Entries from September 2008 ↓

I was invited to participate in a fund raiser for the American Heart Association held at the Theater of Dreams in Castle Rock. My long time magician friend, Joe Givan and his wife Carol, operate one of the hidden gems in the Colorado magic scene, a theater devoted to the performance of magic.

I first met Joe when he worked behind the counter at Zeezo’s Magic Castle in the now defunct Cinderella City shopping mall (I, meanwhile, worked at the rival Top Hat Magic Shop). Later, Joe would go on to open the Magic Works in Denver, a bar that hosted a bevy of Colorado’s top magicians, and which induced me to head downtown every weekend to get my magic fix. And once, I even participated in one of Joe’s scary Cthulu-themed midnight magic performances, held in an abandoned warehouse in LoDo (back when LoDo was a place you would NEVER go to after dark), but that’s a whole other story…

So I was excited to be working with Joe for his “Magic Mania Variety Show,” alongside with nine other magicians (including Dave Elstun, Marty Wayne, Cliff Tiffany, Shawn Preston, Mark Strivings, Eddie Goldstein, and Gene Gordon). Each of us were given a 10-minute slot to do what we do best, so I chose to perform the Cups & Balls, one of the oldest pieces of magic on record, and the piece I use to close my corporate show. The fact that this piece of magic is over 2,000 years old is a testament to its effectiveness.

And it was fun to perform for my fellow magicians. Because work keeps us all busy, we seldom get to attend each others performances. So it was a rare opportunity to see what they do and to show off, in turn, what I can do. But of course, the real reason we were all there was to raise money for the American Heart Association, and I believe we sold out at least one of our two shows.

Performances were on Friday and Saturday night, however, I had to duck out early from Saturday night’s performance (and skip the curtain call) because I had a second performance up North, back in Lafayette.

A couple were celebrating their anniversary and wanted to do something special for their guests, so I provided “mix & mingle” magic for their friends and family (about 60 people all together). So in a matter of hours, I went from Lafayette, down to Castle Rock, and back up to Lafayette, before heading home for a good night’s sleep. Good thing I keep a couple PowerBars in my glove box, because some days there’s no time to take a break.

Good Will Industries was hosting a golf tournament, followed by a silent auction fund raiser, so I created a little concession, I called, “Beat the Cheat.”

As the golfers came inside to bid on the auction items, I stood behind a poker table and challenged people to a game of head-to-head poker. I began with $100 of my own money and each time I lost, I would donate $20 to Good Will. Once I was out of money, the challenge was over. But if my opponent lost, they would make a $20 donation to Good Will. Win or lose we were supporting a good cause and Good Will Industries was the ultimate winner.

Their challenge was to beat the cheat. My job was to protect my $100 bankroll and raise as much money as possible for Good Will.

Over the course of two hours, I played 63 hands of poker, and lost only twice. Did I mention that I cheated a little?

Yes, everyone was forewarned that to ensure that we raise as much money as possible for Good Will, I would be taking a few liberties with the cards.

People came back over and over again just to try to catch me out, but no one ever did. On the surface, everything looked more than fair, yet over and over again, I would win on behalf of Good Will.

Of course, there were two occasions when my opponent did “beat the cheat” and I had to donate my own money, but since all the money was going to a good cause, I was more than happy to chip in.

Sometimes, even when you cheat, the cards don’t fall your way.

The best part of the evening came when we count my winnings, and discovered that it was just enough money to put them over the top for meeting their fund raising goal. Now that’s real magic!

Was hired to perform magic at Boulder Pride’s outdoor festival on the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, CO. As there was no stage or seating, it proved to be a great opportunity to work on my busking (street performing) skills.

In my opinion, street performing demands the most of any performer. It is necessary, but by no means sufficient, to be technically proficient. On the streets, it is truly the case that you must be able to handle your props without giving them a second thought, because all of your attention must be devoted to managing the audience.

When you start to build a crowd, you need to be ever alert. A group of people will be walking by and you may only have one second to engage them and ask them to stop. If you miss the window, they’ll make up their minds to continue walking and the opportunity will be lost. So you cannot afford to be thinking about your props or your secret maneuvers.

Often, people will stop, but will be hesitant to commit to watching your performance. They’ll stand a safe distance away while they decide whether or not to stick around. You’ll want to encourage them to move in closer where they can see better, but you can’t rush them. Instead, acknowledge their presence with eye contact and a smile. Just let them know that you know they are there. A bit later, you might direct a remark or a joke to them. Or perhaps YOU might approach THEM to show them something.

Once you’ve made them feel like they are invested in the show and they are a part of the show, you can make a direct request to move in closer.

Because magicians who work from the stage don’t have to build their own audience from scratch, they often overlook the little things that need to be done to coax an audience to stop and watch. It is an art which I have by no means mastered. But one which has paid great dividends in whatever performing environment I find myself.