Hello, Trevor writing. Here is another little perk of working backstage: sometimes you get to be in the show! The other day I was helping out with Popcorn Theater during Magic week. On that day, a local magician named Justin Holbrook came in and was setting up. He came over to the tech crew and asked if any of us would like to be in the show today. And, because I am an actor, I agreed to lend him my service. Justin then proceeded to pull out from behind his back a poncho, an umbrella hat, a big red nose, and a huge pair of sunglasses. I started to second guess volunteering myself.Justin presented to me my costume and told me that I would be a part of a comic act. He explained it to me as such, “A girl will be selected from the audience and participate in a guess-which-hand-it’s-in-trick with some toilet paper balls. Before the girl guesses which hand, the toilet paper ball will be thrown over her head, onto the ground. You will be behind the curtain and pick up the balls of TP without the participant knowing; however, the audience will know full well of what is going on. Then, after a few tries, I will offer the girl the chance to find out how I did the trick and continue to do the trick in slow motion. At that moment, you will hear music and, in slow motion, gallop on this stick horse across stage, taking the toilet paper ball from my hand and continue off stage. Don’t worry! You’ll do great.” I thought this was pretty clever. He explained to me that the slow motion portion of the trick was to show the participant how the trick really worked. So in a very round-a-bout way of saying it, this trick was the “Lightning Fast Clown Trick.”
Justin walked away and continued his rushed pre-show tech rehearsal. I looked at the ridiculous clown costume in my hands and started getting nervous. I started thinking, what if I ruin the trick and make Justin look bad? What if the girl sees me removing the paper balls behind her? I shook off the doubt in my head and remembered that it was a kids’ show. Most kids appreciate corny humor and are easily amused. Even if I had messed up, it probably would have been funnier to them. So, when it came to be my minute of fame, I performed as goofily as I could, and the kids loved it.
