Talent Show

So my college is having a talent show so I'm thinking on trying out if I don't have anything going on the day of the show. Now auditions are next tuesday so I'm trying to decide what I should perform. They just announced the show today so I do not know how much time I have to perform yet.

I'm thinking of opening with either Dresscode or the "Arm test" routine

Here are the ideas I am messing with

Toilet Paper Balls over the head
Fiber Optics
Comedy Rope Escape
French Kiss (with the cards selected both being aces or spot cards)
Invisible Deck (with this one I would really play it up, have the deck mailed to the school in a sealed envelope until the show, use multiple spectators to decide on a color, a suit, even or odd, and then finally a number... stuff like that)
Bill in Kiwi
Thread maybe?
Vanishing Bandanna?

What are your thoughts. I don't know the venue so I have no idea the size of the audience. Once I get more info I will post more.
 
That's cool. Good luck on it if you're able to try out.

Dresscode could be a good opener or closer. If you close with it you could always switch your shirt to saying something like "Thank You!" or something like that (I don't know, I'm drawing a blank on good ending lines :p).

By "Toilet Paper Balls Over the Head" I assume you mean the funny trick where you reveal the trick to the audience but the person on stage? If so, then that's always a good routine to do. Funny and easy to do.

I like the Invisible Deck idea too. That's always a good effect. I've always thought that ID would be hard on stage (but that's because I've never seen it preformed on stage) but still a great effect if pulled off correctly.

Thread would be a good one too. Only trouble with that is that it can be hard finding a good stage application for it (I've just only ever seen it preformed for close-up is all).

I don't know, those are just some quick thoughts of mine. I'm sure others will be much more helpful with it though. Good luck again though :)
 
Mar 27, 2010
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Think really hard about dresscode, i think is not the best closer if you have something stronger (like the invisible deck)
Toilet paper balls over the head, if you have not study it directly from the books of slydini, please dont do it
Comedy rope scape seems nice
French kiss is always good
for me, thread is 100% close up, so skip it
 
I don't think you should close with Dresscode. Great effect, just not a closing effect.

If you do Thread on stage, make sure you have a spectator up there with you watching it. If the audience can't see the thread that well, they can still see the spectator's reaction which will be good enough. I believe that is how Wayne Houchin does it when he does it on stage. Make sure to choose someone who looks like they are easy to gross out - but not too squeamish (just a little).

Out of the effets you mentioned, Bill in Kiwi would be a great closer - especially if you introduce the kiwi in the beginning of your act, or perhaps have it hanging inside a box just a little off stage, and then call attention to it a couple times, then at the end do the bill vanishing into the kiwi which has been in full view the whole act. It will give your routine a "completed" feeling by coming full circle. And it's a transposition effect. I forgot who said it, but they noted that almost every great magic act ends with a transposition because the effect is so strong (look at Copperfield, or Mac King, or countless others).

Another good type of closer is a Prediction effect, but that might not fit your act. I think Bill in Kiwi sounds awesome
 
Hey guys thanks for your replies! I actually said I would use Dresscode as an opener so I'm not quite sure where people thought I said closer haha

At this moment I think I may do this. Start out with the arm test as a sort of "group IQ test" after that call a girl up on stage and perform French Kiss. After that I would pull out a sealed envelope that was on stage the entire time or have it handed to me by someone from the school. I would then pull out my sponge brick and have several different people selected (first person names a color, next a suit, next even or odd, then finally a specific number) the last person I would have come up on stage and verify that the envelope is sealed and have them open it. they would hand me whats inside (Invisible Deck) and then I would reveal the card


As of now this is one possible set list

Sebas - for thread I was planning on doing it like rep mentioned. as for paper balls over the head, I would be doing the Greg Wilson version

Thanks! Let me know if anyone has any other ideas
 
I think they got the Dresscode/closer idea from me :p I know you said opener, I was just saying you could as a closer to since I wasn't able to envision a opening trick with it is all. Sorry about that.

As for the set, I think that actually sounds like a really nice one.

As for Thread, I get it now. I thought you were talking about IV instead of Thread by W:H. That actually would be a really good trick, though I don't know how well it'd fit in there with the Arm Test, ID, and French Kiss if you decided to stick it in there (that's assuming you use that set). Great piece of shock magic though.
 
Sep 1, 2007
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For the love of Christ, will you people stop trying to do Thread on stage for an audience that has not specifically paid for shock effects?! I'm not asking a lot here. Just for you to realize that just because Wayne Houchin made it doesn't mean you should do it.

That said, the Marvin Gaye joke is a bit cliche for my liking. Every douchebag has done a joke like that.

You still have said nothing about the time you have or the nature of the venue, so I'm going to suggest you strip it down to one effect and one effect only: the Invisible Deck. It can be done in close-up, stage, or parlor settings, is not very difficult to draw out if you have to, and is dead simple for the audience to understand.

