Where do you perform?

[Josh Burch]

I'd love to get a better idea on what type of magicians we have here.

Where do you perform most?

For me I perform on a professional basis for cocktail parties, weddings and upscale restaurants. Mostly this is close-up walk around magic.

Occasionally, I will perform a platform show for scouting groups (Eagle Scouts unite!), church groups or schools. This is a mix of mental magic and con artist type effects (poker cheating, pick pocket).

Every Sunday we play cards and I am usually coaxed into doing magic for friends and family who are in attendance.

The rest of my time in magic is spent routining, studying and creating.

 

[obrienmagic]

My main type of event is typically strolling at weddings or company events. I occasionally work restaurants and have become more open to children's parties! haha They are actually quite fun!

Very rarely am I seated behind a table.

The rest of the time is spent either creating magic effects or working on my new youtube channel

That is.... if my new daughter allows me to!

 

[Gabriel Z.]

I'm glad to show people effects I was recently at the Inpatient Mental Health Unit I suffer from Schizophrenia, and I showed my Doctor my ACR, and he was practically laughing off the chair.. However, for the most part I stick to myself and practice/perform in front of a mirror. I'm all for showing people that I come into contact with my card tricks , but I'm a firm believer that you can always get better, and let's face people aren't going to help you get better , you have to sit there with a deck in hand and practice. This is a great thread Josh... Just to deviate here is the latest on my cuts for those of you interested https://www.instagram.com/p/BSoa95BB4Vk/?taken-by=zudeck50. Going on about 4 years with card magic I don't plan on letting go anytime soon!!!

 

[RealityOne]

My performances are typically parlor magic performances for groups from 20 to 200. I've performed in front of audiences where the chairs are lined up in rows and for audiences spread out over a bunch of tables in banquet halls. Those shows are done standing up with a table for props behind me. I also do smaller shows, including children's parties, where I have performed standing both in front of or behind a table (e.g. cups and balls). For family, friends and scouts, I do a variety of magic effects and stunts which have much less emphasis on presentation and more on just the trick.

 

[Clee26]

I perform at school for my friends, and occasionally for my teachers (though rarely, since I'm shy...), I sometimes do close-up magic, though, I usually do stage magic. I start with some cardistry to catch attention, and then move on my routines. Since most of my performances are pretty awkward, I add some jokes now and then.

 

[kolebear]

I'm glad to show people effects I was recently at the Inpatient Mental Health Unit I suffer from Schizophrenia, and I showed my Doctor my ACR, and he was practically laughing off the chair.. However, for the most part I stick to myself and practice/perform in front of a mirror. I'm all for showing people that I come into contact with my card tricks , but I'm a firm believer that you can always get better, and let's face people aren't going to help you get better , you have to sit there with a deck in hand and practice. This is a great thread Josh... Just to deviate here is the latest on my cuts for those of you interested https://www.instagram.com/p/BSoa95BB4Vk/?taken-by=zudeck50. Going on about 4 years with card magic I don't plan on letting go anytime soon!!!

I would like to disagree. People will get you better in my experience. They help with patter and wording and improve your style and most importantly, CONFIDENCE. What is the point of practicing magic unless you get out there and show your talent? Your up the ladder cutting is amazing though.

 

[Ned Devine]

I do most of my magic at bars and on the street. A bit of card and coin magic, I have been known to break out the linking rings now and again.

I do perform for kids now and again, Volunteering at the hospital.

I play cards weekly with a group of friends and am always being asked to perform.

Edit: Wording.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

I'm 17 so mostly at school and occasionally for strangers in random public places like a burger place or the mall.

 

[ChrisJGJ]

I perform at the college I attend and wherever and whenever I get the chance when I am just out on my free time. I have tried busking a few times. I felt the other street performers were a tad hostile, and I was unwanted there, but I still came back a few more times. Seems they are more cool with you when they meet you and realize you are taking it seriously. Pretty humbling experience. Quite difficult to get a crowd started. Became much easier when another performer let me borrow his mic. The magic I had practiced was only close up and really only worked for a few people at a time. This forced me to learn new tricks for parlor magic performances; however I felt my performances were pretty $H!t since I hadn't practiced my scripts and routines enough. I put busking down for now as I continue to develop my skills in magic, but I will go back one of these days.

 

[WitchDocIsIn]

Parlor/stage, busking at festivals/cons, seances, or casual demonstrations that generally end up gathering a bit of a crowd.

