magic show tips – Page 185

Put In Some Effort…

One of the challenges of performing that I struggle with are people that don’t speak much English. My stage show is a lot of verbal stuff, which can make it a challenge to get across when there’s a language barrier. The barrier is a bit easier to deal with when doing close up.

Last night I did a corporate holiday party for a company and most of their workers spoke Spanish and very little English. I speak very little Spanish, by very little, I know a handful of words. One thing I did was ask how to say things in Spanish, like how to say “Three of Diamonds”. I then tried, they it was a really made a connection because I was going to them. I took an interest in them.

I could have just mimed what I wanted them to do and it would have worked. However, the connection with the audience would have been way different. Make the effort to reach out to your audience instead of making them reach out to you.

On The Job Training…

One thing that’s been a staple of my close up work is the Three Shell Game. It’s been something I’ve done since I was a teenager. It’s a great trick, everyone knows what it is and how to play it. This week at my gig at the airport I added the Trade Show Shells. These … Continue reading “On The Job Training…”

One thing that’s been a staple of my close up work is the Three Shell Game. It’s been something I’ve done since I was a teenager. It’s a great trick, everyone knows what it is and how to play it.

This week at my gig at the airport I added the Trade Show Shells. These are a jumbo set of shells and they work differently than a standard set of shells.

I’ve owned a set of a long time, and never really had a place to use them. When I do stage work, it’s hard to make them play, as I’m usually on a raised stage with the audience below me. That makes it hard to see the pea or follow it.

What’s cool about doing this at the airport is that they want the people to win. We’re playing it for prizes, so it’s not a “magic routine“. What that means is that I get to practice handling the props and doing the manipulation. In each group, there’s one person that I use the gimmicks on and am working out a routine that way. Essentially I’m getting paid to work out a routine for the trick!!! It’s great!

Don’t Speak Up…

Whenever possible I try to go out and support magic shows. Last night I went out and saw a friend’s show. The show also had a musician and burlesque dancer in addition to my buddy’s magic show. It was a fun show. My main critique of the show was that lack of the use of … Continue reading “Don’t Speak Up…”

My main critique of the show was that lack of the use of a microphone. There was a handheld mic, but only the singer used it. Using a mic is an important thing to do, it makes the show so much easier to pay attention to. My hearing is reasonably good, but I’m always amazed at how much I have to strain to hear an unmic’d performer.

Using a mic in whatever form is pretty cheap right now, compared to 15 years ago. You can get a cheapo headset mic and wireless pack and be good to go for probably less than about a hundred bucks. Would it be the best mic…no. Would it be better than no mic…probably.

I Hate That It Works…

Right now I’m doing a trick during my run at the airport that uses a magnet. The trick has a clever way to hide the magnet, however because of the gig I can’t use the method that was designed for the trick.

So, what did I do?

I put the magnet on my finger and then put a band aid over it. I really hate that no one has questioned the band aid on my finger, but then I don’t know the last time I asked anyone about a band aid on their finger. It’s a “hidden in plain sight” sort of deal.

This method works great for this gig because I do one trick per set and do it over and over again. The band aid method wouldn’t work if I was to do it as part of a show. As much as I dislike the band aid, it works for this very specific application!

Picking People is an Art…

Today at my gig at the airport, they wanted me to do some “media” with the local news. I had my flea circus out, but at that moment it was really slow at the airport. Unfortunately I couldn’t choose my time or location for the media spot. My boss grabbed the first family that came … Continue reading “Picking People is an Art…”

My boss grabbed the first family that came by and they weren’t a group I would have stopped. Their body language said that they weren’t into it, however it was “go time” and we had to start. The act went OK, however the kid was clearly uncomfortable the whole time.

There is an art to picking people for a show, or to be the base for a crowd. You don’t want just anyone, however sometimes you have to deal with what you’re given…

Ballrooms Are The Worst…

Performing in hotel ballrooms is one of the worst situations for a comedy magician. The main problem is that they aren’t designed for a show, but for a wedding, or meetings. Here’s a panoramic picture of the ballroom I performed in last night. There are a few problems with this room. The first is that … Continue reading “Ballrooms Are The Worst…”

There are a few problems with this room. The first is that the DJ is set up on the stage, which makes it unusable by me. With the giant dance floor in front of the stage, it’s not a huge loss as I could lessen the distance between me and the audience by working on the floor.

