I want to start doing some restaurant gigs, but I'm not really sure which tricks I should use and how many? Any kind, style and amount of tricks is appreciated. Also, any tips for getting and maintaining the gig? I'm fairly new to the idea of being employed to do magic. Thanks everyone in advance

Welcome to Penguin Town! How long have you been practicing magic and what has been your performance experience so far?

Welcome to Penguin Town! It sounds like you are fairly new, so if you haven't been there already, check out the Penguin forum section that's entirley devoted to restaurant/walkaround magic viewforum.php?f=6

Stuck to the very top is a set of tips that you might find useful. Good luck!

A really good question is, what kind of material do you perform now? That is the most important thing to consider. Don't just learn a trick because it will be good for a restaurant. There are so many effects and tricks that work in all situations. What I could perform well, you might not be able to naturally do at a table. And, you may have things you can do much better than me. I know a pretty famous magician that loves to pull out the old paddle packet trick. I would NEVER perform that. Not because I do not like it, but because it doesn't fit my performance style.

I'm 17 and I am very new. I'm inquiring so I have a clue where to start because I wanna do restaurants eventually. I LOVE magic already and I'm serious about how much time I'm willing to put into tricks. Right now I only know a few and I've practiced them like crazy (even though I think they're basic) I know I still have a LOT of work to do, but I want to eventually do restaurants and want to know what kind of tricks I should be using and learning on my way there as a beginner. So, beginner tricks that are still effective, I guess. Right now, all I can do is Oz Pearlman's Stealth pen, his pick a card type trick where he drops the pile to reveal the card, David Blaine's two-card monte trick, magic mints, and John Lovick's reparation. So tips and suggestions about what other tricks would be good to look at is HIGHLY appreciated. Thanks, everyone.

Ok. Before anything else, here is some advice that most budding magicians I meet don't get right off the start. Magic is only 5-10% technique. I have absolutely floored people with some of the simplest and "basic" magic. I have even fooled magicians with tricks I got from children's magic books from the library. My point is to make sure that you spend just as much time studying performance. If you are really serious about it, I would even suggest picking up books on acting and improvisation. Or better yet, take an acting class!

But, don't let that confuse you. Make sure everything you do is with the understanding that it is as an extension of who you are. Everything should fit and be natural for what you would do normally. So, with that being said. One of the best things you can do is go to all the magic sites (like the on you are on now) and look through all of the tricks. Spend a few days and make a list of 5-10 different tricks that appeal to you and are logical to you. Make sure they can in some way flow from one to the other too. They should have some kind of common theme that connects them. You may even benefit from going to youtube once you have this list and watching others perform them. KEEP IN MIND that those people may not be very skilled. I would also recommend finding out if there are any magic clubs around your area.

Once you have these tricks, practice them and practice them only until you can do each one blind folded with a toddler constantly reaching for whatever is in your hands. Only then should you move on to learn more magic.

You can very well buy a book like BoBos coin magic, Encyclopedia of Card Magic, Practical Mental Magic, and such. Just use the same idea. Take 1 trick and completely master it.

When I was 17-18, I think I spent about 4 months purely on The Pass. The hardest part was not learning anything else during that time! Granted, I could do the pass after about a week... I am now greatful for that extra time spent.

OK, First of all I have to tell you truthfully, if you think magic is an easy way to make money, you're screwed. It takes a LOT of work to develop your act and perfect your effects. I figure one hour of practice for every minute the effect takes to do. Then one hour of rehearsals for every minute when you include patter. Plus an hour of rehearsal for every minute every week so you don't get rusty and blow an effect.

OK That out of the way, for restaurants you can perform any effect thaty doesn't require a LARGE prop. No straight jacket escapes or sub trunks or cups & balls in restaurants, everything elso is fine. Some of us use a pouch, others just what I have in my pockets.

BTW, dogs and girls on street corners do "tricks" magicians perform effects.

Are you a member of a church? I am asking because church dinners are a great place to practice new tricks in front of a live audience (after you've spent plenty of time practicing them alone, with family, etc.) The environment is similar to a restaurant, but you already know the people so it's much friendlier. You don't need to make it a formal "show," just start doing some tricks at your table, and then other tables will notice and take an interest.

Just be sure to clear it with your pastor (or priest or rabbi) first. My pastor is one of my biggest fans, so this isn't a problem.

A lot of magicians look at restaurant magic as a place to hone your skills. But if your skills are not already honed, you probably shouldn't be doing restaurant magic in the first place.

