Wedding Show on New Year's Eve
So I know I don't post about my gigs very often, but I thought I'd share about my most recent one, as I put into practice a lot of lessons I've learned this last year, and the results paid off.
Because most probably don't know my background, I started doing magic in 2002 in a restaurant inside West Edmonton Mall. From there I was asked to do shows, and then I made my focus the corporate market, and have been striving to make my show geared for this market. I have a full time job, and do magic as a part time professional.
Nearly two years ago, I was contacted about a wedding on New Year’s Eve 2011. It was for 3.5 hours of table magic, and a 20 minute show in the middle. I took it thinking I had a long time to prepare my first wedding gig. After a year and a half of procrastination, I started scripting my first (short) wedding show. Progress was slow, but in the end I had something that I was happy with. I paid special attention to my transitions, and making sure that the effects had purpose. During rehearsal, I made sure my timing was consistent with the 20 minutes, and near the date, had to switch the middle effect to a new one to better fit.
I know magicians usually don't share too much about their shows because our industry is historically riddled with theft, but I know how much it helped me to see how other magicians choose to routine their shows, so maybe this will be helpful to someone. If not, then it's helpful for me to think through it all again while it's fresh.
I did three effects: jumbo twisted sisters, any signed card to any spectator’s wallet, and color match.
My patter was based on their relationship: the moment they first met, the point they became comfortable with each other, and living happily ever after. Each effect illustrated one of these times.
In brief,
I began by talking about how they first met. I asked them to think back and remember that moment. I pointed out that they met because of a series of many choices, and that after their choices brought them together, they found there was a special connection between them, unlike any connection with other people they've met. I then said that I would like them to make a series of 3 choices to illustrate their special connection (I then performed twisted sisters). As the final applause was dying down, I transitioned by saying that one of the best parts of a relationship is that as it lasts longer, there comes this magical point where you no longer are trying to impress each other (got some laughs), "but that's a good thing" I continued, because it means you can get to really know each other, and get to know each others quirks. Once you see each others quirks, you get to laugh about the silliness of them. I then gave an example of one of mine, and then shared about how my wife loses things quite often. I noticed the bride laugh and point to herself and nod. Does that ever happen to you? I asked. The groom said he never loses anything. I assured the groom that it is easy to misplace things answer had him select and sign a card from a new deck. Then I pulled out one of my daughters toys (a plastic can of corn) to throw out into the audience to select a man with a wallet. The wallet I got was a money clip instead of a regular wallet. While it still worked, it did not have the beauty that it could have. Note to self: figure out a better way to get a proper wallet. As the applause was finishing, I got the toy back and started talking about my daughter, and her love for Cinderella and weddings. I told them that when I told her I was going to a wedding, she actually colored a picture for them as a present. I handed them a very large manila envelope, duct taped shut. I then asked the bride to do me a favor and asked if she would color a picture for my daughter, as we are trying to teach her that happily ever after is not just for fairy tales. I brought out a large picture of Cinderella and some markers, and let her color away while I had my back turned. We showed the picture around and then I did the reveal to show that my daughter had colored her Cinderella exactly the same. As the applause died down, I asked everyone to stand, I raised my glass, and toasted to the bride and groom and their 'happily ever after'.
My setup:
I use a nice cherry wood color table (it folds up somewhat) with a black mat on top. I have a whiteboard with a wooden frame that matches the table color. I have this propped on a chair (my next purchase should be an easel of some sort). For this show, I have no need for a case.
The room was standard U shaped with Dance floor in the middle, however, they had the DJ’s setup at the end of the U, so essentially I was in a square. I had to put the table and chair in front of the DJ, and mostly performed towards the head table in front of me, but essentially I was performing nearly in the round. I came an hour early to set up my sound (used their house sound system – need to buy my own!).
Magnets stick to my white board, so I start with the jumbo cards clipped onto the whiteboard (Which frames them nicely). This allowed me to pick up the board and display it all around to those who couldn’t see it. This worked very well for the effect. After the cards were revealed, I put the Jumbo cards on the chair with their clips.
For the second effect, I had a deck of cards in my inner jacket pocket, and a sharpie in my front pocket. This sharpie would be returned to my front right pocket. There was the toy can of corn in my front left pocket.
