Stage Magic Suggestions

[ChrisCardMagica]

So in the end of this year I have a talent show coming up! I'm really considering to enter , but I have one flaw. I don't know any stage magic or ever performed some. I'm more of close-up magic type. If the school were to use live video footage I would have considered card magic or something in that line.

So I am asking someone on this thread to expose me or help me learn some stage magic. Mentalism is also a great option. If there is built props involve , it shouldn't exceed $ 150. I live here in South Africa nothing ain't cheap especially if I have to import some stuff from you peoples in USA.

Thanks in advance , hope there is something!

 

[Craig Browning]

Firstly, you probably know more than you think. . . routines like the Professor's Nightmare and basic Torn & Restored Napkin bits are usually covered in most Magic 101 books and so if you started off with the Wilson or Tarbell courses you are well on your way, you just need to round things out. . . If however, you have not completed either of those courses, I don't recommend you enter a TALENT contest in that they do require someone that has some skills; the more skill and solid work you can convey, the higher your chances at placing (and when it comes to magic and talent shows "placing" is about as good as it gets, we rarely ever win such things because of how the laity looks at magic).

The other thing you need to consider is TIME. . . when is the competition?

If you have a bunch of new material to learn you need at least 12+ weeks to become reasonably adept with it, you will still have a good 1,000 run throughs of said material before it begins to smooth out PROVIDED you either have a couple of good coaches or you have a very good critical eye and the willingness to be hard on yourself (honest) when it comes to slop and making improvements, this is something few magicians (aspiring entertainers) are good at in that we "blink" and misremember things. That's why I believe in video & mirrors from several angles . . . if you were to visit the Copperfield warehouse you would find massive 14 ft. tall mirrors that create a rehearsal room so he & his techies can judge line of sight and other issues when developing a new piece; if he has to do this I'm pretty confident we should be doing it too, don't you?

What I'd recommend is that you pass on this season's competition and plan for what's coming up in the spring, give yourself the time for focus on a proper set then focus on writing it out in a way that makes sense. It's not as simple as doing a bunch of effects you like but more of doing the kinds of effects that FIT the theme and feel of your program as well as the brief amount of time most talent shows allow (usually less than 10 minutes -- plan on 8 maximum). I would select one genre so you can get the most time out of it. For instance, rope magic or a chop cup routine (Paul Daniel got a standing ovation doing the Chop Cup when filling in for Siegfried & Roy one year. . . he was on the biggest stage in Las Vegas and wowed audiences nightly with this one effect -- THAT'S TALENT!)

Even if you only do 6 Card Repeat (look up Pop Hayden's routine at Youtube) you will be able to gain a stronger advantage than if you try doing too much and bounce from one thing to the next.

 

[ChrisCardMagica]

Well to get it straight I wanted to submit a audition for the Show , but I decided against it , because I wasn't ready. The Talent show is next week (the one I decided to skip.) This is why I decided to begin working on a routine for this time next year.

This courses you mentioned , is it do-able here in my country or is it electronic, books? I am also trying to widen my knowledge of magic. Time isn't a problem.The effect is. Been practicing magic for 2.5 years , only 16 so I'm not familiar with these courses, or people. Would most certainly watch reseach them!

But thank's so far! I am already a step further from where I was, and would appreciate more

 

[c.t]

im either going to be praised for this or judged for a fool but about 3 or 4 months ago a talent comp came up at my youth group and me and my other magician friend decided to enter, now heres the fun part, we had two weeks to get a trick/routine together and perfect it, both of us are street magicians with little knowledge about actual stage tricks but i had a trick in mind that i had seen on penn and teller fool us, that required me to ductape my friends entire head and then get s spectator to sign a card and have the card appear in his mouth. we also didnt go to the same school which made practise tough, we worked i think 4 to 5 hours (which is not near enough might i add) over skype after school, so when the night eventually came around to perform, the asshat called in sick but our names were down to perform. so what ended up happening is i got one of my friends with no knowledge about magic, asked him to do it with me, quickly explained what we were doing got up there and completely fluked the whole thing, it went perfectly and we won out of 50 or so participants, point im trying to say is the audience hears the word magician and theyre captivated, a half decent performance is better than most singers purely due to the fact that magic is still a rare thing to most people, best advice i can give, be funny, keep it real dont be fake on stage, improvise if you bugger up and do NOT do what i did and chance the whole thing, looking back at it i was the biggest idiot for doing it but hey we still won, practise for ages, hope that helped

