magic show tips – Page 81

How to Get Booked at Festivals

Something I don’t really talk about is that I’m on the booking committees for two variety arts festivals. They are the Moisture Festival, which is the largest and longest running variety arts festival and the Sideshow Hootenanny, which is an annual gathering of sideshow and variety arts performers.

One of my favorite things about performing at variety arts festivals is that I frequently get to perform with my favorite performers! When I was starting out on of the acts that really formed how I perform now when I was a teenager and snuck into a casino to see the Raspini Brothers. Then years later I got share the stage with them at a variety arts festival! It was a huge moment for me!

Between the two variety arts festivals that I help with the booking, I go through the submissions of hundreds of performers who apply to the festivals. Both of these festivals use a similar application process, and one that hundreds of events around the country use. It’s an online form that you submit your promotional material to. These suggestions will help you whether you’re applying to a local festival, state fair, parks and rec gig or even to perform in a cabaret show.

Three Things You Need To Have!

The main information you’ll normally be asked for is a bio, picture, and link to video. There will be other information they ask for, but for now let’s deal with those three, because those are the ones you need to nail to get the gig.

Let’s start with a bio, it’s a bit different than a bio about you. It’s more of a show description and this is the info that many bookers will ultimately use in the program for their event. You want to tell who you are, what you do and some accomplishments…and do it in 1-3 paragraphs (less is better). Trim out all the “fat”. As a booker, I really don’t care that you “got bit by the magic bug when you were seven years old after seeing Mark Wilson on TV”. Using something like, “Joe the Magician presents fast paced, high energy Illusions with Latin flair. Joe’s done three successful tour with Circus Fakus and is currently presenting his one man show in San Francisco… ” will give me more info about you and what you’ve done than your blood type and complete origin story.

The next one is your photo. This should be a photo of you, where I can see you. An example of a good photo that’s bad to send when applying to a festival is one where I can’t see your face. I’ve seen a great pic of a fire breather and their face is blocked by the ball of fire. This photo doesn’t need to be a studio photo, however it should appear to be professionally done and you should be the subject of it, not a picture of another thing or people that you happen to be in.

Finally, there’s the video. The number one way to get me to not look at your video is to send me a link to your Instagram profile to your YouTube account, not a direct link to a specific video. If all I have is a link to the general profile, I don’t know what you want me to watch. Also, send a direct link to the specific act you are planning to present, or if you’re applying to do a full show, send a sizzle reel and a sample of a longer routine and label them! One last thing about a video, make the audio on it clear, or put in subtitles. If you’re a talking act and I can’t understand you, it doesn’t help you get booked.

These are solid guidelines to follow, however rules are made to be broken. If you have a very specific and intentional reason to send a blurry low resolution picture or whatever, then do it.

If you do those three things, you’re ahead of the majority of the submissions that cross my desk!

-Louie Foxx

Another MC tip

When I was stage hosting, I noticed a lot of things that I do that I don’t know many people do. For example when I write the introductions for acts, I spell out hard to pronounce things phonetically.

I didn’t realize I did this until I had someone tell me I was spelling something wrong. I asked them what’s more important, me spelling it correctly, or me saying it correctly?

That’s a little handy trick for writing out introductions.

-Louie

Over Writing Material…

One thing I’ve noticed that I do is over write my patter for my tricks. The early versions of the tricks are full of stuff that ultimately will be cut. I do think that’s a good way to do it, over write and figure out what’s good and what isn’t. I try to initially fill a lot of verbal space, then cut out what doesn’t work, leaving only the best parts.

The trick I’m working on that’s essentially a clock prediction:

The presentation hook is about my cat, and that seems to be something that people really connect with!

I think that another huge part of putting together routines is finding some sort of presentation hook that people can relate to. There are definitely people who are a lot better at this than me, but I’m trying…

-Louie

Writing a Joke in a Different Language

When I was stage hosting a couple of weeks ago, one of the things that I was asked to do was a contest for the sponsor on the mainstage at the event. One day’s entertainment was geared towards a Spanish speaking audience, and I don’t really speak Spanish, but wanted to try.

I had one of the people on the catering staff who was from Mexico help me translate the beginning of my script.

