What character do you create for yourself?

Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
Well, as a magician, i assume u can fool your audience to believe anything ... So when you perform, what image do you want your audience to get of you ... ?
 
Well, as a magician, i assume u can fool your audience to believe anything ... So when you perform, what image do you want your audience to get of you ... ?

Well the general picture i want to leave is who i am.
On stage im not very different from who i am in real life. Im funloving yet very deep. Im a philosopher, a man who doubts everything you throw at him. He knows what he is doing and people are intriqued by him. Also the fact that he might be smarter than the mayority of people who see his shows, he always leaves people with more knowledge than they came in with, without making them feel stupid throughout the show.

M.


PS: I say this the second time. "Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur" is the correct quote. Mundus vult decipi, means the world wants to be decieved. Ergo decipiatur means so let it be decieved. You have the first part but the whole translation.
Sorry but im terribly annoyed by it :).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sep 20, 2009
445
83
i don't have a "character" when i perform.. i'm me. maybe ampped up a bit but still me.. Mysterious, a little dark ( not gothic or emo) serious.. mystical..
 
Jul 13, 2009
424
0
Edmonton, Canada
Sorry but maybe u misunderstood my question, it's not what personality you take but how you want your audience to remember you whether its "the one who can read mind" or "the sleight of hand artist" or "the one who mess around with voodoo" etc etc ...
 
Personally, I think the misunderstood question was slightly deeper, but all the same:

I'm an exclusive card guy. I perform a few effects that have a mentalism touch to it but they all revolve around cards. Maybe as I get more experienced and knowledgeable I'll get into other areas, but for now, I'm known as just someone who is wicked good with cards. I guess "sleight of hand" artist describes it, as I never really hint to the term "magic", I leave the interpretation to the spectators.
 
Jul 23, 2008
33
0
31
Placerville Ca.
Answers

My answer to the misunderstood question is that I think that "I like to be myself when I perform" is just a phrase that means "I don't put any thought into my performance". Sadly I tend to be one of these people, but I am trying to change it and come up with a personality that works for me.

My answer to the real question is I like to be remembered as "that cute guy who blew my mind" however I have no idea if this is how I'm remembered. :)
 
Aug 17, 2008
473
13
Ann Arbor, MI
Well, I'm more dark.. More emo and gothic... But the thing is its my character, I'm comftorble with it, even though that's not how I am in an ordinary day. And to answer your actual question, I make them remember that I'm more of sleight of hand guy, but also do, not the voodoo, but more weird magic.

Hope this answers your questions.


-blake.
 
Mar 6, 2008
1,483
3
A Land Down Under
Mikk you are getting good at this (it took you long enough).

My characther is one of a watcher, I have spent my whole life watching how people interact with each other and use that to know what they are thinking. I can also do things that I know will create the desired outcome. However as the show goes on the pseudo science explaination slowly dissapears and a more psychic one comes out.
 
Aug 31, 2007
1,960
1
34
Long Island/New York
I liked the misinterpreted question better.
I was thinking of this the other day. I haven't decided what type of person I want to be on stage. Comedic or serious. This also affects the type of trick I want to purchase as well. So it's really a big commitment.
I'd like to ask other stage magicians here if they just knew what type of character they wanted to be on stage or if they went through some different ones and picked a favorite out of them.
 
When I first started taking magic seriously and performing more regularly, I once asked all my friends to describe who I was (as a person) with a single word. I took those details and compared them to the character I wanted to portray with my magic. Prior to doing this, my character was obviously a bit off-- much like a lightbulb: People would notice a sudden shift in my personality, mannerisms, and even tone of voice. In other words-- they saw right through the fact that when I performed magic, I was straight-up pretending to be something I wasn't. This realization made a huge difference in the way I perform magic today.

There's a popular idea often discussed in modern psychology, and I think it's an important point for people to understand here. When you walk into a room, you're actually bringing THREE ideas of yourself: who YOU think you are; who OTHER people think you are; and what YOU ACTUALLY ARE. It's important to recognize that "just being yourself" when performing magic could be interpreted in various ways, and some of those ideas may not be what you're aiming to portray.

