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I agree with this. Cups & Balls is great because even inexpensive, off-brand resources will often have a technique or two that someone else might have missed. At least watch, learn, and get a feel for Vernon's routine. This can be found in The "Cups and Balls Booklet" with a $5 suggested...

Some thoughts on music. I once rehearsed an act hard to someone else's music. When it came time to perform it, I had no patter but a lot of rhythm. So I said nothing and performed in some sort of choreographed silence. Everyone said it needed music. In a similar vein, Troma Films reportedly...

Aced. I'm going to tell you something that's a thousand times easier said than done, but it's the best advice I can offer from having been there. I have been there and worse, in many cases. So the easier said than done advice: Rehearse being a social human. See if you can find other...

I'll reiterate some things: Social anxiety is a real thing. I've been placed on anxiety medication. It was never as bad as Craig Browning's, but it's not an entirely great feeling either. From that perspective: Learn to perform. Perform anything you can. Some of my first "gigs"...

My school encourages asking for things in ways that inspire new, odd answers and sometimes even being picky about not using the same answers repeatedly. Many of troupes openly complement the suggestion while saying "we've done that too recently." ie, we're doing you a favor. Anyway, back on...

Steerpike, I'm mostly agreeing with you. My only disagreement is in the sour mood toward a different performing style. I don't like to see it from talented people like John Rhys-Davies (assuming he meant disdain in his statement). It's a tool that I have seen come in very useful in both my...

I've spent today arranging rehearsal space and a common schedule for an improv troupe. My current class will be playing on stage tomorrow night as well. I do perform, if very irregularly, a parlor-sized act in the real world. So, I hope to weigh the pros and cons of improv from the middle...

This made my day to read. I do the same thing, by the way. I dug up an out-of-the-way card effect that forces spectator involvement and a lot of on-the-fly storytelling from my end. It's not the strongest thing I perform, but it's a chance to try giving an audience member some sort of...

I'm going to agree. I've got another (non-paid) gig in a week, then every Saturday in June, but it's still a hobby. It's still fun and theater. I found a middle ground with props. I perform cups and balls with an odd magic wand found on ebay, which matches the colors of my wood & slate...

Alright. Good ideas first: 1: If you genuinely want to do this, and see it fitting your performance, then awesome. I may be going against the grain with this, but I'd much rather see a card guy tinker to find his own thing than a card guy with an encyclopedic memory of subtle variants. In...

My job is web programmer. Not so much in design these days as having fun programming again. I've been getting involved with improv a lot, which in turn is pushing me to do more magic. It's all coming together under "performing," and having a larger set of tools to perform with. One...

Okay, I did a little more investigating. .tk addresses do apparently get blocked by some service providers. It doesn't seem to be as severe as it was three years ago, but it's still an issue. Arman is also using a very unorthodox webhosting solution. That may also be causing some problems...

This is my job, although these days I have better skills programming behind-the-scenes stuff than designing the visuals. I'm feeling sick right now, and apologize if any humor doesn't get proofread out. Just know that I already think you did great and now I'm looking for smaller details to help...

If you'll forgive me: Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films, 410 F. 3d 792 - Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit 2005 disagrees. The important part is what caused this lawsuit. From any other story about the lawsuit: There was also the Vanilla Ice vs Queen & David Bowie deal. Vanilla...

I've had similar finds, although not with that big of a backlog from the 60s. I agree that there are a lot of gems to be found, especially when you find those so inexpensively. Congrats.

As an adult, almost every performer I know still has a day job. Be ready to do both. If you are passionate about magic then stick with it. Just be ready to have one way to support yourself while you have the magic to chase after. Even some of my "recognized" performing friends, across all...

There is a "Gummy Bears" deck still floating around Amazon. There is even a Halloween themed deck by Kipling West. Themed decks and parody decks are so common lately that a classic Rider-Waite (Smith) feels hard to find. Decorations and activities. Wow. I mean, I buy my housewares during...

I believe Snitches Get Stitches is sold out. I really admire his work but never actually bought that one. Snitches Get Stitches was something he sold as a souvenir to people who attended his shows a while back. While you're missing out on a Dan Sperry video and probably some interesting...

Most free music still requires you to give attribution: usually the artist's name and hopefully a link back to them. http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ -- Incompetech is usually your best bet. You can even search by the "mood" you're looking to build on. The site also has a good...

Thank you Craig and KeoSilver. To be fair, I was called into those meetings for glossing over big story elements. They grilled me hard, in a way I'll never be able to repay them for. Best boss ever. Horror is something I have been passionate about just about my entire life. Bringing...