When to Charge

People often ask me the question, “How much should I charge?” Or “What’s a good rate/fee for a show?” etc. While that’s a great question, I think the more important question is “When should I charge?”

What makes you think you should charge? Is your show worthy of payment? Are you worthy of payment? Stop and ask yourself these questions . . . better yet, ask someone else who will tell you the truth. I’ve always been frustrated by the person who buys a couple of tricks and then goes out and starts charging people to watch them play with their latest gimmick.

I’ve got a few magi friends who used to work at a magic shop here in Salt Lake City, and they’ve all told me story after story of people coming into the shop saying things like, “I’ve got a gig tonight, what do you got that’s easy to learn and will fry them?”

Really!? Read the first chunk of Tarbell I. There’s a whole section about showmanship. Trust me dude, if you’re swinging by the shop on the way to a gig looking for an act, you shouldn’t be charging because you don’t have an act. Practice, Rehearse and Perform first. Do it long before you start charging.

Practice: This is the stuff that you do in front of a mirror . . . working on the technical skill the mechanics. Work on your scripting and presentation.

Rehearse: This is where you start putting together a show and transitioning from effect to effect.  Basically you perform the entire show by yourself. Full costume (if you have any); all loaded up with whatever props you need; your table set up the way you need it; everything. Do the show from beginning to end.

Perform: This is where the true test is. Perform your entire show . . . for free . . . many times. There are plenty of places to do this: Retirement homes, Children’s Hospitals, Family Gatherings, Scout Troops, Church Activities, etc. If you’re a children show guy, tell your neighbors that you’d like to do a show for their kids’ birthdays.

So how many times do you perform the show for free? That’s gonna be different for everyone, but I’ll tell you how you can tell you’re getting close. After each show, write down everything you can remember . . . everything that went right, everything that went wrong, lines that you forgot, lines that came to you during the show, everything you can remember. Then analyze the show. What was the strongest effect (based on audience reaction)? What was the weakest effect (based on audience reaction)?

Start tweaking your show based on your analysis. Keep notes of changes you make to see if the reactions improve or worsen. Over time, the show will improve and you’ll be more confident with the show. It certainly doesn’t have to be perfect – it never will be – before you start charging. However, you’ll know it’s close to “charge time” when you feel like you can perform the show without thinking, and when you’re list of things to work on has drastically shrunk.

Remember, the client hired you to perform, not to practice or even worse, they’re not paying you to learn magic. They’re paying you because you have experience and you know what you’re doing. Granted, even when you’re being paid, you should continue to grow and learn as a performer, however, your first paying gig better not be your first gig.

Until Next Month . . .