. I paced putting them into the change bag so
that I put the final one in just as I said, "Now we are
going to do it for real.
The streamer was twelve inches wide and twenty-
four feet long. I paced pulling it out of the bag so
that I finished producing it just as I said, "Always
follow the rainbow." I paused then so the audience
could appreciate and understand that the streamer
represented a rainbow.
With that long a streamer it can be easy for the
end to become lost as you handle the change bag. To
secure the end where I can easily find and reach it,
I use self-adhesive Velcro dots. They come in black
or white. I stuck a black hook dot on the inner lining
of one side of the change bag near the top. I stuck a
white loop dot on one corner of the streamer. That end
of the streamer is yellow. I used a yellow permanent
marker to color the dot so it matched the color of the
scarf. I accordion folded the streamer and placed it
in the bottom of the change bag. Then I stuck the two
Velcro dots together. That way the end of the streamer
was near the top of the second compartment when I
opened it. Grasping it and pulling it loose was simple.
When a magician produces a streamer, they often
have an assistant take one end and walk across the
stage. That way the two entertainers can display the
streamer stretched out between them.
Often a solo performer lets the streamer pile up
on the floor as they produce it. The audience really
cannot perceive the length of the scarf. Also, it looks
like you do not care about the scarf.
As a solo entertainer, I use the Velcro dots as my
assistant. I placed a Velcro hook dot on the corner of
of the show. That way I could attach the end of the
streamer to the music stand. That held the streamer
up off the floor as I walked away pulling out the
streamer.
At the end of the show, I produced a thirty-six-inch
silk scarf depicting the 2023 Clown Camp logo which
was a tribute to Richard Snowberg. I wanted to leave
that on display. Again, my solution was using Velcro
dots. I put white loop dots on the two top corners
of the scarf. I put black hook dots in corresponding
positions on the lid of my prop trunk. That way it took
just a second to connect the dots leaving the scarf in
view.
How can you use Velcro dots during your
performance? What other ways can you use to make
the mechanics of your performance easier and
smoother?
Graphics Use
Some of my artwork was on display during the 2023
Clown Camp session. Related illustrations were in
the same mat. I put the illustrations of Kenny and
Brenda Ahern below my prop trunk so I could direct
the attention of the audience toward them at the
appropriate part of the show. Kenny and Brenda are
the current Managing Directors of Clown Camp.
How can you utilize graphics to reenforce important
moments in your show?
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