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Articles - Miscellaneous Topics Showmanship How Can I Better my Magic Show and Myself?
Articles - Miscellaneous Topics Showmanship How Can I Better my Magic Show and Myself?All performers go through a growing stage where they question their show, their field of interest and themselves. First and foremost we should realize we never stop growing intelligently and skill levels of showmanship. It is very difficult at first to admit to ourselves or to anyone that we doubt our abilities. While we need to expand our art and show, we tend to believe we have the “SHOW” of all shows.
Many times I have seen young entertainers get into a groove and do 3-5 things and that is their entire show. While this can be good, it is also limiting because how many times can you perform to some of the same people over and over again and really entertain them (really good friends and relatives excluded).
A good performer will have several different shows. In the make up the different shows you use some of your strongest material and add complimentary new material. That is use 2-3 of your strongest materials, maybe your opener and closer and one or 2 other strong effects and then build in new material that enhances and compliments those.
Once you have several shows put together you should have them critiqued. This is a very effective way to see if you are fluid in your delivery and you can get really good feed back. You have several options on having your show critiqued. The first way would be to have family and friends watch your shows; not real honest criticism here but some idea of how your show is going to be perceived. A better way is to hire several performing professional entertainers to watch and give you advice and opinions of the shows.
The best way and cheapest way is to ask magicians from your magic club to critique your show. If you are in the Phoenix AZ area, you may have your show evaluated at “The Amazing Magic Theatre” (TAMT) on a Thursday night. You will not only get professional working magicians’ opinions, but you will have lay-mans opinions also. This is probably the best way since they will be fair and kind but also let you where you need to focus on bettering. One last thought on that is it gives you audience experience in small doses rather than all at once large audiences.
We now know where we can go for help on putting a show together or adding new material; what about how do you know what material is for you. Hopefully this decision was made but you are in the above process but if not here goes a few thoughts.
Books and magic publications give you the new and old effects. Most VHS and DVDs give you the know how, but how do you know what is for you? The beginner magi or entertainer should first get a little knowledge by reading the “Classics” and watching others perform. Next, you need to decide what do you want to come across as, serious or comic or a combination of both. Then you need to decide if talking or a silent act or again a combination.
There are a ton of other things you must do, but that’s an article or two later. Here is some of the key ones that will be forthcoming: music, attire, patter/no patter, presentation, stage/performance etiquette and order of effects.
I hope this makes you want to go out and try something new, read more articles on entertaining or just gets you up and thinking. I am looking forward to more in this series of help articles.
Attivo il bella vita
Massimo
The Mental Institution™
Many times I have seen young entertainers get into a groove and do 3-5 things and that is their entire show. While this can be good, it is also limiting because how many times can you perform to some of the same people over and over again and really entertain them (really good friends and relatives excluded).
A good performer will have several different shows. In the make up the different shows you use some of your strongest material and add complimentary new material. That is use 2-3 of your strongest materials, maybe your opener and closer and one or 2 other strong effects and then build in new material that enhances and compliments those.
Once you have several shows put together you should have them critiqued. This is a very effective way to see if you are fluid in your delivery and you can get really good feed back. You have several options on having your show critiqued. The first way would be to have family and friends watch your shows; not real honest criticism here but some idea of how your show is going to be perceived. A better way is to hire several performing professional entertainers to watch and give you advice and opinions of the shows.
The best way and cheapest way is to ask magicians from your magic club to critique your show. If you are in the Phoenix AZ area, you may have your show evaluated at “The Amazing Magic Theatre” (TAMT) on a Thursday night. You will not only get professional working magicians’ opinions, but you will have lay-mans opinions also. This is probably the best way since they will be fair and kind but also let you where you need to focus on bettering. One last thought on that is it gives you audience experience in small doses rather than all at once large audiences.
We now know where we can go for help on putting a show together or adding new material; what about how do you know what material is for you. Hopefully this decision was made but you are in the above process but if not here goes a few thoughts.
Books and magic publications give you the new and old effects. Most VHS and DVDs give you the know how, but how do you know what is for you? The beginner magi or entertainer should first get a little knowledge by reading the “Classics” and watching others perform. Next, you need to decide what do you want to come across as, serious or comic or a combination of both. Then you need to decide if talking or a silent act or again a combination.
There are a ton of other things you must do, but that’s an article or two later. Here is some of the key ones that will be forthcoming: music, attire, patter/no patter, presentation, stage/performance etiquette and order of effects.
I hope this makes you want to go out and try something new, read more articles on entertaining or just gets you up and thinking. I am looking forward to more in this series of help articles.
Attivo il bella vita
Massimo
The Mental Institution™