Home | FAQ | Blurbs | Birthdays | School Shows | Show Types | Parents Info
Planner Info | Kids | Referral Program | Links | Contact | Privacy Policy

1.   Should I have the party at home or at an alternate location?
2.   Indoor versus Outdoor Parties:  What's Better?
3.   Should I feed the guests before the show?
4.   How far in advance should I book the show?
5.   Do you have references?
6.   How much does your show cost?
7.   What types of shows do you perform?
8.   Do you make balloon animals?
9.   How long is the show?
10. Can the parents watch your birthday shows?
11. What about the seating arrangements?
12. Do you have a guarantee?
13. How much space do you need?

Should I have the party at home or at an alternate location?

Randy’s shows can accommodate many different locations from tiny to titanic! He’s actually performed in living rooms so small the audience needed to move halfway through the show to allow room for other magical effects.  He’s also performed in theaters as large as Founders Hall in the Rotunda of the Milton Hershey School complex.  

Although the show is physically flexible enough to go from sardine can to stadium, it is undoubtedly much better to have your party at a location other than your home, when possible.  Locations other than your home are often more centrally located; thus it is easier for your guests to find it and, more often than not, there are adequate parking facilities for your guests.

Having your party at an alternate location makes clean-up easier since the facility normally has staff to do so, rather than you having to do it yourself.

Also, alternate locations often make it easier to accommodate a large number of guests and your choice of entertainment.

The bottom line is, if the thought of having 20 children running circles around your home gives you a migraine, you might want to consider renting a facility for your party!

Some locations you might consider:

• Halls (VFW, Fire, Community)
• Churches
• Restaurants w/ party rooms (Pizza!)
• Theaters

[top]

Indoor versus Outdoor Parties:   What's Better?

A lot of people ask this question when calling for information about different events and parties. Our initial response, prejudiced toward magic shows, of course, is:  indoors! But actually, you need to choose what is best for the type of party you are having.  Some parties work well out of doors while others should be inside.

Some parties are best when split between both.  Make sure you take a look at what type of party you are having, what kinds of games you’ve planned, entertainment, food, etc.  This will help you make the best decision.

For entertainment, however, indoors is most often the best road to take. The great outdoors many times offers quite a number of distractions you might not think of; i.e., planes, trains and automobiles passing by, lawnmowers, wind, rain, barking dogs, foghorns, and an increased activity level for the children.

Wait ... foghorns?? Just kidding, but these are some things you might want to take a look at when planning your party.  Also, children tend to be more excitable outdoors.  An indoor performance offers a more controlled environment and tends to prompt children to use their “inside voices”.

Finally, the weather can play a major role in the success or failure of your outdoor party. Wind, even a light breeze; and rain, can play havoc with props and equipment.  It may also make decorating for your party difficult and tiresome.

A good rule of thumb when planning an outdoor show is to have a contingency plan in the event of foul weather.  Also, if you are planning entertainment, we recommend you talk to your entertainer to find out what will work best for their type of entertainment.

For magic, we think indoors is best.  Having the show inside takes the weather and most other distractions out of the picture right away, which will undoubtedly lead to a bigger success.

With this information in mind, we do not do birthday parties out of doors.  In order to make sure we have our absolute best performance for your birthday party – and for your guest of honor – we made the decision to keep our birthday shows indoors where the surroundings are much more conducive to a theatrical atmosphere.

[top]

Should I feed the guests before the show?

Many people have asked this question and it is one of continuing debate.  Our advice on the subject is that it’s okay at adult parties; however, kid parties it is better to eat after the entertainment.

If you are planning a children’s party, it is fine as long as you limit what they eat.  No sweets like cookies, cake or candy before the show.  Sugary treats are energy enhancers and can make it difficult for children, especially the 3-5 year age group, to keep their attention focused on the show.

Parties seem to be most successful when the show comes toward the beginning.  With that in mind, we recommend having your entertainment as the first event of your party.  This also makes setting up for your show much easier since no one can be around during set up.  All audience members must be in another room, or a location other than the performance area, during set up.

[top]

How far in advance should I book the show?

Booking your party as far in advance as possible is definitely best and allows for the greatest possibility of you getting the date and time you want.  It’s always better to book your performer as soon as possible to avoid being disappointed.

On average, our shows book about 6-8 weeks out and weekends are prime time for parties of all types. If possible, think about booking an evening party during the week.  Even during school months, Friday nights are a great time for having a children’s birthday party.

[top]

Do you have references?

Absolutely! In fact, you might reconsider booking a performance with someone who balks at the idea of providing a list of satisfied clients.  See our list of tips for hiring entertainment.

We can provide you with a list of references at your request and can either email them to you, or send them via snail mail.

The customer comments on our Blurbs Page are all taken directly from critique sheets and letters we have received from our clients. We’ll be happy to provide you with a copy of those if you’d like to see them.

When we provide references, we ask that you let us know who you have contacted so we may remove their name from the list – this prevents our clients from being continually bothered with phone calls.

[top]

How much does your show cost?

