performing – MagicShow.Tips

Have Fun!

One of my favorite things is chatting with other performers. I enjoy swapping stories, and just hanging out. Performing as a full time job is something that not a lot of people can relate to, so love hearing others peoples triumphs and tragedies.

Last week I worked with a sideshow duo and they mentioned that onstage they are just trying to make the other guy laugh. They do that to have fun in the show and that’s why in my opinion their show is soo good. They are having fun and that carries over to the audience.

One of the bigger notes that I would the newer performers was that they didn’t look like they were having fun. They looked like they were working, and watching some who doesn’t look engaged isn’t as fun as watching someone who is into what they do. Living in the moment and trying new things or whatever you do to keep the show fresh is important. You don’t want to look like a robot or factory worker when you are onstage.

Unusual Challenges…

If you are a professional performer, you will run it to all sorts of unanticipated challenge in your career. For 10 days this month I’m performing at the airport in Seattle. One of the unusual challenges is getting my props past security, and since I’m there to 10 days, being able to do any repairs … Continue reading “Unusual Challenges…”

If you are a professional performer, you will run it to all sorts of unanticipated challenge in your career. For 10 days this month I’m performing at the airport in Seattle.

One of the unusual challenges is getting my props past security, and since I’m there to 10 days, being able to do any repairs on the spot. The big challenge is that I can’t really bring tools or anything sharp past the security check points…and all of my props needed to be approved and cleared by security.

Once my gear goes past security, it lives there for the whole run. That means I can’t use any of the props for shows outside of the airport. That was an important consideration when pitching what material I was going to do. If my main show was stuck at the airport, I’d need a back up set of props to use. I do have a back up set of my main show (mostly), and it has come in handy many times.

Be ready and most importantly, be flexible with the challenges that come with performing in different venues!

Are You Working Hard Enough??

Some magicians take pride in not breaking a sweat while they perform. I used to be very physical in my show, then slowly over time I stopped moving around in my show. I stood there and did what I needed to do, and I didn’t break a sweat. This year I performed at GrapeFest in … Continue reading “Are You Working Hard Enough??”

This year I performed at GrapeFest in Texas and saw an act that changed my mind and made me move around a bit more when I perform. The act played saxophone and while he didn’t move much, he was dripping with sweat. As an audience member watching him, I got the feeling that for the 50 minute set, he put his entire life into that saxophone!

So how does one do card tricks or tell stupid jokes with energy? I think something that Tony Clark said in a lecture 25 years ago is the secret to doing this:

“When you move, you move with purpose”

That’s something that has stuck with me ever since I heard him say it. Don’t pace the stage, but when you move you put energy into it. And it’s directed, so it has purpose.

I also remember hearing an interview with Jerry Seinfeld where he would hear comedians tell each other to “go on stage and have fun”. Jerry’s position was that you shouldn’t be having fun on stage, you should be working your ass off.

So your homework is to work harder when you are performing.

A Tale of Two Rooms

The last two nights I worked as an act in bar comedy shows. The two rooms couldn’t have been more different. One room was poorly laid out, had no light on the stage and a bad sound system. The other room had great sound, all of the audience was directly in front of me and … Continue reading “A Tale of Two Rooms”

I was the second it one, that had good light, sound and layout.

It’s all the little things that go into making the show easier for audience to watch. When a show is easy to watch, it’s soo much easier for the audience to enjoy. They don’t have to work to hear or see you. It can be tiring watching a show that you have to concentrate to enjoy.

So how to you fix a bad set up?

The first thing you’ll hear magicians on the internet say is “make your contract say ____”. Sure you can write that, but the reality of what you consider good sound and what the venue does can be two different things. One thing is you can try to get to the venue early and do your best to adjust what you can. That plus having a solid show and moving forward definately does help.

Is it the venue’s fault?

No.

Lots of times they don’t know better. They may be used to an acoustic guitar player in the corner doing ambient entertainment and not a show. You can educate them after, like mentioning they need speaker stands, or whatever to make it easier for the next show that comes in.

Hope that give you some perspective,

Louie