Ways for starting a magic show? Need Help Please!

[Magicator]

Hello users of theory11!

I was looking for some advice on starting a magic show. When I show magic, I usually just show a magic trick or two to some spectators at work now days. All's I do is perform for friends now days. Not really to sure what to do when it comes to just going up to a random person and show them some stuff. I get so nervous, when I'm about to and I get real shakie. I understand it's a normal thing, however, lol I don't get to do this as often as I would like to.

But I will have an opportunity to go to a recreationa center, get approved to go on their little stage and host a magic show. However, I had to get new material. I did perform for my college, but the props were left at home and I am not at the convience to get them back for a while. I've been looking for new material anyway. Of course, after much practice like I have been doing, here are some materials I've been wanting to use.

• Haunted 2.0
• Rubrix's Nightmare
• Blank Night
• blade through arm w/ blood
• Jeff McBride's Card Manipulation
• Mentalism

And as well as many card tricks. Like on the show Penn and Teller fool us where Shawn Farquahr does his card trick, I have a version of my own.

I know more close up than stage magic I believe. I'm trying to figure out which of the best tricks I like the best to put on a show for, but I don't know how long a magic how can and/or should be and what tricks to perform?

So far, I'm really enjoying performing, Haunted 2.0, Rubrix'w NIghtmare, and Blank night. Well, when I practice in my room since these tricks are still fairly new to me. Please, any suggestions or comments relating to this is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

When you say hosting a magic show, are you referring to doing MC work for other people doing their shows, or do you mean doing a show yourself? Big difference there.

Right now, you have a jumble of tricks with no connection. In all honesty, I don't think you're ready to get up on stage and do a show yourself. You simply haven't had enough experience performing, and you don't have a show. If you think you're nervous when trying to perform for two or three people, imagine getting on stage in front of 50 or a hundred.

 

[AndyW]

If you are a Genii member, Tom Stone wrote a column in Genii for the whole year of 2010 about planning a magic show. The first column about "planning a show" is in the February 2010 issue of Genii. Tom's column is called Lodestones, and the first article about this topic is titled "The Big Risk."

 

[Magicator]

I've performed on stage before. The feeling for me is for some reason much different than it is when I have 3 to 5 people around me. I think it's because of how close they are. I don't know. But, I have performed on stage twice. However, I still don't have a grasp of how to plan a show really. I mean performing a show myself. Yes, I have a bunch a tricks with no real connection, but I can make one. Usually, if possible, with the exception of stand-up comedy, I really want to perform on stage with background music playing while I show my audience my show without having to say to much. I find I would be able to connect with the audience better this way.

I'm not a Genii member, however, I will look into it. Thank you! And of course, I'm still searching for material I can use to be able to create a show on stage.

 

[Steerpike]

However, I still don't have a grasp of how to plan a show really. I mean performing a show myself. Yes, I have a bunch a tricks with no real connection, but I can make one.

Lesson number one: never accept a show unless you already have an act ready to go.

That said, I can't recommend anything because I don't know you from Adam. I know nothing about what you're like as a person, exactly how much experience you have, what persona you use on stage, or what your passions outside of magic are. If I had even a paragraph fleshing out just 2 of those things, I could at least try to work with that. But as it is, you're just a blank slate. Anything I tell you to do would be generic, no personal touch, boilerplate and so homogenized as to elicit little reaction beyond perfunctory applause. You know, boring crap.

 

[Magicator]

Lesson number one: never accept a show unless you already have an act ready to go.

