Question on grand illusions

Mar 15, 2018
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Does anyone know of any good books or dvds on stage magic or grand illusions? I plan on starting a stage routine to switch things up from my closeup act. Thank you in advance.
 
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Mar 4, 2018
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Before you buy anything, buy So You Want To Be An Illusionist by David Seebach. You can find the book for around $20 and I know Penguin used to have it available. If you are anywhere near the Milwaukee area you can probably purchase it off of him in person at one of his lectures too. The reason you want to buy that first is because he gives advice for anyone starting out in grand illusions with little to no experience. People will recommend the usual Wilson, Osborne, and Steinmeyer illusions but typically you want to have experience with building illusions before you dive in. Making mistakes in this field can be very costly and you want to make sure you not only pick the right illusions for your show but have the skill or budget to produce them.

The other book I recommend is How To Be An Illusionist by JC Sum. This one is a bit more expensive at $75 but it covers a larger variety of subjects and has a lot more content where as Seebach's books is basically his collected lecture notes. Save yourself the stress and budget by buying these two books first before you do anything because you will have a much better understanding of what is required for you to pursue this field.

In my personal experience with grand illusion you need to rewrite the book of what you know with close up magic for getting into grand illusion stage magic. It's no longer a one man show but a team effort and you need to be able to put together the best team you can. It's significantly more expensive to budget than a close up show. Also you will not have the intimacy with an audience that you do with a close up audience. You won't be able to really hone in on any specific people's reactions to your magic and instead will have to gain energy from hearing there awe, laughter, or any response as a collective. You will need to be able to have the transportation for props, the storage for it, and the technical crew to operate most of it. The way you market yourself will also have to change.

I can't recommend it enough though. A lot of people have abandoned the interest in grand illusion since close up magic is more readily accessible and magic trailers look way sexier. But grand illusion still has its perks once you get the knack for it. I wish you the best of luck.
 
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