Rules of Thumb

[Stephon]

Anyone out there have and basic truths they've learned during their years of performing? Please share.

My rule of thumb would be:

"The amount of time, energy, and money you've put into a trick/bit/routine is inversely proportional to the amount of time it will stay in your show."
(or "The stuff you put the most effort into will be the first thing you cut.")

[Jim]

The volume of your speaker/voice/sound system is inversely proportional to how close your audience stands to watch your show.

If you really want to bring them in, turn your system off (or down in volume) and they'll come closed to hear you. It's easy to get a crowd to form 50 meters away from you if you blast your music and make lots of noise, but if you scream at them to move up and come closer, they're not going to budge. Reason being; they can see you and hear you... why move any closer? If you turn down and politely ask them to come in, they're naturally going to move up to be able to hear what you're saying.

So many street performers always get this backwards.

[Thom]

A similiar rule:

"The audience never gets the good jokes."

[fracksfreakshow]

Let Frack tell you something thats true. No one wants to help carry the bed of nails into the show. Frack gets to the show and they keep putting it off on someone else to help carry it.

[stickman]

If you Tie a screaming idoit (wanted to use heckler, but couldn't make myself) to a pole with 20 metres of rope, people will stop in large numbers! It's even possible to do a show in the process.

Stickman

http://www.weeble.org

P.S. use good knots, you don't want them escaping.

[Chance]

If taken literally, "blow job" or "fire eating" could prove disappointing results.

[jonnyflash]

My rule of thumb: Never stick your chubby thumb in anything you can't pull it out of!

A quotable quote(tm)
A word to live by.[IMG]

http://www.jonnyflash.net/images/jonnyflash_01_small.jpg[/IMG]