magic castle audition help

[anikrahman]

Hi, I am 17 years old and I am planning on audition for the magic castle in this coming September. I ave read other threads, bu I still have a few questions.
1. When you sign up, do you have to say whether you are going to be a close -up magician or a stage magician?
2. Whats the difference between choosing which one you are?
3. I am thinking of doing torn and restored transpo by David Williamson and then doing a David Blaine card trick in which a spectator counts 10 cards, and then put it against their heart and it becomes 13 cards. Please let me know what you guys think of these tricks.
Thank you (this is for the junior program by the way)

 

[Ejwhite25]

Those effects are very strong , but dont focus on just the technical part of them , the presentation is what they will notice

 

[anikrahman]

Those effects are very strong , but dont focus on just the technical part of them , the presentation is what they will notice

Thanks a lot. Ill work on it. What do you suggest I do for the patter for these tricks?

 

[Ejwhite25]

Thanks a lot. Ill work on it. What do you suggest I do for the patter for these tricks?

Go with the regular patter they give you in the teaching of the effects , ive done both of theese effects , and both are very strong with the right patter

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

If you are going to use those particular effects (and actually, I guess this goes for anything you present at the Magic Castle, or anywhere else) I would recommend trying to come up with something very entertaining, some creative story that you make up that is fun or fascinating and intriguing. You could talk about how you ran into Harry Potter or Dumbledore last time you were in Diagonally - just use your wildest imagination. Many possibilities. What they will appreciate most is not the effect itself, which of course must still be done cleanly and smoothly, but the creativity and uniqueness you put into it versus copying someone else. On the technical side, I would practice like an obsessed maniac; do the routines from start to finish, over and over and over. Video yourself repeatedly with an iPhone or whatever, making sure to use the patter and/or script you are going to go with; watch your performance, identify the strong and especially weak points, then video again and keep repeating the process. Also, get a trusted friend or family member to observe you perform and to give you feedback. They will see what you won't...Just my 2 cents (well, maybe 4, LOL)

 

[anikrahman]

If you are going to use those particular effects (and actually, I guess this goes for anything you present at the Magic Castle, or anywhere else) I would recommend trying to come up with something very entertaining, some creative story that you make up that is fun or fascinating and intriguing. You could talk about how you ran into Harry Potter or Dumbledore last time you were in Diagonally - just use your wildest imagination. Many possibilities. What they will appreciate most is not the effect itself, which of course must still be done cleanly and smoothly, but the creativity and uniqueness you put into it versus copying someone else. On the technical side, I would practice like an obsessed maniac; do the routines from start to finish, over and over and over. Video yourself repeatedly with an iPhone or whatever, making sure to use the patter and/or script you are going to go with; watch your performance, identify the strong and especially weak points, then video again and keep repeating the process. Also, get a trusted friend or family member to observe you perform and to give you feedback. They will see what you won't...Just my 2 cents (well, maybe 4, LOL)

Thanks for the advice. Ill try to find my own story to use during these effects. Ill be sure to practice like this too. Do you think I should include some comedy into my act as well?

 

[Maaz Hasan]

If you are going to use those particular effects (and actually, I guess this goes for anything you present at the Magic Castle, or anywhere else) I would recommend trying to come up with something very entertaining, some creative story that you make up that is fun or fascinating and intriguing. You could talk about how you ran into Harry Potter or Dumbledore last time you were in Diagonally - just use your wildest imagination. Many possibilities. What they will appreciate most is not the effect itself, which of course must still be done cleanly and smoothly, but the creativity and uniqueness you put into it versus copying someone else. On the technical side, I would practice like an obsessed maniac; do the routines from start to finish, over and over and over. Video yourself repeatedly with an iPhone or whatever, making sure to use the patter and/or script you are going to go with; watch your performance, identify the strong and especially weak points, then video again and keep repeating the process. Also, get a trusted friend or family member to observe you perform and to give you feedback. They will see what you won't...Just my 2 cents (well, maybe 4, LOL)

I agree. Make it your own style. Otherwise, its just a trick, not a performance.

Btw, I like how "Diagon Ally" auto-corrected to "Diagonally". J.K. Rowling didn't put much effort into that, did she? Lol

 

[Maaz Hasan]

Thanks for the advice. Ill try to find my own story to use during these effects. Ill be sure to practice like this too. Do you think I should include some comedy into my act as well?

If your act or style is comedic than of course. If it is Super Serious, you don't want to confuse the audience. However, like most people, it is probably somewhere in between, so a couple jokes aren't hurting anyone.

 

[Al e Cat Dabra]

@anikrahman wrote: "Thanks for the advice. Ill try to find my own story to use during these effects. Ill be sure to practice like this too. Do you think I should include some comedy into my act as well?"

You are most welcome. I am glad you are open-minded enough to take this advice. I promise you it will serve you well! As for the comedy, I agree with what Matt said. Personally, I use a lot of comedy. That's just the style I was drawn to and it works well for me. People love to laugh - no matter who they are, and I love to make them laugh just as much if not more than I enjoy astonishing them. It helps relax them, diverts them from being too analytical, and helps get them on your side. Just be careful not to use lines and jokes by themselves in a vacuum, without you doing something to accompany them, whether it be a move, a shuffle, a flourish, whatever, and try to match up your funny lines so they make sense with what you are doing at the time as you deliver the line. As for the dedicated and repetitive practice with the videos and in front of people, it will really build your confidence, which is very important.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

@anikrahman wrote: "Thanks for the advice. Ill try to find my own story to use during these effects. Ill be sure to practice like this too. Do you think I should include some comedy into my act as well?"

You are most welcome. I am glad you are open-minded enough to take this advice. I promise you it will serve you well! As for the comedy, I agree with what Matt said. Personally, I use a lot of comedy. That's just the style I was drawn to and it works well for me. People love to laugh - no matter who they are, and I love to make them laugh just as much if not more than I enjoy astonishing them. It helps relax them, diverts them from being too analytical, and helps get them on your side. Just be careful not to use lines and jokes by themselves in a vacuum, without you doing something to accompany them, whether it be a move, a shuffle, a flourish, whatever, and try to match up your funny lines so they make sense with what you are doing at the time as you deliver the line. As for the dedicated and repetitive practice with the videos and in front of people, it will really build your confidence, which is very important.

Lol, you could've just pushed reply

Anyways, just to build off of what you are saying, there are only a few people in the world who can pull off a super serious, no expression, and no comedy routine. I can't name anyone besides David Blaine. Maybe Shin Lim I guess, but his routine is a different thing in and of itself.