That said, I can't recommend anything because I don't know you from Adam. I know nothing about what you're like as a person, exactly how much experience you have, what persona you use on stage, or what your passions outside of magic are. If I had even a paragraph fleshing out just 2 of those things, I could at least try to work with that. But as it is, you're just a blank slate. Anything I tell you to do would be generic, no personal touch, boilerplate and so homogenized as to elicit little reaction beyond perfunctory applause. You know, boring crap.

lol Well, let's see if this would help. I'll try to explain as much as I can in as little as possible. With experience... I have had stage experience through out high school for about 3 of the 4 years. 2 years in singing in choir, 2 years dancing and singing in show choir, I have had minor roles and only a coulple major rolls in fall theatre plays and musicals. Even before my high school years, since I was about 8, I have been interested in magic. As time goes on, I become more passionate in magic. However, I have had no real help from anyone except my own. Mainly, through out high school I have performed mostly card magic. They were usually some basic ones, like the basic color change then I would just go into a (pick a card, and I find the card) trick. I have been more interested in cards back in the day and still is. During a play in high school, I have performed a 3 to 5 min show because it was intermission between plays, so I was the entertainer. All's I did were some D-lights, had a 25ft streamer come out of my mouth, then go into my final trick of taking an empty brown grocery bag and out comes several see through boxes with flowers in them. What happens is when performing, I like to wear a mask at first and have music play through out. Halfway I take the mask off revealing myself and continue the performance. The overall performance I felt to be performed way to fast.

I have performed for my college at a talent show. Using the same routine. I managed to slow down a bit, but I feel like something is missing. Came in third place on that one. Through out my two years of college, I would randomly go to people I usually know first and just perform a couple tricks. Some card tricks, I would perform "Control" a couple times and get great reactions.

The way I want people to percieve me as, is basically, kinda like Dan Sperry. But, I want to let off a bit of scary, creepy, and yet fun to watch. Somewhere in the field of the supernatural. Not only is that the reason for getting haunted 2.0, I aslo have extra thread as well as loops. The knife I literally just recieved so I could include in an act. Not sure how to make it my own just yet. Watching other magicians perform it. Like Barry and Stuart. At the moment I am a Marine living on Base and military personal are all around me, so, lol performing control could be quit difficult to perform. But, I aslo have plenty of time to be working on an act I can have ready to go.

I hope this helps.

 

[Steerpike]

The way I want people to percieve me as, is basically, kinda like Dan Sperry. But, I want to let off a bit of scary, creepy, and yet fun to watch. Somewhere in the field of the supernatural. Not only is that the reason for getting haunted 2.0, I aslo have extra thread as well as loops. The knife I literally just recieved so I could include in an act. Not sure how to make it my own just yet. Watching other magicians perform it. Like Barry and Stuart. At the moment I am a Marine living on Base and military personal are all around me, so, lol performing control could be quit difficult to perform. But, I aslo have plenty of time to be working on an act I can have ready to go.

First, it's a relief to find someone with actual theatrical experience. I have a hunch that no less than 75% of the people I told to take an acting class to improve their magic never followed up because it sounded too poofy.

Second, this helps. The inherent problem you're facing in going to the dark route is how to do it without descending into the realm of cliche. There are a million ways to do dark, but not all of them are very good.

Dan Sperry has already cornered the market on being Dan Sperry. What I would recommend you do is spend the next few months consuming more fiction with supernatural themes. My recommendations include but are not limited:

The works of Ray Bradbury (RIP)
The works of Neil Gaiman
The works of Richard Matheson (one of my personal favorites)
The Twilight Zone
The Outer Limits
The Ray Bradbury Theater
Roger Corman's Poe cycle
The Devil's Backbone
The Weird USA book series
Horror Express
The Haunting (1963 version, there was no remake as far as I'm concerned)
The filmography of Dario Argento
The filmography of Val Lewton
The works of Ramsey Campbell
The ghost stories of MR James

I could go on, but that should be enough to start with.

 

[Magicator]

Second, this helps. The inherent problem you're facing in going to the dark route is how to do it without descending into the realm of cliche. There are a million ways to do dark, but not all of them are very good.

My recommendations include but are not limited:

The works of Ray Bradbury (RIP)
The works of Neil Gaiman
The works of Richard Matheson (one of my personal favorites)
The Twilight Zone
The Outer Limits
The Ray Bradbury Theater
Roger Corman's Poe cycle
The Devil's Backbone
The Weird USA book series
Horror Express
The Haunting (1963 version, there was no remake as far as I'm concerned)
The filmography of Dario Argento
The filmography of Val Lewton
The works of Ramsey Campbell
The ghost stories of MR James

I could go on, but that should be enough to start with.

