My wife Jody is very wise. She is a professional clown and entertainer and has a great philosophy about attending conventions. She always looks for thing to learn, little tips, and “bits of business”, but she also sees the value in looking at what NOT to do. This is not negative, and she doesn’t try to correct the performers who are doing things not so well (unless she is asked and then she offers positive constructive criticism), however she knows you CAN learn by watching others and noting what they are doing on stage that makes you shudder.
These shudder-worthy items can be small things, like moving awkwardly to pick up something, to some glaring faux pas involving manhandling an audience volunteer. She notes this in her memory and then tries not to repeat this in her own shows.
I agree wholeheartedly, it is important to take note of things not beneficial in others performances and then work hard not to duplicate them. I believe this is called “learning”!
To contact Mark Wade- kidshowvent@gmail.com