Since we perform for a wide variety of events and venues, the costs of our shows vary as well.  In some cases we have packages already put together that may fit your needs; or perhaps you need something a bit more streamlined or customized.  Please call us at (570) 345-0575 (office) or (570) 233-3137 (cell) so we can discuss your particular needs and desires.  This will allow Randy to give you an accurate price quote and a more thorough explanation of exactly what you’ll be getting for your money.

You can also request a free, no obligations, personalized show quote by clicking here.

[top]

What types of shows do you perform?

Our shows include adult & children’s birthday parties, reunions, picnics, church events, school themes & fun days, childcare & senior centers, scouting events, weddings and holiday parties, just to name a few.

Randy has performed primarily for private parties and events, but has also performed at public venues, for charities, and for corporate markets as well.

The type of magic Randy performs is comedy magic geared for all ages. His shows are very high energy and packed with laughs and a ton of fun.  You should not expect grand illusions like tigers appearing from thin air or jumbo jets vanishing in a puff of smoke.  Randy performs magic that will make you giggle, guffaw, chortle, chuckle and sometimes roll on the floor laughing.

All our shows are clean – containing no sexual, racial, religious, or suggestive humor.

[top]

Do you make balloon animals?

We now offer three basic birthday party packages for folks interested in balloon sculpture! Two of the packages, Balloonomagic and Balloonomagic Plus incorporate balloon twisting and a magic show into single packages.  Additionally, a third package, Balloonology 101, provides balloon sculpting without a magic show for those interested in sprucing up their event and lighting up the imaginations of their guests with balloons!

We also provide many other giveaway items with our birthday party packages such as fortune fish tricks and jumbo inflatable wands.  You can take a look at some of the other items we have available on our birthday party page.

Also, please be sure to look over some important safety issues about balloons and young children on our Company Policies page.

[top]

How long is the show?

Children's birthday parties are typically 45-60 minutes, depending on the party package you have selected and the age range of the children.

Adult stage shows, which contains more sophisticated magic and illusions, are an hour long.

Any of Randy’s shows can be lengthened or shortened as desired, and can be customized to meet your individual needs.

[top]

Can the parents watch your birthday shows?

Certainly! In fact, we encourage parents (big kids) to watch.  Our shows are extremely funny and involve a lot of audience participation, adults included!  We’ve found there’s nothing better than watching a great magic show ... except being a part of it! Plus, it plays a vital role in keeping the kids’ attention throughout.

Randy gets everyone involved:  parents, friends and children alike.  The show is a family event and something to make the whole group come away with a great feeling.

We do ask that you have a separate room for those parents who don’t wish to watch the show, or who are consuming alcoholic beverages – remember, it’s a family show.  Talking – even if it’s the big kids – distracts everyone from the performance.

[top]

What about the seating arrangements?

We encourage you to have families sit together for all show types; even birthday parties.  Remember that our birthday shows are geared to entertain all your guests, not just the children.

Keeping moms and dads and their children sitting together makes it much easier to control toddler roaming syndrome (TRS!); and generally helps to keep fidgety children in check.  It also facilitates keeping an adequate amount of room available for audience participation as some tricks or illusion may involve several audience members at a time.

Randy typically marks off seating areas using orange cones and yellow “Magic Zone” tape (similar to Police Line tape) prior to the performance.  Please take a look at the seating chart below.

[top]

Do you have a guarantee?

You betcha! We are proud to offer a 100%, Iron Clad, No-Questions-Asked, Like-It-Or-Lump-It Money Back Guarantee!  If you don't like it, we’ll take the lumps ... and refund the entire price of your show, no questions asked!

In other words, we want you, our client, to be satisfied with what you're paying for.  You're laying out a lot of money for entertainment – we know that.  Randy knows that’s how he feels when laying out his hard-earned money for any type of service.

The bottom line is:  we want you to be pleased with our service, the show, and Randy, too.  If you’re not, for whatever reason, please just let us know and we’ll be happy to refund every dime you paid.

[top]

How much space do you need?

Seating Arrangement Chart

Ideally, Randy needs about 8-12 feet of width (more if the levitation and/or trunk production effect is part of your show) and about 5-6 feet of depth from the wall, curtain, etc. where the show will be set up.  It’s important that there be some type of backdrop behind Randy, such as a wall, curtain, or any other type of objects that will keep people from walking freely behind the performance area.  Keep in mind, the show is extremely flexible in size and can accommodate small areas, too.

When possible, Randy always prefers a stage or elevated performance area if one is available.  Of course this is not always available and we will gladly discuss setting up with you prior to show time to give your guests the best view of everything.

Depending on length of time before your event, availability and distance, it may be possible for Randy to meet with you prior to the show to look over the performance area.  This is especially helpful when you have booked a facility such as a restaurant, fire hall, etc. where tables and other building facilities may not be set up to best accommodate your party and show.  We offer this as a FREE service because it benefits all of us to know in advance what the best seating arrangements will be.

If your show is out of doors, in a park, or in a covered pavilion, for example; you will need to hang a tarp or disposable opaque tablecloth to form a backdrop to prevent passers by and guests from walking behind the performance area as this seriously detracts from the quality of the show.

[top]

So there you have it; the twelve most frequently asked questions. Can you think of something you'd like to see on this page? If so, email Randy at rsnedden@closeupmagic.org and let him know your thoughts. we’ll happily consider all suggestions.