They’ve been unavailable for awhile, I just finished up a batch of the 16 oz size of Evaporation magic tricks!
This size pops a bit more onstage than the smaller version. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to offer these. They’ve been hard to get since 2020, and whenever I find them, I always buy as many as I can to gimmick!
You can get them at: https://www.magicshow.tips/evaporation-magic-trick-vanishing-liquid/ or your favorite dealer!
When I’m on the road, I try to find projects to work on. Things that free up my time when I’m back home. A couple of weeks ago while I was on the road I was working on making my Evaporation Trick.
I found 60 of the the bottles at a store:
In my hotel room I did all of the bottle prep:
When I’m home I’ll put the gimmicks into the bottles and they’ll be ready to ship out to Murphy’s Magic Supply, then to magic dealers around the world!
Doing the bottle prep saves me a lot of time when I’m home, time I could be spending with my family. Look for ways you can use your time on the road wisely, like working on promo or whatever to free up your time when you’re home.
When it comes to prop management, I’m not the best, but I do have a system. All of my hand held props are in a bin on my table. I don’t do any performing on the table top, it all happens in my hands, so the table simply holds my props. Here’s a peek into my table top bin:
As things get used they either go back into their space in the bin if the trick is instantly reset at the completion of the trick. If the trick doesn’t reset, it goes into my case which is to my left and holds a two larger props I use. This system works well for me when doing three shows a day at fairs. It makes it easy for me to assess what tricks need to be reset and make sure nothing gets missed.
I’m sure there are better systems. I know some two person acts have the “assistant” bring out each routine and then remove the props at the end of the routines. The advantage of that is the show is getting packed up while the show is happening. I’ve used this system in the past when I’ve performed with my daughter. It’s a really nice way to do it, but it’s not something in can do in 90% of my shows.
What’s probably the most important thing is that you have a system of some sort to try to eliminate or shorten dead time while getting or putting away props. Sometimes a joke or interesting patter can fill this time. Other instances, simply having a prop that’s easy to grab is the best option.
Everyone things performing on the road is all fun and games. My current run is about 15 weeks long, sure there are some gaps in the schedule that I fly home, but 15 weeks is a long time on the road.
There are some things that I do to keep myself sane, like going for walks or to the gym. This particular trip I’m driving, so I was able to take some tools with me. Last night was a big night, I hunted down about 50 bottles for my Evaporation trick and then made them in my hotel room!
Later today I’ll be working on a couple of custom props in the hotel room after a full day of shows at the fair! The glamour of working on the road ever ends!
If you’ve ever seen my lecture, the main point of it is how can you take the magic that you do one step further. That next step could be method, could be presentation, or the look of the trick. That’s something I try to do with everything I do in my show. It’s this thinking … Continue reading “Taking it Further”
If you’ve ever seen my lecture, the main point of it is how can you take the magic that you do one step further. That next step could be method, could be presentation, or the look of the trick. That’s something I try to do with everything I do in my show.
It’s this thinking that’s led to the creation of all of my marketed tricks. For example in the Evaporation trick, I needed to make some liquid vanish for my liquid in light bulb trick which is marketed under the name Applause Please. This trick takes the milk in light bulb a step further.
I didn’t like the look of a milk pitcher and went out to search for other solutions. A “ghost bottle” wasn’t practical for what I was doing. After many different designs the Evaporation as it is now has created.
How are you going to take whatever you do a step further?