For the final effect, on the table, I had some markers on the close up mat, and the picture and the prediction envelope underneath the close up mat to keep them out of sight. This turned out to be not the best idea, as the mat got flipped all funny, and I was trying to straighten it while pulling out the prediction and leaving the picture there, while trying not to lose the markers onto the floor. Note to self: try something different. When I revealed the Cinderella picture, I took another metal clip, and put it on the Whiteboard which framed it nicely. It also allowed the Bride to hold onto it while she colored. Once she was done, I had the groom open the top of the prediction envelope, I took it back and held the two pictures side by side as I did the reveal. Then after the applause began to die down, I had everyone stand for the final toast.
Table magic:
With regards to the walk around, I did my usual 2 sets, and only ran into some issue once the DJ started his music. It was really loud, and really close to some of the tables. I needed to be quite loud to be heard. Fortunately that was only for the last hour. I did 3.5 hours of walk around, which allowed me to hit tables twice, which was nice. As a result, I had four sets prepared.
One thing I have overlooked in the past that I made some adjustments, is when asked to perform during a cocktail hour (when guests are just arriving), this time, I had a set that was a tad shorter, that I could use for a table that was partly full. After which I would say that I would be back throughout the night with more. Then during the wait for dinner, they got to see the normal set. I have been to an event where I had two sets, then did set 1 for half full tables, then as the place was filled, I was going around trying to keep tabs of who saw what set, and it was tricky, and many people saw my set twice. So having that extra ‘warm up’ set worked really well (this was the second time I have done that). Of course being able to do this depends on how long you have been booked by the client – in this case I had time. My last gig, people arrived over the course of 30 minutes, and I was only booked for 1.5 hours before dinner. So to get to each table, I had to just start with the partially filled tables. It’s an important thing to consider when talking to clients, and they only want to book you for an hour, try to have the start time about 15-30 minutes after the guests arrive so that people are settled. Otherwise people are coming in, taking off their coats, trying to say ‘Hi’, etc, during your set. If you have a quick warm up set, or begin performing 15-30 minutes in, that should help.
This morning I received a money transfer from them for $100. They thanked me again, and said their guests really enjoyed the magic.
So I’m really sorry if that all came across as cocky or as a know it all. That really isn’t my intention. I know my show isn’t anywhere near perfect, but it always helps for me to recap. It was pretty minor things and more stage blocking that I had most issues with. Some things were not ideal because of the layout, and most of my own criticisms are in that area. I hope it’s helpful to someone, as it is helpful for me to write it all out. Have fantastic New Year!
So I know I don't post about my gigs very often, but I thought I'd share about my most recent one, as I put into practice a lot of lessons I've learned this last year, and the results paid off.
Because most probably don't know my background, I started doing magic in 2002 in a restaurant inside West Edmonton Mall. From there I was asked to do shows, and then I made my focus the corporate market, and have been striving to make my show geared for this market. I have a full time job, and do magic as a part time professional.
Nearly two years ago, I was contacted about a wedding on New Year’s Eve 2011. It was for 3.5 hours of table magic, and a 20 minute show in the middle. I took it thinking I had a long time to prepare my first wedding gig. After a year and a half of procrastination, I started scripting my first (short) wedding show. Progress was slow, but in the end I had something that I was happy with. I paid special attention to my transitions, and making sure that the effects had purpose. During rehearsal, I made sure my timing was consistent with the 20 minutes, and near the date, had to switch the middle effect to a new one to better fit.
I know magicians usually don't share too much about their shows because our industry is historically riddled with theft, but I know how much it helped me to see how other magicians choose to routine their shows, so maybe this will be helpful to someone. If not, then it's helpful for me to think through it all again while it's fresh.
I did three effects: jumbo twisted sisters, any signed card to any spectator’s wallet, and color match.
My patter was based on their relationship: the moment they first met, the point they became comfortable with each other, and living happily ever after. Each effect illustrated one of these times.
