Interesting question and interesting responses.
I have been wondering about creating a character for myself, a performing personality as it were, but I was also wondering at the same time if they are necessary? Obviously it has its perks for comedy and stage magicians, but what about more specifically for a close up magician? I perform a lot for friends and people who know me so I would think it an odd experience for them if I morphed into some sort of creature foreign to them.
You have a character whether you consciously create one or just perform. Think about how you perform and what people see, feel (on an emotional level) and think about you when you perform. How would your audience describe you? That is your character.
For example, do you tell jokes when you perform? Do you use gags? Is magic something serious? Is your presentation "look at what I can do?" or is it "let's do this together?" Do you do sleight of hand or magic? Are you a trickster (in the classic sense, not someone who does tricks), a shaman or a con artist? Is your performance a demonstration of skill, a journey into mysticism or a playful exploration of the universe?
Too often if we don't think about character, we end up just performing tricks out of the box (or off the video as the case may be). We end up with performances that don't fit together other than "here is a bunch of tricks that I like."
Think of it this way, your character should answer the questions of "why" and "how." Why do you do magic? How does the magic happen?
It is difficult to have a distinct character among friends. But there can be parts of who we are (see below) that are accentuated in the character we present to friends.
Ya I remember a little while back watching a video and I think Lee Asher talked about something to that effect where he was hanging out with a mellow, quiet, personable guy, but as soon as he started performing BAM!! he was a stereotypical loud and exaggerated stage performer and he was taken aback at the transformation and questioned why he was acting so strange!
In your example, the loud, exaggerated character is a poor selection for that person's character and a poor performance of that person's character. He was trying too hard to be a character he couldn't pull off (and maybe a character nobody should try to pull off). It also sounds like the character was what he thought he should be.
Are there any instances when such a change is acceptable for when with people who know you? And that's a good point about how your character can be yourself. What are some subtle things though that you can do to give an audience an impression of your character without dressing in purple robes and jumping through fire? Is it possible to change who you appear to be without estranging or confusing them who know you?
I think there are times where a change like that can work fine. Let me give an example. In my job, I'm generally a soft spoken, somewhat cerebral, tax attorney who gets along well with my clients (I crack subtle jokes whenever I can). When I do presentations, I become an engaging, excitable and humorous speaker -- sort of like that college professor you had who taught the most arcane and boring material but somehow got so excited about it that you loved going to his classes. Picture a combination of Juan Tamariz and Dr. Phil. The reason why that works (I always am one of the highest rated speakers) is that my presentation character has aspects of me. I approach what I do from an intellectual and practical perspective and don't take myself too seriously. My passion for learning and understanding comes through to the audience. The character I adopt emphasizes certain aspects of who I am to make my presentations entertaining.
In magic, I perform parlor style. I'll get into my character at the end of the post, but for now I can say is that it emphasizes certain aspects of who I am.
Also what are some personal favorite "characters" that y'all have and what makes them so fun, lovable, and entertaining? I've never studied or read extensively on this matter because I've been who I am and it's worked pretty well so all your input is awesome on this new exploration.
Look at television shows and movies to see what makes the characters on those mediums entertaining. One of my favorite characters for children's entertainment are the humans on a short lived show called the Upside Down show (David Collins and Shane Dundas AKA the Umbilical Brothers). Another great exercise is to look at plays and see how the portrayal of a same character can be completely different depending on the actor and the director.
Therefore, my answer is: I don't have a character. I want my audiences, in magic and theatre, to take the journey with ME, not some fabrication.
That only begs the question of which YOU is on stage. Let me explain.
We all act differently in different circumstances. We are different versions of ourselves with our friends, our coworkers, our parents, our siblings and our significant others. That is, the relationship dictates who we are. We are different versions of ourselves depending on what we are doing -- consider how you act when hanging out with a friend having a good time compared with talking to that friend when they are going through a difficult time in their life.
So in many ways, we are different "characters" at different times. Each of them are "real" and each of them are "US." The question is which character shows up when you perform?
I live by the Mamet-ism that there is no such thing as character. In performance, no matter what form, you are baring yourself to your audience with honesty and truth. That's the only way to make them connect on an emotional and personal level with the performer. Nobody wants to watch a character go on a journey, they want to watch a REAL person with REAL stakes to lose and gain.
I disagree and realize this may be a question of semantics. If you define character as what your audience perceives as your traits, personality, motivations and beliefs then everyone has a character.
A good exercise is to write down what you think your audience perceives when they see you on stage. That is your character.
I agree that your character needs to be REAL but that is accomplished by either portraying a character that has aspects of your self emphasized or by working hard on perfecting a character so that it becomes an aspect of yourself.
Even if it's just you, that's your character - it's not necessarily about playing dress-up and being someone else.
Character will be developed by you, or it will just be there for the audience. If you don't decide who you are and why you are in front of that group, the audience will decide for you.
Exactly.
That is one of the best lessons I took away from reading Derren Brown's Absolute magic. You should really dissect who you are first, the good and the bad, and then start by building a character that is essentially you. Naturally when performing you will accentuate some aspects and supres others but you are still basically being yourself.
Again, exactly.
So what is my character? I'm a philosopher. My magic finds meaning in life. I encourage people to take my hand and join me on a journey to explore life using magic as a parable. I tell stories and illustrate those stories with magic. My magic is play and I am playful when I am performing. I believe that the three most important things in life are playing, learning and loving. I perform magic because it mirrors the fascination that I have with the world around me. I want to share this exciting gift called magic with my audience. My magic happens because it needs to -- that is it is so integrated with my presentation that for it not to happen would be like listening to a movie without seeing the picture. I get excited when performing and I have fun. I have more fun when I see the audience having fun. I use magic to teach about life. I like to make my audience think and feel. For me, I've always viewed the world with wonder and astonishment. Sometimes I'm serious, sometimes I'm funny, sometimes I'm silly and sometimes I'm irreverent -- the different aspects of my personality are showcased when I'm performing. As I've gotten older, I've lost some of that sense of wonder. Then I found magic. I perform because I want to bring people wonder and astonishment -- not just through the tricks but though how I present the tricks.