Thanks for replying, I appreciate it, but a few things. 1. I never said it was an easy way to get money. I just feel like if I could earn a couple bucks on the side with what I really enjoy doing eventually, and help me learn new tricks and pay for more DVD's and books, that'd be a plus. No need to jump to absurd assumptions. 2. Every magician I've encountered on here and in person refer to them as "tricks". This site, refers to them as "tricks". What's your beef?

Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. Do you have any advice on how I really form my style along the way? Thanks in advance

Thank you! Really awesome advice. I'll definitely make sure to keep looking back at this for a reminder.

Yes. It is simple, but time consuming. And in the best way! Watch as many different magicians as you possibly can. Pay attention to their patter. How they explain what is happening. How that ties into their persona. Think about yourself and who you are. If one day you were with a group of friends and wanted to show them an effect, would they feel like it was a natural thing for you to do?

On that last point. If you have ever personally know people getting into magic. Maybe if there are other "magicians" at your school / community. Have you ever seen that person start doing magic and it's almost like he's a different person? Like they channel PB Barnum? That is the worst. It kills the performance. Not only that, but if you have been a pretty straight laced person and all of a sudden you are doing esoteric Tarrot demonstrations it also breaks the illusion. I am not saying you can't remold a bit.

Also, spread out to other forums on magic. Many of them will have a section where people can post videos of their performance. You will get much greater quality out of those as well as having the opportunity to converse with those people and discuss magic.

You don't have to limit yourself by only watching magicians. Study any character that would fit your persona. If you have a favorite story, book, movie, tv show, ect... what influence can you draw from that? Maybe sit down with a notepad and write all the words that associate with what you want to achieve and then see what inspiration those could leave you with.

Just some ideas to get you started.

The difference between being a "trick monkey" and a professional. That's the difference. Anyone can do a trick, like Uncle Joe getting a quarter from your ear. A magician will take that same "trick" and turn it into a performance or an effect. Yes I do the old quarter from a kid's ear. but first it is a sponge ball, then it turns into a sponge rabbit, then right into the kid's hand it turns into a quarter. Doing that in a store has booked me parties. That's thye difference between a trick and an effect.

Another difference it the sponge ball routine. I gothru the regular trick but end it by putting the "balls" into my vic... er spectators hand and ask how many balls? They will say 3 or however many they saw last. I then say "your off by a hair" When they open their hands they have a 5" sponge rabbit in their hands. I did that one and got a standing o from a magicians club because no one saw it coming. That's an effect not a trick.

Tricks is a naughty word for many magicians. They are illusions, Michael! (I wont complete the quote )

Here is the deal. Magic is an art. It is a performance art. The magicians that really excel are the ones that put the time and effort into their PERFORMANCE. As I mentioned, magic is 10% technique and the rest is performance. A layman can perform a feat of amazement with the right prop. A magician can perform a miracle that the same laymen would be baffled by, with great performance.

Further more, the really amazing material that I come across, most "magicians" think it is too simple to even work. They think that ANYONE would figure it out by watching it. Because they see the technique as 100%. Magicians often see mentalists as lazy as they rely on methods that are so incredibly simple. But, truly, mentalism is really far more complicated than general magic. Because if you cannot perform mentalism, it falls incredibly short of what the art truly is. Sure, it will still generally hit. But the mentalism that blows minds and makes careers, is still technically simple. But requires a presentation that requires a very high level of skill.

That is why I had recommended you pick up a few books on acting.

A rose by any other name....

I wouldn't worry to much about getting into the linguistic debates, especially since you are new. As long as you take away the spirit of what Paddy and Idjk are saying. Respect your craft(magic) and respect your audience.

As for your style, you already have it. Your style is you. Or at least it is exaggerated aspects of certain parts of your personality and suppressed aspects of other parts of your personality. There are some actors in the world who can take on characters completely other than who they are in real life. But if you are really that gifted, or dedicated, to acting then perhaps that should be your primary pursuit. They have a special effects people, make-up experts, costumers, and directors to rely on. You don't. So try to explore parts of your own personality that you can naturally exaggerate into an interesting character.

Once you get that character figured out then finding the effects that fit that character and deciding how that character would present those effects should just seem natural. This will then form your style. So for a quick example, say you want to study and perform mentalism. Lets say you are a life long skeptic. You probably don't want to present yourself as a psychic. You may be better off presenting your self as a body language or NLP expert. If you have a strong belief in spiritualism you probably should present yourself as a psychic. If you are into punk, or one of the many punk subcultures,( goth, steampunk, vamp, grunge, etc.) then it might not be appropriate to whip out something fun and silly like sponge bunnies. If you are a happy go lucky kind of guy who loves performing for families with little kids....then you might want to avoid the works of Sean Fields and Dan Sperry.

So I hope you get the gist. Find you. Find a good character that comes from within you. Finally, find effects that you can present well with that character.