It's also important to blend the lines between who you are as a person and the character you wish to portray. I recommend you all actually do this exercise and ask friends and family to describe you with a single word. I think you'll be surprised with what you get in return. Despite the surprising views of who you are, it's important to remain open-minded and adopt other people's opinions into your development of a performance character. Otherwise, you may come off as comedically fake, weirdly superficial, or painfully awkward.

Not everyone can pull off the gothic rockstar that is Criss Angel. Not everyone can pull off the goofy next door neighbor that is Mac King. Not everyone can pull off the quick-witted sarasm of Penn and Teller. It's important to see how you are already viewed in the world to produce a realistic, adaptable performancne character for your magic. It's important for your own originality to shine. Only then will your character actually supplement and build off the material you perform.

RS.


 
Feb 27, 2008
2,342
1
33
Grand prairie TX
I speak to my audience of overcoming yourself. Your physical and spiritual limitations.
I relate it alot to Muay Boran.Muay Kotchasarn, specifically. I mix a demonstration of this martial art with my magic performances.
Thats what Im doing now.
I go in and out of 3 to 4 types of performance characters and acts that are all about things I love to do and am passionate about.
__________________
 
Aug 31, 2007
1,960
1
34
Long Island/New York
I'm going for classy, sophisticated, and personable.

To me that sounds like you dress nice, in some sort of formal wear(black pants, dress shirt, dress shoes).
You speak well rehearsed and and throw in a few jokes here and there, and use patter that people are familiar with, as if the story could relate to them, something they're familiar with, or something like that could have happened to them.
That's the impression I got in my head when you say classy, sophisticated, and personable, now tell me if that is what your shows call for or is it something different to your perspective.
 

RickEverhart

forum moderator / t11
Elite Member
Sep 14, 2008
3,637
471
46
Louisville, OH
I don't know about most of you but I feel very comfortable and confident just being me. I find it difficult to play into a different role especially when there are people present who are around you that know what you are "normally" like.

I just tend to use my appearance, witty jokes, charm, and magic to make sure everyone feels like they are being entertained, laughing, and having a super time.
If people are not enjoying themselves during my performance...I feel like I have failed them.

I think that a lot of magicians do go through phases of who they want to be and in what role do they feel that they are making the biggest impact. Danny T brought up a good point that one's character has an impact on your selection of effects as well.
 
Aug 31, 2007
1,960
1
34
Long Island/New York
Thanks Rev.

A lot of magicians are themselves on stage or at least say they're themselves. But what if you don't want to be yourself. . .
What if you want to create a new character and become that new character instead of just being your old self all the time.

For instance I'm really shy(I have my moments) around people, I'll admit that. But I want to be more outgoing, and magic has helped me with that.
By creating an outgoing/comedic character, I'm hoping to become that type of person.
How do you create a character for stage and live up to that as being yourself?
 
Oct 20, 2008
273
0
Austin, TX area
The group I'm with has put a lot into character over the last year. Between taking lessons on creating characters and watching my own rehearsals, I've found a lot of confidence in exaggerating aspects of myself to make present an image.

My body language changes in specific, thought out ways. I speak with a lot more economy of words. (This doesn't always mean speaking less. It does mean pulling the most value out of a budgeted amount of speaking.) I smile when revealing the payoff, as if happy that whatever prop did my bidding.

The overall purpose to all of it is to create a mood similar, I suppose, to the old Outer Limits introduction, regarding who controls what. Yet, control through unknown means is still focused on the sharing of entertainment and ideas with the audience.

Now, I'm the type of person who saves up his money so I can buy all my housewares during Halloween season. The cups in the kitchen, the skull shaped cookie jar, and even my bedding, complete with a homemade Halloween fabric pillowcase. (I think the people at JoAnn Fabric are getting to know me.) I have a large theater sized (one-sheet) poster of a horror film (Parasomnia) on my bedroom wall, signed by the writer/director. I write horror for fun. All of the is only the surface: I love dark.

In regards to magic, however, dark seems to be an obvious target but a difficult one to reach. A performer is still presenting some kind of persona. There are countless books out there to teach aspiring horror writers how to create a truly "dark" character. It is a difficult character for a lot of creative people to characterize well -- and not just magicians. This may be a case where studying how it's done in the other arts may help create a more convincing experience in magic.
 
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