First off I woud like to say thank you very much! This does help a lot. I am a huge interest in horror movies. The works of Richard Matheson is one of my favorites as well. There has been remakes of "The Haunting". I will be consuming more supernatural theme ideas from these as much as I already do. WIth movies such as...

The Last Excorcism
The Exorcist
Insidous
Mama
The Possession
Thirteen Ghosts
Apartment 143
Case 39
Etc...

I will be looking into what you have recommended for a few months. Since I have nothing much else to do which is magnificant.

On another note, after thinking about what you have been saying, I'm going through my mind how I may want to present myself in the supernatural world. I have recently aquired the book "Scripting Magic" by Pete McCabe. I already know how to read a script, but learning how to write one is a different story. With having a theme in mind, and the type of magic I want to do really helps.

lol By the way, just typing this message out is really helped my light a lightbulb. I believe I have an idea I would like to try out. For now it would have to be a close up routine. But, then again, I may be able to turn it into a stage routine. Of course, I have mentioned how I want to perform on stage. Similar idea with close up, but without the music and mask. So, the tricks I'm thinking of doing if I were to do a quick show for practice to get more experience is

Do a simple card trick (Maybe a color change or pick a card and I find it)
Then get into a mentalism trick, (Not sure which one)
After that,get more into the supernatural part by doing the ambitous card
Use hauting 2.0 has the grand finale to locate the signed card
I could use hauting as the final trick, or if I feel it is safe, Then I can perform "Control"

I want to try to talk as minimal as possible and still feel the audience is still understanding what is going on.

If this were to just be a show itself, set up would be either in a corner of a huge room, or in a regular room, it'd be in the middle with dim lighting and a candle in the middle. lol Probably have some background sounds to give motivation of why things are happening the way they are.

 

[RealityOne]

So, the tricks I'm thinking of doing if I were to do a quick show for practice to get more experience is

Do a simple card trick (Maybe a color change or pick a card and I find it)
Then get into a mentalism trick, (Not sure which one)
After that,get more into the supernatural part by doing the ambitous card
Use hauting 2.0 has the grand finale to locate the signed card
I could use hauting as the final trick, or if I feel it is safe, Then I can perform "Control"

I want to try to talk as minimal as possible and still feel the audience is still understanding what is going on.

I think you are making two errors here.

The first is that you are starting with the "tricks" and trying to fit them into your character. It should be the other way around. Start with your character and then build the show around the character. The result is that you have effects listed that don't fit with your character. A find a card trick doesn't seem to be a dark supernatural effect but one of skill. Following it with as yet to be decided mentalism effect weakens the mentalism effect. Then, going onto an ambitious card, further weakens any mentalism effect. Further, there is nothing supernatural about an ambitious card.

The second is related in that you are letting the tricks define you rather than you edging the tricks. I'm not sure why you want to do an essentially silent act. That seems to take your character out of the magic and makes you more of just demonstrating tricks. This sounds like a cop out to me. To do something silently requires the same scripting as to do it with words.

The difference between a novice and a professional is that a novice asks "how can I perform the tricks I know in a show?" while the professional asks "which effects would be strong for the show in light of the theme and my character."

I second the recommendation of the Genii Subscription. You get access to all of the back issues through Ask Alexander. That's 75 years of magazines. There are enough effects in there that you can pick and choose what works for a show.

 

[Craig Browning]

Lesson number one: never accept a show unless you already have an act ready to go.

I just wanted to emphasize Steerpike's comment here in that I too am sick and tired of seeing posts that read, I have a corporate gig next week and need some ideas for what to do (or similar). If you don't have the actual product or know for fact that you are in the position to deliver it, DON'T ACCEPT THE OFFER. Be Honest with the prospect and tell them you're not prepared to deliver what they are looking for but you know someone that might be better suited and then put them in touch with a local personality that you know for a fact, has their act (literally) together. This level of integrity will take you far in that the client will remember you when you are ready, just keep in touch with them so they remember you.