The next problem that the darkest places in the room where the stage is and directly in front of it on the dance floor, where I’d be performing. I asked if there were lights (anything) that we could turn on and after going up the chain of command at the hotel, I finally found someone who could as was willing to turn them on for my show. These lights were the general lights, so the room was lit up as if there was a meeting in there. This is better than performing in the dark, where the audience is better lit than the stage.

The moral of the story is either get there super early and try to convince them to move the stage to one end of the room, or be assertive of your needs with the space how it currently is when you get there.

Too Much Economy of Motion

When I was a kid I remember someone telling me the secret to sleight of hand is “Economy of Motion“. Using the least amount of motion to get the job done. I agree with that…for the secret stuff. However moving efficiently isn’t always what you want the audience to see. A good example is in … Continue reading “Too Much Economy of Motion”

When I was a kid I remember someone telling me the secret to sleight of hand is “Economy of Motion“. Using the least amount of motion to get the job done. I agree with that…for the secret stuff. However moving efficiently isn’t always what you want the audience to see.

A good example is in my card to wallet routine. I can open and remove the wallet too easily and quickly. When I do the trick I have to remind my self to slow down and fumble a bit, like it’s the first time I’ve done this.

Slowing down also lets the audience catch up with you, or even get ahead of you. I want them to think, “no way that’s my card…wait, it’s going to be my card…” when I do card to wallet. If I want that, I need to give them time to think it!

Slowly Share Your Ego…

I understand that projecting an image is part of being a performer. It’s an important part, selling your performing persona. One thing that drives me nuts is when people post “My Office Tonight” type pictures of where they are working in December. This month is the easiest time to get work, and the only time … Continue reading “Slowly Share Your Ego…”

I understand that projecting an image is part of being a performer. It’s an important part, selling your performing persona. One thing that drives me nuts is when people post “My Office Tonight” type pictures of where they are working in December. This month is the easiest time to get work, and the only time where there is more work than performers.

Why not save up some of those pictures and use them later in the year when you aren’t working? Using them now for marketing purposes doesn’t do a lot of good as we’re now heading into a slower performing season and there’s a lot less work. Those pictures are going to do nothing right now aside from stroke your ego.

One thing I do on my social media is stagger my posts. One of the things that I try to do is position myself as a national act. I do that by performing around the country. However I’m not constantly on the road. I’m on the road a lot, but leverage that by slowly sharing stuff to make it look like I’m on the road longer than I actually am. I don’t lie, but I also don’t say that a picture is from two months ago.

Connecting…

When I was in Austin last week I swung by the Museum of the Weird and saw the Black Scorpion perform. At the museum the sideshow acts do a lot of short shows all day. His show was good and it consisted of him talking about his Ectrodactyly, which people used to be called “Lobster … Continue reading “Connecting…”

When I was in Austin last week I swung by the Museum of the Weird and saw the Black Scorpion perform. At the museum the sideshow acts do a lot of short shows all day. His show was good and it consisted of him talking about his
Ectrodactyly, which people used to be called “Lobster Hands”, then he did glass walking.

My main dislike of his show was that it felt like he was talking at us and not talking to us. The best way to describe how he talks is like an 1980’s pro wrestler talking to the TV camera. I get that he has made a stylistic choice in how he delivers material, however for me it made it hard to connect with him.

Unfortunately due to my time restrictions when I was there, I really didn’t get to see the rest of the museum on this visit (or the next one). I guess I’ll have to get back to Austin another time.

Raising Your Rates…

Ugh, people in Facebook magic groups drive me nuts. Someone asked about how much they should raise their prices for holiday party gigs in December. Then a lot of people chimed in that they don’t and they feel like it’s price gouging. I have a lot of thoughts about this, and the first one is that most of these people are idiots.

I’m going to assume that we all realize it’s already December, and that if you’re not sure of your pricing, you aren’t a professional magician. In that case get whatever you are comfortable charging. It really doesn’t matter.

The reason someone gave for not raising their rates was that they didn’t want a reputation as someone who raised their rates when there was high demand. Try to book a hotel or airline ticket during spring break and let me know how cheap you can get one. Raising rates when you have a limited number of spots available during a busy season is common in many industries. It’s just business. Now look at labor, every union worker in the USA charges more to work on holidays, so why shouldn’t you?

You raise your rates when it’s busy, either they pay it or they don’t. It’s that simple. I think everyone understands why a gig on a saturday night in December might cost more than a gig on a wednesday night in January.