Hey everyone. Here is a little short essay about routining for stage shows and kids shows (ie: Birthdays, Bar/Bat Mitzfahs, etc.) Please don't pick at my spelling as all of the spellingerrors I might make...they are all accidental.

Ok so you have done street magic almost everyday at your school, the mall, friends house, etc. And you think your ready to do a show right? Here is the equipment needed and things you need to know about a show. A show is not just 5-10 tricks one after another one after another. It is a ROUTINE. Each trick FLOWS into the next with great presentation...and perfect patter. While you are finishing up one trick...you should be getting ready for the next. Now if you have a show in one week and you do not know what type of "Tricks" you are going to do. Cancel the show.

Routines and your show is important. ~**Every Show You Do Is an Audition For Your Next Show**~ REMEMBER THAT....and you better believe it! Because it is true! REHEARSE your show at home in FULL dress rehearsal! Either Video tape it (Very good to do as you can see your show from an audience perspective) Set up the camera in the middle of the room. Then do your show all over again having the camera to the right of the room so you can see EVERYONES perspective of your show.

WRITE A SCRIPT for your show. Know the jokes you will say and work them into your routine. Comedy is very important to a show. Getting your audience to laugh is pretty important.

Presentation? How?
This is what to do...so listen! No matter if you are 5 years old or 30 years old or 60 YEARS OLD ACT like a professional. Make up business cards. Do not make them at home...pay the few bucks and get them professionally printed. Its much nicer. Present yourself as a professional magician. Put that on your business card! It doesn't matter if your 5 yrs old you ARE a professional if you act like it. Macully Culkin was 8 years old when he STARRED in Home alone. But he acted like a professional, was treated like a professional, was paid like a professional, HE WAS a professional. But he was 8 yrs old. AGE DOES NOT MATTER!

The Equipment
There is no need to go out and buy big stage props like silk cabbys and mandarin boxes...because essentially...the trick isn't important as much as the presentation of the trick. Its like football...80% Mental 20% Physical. With magic its the same thing its 80% Presentation...20% the trick.
When you are performing lets say a kids show. You must bring up the birthday boy (The mothers son/daughter who booked you) EVERYTIME you need an assistant. When you need more then one THEN its time for someone else to come up and help ALONG with the birthday boy/girl. Because really if you think about it...That night when the mother who booked you is tuckin er little birthday boy/girl in to his/her bed...shes gonna say "How did you like the magician?" And your goal is for him/her to say..."I LOVED IT MOM THANKS" Thats all that will matter to her. After everyone else who was at the show goes home. The only thing that will matter is her son/daughters opinion of the show. And thats it. THATS WHAT WILL SPREAD WORD AROUND ABOUT YOU! After your show hand out business cards...hand out flyers (Yes...flyers work) Because it is important. GET A WEBSITE! And submit it to search engines...put the website on your business card or flyer! There is a good site called www.freesubmissions.com and go submit your site!

What to Wear?
What do you wear when doing a show? A Black suit is always great....or a black vest. Anything that is formal wear is appropriate. Do not go in with raggety jeans and ripped up shirts because if you do...you will NOT be treated like a professional. You will be treated like a little kid who does tricks. PERIOD.

NOW.......I mentioned business cards before. But you don't know what to put on them? LISTEN! It is NOT how big you can get your company logo or Name on the business card without it bleeding off the card...it is about how many problems YOU CAN SOLVE for the client. What you can do for them...WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT from any other magician out there...after all...IT IS YOUR JOB TO DO SO! It is called Solutions Marketing. People don't really want hear:
STEP INTO THE REALM OF THE IMPOSSIBLE. THE MAGIC OF ________
MASTER MAGICIAN. They don't care that much about that! Thinkgs they DO want to hear are:
I Create a Stress-Free Event...Guaranteed!
They want to be Assured of quality
They want an easy to work with...hassle free entertainer! These are all things that should go on your business card or flyer!


Well...thats about it for now...my fingers hurt! These things I have said WORK and are VERY true. I hope this helped you! Thanks...Nick

Comments/Critisism? Imput....anything to add? Thanks....Nick

I am speachless, you definately hit the spot with teaching this in the Essay. Everything you said is true. I really think that you got your stuff down right. Good Job Nick

Thanks a lot Magicexpress...as everything in that essay is true and works. I am happy it helped you!

Anyone else? Thanks...Nick

Agreed that was a good essay.

good essay...




You never mentioned how you do that? How does one trick flow into another if there tricks really different from eachother?

Ok...sorry about that ANIK...your right I forgot. Here is how to flow tricks into each other. The thing is is that the tricks can be two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TRICKS! I did a show for a big opening act for a roadshow wher there was around 500 people...My 5 minute routine consisted of Stratosphere, A Mouth coil, and D lites. 3 COMPLETELY different tricks! The way the tricks flow together is the patter. For example...this is what I did That made my routine flow together in that 5 min act. My best friend Brianne helped me. I had her go all the way off to the side of the stage. And every 2 mins as I was performing the first trick (stratosphere) she would come over and wipe my forehead with a hanky (for laughs) and everyone would laugh as I said "Phew...thanks I needed that!" Now right when stratosphere was basically over and everyone was cheering and applauding...she came over and wiped my forehead again and had the mouth coil hidden in the middle of the hanky. So when she was wiping my forehead she dropped the mouthcoil right in my mouth...wiped a little more and walked away. Now as she walked away I yelled and pointed for her to come back as I pointed to my mouth. She started pulling out the mouth coil and EVERYONE was amazed! Stratosphere flowed into the mouthcoil....and it made it seem like pure magic. All thought I wasn't getting paid for that show I WAS PAID in the long run...as afterwards I handed out BUSINESS cards and was emailed from 4 different people and did shows for all 4. Which backs up my observation in the above essay. EVERY SHOW YOU DO IS AN AUDITION FOR YOUR NEXT!