YOU are the only one that can create your "show" and it starts by making up you mind about two things; What is the realistic market potential for you in your area; and Who/What is your claim -- the theme, style and persona that you wish to sell?

I'm uncertain if it was you on E that asked a similar question but I'll point you to a Richard Webster book you should invest in RIGHT NOW; in my mind every soul wanting to move into the pro level of working magic needs this book in that it deals with the business side of show and what each of us must do to be successful in this or most any business venture. It is entitled "Plan for Success" (you may have to scroll down the list to find it) and it will save you many a mind-numbing headache if you learn it and use it. Start off on the right foot and you've won most of the battle ahead. If you apply this information along with the act of defining yourself and your "vision" of what kind of show and character you are bringing into the game, you will be further along your way to reaching success than if you just toss a pile of currently popular effects in a pile and do them in happenstance based on how you feel or what the weather is that day. Talent buyers want to know what they are buying; the more defined your act and the more professional your attitude, the more likely they are to do business with you. . . and as my friend Rick Maue points out, you haven't sold the client until they book you for the second gig.

Performance wise, you need to decide if or not you are just going to stick with traditional "family" styled magic (the safest and easiest to book) or push towards the corporate setting. You need to think about the kind of venues you not only have access to right now, but the type you hope to be working in 5 years from now. If you choose to go with the current trends of Mentalism & Bizarre Magick you still need to define yourself and your goals; Mentalism is quite diverse and offers some huge challenges depending what sort of claims you make and which school of discipline you hold to. Some people aren't comfortable with the Old School mind-set in which things are played as being real and doing Readings, Home Parties, etc. are common fare and a key part of the art. That doesn't mean they can't do Mentalism in that there are other paths available, including the more commercial course of "Mental Magic" . . . don't laugh because it happens to be the more commercial course of things, ask Larry Becker or Lee Earle. . . or even Kreskin for that matter.

Understand that reality has to be your guide; you might want to do a big Copperfield styled show but to do so means you can't work solely in your community area, even if you lived in Vegas; travel is a part of the deal and there's lots of it. Big Box shows tend to be on the road at least six to nine months out of the year and when you are home you're still hard at work fleshing out your next season, tending to special promo scenarios, breaking in new routines, etc. Such a show requires huge cash, the type few of us can fathom.

Travel is something you have to think about though as you plan things out. Not only do you need to think about the logistics of trooping your equipment and the added costs that will mean to you, but likewise you need to look at how far you're willing to go and for what kind of cash? You can't survive working comedy clubs for $50.00 a set, if you can get that. . . even 4 times that isn't enough to live on, so what are your alternatives and are you willing to use them? How much commission are you willing to pay to agents and management types?

Think about all of this as you start the creative process of building that show. It is all an important piece of the puzzle as is our sense of novelty -- don't be a clone and don't lie to yourself about such things. Look at how many people in the late 70s and thru the 80s worked hard at being another Copperfield or Sigfried and how many since the late 90s have tried to mimic Angel & Blane. Try to be who and what you are in life, it's far easier to play yourself than a character; especially if you aren't formally trained as an actor. . . which very few magic lovers are.

Enough my the lecture, I will point you to one other book however, Hustle Hustle by Joel Bauer (also on CD, I believe). It will give you more insight as to how to approach your show and your work from a business mind-set vs. someone that just wants to do tricks and make some spare cash here and there.

Best of luck!

 

[Steerpike]

There has been remakes of "The Haunting".

Repeat after me. There was no remake of The Haunting. I will not hear of that cinematic aberration in my presence.