 

[Craig Browning]

im either going to be praised for this or judged for a fool but about 3 or 4 months ago a talent comp came up at my youth group and me and my other magician friend decided to enter, now heres the fun part, we had two weeks to get a trick/routine together and perfect it, both of us are street magicians with little knowledge about actual stage tricks but i had a trick in mind that i had seen on penn and teller fool us, that required me to ductape my friends entire head and then get s spectator to sign a card and have the card appear in his mouth. we also didnt go to the same school which made practise tough, we worked i think 4 to 5 hours (which is not near enough might i add) over skype after school, so when the night eventually came around to perform, the asshat called in sick but our names were down to perform. so what ended up happening is i got one of my friends with no knowledge about magic, asked him to do it with me, quickly explained what we were doing got up there and completely fluked the whole thing, it went perfectly and we won out of 50 or so participants, point im trying to say is the audience hears the word magician and theyre captivated, a half decent performance is better than most singers purely due to the fact that magic is still a rare thing to most people, best advice i can give, be funny, keep it real dont be fake on stage, improvise if you bugger up and do NOT do what i did and chance the whole thing, looking back at it i was the biggest idiot for doing it but hey we still won, practise for ages, hope that helped

KUDOS but I think you also learned some lessons in this -- you have to plan for success.

The Mark Wilson Course can be found here and the Tarbell Course here or here (depending on which version is easiest for you to access). I do believe both courses have been translated into other languages if that would be of benefit to you it may be worth looking into.

While the Wilson course is far easier to learn from the Tarbell course will give you a much wider range of information. I personally feel that both should be on a serious student's book shelf.

You will also need a place to purchase "stock" props and apparatus; I would suggest you deal with companies that have been around for a good long time such as Abbott's Magic or Stevens in that they are both, reputable and generally keep an inventory of the basic tools you will need, something many on-line shops forget to do. Either of these companies ship world wide but like I said, you may want to find shops closer to you due to shipping costs.

The other thing to save money for would be Magic Conventions and I'm certain you can find them in your region as well. Go to the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) web site and contact them, they will put you in touch with the area contacts that can help you out.

Best of luck!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Playing to a larger audience doesn't necessarily mean that you have to have bigger props. A couple years ago I did a show with a friend of mine. It's for a theater that seats around 350, I think the night I did it we had around 200-250. There were four acts (20 min, 20 min, 20 min, 45 min). Their acts all took up significant amount of the stage, mine didn't even fill up a small 'craft table' from Target (about 30 inches by 36 inches).

It's about making the effect bigger to the audience. Involving spectators is a way to make that happen. The people who can't see exactly what's happening can see how the people on the stage are reacting and that translates to them as well.

 

[ChrisCardMagica]

Thanks a lot you guys! Really appreciate it!

It's true what c.t said that the audience is'nt really familiar with magic. If I am to perform next year , I will be the first magician to perform in the show!

One problem I do have is , I'm limited to 2.5 min to perform :O
I am really searching for something that short , but captivating!

Another question , how do you feel about Dresscode from Calen Morelli, in this sort of situation?

 

[Craig Browning]

A lot of people have used Dresscode in talent shows, it is usually well received.

2.5 minutes is exceptionally short so you will need to grab their attention hard & fast. You may want to look into doing an old styled "Flash Opener" in which you fill the stage in roughly 2 minutes time. It can get expensive, depending on what you use (feather flowers, as an example, are over $300.00 for a mediocre bouquet now days, let alone the Giant Bouquets of yesteryear fame).

By going semi-nostalgic though, you can get away with some impressive bits of business (that I'd rather not discuss in the forum too much). . . I do however, know of methods that would allow you to produce a car or motorcycle, make a near instant vanish from the stage to the back of the room, etc. eMail me and we can discuss these potentials.