Entries Tagged 'Performance' ↓

Well, it’s not often that you get to do magic for a 90-year old’s birthday party, but that’s what I did yesterday. Straight from the airport (returning from Las Vegas), I headed over to the Governor’s Mansion for Will’s 90th Birthday party.

For the past month Denverites have seen billboards and other advertisements causing them to ask, “Who is Will?”

Well, at yesterday’s party, Mayor Hickenlooper officially revealed that Will is — in fact — Good Will Industries of Denver. And that for the last 90 years Good Will has been helping at-risk youth, and disabled and disadvantaged adults in the Denver community to achieve self-sufficiency through work.

The event featured local celebrities, donors, and people who have benefited from the work done by Good Will.

What made the magic work so well for this event was that, Alison (the event planner who booked me) took the time to give me the background on the event and on her organization so that I could prepare magic specifically tailored for the occasion. I love working with event planners who take the time to ensure that all aspects of their event work together and complement each other. In this case, I was able to create a card trick in which a playing card magically transformed into a birthday card (for Will), and I was able to create another piece of magic that allowed me to talk about the great things that Good Will has done for Denver over the last 90 years.

Event planners who just hire a magician to do generic magic are missing a great opportunity. If you have a theme or message, make sure it’s reinforced and supported by everyone who contributes to your event.

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.

Had a performance Saturday night at my semi-regular venue which shall remain unnamed. My presence at this venue is not a well-kept secret — obviously, hundreds of people see me there each week. I do not, however, advertise my performances at this venue, preferring to keep it as a place where I am free to experiment.

It is an old but cogent observation that magicians (and other performance artists) need a place where they can hone their craft on a regular basis. The truth is, as a performer, if you’re not logging consistent “flight-time” in front of a live audience, then you’re not performing at your peak. It is the bane of the amateur magician that every time they take the stage (after a prolonged absence), they’re walking in cold. As a result, their sleights will show some rust, their scripts will be a little stilted, and their audience interaction will be a bit flat.

Honestly, the audiences at my secret undisclosed venue are some of the most difficult audiences I work for. They have extremely short attention spans, in an environment that is full of distractions. And they force me to work hard to win them over. But it is the grueling conditions which attracted me to this venue to begin with. Being tempered in such fires means that I can take a “proper” gig (with a moderately attentive audience) knowing I’ll have them in the palm of my hand from the word go. (I was introduced to this strategy by my magical friend and colleague, Mike Michaels, who used to work during the intermissions at a strip club. When his act was strong enough to divert the attention of lascivious patrons, he knew he was ready to take on Las Vegas.)

Saturday night was an opportunity for me to continue breaking in some new material. Prestodigitorial technique can be developed in the practice room. Next it must be tested under the “fog of war” before a live audience. And most importantly, the presentation can only be truly discovered before an audience.

The magic in question is a piece that most magicians will be familiar with, the venerable “Six Card Repeat.” Mastering the technique is not difficult, however, presenting this piece of magic is quite a challenge. There are many subtleties and nuances in the presentation which require much attention. The crux of the performance rests upon finding the correct pacing and rhythm. Also crucial is signaling the audience as to when you are ready to receive their applause. It is a deceptively difficult piece to present, and yet from its inception I’ve sensed that it will grow to become a very strong opener, it having an almost hypnotic quality that rivets an audience’s attention.

If you are an amateur, striving to become a professional, my advice is to secure for yourself a “secret undisclosed location” where you can get regular stage time.

In celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I was invited to give a short magic performance (one segment of a longer revue) for the Asian Roundtable of Colorado. The Roundtable is an umbrella organization for other Asian Pacific American groups in the state. On hand were members of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, the Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Boulder Asian Pacific Alliance, and hundreds of others representing dozens of organizations.

Performing in a revue format (one of a series of short acts), can be challenging because the schedule can shift wildly. Most often they’re running late, but sometimes an act isn’t ready and you can get bumped up. And once I was asked (just as I got ready to step on stage) if I could do an extra 15 minutes because one of the performers was stuck in traffic.

Also, in a revue (unless they have a curtain) you won’t be able to set the stage in advance, so I’ve found it’s best to travel light and not rely on big props. I’ve seen too many performer get a rousing introduction, and then fritter away the energy and momentum while they say, “Sorry, this will just take a few minutes while I get set up…”

I was making a list of magic effects that I perform and the props required and was delighted to find that I have 45 minutes of material using only a pocket knife, a deck of cards, and a few paper napkins. If I four-wall a theater in Boulder this Fall, I may make this the basis of the show (not because I can’t set the stage in advance, but because I am smitten with the aesthetics of a magician on stage with minimal props).

Another difficulty in performing in a revue is the issue of setting up sound equipment. As a magician I generally need to move around quite a bit (across the stage and into the audience), and I need to have my hands free to wield my props. I brought my own wireless lavalier microphone since many conference rooms won’t have them available. But I couldn’t get to the sound tech without interrupting another performance. Fortunately they had a hand-held wireless microphone available, so I dug out my gimcrack (a microphone holder that can be worn around the neck) and I was ready to go.

Today’s audience was great. They were really responsive and quickly got into the fun. I opened with my usual opener (some magic with a piece of rope). I like it because it lets me test the audience and see what kind of mood they’re in, and I get to tease them and prod them (if necessary) to have a little fun.

Then I brought a volunteer up on stage and let her share the spotlight with me. I did some magic with a deck of cards and my trusty pocketknife. Then I encouraged her to try and duplicate my magic and when she succeeded the audience gave her a huge round of applause.

If I had more time I would have done one more piece of magic to lend a sense of completeness to the act, but given the time constraints (I never want to be the performer that throws off the schedule by going too long), I was very pleased with the performance (as was the booker) .