A Silly Goose’s Untalented Show
Talent shows all on their own are an interesting experience. Everyone gets on stage, nervous and wishing they never signed up for this, and performs some sort of niche talent for an audience that usually doesn’t even really want to be there either.
Usually the people up on stage are genuinely talented (or at least, they think they are) but what would the show be like if they were not only un-talented, but brand new beginners?
An Un-talented show is the perfect way to have a lighthearted, fun night with your friends or family while also gaining the perfect excuse to try to learn some random obscure talent.
How it works:
Gather up a group of friends or family to participate in your “un-talented show.” These should be people willing to perform in front of the rest of the group, available to come back in a few weeks to showcase what they’ve learned, and people who actually have the time to learn it (or at least, attempt to learn it.)
Next, you’ll need to come up with a long list of stupid or fun talents. Keep in mind, these talents need to be performable. Meaning, they are going to have to be done on “stage” and within a relatively short amount of time. This means you probably should exclude anything that would be boring to watch (like speed reading) or anything that requires you to travel in order to perform or practice (like snow skiing.)
Once you have your list of ideas, pull talents from a hat or use an online randomizer to select who gets what talent. It is up to you whether you’d like to keep your selection a secret or not but the larger the list of talents you have, the easier it will be to do so.
(BTW: If you know there is someone in your group who is excellent at cup-stacking, maybe don’t include that on your list. Not only does it provide an unfair advantage for them but it might also take away their chance to learn something brand new. If you just have to include cup-stacking in your show, consider making a rule to prohibit selecting talents you’re already good at or learning.)
Once the talents are selected, everyone gets a month (or however long the group deems appropriate) to learn their new skill. You should have just enough time to get a basic understanding of how your talent works and be able to perform it at a not-too-below-average level but not so much time that you actually become good at it.
Have fun in your practice time and don’t worry too much about your upcoming “performance.” Remember that everyone else is just as much a beginner as you!
After the given amount of time has passed, gather up the group again to host your Un-talented show! If you’re feeling like going above and beyond, feel free to print out fake programs, decorate your living room like a theater, dress up, or even create fake, dramatic awards.
While each person performs their “talent,” the rest of the group becomes the audience. Some talents may be easier to master than others, which means some of the easier acts may be more put together than the complicated ones.
Make sure everyone is being supported, regardless of their skill level and remember that the point of the talent show isn’t to impress everyone, but rather to have fun and celebrate learning new things!
With an “Un-Talented Show” everyone is bound to have fun. You can laugh at mistakes or awful attempts, hype up those who actually kind of nailed it, enjoy an unserious night with friends or family, and all while exploring new interests and hobbies that might even end up sticking with you long after you pulled it out of a hat.
