Page 1 of 1

Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 5:37 pm
by stevenandrewdick
Any suggestions for material that would entertain an audience that will contain people who are deaf, blind and in some cases deaf & blind.

Close up material, deaf is not so much a problem but deaf/blind is. I'm thinking it has to be all about touch.

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

Steven.

Re: Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 5:38 pm
by Richard Kaufman
We had a long thread about performing for a blind audience on here sometime back!

Re: Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 6:36 pm
by stevenandrewdick
Thanks. I'll search it out

Re: Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: November 30th, 2016, 10:31 pm
by performer
I did a kid show once and there was a blind and deaf child in the audience. I was asked before the show to incorporate the child in some way. I couldn't think of a thing. I felt awful. I told the person who was asking me that I couldn't think of a thing. She said, "Anything will do, can you let her pet the rabbit?" I told her I didn't have a rabbit. Only a tin one (run rabbit run). She told me that would be fine.

And that is what I did. I felt dreadful that all I could do was get the poor kid to feel a tin rabbit. I was quite traumatised by that show for a long time.

Re: Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: December 3rd, 2016, 5:12 am
by Q. Kumber

Re: Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: December 9th, 2016, 11:48 am
by stevenandrewdick
The gig for the deaf/blind group was today.

In the end I did coin under watch, loading a few people at a time so the coin travelled from watch to watch. (yes, I'm a little surprised blind people were wearing standard watches but they all were.)

Cards across which worked well as they swore they never let go of the cards!

And letting them hide a coin in either hand and then asking daft/funny questions which would then somehow reveal to me which hand the coin was in... (sixth sense by hugo shelly).

As we'll as a bunch of other stuff for the partially sighted and the guides.

This deaf/blind group were great fun and very appreciative, if you're ever asked to perform for them, enjoy.

Re: Suitable material for deaf / blind audience.

Posted: April 26th, 2017, 2:12 pm
by webbmaster
That did happen to me years back and I turned the whole event into letting them hold and pet my doves. I didn't know what else to do, but it worked out. I remember being miffed that I wasn't told about that MINOR hurdle to doing a magic show. That was for the blind. Since I am or was a silent manipulator, the magic for the deaf wasn't as big a problem when THAT happened.

Given enough time, every problem imaginable will crop up. To me the worst of all was not knowing that the event was to be done 'in the round'. Why wouldn't you tell a a magician that ?