The Last Excorcism
The Exorcist
Insidous
Mama
The Possession
Thirteen Ghosts
Apartment 143
Case 39

Crap
Classic
Interesting but could have been better
Okay
Okay
Crap
Meh
Didn't see it

I want to open you up to some different perspectives on this. In particular, I want you to watch some more of the old classics, especially stuff on a tight budget. From that stuff, you'll learn an important lesson: the shadow of a knife is scarier than the knife itself. Consider the original Halloween. I listed Val Lewton because the movies he produced all took lemons and made lemonade. Through excellent use of light and shadow, he created an atmosphere that a lot of his contemporaries didn't. Watch his movies, and you'll understand how powerful restraint can be.

Do a simple card trick (Maybe a color change or pick a card and I find it)
Then get into a mentalism trick, (Not sure which one)
After that,get more into the supernatural part by doing the ambitous card
Use hauting 2.0 has the grand finale to locate the signed card
I could use hauting as the final trick, or if I feel it is safe, Then I can perform "Control"

I'm not liking this. First of all, I'm not a big fan of trying to portray yourself as something otherworldly and then doing card tricks. It's not impossible, but it's very difficult to pull off, especially if you're not doing it tongue firmly in cheek.

Second, don't mix magic and mentalism. Some of the best performers of our time still debate if it's even possible to effectively mix the two. They require entirely different attitudes in performance. As Craig said, give a magician a nail writer and he'll do a card trick, but give a mentalist a nail writer and he'll start a religion.

Third, pulse stops are exceedingly dramatic and best used sparingly lest they be regulated to a cheap, campy party trick. Pulled off correctly, it can be indistinguishable from the real thing. It's not something you just throw into a card trick to sweeten the deal.

Less is more.

I want to try to talk as minimal as possible and still feel the audience is still understanding what is going on.

You should be watching Teller then. Without saying a word, he's the most expressive performer working today.

lol Probably have some background sounds to give motivation of why things are happening the way they are.

Having worked seances I can tell you from experience that's unnecessary. Any given building will make enough noises on its own that if you put people in the proper frame of mind their imaginations will do all the work for you. It's the little things that really sell it. For example, during a seance occasionally look past the sitters, as if you were distracted by seeing something that no one else can.

EDIT: On reflection I should probably also recommend some music for inspiration. For the kind of dark you're talking about, you want to go with music that's more introspective for creativity and more over-the-top for theatrical inspiration. And my first two choices for each are admittedly a bit biased, but these bands are among my top ten, so...

On the introspective side, my two recommendations to start with are Blue Oyster Cult and Type O Negative. A lot of people know the former only from the SNL sketch, but they've actually got a very impressive discography.

For the more theatrical stuff, the obvious ones for me are The Misfits and Mercyful Fate. Misfits most people know of, but Mercyful Fate have one of the most distinctive frontmen in the world in King Diamond.

 

[Craig Browning]

Steerpike's post opened my eyes to another layer to your inquiry (probably because I'm not familiar with the effects you listed . . . I'm an old fart after all).

"Dark"/Bizarre & Macabre Magick is not easy to pull off and the genre itself is filled with tons of wannabe types that think themselves Richard Burton when in truth they're more akin to Soupy Sales . . . magicians trying to be dramatic orators even though they've never worked in theater as an actor, never had speech coaching, no direction, etc, etc, etc. For a craft in which we claim to be "Actors playing a part" I find it curious that so few ever learn anything about acting, let alone theater, public speaking, and so forth.

Bizarre Magick is about being an effective storyteller not just a guy that puts a smear of red paint on the queen of hearts and tells how the four jacks murdered her. . . it's akin to people wearing all black and thinking themselves "Goth" (especially Hot Topic customers), they lack the essence of what it means to be that thing, or Steampunk, etc. it's not the facade, it's got to be a part of you.

If this is the direction you want to move into then there are a couple of resources you need to invest into, starting with The Arcana of Bizarre Magick by Jim Magus followed by the Larry Baukin Anthology. While Rick Maue's Book of Haunted Magick has been one of the chief "bibles" in this arena for years, the Magus book gives you some particulars that most books do not; important perspectives that will help you better define things. The Baukin book will give you routine ideas, most of which you already have the materials to make or knowledge for performing, and yes, we're talking about solid, proven material.