Thanks again everyone...Nick

Imput? anything to add? ..Nick

Oh yes I forgot one thing. I hear a lot of people say how they aren't funny and can't make up good jokes. There is a lot of books out there...I think penguin even sells some of em! I think its by Aldo Columbini or something (sp?)
Also you can get joke ideas from watching cartoons! Believe it or not but a lot of my jokes came from a base of a cartoon! Try it...you'll find it quite successful!....Nick

very nice work...i totally agree with you when it comes to every aspect of what you wrote....routines is all patter and how you present it..


just out of curiosity, how did u get from the mouth coils to d light? was it just random? " hey look at that" then just show them a light... and go on with ur d light routine?

what did you do? and very nice essay

Well thanks magicaaron! What I did with the mouthcoil into the d lite is
1.) I pattered myself into it (read on and I'll explain)
2.) It was sort of a joke as Brianne being the "Magicians Beautiful Assistant!" So what I did was as she walked away from pulling all the mouthcoil out...I was like "EEWWWWWWWWWWW! Brianne come here what is that???" And I pointed to her ear. She was like "HUuuuuH??/ what? And I said "Whats that thing in your ear? " and pulled the d lite out and went into my routine.

NOW when I say I pattered into it...after I the mouth coil was fully out I said something like "Yes....yes....this was on the news actually...things just materializing through bodily functions. I think I even read something about the same thing happening but it coming out of someones ear!"

and then you get the point! You see what I mean? Patter can flow you into any other trick whether it be rope into cards.....or slush powder into vanishing silk (two completely different tricks!) If you got great presentation and patter...you can do it! trust me!....Nick

any more imput, comments, or questions? thanks...Nick

so is that it I guess? Any more questions? ...Nick

Hey Beesflirtn,

I think you touched on the basic values of promotion. Slightly. My concern is: according to your essay, I could be an 8 year old with a business card, who video tapes a performance of the 21 card trick and a knock-knock joke and can still be a professional? I think as magicians that is what we try to stamp out. Also, you're essay is more a general opinion on the basic approach to have a good show. BUT, telling people their tricks must flow together isn't helping anyone. Truthfully,No maidcian ready to do a show learned anything from your essay. If your going to explain it, explain it fully. A job worth doing is a job worth doing well. This quote goes past your business card my friend.

Ben

Ben, If someone got anything out of my essay then that is great. If no one got anything out of it then that is fine to. I was shedding some light to some of the begginner magicians here. Everything in that essay is the TRUTH and works. I think I did a good job in that essay. So if you are saying it was poorly written you are very wrong because I did my homework on this one. This essay wasn't just about business cards and promotion. It was about shows and presentation. If it didnt help you or anything then I am very sorry but I am sure it helped many others who have read it . Thanks a liot for your opinion and I respect it a lot. Thanks again...Nick

any one else?

The only thing you're shedding is ill preparedness and false skill and confidence. And saying that everything in that essay is "TRUTH isn't true in itself. That essay was your opinion. Take for instance "Age doesn't matter" in some cases this is true. Dakota Rose was 12 years old when I saw him, and he is one of the best presenters I've seen. Maturity matters, and maturity comes with age. What would happen if the birthday boy is older than the magician? Disrespect. Or lets talk about "All formal wera is appropriate." I'm sorry if thats your opinion, but I nor any other magician would be caught dead in a Tux in a restaurant venue where peopl are wearing jeans. Although I can tell you've spent time on this Essay, it just wasn't enough. Iformation and knowledge comes with experience. And if your expecting me to let this slip, I'm not going to. I'm not saying the information is useless. I'm saying it's misleading and mostly wrong.


Ben

First off, when did I say you should wear T-Shirt and jeans? I said don't wear a tux. The so called 'Golden Rule' of dressing in magic is dress one step higher than the people your performing for. Stop putting words in my mouth. On another note, you say if I disagree completely with your essay I must have "no clue what TRUE presentation is" Writing a 500 word essay on your opinions on performing doesnt give you the right to claim that YOUR presentation IS true presentation. Again, just because you wrote it doesn't make it right. I know there is no way for you to change your opinion, but I'm merely tring to 'ward off' people from trusting incomplete advice. Telling someone that any formal wear is good is like telling someone that any car is good. They could end up with a Rolls at McDonalds, or a Honda Civic at The Ritz. I've no beef with MOST of the information in your essay. All I'm saying is that when you write something like this, expect a lot of people to read it, and beleive it. So, when you write somehing, think about what you are saying, and present it clearly on the page. Make sure there is no room for misinterpretation or mistake.
I can see by this essay that you DO KNOW something about presentation in magic, and I'm not saying I'm the 'Jesus of Presentation' myself, but what I do know is a mistake when I see one.

Ben