If I'm performing solo (as in my bizarre magic show), I'm generally going to be at a bar/club environment, sometimes a party, 20-200 people like RealityOne mentioned. I usually have a bit of a stage and a table or two to store props. I'm working on expanding this to local theaters but that's not really progressing until I get to a place that has local theaters

If I'm working with my wife we do sideshow stunts and that's usually busking at festivals/conventions. Also a fair amount of bars, but that's usually when we're working with another performer (Musicians or other sideshow artists usually). We just did the Orpheus club in Baltimore with CoffinBox Sideshow a couple weeks ago which was pretty fun.

For seances that's generally a smaller room of some sort with between 4 and 24 people as sitters, preferably with one table for them to sit at.

 

[RickEverhart]

I typically perform for the following:
wedding receptions during cocktail hour while they are getting photos done
company picnics in the summer
corporate Christmas parties
children's parties
fundraiser events

 

[Josh Burch]

I'm 17 so mostly at school and occasionally for strangers in random public places like a burger place or the mall.

Wow, you are brave!

When I was in high school I was a secretly into magic. I didn't hardly have the guts to perform for my friends. In elementary school I was known as the magic kid and would always bring magic to perform for show and tell. When I was in high school I would stay up late reading and practicing card sleights but I rarely had the guts to perform for friends.

 

[notsoltd]

I used to perform at hibachi grills a lot. It really taught me to not be so reliant on a table because that one will burn the $#*+ out of you lol. I haven't done restaurant work in a long time though.

In fact it's been a long time since I've done a paid performance. Most of what I do currently is just off beat kind of stuff. I look for opportunities in bars and social events to start something like an impromptu little show when it's least expected. I do stuff for coworkers sometimes and at our family gatherings. Generally any social situation where people are just hanging out I end up performing.

I've gotten most things I do to a point where they can be done standing, in the hands of myself and the people I'm performing for and when I have the opportunity to perform sitting behind a table I'm even better off.

I've been spending a lot of time writing lately. I haven't felt comfortable marketing myself for a long time. I know I can kill it strolling close up but a lot of people want stand up and I don't have anything worthy of selling yet so I just don't at all.

My plan is to eventually write an hour long show, rent a hotel meeting room, set up beverage sales and sell tickets via online marketing as well as word of mouth from people that already know me.

 

[Antonio Diavolo]

Wow, you are brave!

When I was in high school I was a secretly into magic. I didn't hardly have the guts to perform for my friends. In elementary school I was known as the magic kid and would always bring magic to perform for show and tell. When I was in high school I would stay up late reading and practicing card sleights but I rarely had the guts to perform for friends.

Haha thanks man. I wouldn't say I'm that brave. I basically only perform for people I already know. I have been into magic for awhile but only really got into it in late middle school.

 

[CWhite]

In my house...or on my deck in the summer. Still uncomfortable being the center of attention.

On a lighter note..
In the bedroom..cause That's where the magic happens.
Cheers!

 

[Josh Burch]

In my house...or on my deck in the summer. Still uncomfortable being the center of attention.

On a lighter note..
In the bedroom..cause That's where the magic happens.
Cheers!

Hey, my bed has always been a great table and catch all for dropped cards!

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

I'm still in the practice phase.

For church functions that involve watching kids for an extended period of time, I'll do a small show. I'm everywhere so some of it is behind a table and the rest is in the weeds with the kids.

Outside of that, I perform for the dog--sitting down.

Very unimpressed with my current card work

 

[EricR5]

I'm still in the practice phase.

For church functions that involve watching kids for an extended period of time, I'll do a small show. I'm everywhere so some of it is behind a table and the rest is in the weeds with the kids.

Outside of that, I perform for the dog--sitting down.

Very unimpressed with my current card work

If you get the dog to react, you KNOW you have a winner.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

If you get the dog to react, you KNOW you have a winner.

This reminds me of a story I heard:
Brian Brushwood one said he was practicing is french drop. Everyone he knew immediately asked about the other hand when he revealed it had vanished from the first hand. One day, e did it to his dog, and no lie, his dog snapped its head and looked at the other hand

 

[Josh Mickelson]

I'm 17 so mostly at school and occasionally for strangers in random public places like a burger place or the mall.

I'm 16, so I'm in the same boat as you! I perform a lot at school, parties, and with some of my friends outside of school, but I honestly really enjoy going random places, such as the mall, to just perform for strangers. I think that the best way for me to improve my magic is to actually go out and perform it for people, and although some people may say it's scary to approach strangers, I don't seem to have a problem with it. It's less stressful, because you'll probably never see the people again, so you have the freedom to try any sort of approach or performance you want. One time, I was performing the gimmicked version of Angle Z, and after I handed them the card+corner, I just walked away - not how I'd perform for my friends, but those reactions were some of the strongest I've ever gotten. I've even made friends through random performances on the street!

tl;dr I like to perform in random places for random people, because it gives me tons of freedom to try new things.