MagicRecipe Blog

Many magicians do some tricks to kill time. Time should pass without the notice of the audience. When you talk something then some action should happen. Don’t hold the items in your hand and go on talking, talking and talking. Watch the face of the audience, if they are bored by your talks then shorten your patter. If they are enjoying laughing then continue with your talk. 

Don’t do the mind reading act in children shows like birthday parties. Children and ladies don’t like the mental act. They want to watch the colourful items. 

Practice and practice and practice. Perform as many shows as possible. Don’t worry whether you are getting the money or not. You have to keep performing. 

Try to face the audience, keep eye to eye contact.  Don’t forget to clip the smile on your lips. 

Don’t use staled items. Use the clean new silks and props. 

Smooth handling of props are very important for a magician and these days all magicians have forgotten the importance of prop handling. They feel that presentation and effect can cover the mistake, its false in my opinion. Eye contact and smile come under presentation and audience management. 

Here is a question for you people ………… why do you like the levitation of David Copperfield than any other magician even though few other magicians do the same kind of magic with the same props..it is just because of choreography and the smooth handling..If you are a close up magician and mostly doing more tricks with cards I suggest you to learn basic handling of cards from a gambling technique video or casino dealers’ (handles cards very smoothly). 

This goes in general to any sort of magic like stage, coins, cards or manipulation – “Be Natural” – Dai Vernon………. Just look how things are held naturally and manipulated.. if you use it the same way, then all your magic will look natural and smooth.

1.  Underestimate or misjudge the audience. 
2. Fail to establish rapport with the audience. 
3. Talk too little or too much. 
4. Perform too slowly or too fast. 
5. Don’t practice enough. 
6. Clumsy in handling the props. 
7. Don’t dress well. 
8. Don’t do the right make up. 
9. Perform in the wrong lightings. Stand in front of strong light and perform. Many a times they show their backs to the audience. 
10. For every trick some magicians leave the stage and come down to audience for giving the props for examinations.

Here are some simple ways of preventing stage fear. Please let me know if you find the suggestions useful.
1. Perform only tricks which you have practised so often that you can perform them in your sleep. Perform to your strengths in your own natural style. If you try to mimic another magician’s style, you won’t feel natural, and this can lead to anxiety.
2. Before the show, mix with members of the audience, chat with them, break the ice, establish rapport, get to like them, and get them to like you. Find out the names of those with whom you have established rapport. Find out where they are sitting. Look out for these familiar faces during your show. Make eye contact with them, perform especially for them.
3. The magician must be in command; he cannot hope to deceive his audience with his illusions if he thinks that they are better than him in status, in knowledge, in intelligence, or in any other way. One way of getting in command is to think that no matter how imposing the spectators are, none of them will be able to knot a rope or catch a ball in the way you can. That is, they may be masters in their field, but in the field of magic, you are the boss. Another way is, in your imagination, to focus your performance on those with whom you have made friends and over whom you feel you can confidently weave your spell of deception.
4. If there is anybody in the audience who makes you uneasy because of his appearance, attitude, or talk, feel sorry for him that he lack the gift of good nature. Feel sorry that he has ulcers. Feel sorry that he suffers from constipation. Feel sorry that nobody likes him. You cannot be cowed down by somebody for whom you feel sorry.
5. Finally, have a backup routine and patter in case a trick goes wrong. What is the worst that can happen? The audience can’t eat you up or put you in jail.
6. For magicians who develop fine tremors of their hands, rapid heart beat, sweating, dry mouth, etc., medicines are also available.

Remember that a little anxiety before the show can actually sharpen thought and reflexes. It’s only when the anxiety crosses a point that it interferes with the performance.

Any other ideas?
Best wishes,
CA