How Pirates Got Me Banned

Pirates are huge. There is no mistaking that. Disney is scheduled to shoot a 5th Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Go to the party stores you'll find entire sections of Pirate stuff for kids. Kids love treasure hunts, they love pirate ships, they love dressing up like pirates. Pirates are big stuff.

So about 8 years I created a Pirate trick for my show. The reason was kind of funny, it was because I had found a pirate hat in my collection of props and thought, 'Hey, why not use this!'. So I made a treasure map, found on old chest and put fake treasure in it. And I also made a sort of 'mis-made' Jolly Roger routine, where an old piece of black cloth eventually has a pirate skull and cross bones appear on it. I would present the pirate flag trick first and follow it up with a treasure hunt to find the treasure chest.

The result of this little creation the kids would go crazy for the Pirate routine. They loved it! I never created an entire magic show around pirates though. It was only like 1 or 2 routines and that was it. I do know guys who do entire Pirate shows and they are always in demand. And I will tell you that I have had requests to do Pirate Birthday parties on numerous occasions.

Now, having said that, I was down in Richmond VA about 4 years ago. I decided to put the Pirate routine back into the show, as it was only in there during one run in the summer a few years before this. I figured, 4 years has passed, the audiences will be mostly new. I get hired to do a show in Richmond at a daycare that I have performed at several times. They were a regular client and always great to work with. So the day of the show, I'm setting things up, all seems fine. I start by hiding my treasure chest before the kids get in. Then I set up everything else for the show. The pirate flag routine is near the start of the show and the end of the show is the treasure map routine where I go on a treasure hunt with a kid from the audience. Reaction, the kids loved it. In fact, there were several kids in the audience with Jolly Roger and pirate t-shirts. (kids LOVE pirates)

When the show was over, I went through the typical ritual, thanking the kids, shaking their hands or giving them high fives as they went back to their classrooms. And of course I hear all the comments by teachers and kids, all positive.  In other words, another home run! Then I go to the office to see the director to get my payment. She has an odd look on her face. "I need to talk to you" she says and then she rips into my about 'we don't do pirates here'. At first I thought she was joking. Then I realize, she is actually serious. Despite the fact that several kids had pirate t-shirts on, which I brought up to her, she was firm that we don't do pirates and I somehow should have been able to read her mind and know that ahead of time. That same summer, one of the chains was having a 'Find The Treasure' theme during Summer Camp. Pirates are huge, remember.

My flyers that summer mentioned the Pirate routine. One of the promotional pieces that year featured the pirate map. They got the flyers, they were a regular client. What did I do? I was as polite as a person could be. I told her if there was any indication that pirates were off limits, or if they had told me ahead of time, I would have gladly removed that material.  But with the huge popularity of pirates among children and in the summer camps, it was frankly a surprise that she would prohibit the whole idea. Unfortunately, I couldn't take back the show, I had already performed, so all I could was apologize. As I drove home, I began to go through this conversation again in my head and how nasty this person was about it.

Then my mind got to thinking about another situation that took place earlier that year. A client called to ask me not to mention my name 'The Wizard of Reading' during my Wizard of Reading Show. That show is part of my educational assemblies for schools. I was told they don't use the word 'wizard' at the school. I happened to know that this very school just had several members from the Washington Wizards visit the school and talk to the kids. I asked her if she restricted them from using the name 'Washington Wizards'. She said 'no of course not'. Then why the double standard?????????

Both of these situations to me are issues of double standards. If you've got kids in the school wearing pirate t-shirts and yet you tell the performer, who is a GUEST in your school, that you don't do pirates, then you are showing a double standard. Same with the Wizard of Reading/Washington Wizards story, double standard. I don't mind adhering to certain requests and fact I am quite accomodating in those situations. I have a couple schools I visit that don't do Halloween and have requested I don't do anything with 'witches'. Sure thing, no problem! I was happy to oblige. But there were no kids in the audiences dressed up like witches either so there was no double standard.

If you're wondering if I was banned from those two schools the answer is yes. But not by the schools. I put on a self imposed ban. I don't like to be yanked around. As I said, I don't mind adhering to certain requests beforehand within reason. But in the Pirate case, I was so poorly treated after having delivered a stellar show for the kids and teachers, that I decided not to return. I don't mistreat people and I don't tolerate that in return. I am always polite and courteous. I have enough people that want my show with no strings attached that I can go without the rare few that make life difficult.