That’s the opening of the script, but then I needed to figure out how to transition into English. So we wrote a little joke:

That was a great little transition joke, and the first joke I’ve written in another language.

The lady helping write it also helped me with my pronunciation. I think people really appreciate when you make at attempt to communicate with them in their native language.

It was fun to do, and I’m glad I tried!

-Louie

Help the MC Help You!

A couple of weeks ago I was doing some stage hosting. My job was to announce bands and do some time between the bands. One of the bands had a very difficult name Etaoin Shrdlu.

This is intentionally a difficult name, as it’s not someone’s name or something in another language, but and old version of placeholder text, like Lorem Ipsum. I wasn’t given a phonetic pronunciation by the band before time. I had to guess, and found several different ways to pronounce it online.

Here’s tip, if you want your name to be pronounced correctly, go over it with the MC before the show…especially if it’s an intentionally difficult name!

-Louie

Another Visit to the Magic Garage!

When I was in the Bay Area recently I swung by Magic Garage! It’s soo much fun and Will Chandler is a fantastic host! There are really two parts to the magic garage, there’s the theater and the bar area which is where everyone hangs out and there are two close up tables.

They do shows in the theater, but when I was there one of the magicians was working on their act for a TV appearance. We all watched and gave feedback.

Will has made the Magic Garage more than a hangout, but a valuable resource for magicians!

-Louie

The Vanishing Birdcage

Last week at the fair I was performing at, I decided to to carry my vanishing birdcage on my walk from the dressing room to the stage I was on. Whenever anyone asked me about it, I made it disappear!

@louiefoxx Taking my bird out for a walk between shows at the San Mateo County Fair! #sanmateocountyfair #countyfair #sanmateo @SanMateoCountyFair #magic #magician #birdtrick #louiefoxx #magictrick #parakeet ♬ Stolen Dance (Instrumental)

It was a fun thing to go to give fair goers a special moment…and something that made my daily commute to the stage a little more fun!

-Louie

Show Shopping…

When I fly to gigs there’s always a little bit of a shopping list of things that I need to get for my show.

It is inconvenient to have to try to find these things sometimes, however it’s better than packing them for travel. I can fly with all the thing above, as I only need the matchboxes, not the actual matches. However the boxes can sometimes trigger a search and I want to reduce that chances that someone will go through my gear.

The things like the paper plates and the wipes are just dead weight and nothing specialized. I’d rather simply buy them when I arrive than have them make my bags overweight.

One thing I don’t do is ask the booker to provide these and there’s a simple reason why I don’t. That’s because just because you ask for something specific doesn’t mean you’ll get exactly what you need. For example the bananas need to be yellow, so that they open easily. If they provide me a banana that’s too green it makes the trick not play as well as it’s a struggle to open it.

It adds a bit of time to my day, but for me totally worth it!

-Louie

How to Write an Introduction

Last week I was doing a stage hosting gig, and I’m amazed at how many acts don’t know the difference between an introduction and a bio. I was frequently handed introductions that were a half of page, or more!

Here’s an example of something I was handed to read:

I had to do some editing to the intro, and it was still a lot longer than it needed to be!

An introduction should be a few bullet points, the idea is to put a little bit of context into what people are about to see…not tell the whole story. You’re going to tell the full story onstage with whatever your act is.

A simple formula for writing an intro is three bullet points:

Where you’re from
Cool sounding accomplishment(s)
What you do

That is then followed by your name. It’s pretty simple. Sure there are reasons to do longer introductions, or more complex ones, however the majority of shows don’t need those.

Also giving tips on how to say uncommon names is super handy for the host/MC.

-Louie

Virtual Shows Are Still Happening…

Last week I think I did my final virtual show…well at least the last one with all the technical bells and whistles. This was lower tech, I didn’t use my ATEM mini, or any production software, just Zoom and a stream deck.

This was a fun show because I did it with Roberto the Magnificent and Dennis Forel at an airBnB while we were performing at a different event.

It’s been a year since a did a virtual show and it’s not worth keeping up with how to run the technology if I’m only doing one virtual show a year. However it’s easy to use Zoom as a camera switcher, and simply play music in the room instead of playing it through a virtual cable on my computer. It’s not as slick as using production software, but doable.

-Louie