Now the question becomes how you want to present it. Mental magic? Traditional card magic? Synchronicity? Give me something to go on here.

Of course, all this is assuming that you can actually find the proper time to rehearse. If you can't devote enough rehearsal time, don't do it at all.
 
For the love of Christ, will you people stop trying to do Thread on stage for an audience that has not specifically paid for shock effects?! I'm not asking a lot here. Just for you to realize that just because Wayne Houchin made it doesn't mean you should do it.

That said, the Marvin Gaye joke is a bit cliche for my liking. Every douchebag has done a joke like that.

You still have said nothing about the time you have or the nature of the venue, so I'm going to suggest you strip it down to one effect and one effect only: the Invisible Deck. It can be done in close-up, stage, or parlor settings, is not very difficult to draw out if you have to, and is dead simple for the audience to understand.

Now the question becomes how you want to present it. Mental magic? Traditional card magic? Synchronicity? Give me something to go on here.

Of course, all this is assuming that you can actually find the proper time to rehearse. If you can't devote enough rehearsal time, don't do it at all.

Thread was just a suggestion, and I decided not to do it.
From what I have found out, which is not a lot, I will be in the schools auditorium. I do not have any idea how long I have to perform or how many people will be there. I wanted to come up with a long routine so that I can take bits and pieces from it depending on how long I am allowed.

I plan on presenting the ID as a prediction/mentalism effect, with some humor tossed in (I'm not doing what hes doing, but look up James Galea's presentation of this)

Practicing is not an issue. I wouldn't try out if I didn't have time to practice. I have done paid gigs in the past, so this is not my first time performing for a large audience. The effects I had listed are all effects I have been practicing and rehearsing for a while
 
Sep 1, 2007
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Thread was just a suggestion, and I decided not to do it.

I know, but it needed to be said. I'm so ****ing sick of hearing Thread recommended at the drop of a hat by YouNoobs who have never performed for a real audience in their lives.

I wanted to come up with a long routine so that I can take bits and pieces from it depending on how long I am allowed.

Or just do one thing like I suggested so that the time issue becomes less of a problem. Since when is it not good enough to just do one thing really well?

I plan on presenting the ID as a prediction/mentalism effect, with some humor tossed in (I'm not doing what hes doing, but look up James Galea's presentation of this)

If you're going that route, then I really recommend that you only do the ID. Attempting to mix magic and mentalism in the same routine is a sure sign of an amateur.

That's what I figured. Now all you need to do is pick out the perfect snippet of the song and get a very attractive girl on stage and you're golden ;)

I'm of the opinion that those jokes are only funny when the audience makes them. When the performer tells them... not so much.
 
I know, but it needed to be said. I'm so ****ing sick of hearing Thread recommended at the drop of a hat by YouNoobs who have never performed for a real audience in their lives.



Or just do one thing like I suggested so that the time issue becomes less of a problem. Since when is it not good enough to just do one thing really well?



If you're going that route, then I really recommend that you only do the ID. Attempting to mix magic and mentalism in the same routine is a sure sign of an amateur.



I'm of the opinion that those jokes are only funny when the audience makes them. When the performer tells them... not so much.

I do respect your opinion, however I would like to point out that I am not an amateur. This is not my first show, I have done multiple paid gigs. I have mixed mentalism and magic before and it got great responses. I wanted to do a full routine, rather than just one effect so that way I could show the audience that I am not a one trick pony. I do appreciate you taking the time to answer this thread though. I just think we have SLIGHTLY different views on some of the things posted

Thanks again =]
 
Sep 1, 2007
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I do respect your opinion, however I would like to point out that I am not an amateur. This is not my first show, I have done multiple paid gigs. I have mixed mentalism and magic before and it got great responses.

Correction: you did mental magic mixed in with not-mental magic. Mentalism is performed differently from magic. Mixing the two is only going to weaken the show.

I wanted to do a full routine, rather than just one effect so that way I could show the audience that I am not a one trick pony.

Nothing wrong with being a one-trick pony if you do your trick well. Keep in mind that Uri Geller made his entire career doing almost nothing but bending things. And this is probably why you mix magic and mentalism: you're trying unnecessarily to show the audience how much you can do. You're trying to super size it.

And that's also why I don't think you're doing mentalism, but mental magic. Mentalists never mix concepts in a show. A mind reader doing a Q&A act is not going to bend metal to sweeten the deal. They don't have to. You want to show the audience how versatile you are? Juggle. Maybe do a little dance number too.
 
Mar 6, 2008
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A Land Down Under
Gellar did a lot more than just bend stuff. But I agree mixing concepts can be dangerous but it can also work very well if done in the right way ie. Banachek. But that in itself is the concept of Banachek's work.
 
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