Archtypes for Magician Performers

Character is an issue that many magicians seem to struggle with, so let’s begin by sketching out some general character types. Of course, each individual will have their own way of expressing these archetypes.

Different character types for magicians can be categorized by the magician’s relationship to his or her power. How is their power derived? And to what ends do they use their power?

Lest this begin to sound dreadfully academic, I’d better provide some examples:

Fool or Clown — Gets fooled by others as well as by ordinary objects, the victim of magical circumstances. A character often played by children’s performers, but also by the great manipulator, Cardini.

Trickster -– Pulls pranks on others and upsets status quo. Uses magic to expose other people’s shortcomings, like the work of Penn & Teller. In some traditions can impart wisdom by exposing small-minded conventions. In mythology, the basis for the Coyote trickster and the Sufi Nasrudin.

Thief — Manipulates objects with dexterity, cheats to gain advantage. The pick-pocket or con-artist. One who lives by subtle skills (physical and intellectual) rather than brute force, like magician Harry Anderson.

Don Juan — Controls other people with to intention of seduction. Like the hypnotic power Svengali holds over Trilby, or early David Copperfield where he acted out vignettes in which magic got him the girl.

Wizard — Holds power over animals, forces of nature. Think Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings.

Athlete — Develops physical ability to overcome barriers. Harry Houdini the escape artist and the more recent performances of David Blaine (as endurance artist) epitomize this archetype.

Scholar — Develops intellect to overcome barriers. Ricky Jay, to pick a rather obscure magician. Also, the Amazing Kreskin (to pick another obscure example).

Messiah — Transcends self, uses power in the service of others. I’ll take some flack for even mentioning his name, but John Edwards (from the talk show, Crossing Over, not the politician) is a good example of this archetype.

Others (Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, Robert Neale) have made similar analyses with different categories. This taxonomy was developed by my friend, Bob Sacamento.

While it is possible to blend two or more archetypes into a single character or performance, the power of these archetypes is that they clarify (and make understandable) who you are as a performer. Trying to embrace too much, may only muddle the picture.