{EDIT -- you would do well purchasing "The Dark Waltz" by Michael Fraughton. It is most excellent}

Seance is a difficult thing for most recovering magicians to pull off in that they are interested in doing tricks and in truth, you need next to nothing to pull off a solid seance. The majority of us want to embrace the ideas of William Larsen, Sr. and his Houdini Seance script or Lee Earle's "Manifestations" because they give you the security of being "a show" . . . what most seance workers call a "Disney safe seance" in which things are obvious tricks. Yes, this is a safe commercial route to go but it's not bizarre magick and too, it is not what today's consumer is looking for -- they want an experience. . . an encounter with the surreal.

Steerpike is correct in saying that you just need a backstory, a nice creepy building/setting and people's imaginations. There is a gent in my area that gets $1,000.00 a shot for private seances. All he does is place people in a dark room with a single candle for them to focus on along with very low volume, comfy music. He leaves it to them to focus on their loved one and generate the connection they desire . . . in the hour these people are alone in the dark room 99% come out filled with joy because they got the closure they were after. . . all of it psychologically create. This is how seance's work. . . Bro. Shadow's famed "Have Seance Will Travel" is another excellent example; it is prop free for the most part and no trickery required and yet people pay over $100.00 each to be part of this Seance Circle.

If you want something that's more akin to the "trick filled seance" I'd strongly encourage you to look at Hilford's "$1,000.00 Seance" manuscript. While I don't care too much for his "pocket seance" (you might enjoy this instead), the private and grand seance are something to put some time into. I've done the grand seance many times and it works quite well, but you must be a skilled Reader familiar with the Tarot to pull it off.

You will notice that there are hyperlinks set into the words "Bizarre Magick" and "Seance", they lead to some free pdfs on those topics that will give you resources as well as perspective.

 

[Magicator]

Steer Pike and Craig Browning, you have both made many valid points. Craig, I do understand what you are trying to say. One day, I would like to become a professional, but I am only learning still. I didn't really know what effects I could learn to fit the character I want to play.

On another note Craig, you practically hit where it is and how I would like to present my self to spectators. You are right, people now days want to have that sort of experience. With these kinds of thrillers that are around now days, I have more interest in "Dark"/Bizarre & Macabre Magick than anything else, but of course I do like other styles that I am working on.

From what You and Steerpike are saying I do agree. Basically to let my audiences imaginiation run wild with some backstory. Of course, background music may be unnessary because it is all the little things that would sell much more efficient. From the resources Craig has introduced to me, I'll be looking into them tonight.

Whether I did want some sort of silent act, like "Teller" who has great facial expressions to help sell the show or I could just be a good story teller to help keep my audience on the edge of their chairs. To be able to give them the experience I've mentioned would be a great accomplishment. Understood, it is very hard to pull off... this is a route I would like to take. But of course, I'll be takin a look at my resources.

lol and Steerpike, you mentioned some music I didn't even think about and I do agree with you on that. Especially the misfits. However, from what the both of you have said, I don't think I'll be needing music. lol Now to look for effects to fit my show.

 

[Craig Browning]

NEVER underestimate the value of music! Even when played at a barely audible level music has an amazing impact on your audience and yes, even when used out doors. I have a sound system set for my wheelchair so I can play music off my MP3 anytime I wish and when doing any kind of "mime" sequence, music must be there to help with accenting things. When I did traditional magic, especially my old dove act, I would study the music for subtle sounds in the background such as chimes or a gong, etc. that I could cue things with. . . for instance, when I produced a dove I'd time things so that it would appear when the subtle chimes went off in the background of the music, this in turn triggers the subconscious of the individuals in the room and makes that simple effect seem that much more amazing.

No, you don't need music all the time, dead silence has its place, but don't sell the idea of having music to work with and supporting your program isn't important. Even in Seance work we use music because it is a powerful tool . . . ask any hypnotist that knows his stuff.