stage magic – Page 2 – MagicShow.Tips

Jason Bishop at the Comedy and Magic Club

A couple of weeks ago when I was in Hermosa Beach performing at the theater there, I had a night off and I got to finally visit the Comedy and Magic Club!

The night I went was the night they have 10 comics and each does about 10 minutes.

It’s an interesting format, there’s no MC. Each act intros the act after them and when only doing 10 mins, it’s a super punchy show!

The night I was there magician Jason Bishop was performing. I got to know him a little bit when we were recording Masters of Illusion in 2019. Jason’s got a great style that fit well into a show with a bunch of comics. He did a great job addressing the change from comedians telling to jokes to him doing magic. He had a quick remark about it and got into the magic.

He opened with Balance (Joshua Jay) and had a great routine for it. I’d only seen it done on internet videos previously and wasn’t impressed by it. However after seeing it live, I like the trick a lot more. I feel like there was a middle trick, but I don’t remember it. He closed with doing a bit with his dog that began with a few comedy bits with it and ended with the vanish of the dog!

I’m glad I had a night off in Hermosa Beach and spent it at the Comedy and Magic Club!

-Louie

Painting a Magic Prop…

One of the tricks I’m working on uses a fake lime slice. The one on the left is how I get them. It looks good, however the white rubs off fairly quickly and from a short distance it’s not obviously a lime.

For the one on the right I went to an art store and the lady there helped me pick out a paint to use that should be more permanent. So far the new white paint is holding up a lot better than the original paint.

Sometimes it’s the little things like white paint on a fake lime that makes a huge difference in the trick!

-Louie

Backstage Props!

When I’m performing a formal show where my show is set up onstage when the audience arrives, I have a backstage set up as well.

These are all the props that end up on my person when I walk on stage. I don’t put these things on until about 15 mins before I need to be onstage. Here’s what you’re seeing:

Wireless mic with transmitter
Mic tape
Glasses with no lenses
Two Promystic receivers (one is a back up)
Deck of cards
Marker
Music remote control

Sure I could set up and keep all this stuff on me, but I don’t. I’m worried I’ll accidentally turn on my mic, or play music. The other worry is that something will fall out of my pocket or I’ll use the pen and forget to put it back in my pocket.

For me, having all this stuff on a stool or table, then putting it all where it goes at the same time is the most sure fire way (for me) to not forget or lose anything!

-Louie

Reducing Magic Clutter!

One of the things I’m trying to do is carry around less stuff. For example, for a 45 mins show, I used to travel with 60+ mins of material. That’s a habit from when I was younger and the time it took to do routines would vary wildly show to how. With years and thousands of shows under my belt, I’m much more consistent with the minimum time that routines take.

Here’s my set up from a recent show at a comedy club:

In the past, my table top bin would be filled with soo much extra crap that I never used. That’s just extra weight I’m lugging around. Now there are only two extra tricks that I’m travelling with.

Here’s the what my two prop bins look like:

The two extra routines I have are the gypsy thread and my ACAAN with a jumbo deck and I rarely use those. Frequently I’m finding myself cutting a planned routine out of the show because I’m running long!

Having less clutter in my gear is super helpful for reducing set up and tear down times and having less stuff onstage makes everything much more efficient!

-Louie

Performing At Retirement Communities!

One type of show that I love doing are shows for seniors! These shows are personally very rewarding to do and I always feel amazing after them. These facilities have tons of activities going on.

It’s a market that NEEDS entertainment! I’ve been working these venues since I was a teenage while they used to be a bigger part of my income, I only do a dozen or two a year. That’s based on my travel schedule, I can only take them on dates that I’m locked into being in a town or at home.

When I was younger I used to tour doing senior shows. I would book 2-5 shows in a town and then drive to the next town. It’s a lot of work, but it was worth it to me!

You can learn more about performing in this market from my book How To Perform For Seniors!

-Louie

Take Your Show on the Road!

3D Printing Magic

I can’t imagine life without my 3D printer! There’s many props that would have neve seen the light of day without it. Right now I’m working on a batch of my Take Up Reels.

These are the the first lock of the Take Up Reel that locks the string long. These would have been impossible to make without a 3D printer, or at least impossible to have at a reasonable price!

If you haven’t played with 3D printing, you can play with design software and try to make something without having a 3d printer. Websites like Tinkercad.com are easy to use. If you’ve never played with making your own designs, go to one of these sight and play with them, you’ll be surprised at what you can make!

-Louie

Familiar Feeling and Crushing It!

What a difference a day makes!

On Saturday and Sunday I was struggling with my show at a venue that was very different from what I perform at. Then on Monday, I was performing at a convention for 550 people and the whole show felt really natural and easy.

Honestly, there’s a lot to be said about performing in a venue you’re used to. By venue, I really mean that the audience was seated for a show, versus a transient, standing audience who weren’t planning on watching a show.

You should always challenge yourself and try venues and situations that you don’t normally perform in. It makes you a better performer, or at least a more knowledgeable one. Know why your show doesn’t work is as important as knowing why your show works.

-Louie

Sharing a PA!

One of the things that I do when I share a PA with other performers and there’s no official sound person is take a picture of my settings.

This allows me to turn my channels down when I’m not performing. That way I don’t need to worry about something getting on my mic’s wireless channel or my music getting bumped and playing.

Turning down or muting any active channels you’re using is a courtesy for other acts you’re working with. It’s easy to do and if you take a pic, that pic is reliable to reset you audio.

– Louie

Brent Fiasco

Last weekend I was working at an Oddities Expo with Brent Fiasco. Brent crushed his shows and does a great street style show. He does a solid crowd built, and a great job of uniting the audience.

In his 30 min set, he does four routines. He does three routines in the first 12 minutes and one in the last 18 minutes. The show does a good job of building the crowd in the first three routines and then selling the “big trick” and prolonging it as long as possible in the last 18 minutes.

Brent’s show is a great lesson in how to structure a street show and he also does a great job of living in the moment. If you get the chance, his show work worth checking out!

-Louie