Having a great show has a lot to do with living in the moment and being present in your show. Even if your show is scripted, you need to be on the lookout for real moments where you can venture off script and into what’s actually happening. This is what makes live entertainment so good, is that anything can happen…but if you rein in uplanned moments, you are totally missing the point of doing a show.
Last night in the show the kid that I brought up on stage was really chatty. I realized this very quickly when I asked him his name and he told me how to spell it. Then he didn’t know how to spell his last name. Letting the kid be a kid, he was perfect for the trick and he really rocked it onstage. Playing with the kid onstage lets the audience see your personality through how you interact with the kid.
I wasn’t in a hurry to get to the next joke, I let it play out with the kid however it does. Having a script to the show, allows me to get right back into it when it’s time. It could just naturally segue back into the show, or I may need to guide us back into the show. There’s no way it runs 100% of the time, however that’s why having a script is so important. I’m not thinking of the planned routine, I’m just thinking how to get back to it.