In brief,
I began by talking about how they first met. I asked them to think back and remember that moment. I pointed out that they met because of a series of many choices, and that after their choices brought them together, they found there was a special connection between them, unlike any connection with other people they've met. I then said that I would like them to make a series of 3 choices to illustrate their special connection (I then performed twisted sisters). As the final applause was dying down, I transitioned by saying that one of the best parts of a relationship is that as it lasts longer, there comes this magical point where you no longer are trying to impress each other (got some laughs), "but that's a good thing" I continued, because it means you can get to really know each other, and get to know each others quirks. Once you see each others quirks, you get to laugh about the silliness of them. I then gave an example of one of mine, and then shared about how my wife loses things quite often. I noticed the bride laugh and point to herself and nod. Does that ever happen to you? I asked. The groom said he never loses anything. I assured the groom that it is easy to misplace things answer had him select and sign a card from a new deck. Then I pulled out one of my daughters toys (a plastic can of corn) to throw out into the audience to select a man with a wallet. The wallet I got was a money clip instead of a regular wallet. While it still worked, it did not have the beauty that it could have. Note to self: figure out a better way to get a proper wallet. As the applause was finishing, I got the toy back and started talking about my daughter, and her love for Cinderella and weddings. I told them that when I told her I was going to a wedding, she actually colored a picture for them as a present. I handed them a very large manila envelope, duct taped shut. I then asked the bride to do me a favor and asked if she would color a picture for my daughter, as we are trying to teach her that happily ever after is not just for fairy tales. I brought out a large picture of Cinderella and some markers, and let her color away while I had my back turned. We showed the picture around and then I did the reveal to show that my daughter had colored her Cinderella exactly the same. As the applause died down, I asked everyone to stand, I raised my glass, and toasted to the bride and groom and their 'happily ever after'.
My setup:
I use a nice cherry wood color table (it folds up somewhat) with a black mat on top. I have a whiteboard with a wooden frame that matches the table color. I have this propped on a chair (my next purchase should be an easel of some sort). For this show, I have no need for a case.
The room was standard U shaped with Dance floor in the middle, however, they had the DJ’s setup at the end of the U, so essentially I was in a square. I had to put the table and chair in front of the DJ, and mostly performed towards the head table in front of me, but essentially I was performing nearly in the round. I came an hour early to set up my sound (used their house sound system – need to buy my own!).
Magnets stick to my white board, so I start with the jumbo cards clipped onto the whiteboard (Which frames them nicely). This allowed me to pick up the board and display it all around to those who couldn’t see it. This worked very well for the effect. After the cards were revealed, I put the Jumbo cards on the chair with their clips.
For the second effect, I had a deck of cards in my inner jacket pocket, and a sharpie in my front pocket. This sharpie would be returned to my front right pocket. There was the toy can of corn in my front left pocket.
For the final effect, on the table, I had some markers on the close up mat, and the picture and the prediction envelope underneath the close up mat to keep them out of sight. This turned out to be not the best idea, as the mat got flipped all funny, and I was trying to straighten it while pulling out the prediction and leaving the picture there, while trying not to lose the markers onto the floor. Note to self: try something different. When I revealed the Cinderella picture, I took another metal clip, and put it on the Whiteboard which framed it nicely. It also allowed the Bride to hold onto it while she colored. Once she was done, I had the groom open the top of the prediction envelope, I took it back and held the two pictures side by side as I did the reveal. Then after the applause began to die down, I had everyone stand for the final toast.
Table magic:
With regards to the walk around, I did my usual 2 sets, and only ran into some issue once the DJ started his music. It was really loud, and really close to some of the tables. I needed to be quite loud to be heard. Fortunately that was only for the last hour. I did 3.5 hours of walk around, which allowed me to hit tables twice, which was nice. As a result, I had four sets prepared.
One thing I have overlooked in the past that I made some adjustments, is when asked to perform during a cocktail hour (when guests are just arriving), this time, I had a set that was a tad shorter, that I could use for a table that was partly full. After which I would say that I would be back throughout the night with more. Then during the wait for dinner, they got to see the normal set. I have been to an event where I had two sets, then did set 1 for half full tables, then as the place was filled, I was going around trying to keep tabs of who saw what set, and it was tricky, and many people saw my set twice. So having that extra ‘warm up’ set worked really well (this was the second time I have done that). Of course being able to do this depends on how long you have been booked by the client – in this case I had time. My last gig, people arrived over the course of 30 minutes, and I was only booked for 1.5 hours before dinner. So to get to each table, I had to just start with the partially filled tables. It’s an important thing to consider when talking to clients, and they only want to book you for an hour, try to have the start time about 15-30 minutes after the guests arrive so that people are settled. Otherwise people are coming in, taking off their coats, trying to say ‘Hi’, etc, during your set. If you have a quick warm up set, or begin performing 15-30 minutes in, that should help.
This morning I received a money transfer from them for $100. They thanked me again, and said their guests really enjoyed the magic.
So I’m really sorry if that all came across as cocky or as a know it all. That really isn’t my intention. I know my show isn’t anywhere near perfect, but it always helps for me to recap. It was pretty minor things and more stage blocking that I had most issues with. Some things were not ideal because of the layout, and most of my own criticisms are in that area. I hope it’s helpful to someone, as it is helpful for me to write it all out. Have fantastic New Year!
