SO…I have to entertain an audience for like five minutes between scene changes at the all school play next month. Obviously I’ll be juggling and perhaps unicycling…I’ve never performed before, so I need tips, I’m sure five minutes will be easy to cover, I could probably improv the whole thing. But I’d like tips from people who have performed, about what the audience likes or whatever.
I can juggle three balls or four balls or three rings or three clubs, a lot of three ball tricks, very few three club tricks, and very few three ring tricks…and I might have one or two friends do it with me, so stuff that two or more people could do (obviously passing, but what else) would help me out too.
Thanks in advance!
Don’t pass with balls. If it is a big audience then make the throws exateratetly bigger and use bigger balls.
Go to metacafe and type in Juggling Folies 3…that’s our video:p It would need editing, but you can get some tricks:D
Or you already got the routine down?
or go right here:D
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/268241/%20juggling_folies_3_the_apocalyp%3Cbr%20/%3Ese/
Oh, it’s 20 minutes long. No one I know, has watched the whole thing:o
It’s all about the audience. Don’t “do tricks” for yourself, do stuff that will get the audience reacting. Be funny. Drop. Fall off the unicycle. Save your best trick(s) for last, but make damn sure you can actually do them then. If you’re in front of curtains try to do something large, as big is always good with school audiences. Throw stuff high, for instance.
For your first show, plan everything. Don’t improvise.
Be absolutely sure you have enough material to fill your time slot. Five minutes is a long time to kill if you don’t have enough material. If you have helpers, you don’t want to be standing on stage discussing what trick to do next. If you do not have helpers, you don’t want to have to stop and think of something to do next. Maybe even write down a list or schedule of what comes next and place it where you can see it so when your mind goes blank you can glance at the list and keep going.
Smile, have fun. 
do some ball tricks, use funny names and stupid jokes if you can speak to the audience. maybe 3 mins of that, then pass clubs for a couple minutes with some tricks. 5 mins isn’t too long.
Firstly, run any interesting “tricks” long enough that the audience can gain an idea of the pattern, sufficient of an idea that they will recognise when you change to something else.
Find some excuse, some reason, to take the odd pause for applause. Non juggling audiences often don’t know when to clap, and you might have to “tell” them. If not you risk juggling to a silent audience.
Patterns often are only recognisable as “pattern x” from more or less immediately in front of the juggler. Turn as you juggle. Those in the sides of the audience body want to see too.
Nao
At least part of the time, turn sideways to the audience when you’re juggling rings, so they can see the rings. Good to learn how to sustain your pattern while slowly turning a complete 360.
have your little james potter sargeant hanging out for the whole ruitine, that will catch there attention if nothing else does and it stil appears as though it is unintentional??
Mime juggling and say if you where aloud to bring chainsaws to school that is what you would be using but due to workplace standards laws etc they will have to be inventive and use their imaginations. mmm mind stimulation, the teachers will be happy