3 Steps to Better Magic.

3 Steps to Becoming a Better Magician/ Entertainer

By JC Sum, Concept:Magic

Is there any sure fire formula to be a good magician/ entertainer?

Probably there is, as it is not that hard to be a good magician/ entertainer. Being really good is the hard part.
A good magician/ entertainer is not someone who has the most props, money, books or videos. In fact, I think if someone can go out with minimum props and entertain and astound the audience, he definitely is, in my book, a really good magician and entertainer.

Most ‘magicians’ do not seem to have a direction when it comes to improving themselves and their magic. I will attempt to give three basic guidelines on how to gain some focus:

Attitude

The right one is a necessity. If one is complacent, arrogant and ignorant, I would think that he has absolutely no chance in becoming a good magician.

I have often heard people remark that they are not professional or performing magicians thus need not bother about performing well. That is about the lamest excuse I have ever heard. Since when does one have to try one’s best with a right attitude only because he is doing it for a living? This basically reflects on one’s character. You would be better off not doing magic at all so as to not tarnish the art. Adopt the right attitude!

Development of Performing Persona

I think that this is the first thing an aspiring magician should work at. Obviously, we know that most magicians do not even try in this area. A strong personality is the overall quality that is judged by the audience. I do not want to elaborate on this area as there are many books specializing on this subject. I will give a few examples of people who have strong personalities ‘on stage’:

Magicians like David Copperfield, Rudy Coby, Wayne Dobson, Harry Anderson and the Amazing Jonathan are just some who have obviously worked at character development.

I know some of you will probably be saying that everyone has their own distinctive style while performing. That is true, but I am referring specifically to strong, distinctive and ‘commercial’ styles which can captivate audiences. For example, Mr Magician X might use obscene vulgarities and crude remarks while performing. Sure it is distinct, but is it generally acceptable or well received? You can have a unique style, but if no one likes it, what’s the use?

Development of a Show/Act

This is a crucial element for a magician or any type of performing artist. Stand-up comics, musicians, dancers, jugglers all have fixed acts (to a certain extent) which are honed to perfection over the years. A magician is no different.

Amateurs tend to just do a string of routines one after the other. Each routine might comprise of just one effect or a certain prop. There is no fluidity, continuity or a sense of cohesion. So how does one develop an act?

The first thing you must do is to work out a set of routines that you are happy with. Most people stop at there. That is only 1/3 of the entire process.
You must next cross examine your chosen routines with your performing persona. Is it consistent? Are you doing a serious mental effect when your performing persona is ‘Bozo the Clown’? This is the hardest part because you will be forced to drop certain favourite routines because they are inconsistent with your character.
You will now have a short listed set of routines which is the skeleton structure of your act. Now you have to find some way to link all the routines together to form a cohesive performance. This can be done several ways through theming your act, transition patter, story board based etc.

For a structured approach to developing a show, be sure to check out Developing a Show

Once you have developed an act, you will be able to ‘cut & paste’ it and adapt to different performing environments, situations and audiences. You can perform anything from 10 minutes to one hour. Magicians whom are worth studying are: Lance Burton, Harry Anderson, Terry Seabrooke, Mike Caveney, Carl Cloutier, Albert Goshman, Jeff McBride, just to name a few.

Important!!!

These three steps are only effective if you apply them. That means:

No matter what, you have to go out there and perform. There is no way you can develop an act by being an armchair magician. You must grab every opportunity to PERFORM! PERFORM! PERFORM! Charity shows, informal office gatherings, magic clubs meetings, church, school, volunteer for your company’s D & D are all ways to get that valuable performing experience.

Go for it!

There you have it! Three basic steps to become a good magician. Unfortunately, to develop the above area requires determination, time, energy, perseverance, dedication and objectivity. It usually takes years to get it right and takes even longer to perfect.

However, if you really want to be one of the best, you also have to take these subjects in consideration: Originality, Justice to the art, Creativity, Commercial Material.

© Copyright 2004 by Concept:Magic. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, now known or to be invented, without permission in writing.

*Reproduced with written permission of Concept:Magic.