Wow, what a difference a great show can make!!!
Haven't blogged lately mostly because there's not much positive to say about magic in general and magicians specifically.
A friend recently said "Magic would be great, if not for magicians" and he's spot on!!
Over 90% of self proclaimed magicians are terrible!! What's worse is they don't realize it, won't consider or seek constructive criticism or read the books and materials that could help them.
Now I've gotten that out of the way, well not really as I could go on but .......
Today at a private show in Virginia I had the pleasure of performing for a great audinece. Great people, well mannered, intelligent, interesting and everything you could ever want in an audinece.
All the newer pieces went over great and were well very received.
Case in point, a very short version of the new closing act
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8EKIKc5vDU
About 80% of the show is original materiel and it's the greatest feeling when the original pieces are the best received. Validates all the work, thought, effort and time put it.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Through the Looking Glass
Through the Looking Glass is coming along. Will post a link to it here after the rough draft video finishes uploading on YouTube. Still not really Alice in Wonderland feeling, just sort of influenced by it. In part that is because I haven't gotten to the tea party portion of the piece.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Creative Team
It's been a while since the last blog, very busy with some things. Shows are picking back up
Have been thinking I truly have the greatest creative team one could wish for.
Have an art director and builder and a conceptualizer.
And they are my family, Chrissy my Fiancee is doing an outstanding job as the art director & builder! My 7 year young son Sebastian is the most amazing conceptualizer.
Was stuck on a presentation for a new piece and Sebastian turned it around in his head for about 6 minutes and came up with an idea, Chrissy built it in less than 2 days for under $50 and now I have the most unusual and sensible "Floating Butterfly" routine
Coming up next ......
"Through the Looking Glass"
Have been thinking I truly have the greatest creative team one could wish for.
Have an art director and builder and a conceptualizer.
And they are my family, Chrissy my Fiancee is doing an outstanding job as the art director & builder! My 7 year young son Sebastian is the most amazing conceptualizer.
Was stuck on a presentation for a new piece and Sebastian turned it around in his head for about 6 minutes and came up with an idea, Chrissy built it in less than 2 days for under $50 and now I have the most unusual and sensible "Floating Butterfly" routine
Coming up next ......
"Through the Looking Glass"
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Busiest weekend of the year Part II
Wow, what a day. From Ellicott City, MD to Media Pa to Crownsville, MD. From Professor Snape at a Hogwart's theme birthday party to having fun at a 13 year old young man's party in a gorgeous house seriously done up for the occasion.
Both were great parties with parents going all out for their children. Everyone was nice as could be and a good time for all.
The Harry Potter theme party was amazing. The house was done up like the great hall and the outside was done as Hogsmeade. I tested the students as Professor Snape. Am sure you can guess the results. The transformation from paper to fire certainly shocked the student.
Might not have handled the second party as well as I could but they had inquisitive minds and lots to say so I tried to work with them. Given the choice between stopping the show and demanding quiet or going on and taking their inquisitive nature into account and working with it I choose the latter. All in all they were a cool bunch of kids and the parents were great. Had to adjust the show as I went along but it worked out. Always amazes me how well the linking rings go over everywhere. Everyone loves the fire bits, I think the fire bits are cheap theatrics but they work.
Again the original pieces are the stars of the show, I have to find the muse for more
Denny Haney has it so right in his lecture notes. It really is about getting the audience to like you, then presentation and it's got to be tight and it's got to be fun.
If I can reach someone's mind and make them think and or feel, then I've achieved art
It was a challenging weekend but I think we did ok
Going on with the show
Both were great parties with parents going all out for their children. Everyone was nice as could be and a good time for all.
The Harry Potter theme party was amazing. The house was done up like the great hall and the outside was done as Hogsmeade. I tested the students as Professor Snape. Am sure you can guess the results. The transformation from paper to fire certainly shocked the student.
Might not have handled the second party as well as I could but they had inquisitive minds and lots to say so I tried to work with them. Given the choice between stopping the show and demanding quiet or going on and taking their inquisitive nature into account and working with it I choose the latter. All in all they were a cool bunch of kids and the parents were great. Had to adjust the show as I went along but it worked out. Always amazes me how well the linking rings go over everywhere. Everyone loves the fire bits, I think the fire bits are cheap theatrics but they work.
Again the original pieces are the stars of the show, I have to find the muse for more
Denny Haney has it so right in his lecture notes. It really is about getting the audience to like you, then presentation and it's got to be tight and it's got to be fun.
If I can reach someone's mind and make them think and or feel, then I've achieved art
It was a challenging weekend but I think we did ok
Going on with the show
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Busiest weekend of the year
For me Halloween will be the busiest weekend of the year. Have done more shows in a weekend but never through 3 different states and the District of Columbia
Friday October 31, Halloween work started at 3:00pm with a 45 minute show for a senior assisted living facility in Virginia. When the show starts with asking a resident (who seemed fairly alert and I had seen playing cards earlier) to name a card and after some thought she says "4th of July" you hope it's not a harbinger of things to come.
Fortunately it wasn't and the set went well (except for the facility dog eating my chocolate covered cherries but in trade for the pumpkin pie and apple cider I came out ahead). Again my original pieces were the best received of the set which tells me I'm on the right track.
One women was such a sweetheart, as I was packing to load out she came up and spoke with me thinking she had seen me before. Her smile and asking to give me a hug made the day. Sometimes it really is the small things.
Even with a 2.5 hour drive home through some of the nations worst gridlock
Tonight I was the featured performer at 12:15 am for the Alliance Française party at the Napoleon Bistro and Lounge. Incredibly crowded all through Georgetown (DC), had to create a parking spot (I am a magician after all). Got there with 15 minutes to set up, club staff saw me at the door and took me right in (in front of about 25 people who were waiting to get in) .
Imagine trying to do a 15 minute set in a crowded dance club!!?? Have worked for Alliance Française before so I had worked up something special for them but wasn't expecting the conditions. The show MUST go on. With an elbow to elbow crowd I was beyond nervous, the skull I was going to float broke from it's anchor. Had a flat response to the head growing disc but patrons love fire.
For the scariest thing I could think of I did a piece about ..... Corporate America ah ha ha ha
It's the Box from David London (which is going over well) . Had a few challenges but with a lot of fire work in a small place the set went on.
Really like the Alliance Française parties and the people but hopefully if I work for them again it will be more like the party from October 3rd. If I knew what the working conditions were going to be tonight I would have prepared a different set. Had an avant garde, performance art set ready but you work with the circumstances.
Got stopped as I rolled my table down the street (why carry if you can roll) by a group sitting outside to smoke at another club, they recognized me as a magician and asked me to do something for them. What else could I do, I start pulling lights out of the air and passersby.
The 2 shows could not have been more different or more challenging in their own ways, really measures and shapes who you are as a performer. Glad to have these opportunities, to grow and gain unusual experiences.
Later today (it's 2:28AM) Professor Snape in a very special recreation of Hogwarts in Media PA and then onto Crownsville, MD to be the surprise entertainment at a upscale birthday party
Friday October 31, Halloween work started at 3:00pm with a 45 minute show for a senior assisted living facility in Virginia. When the show starts with asking a resident (who seemed fairly alert and I had seen playing cards earlier) to name a card and after some thought she says "4th of July" you hope it's not a harbinger of things to come.
Fortunately it wasn't and the set went well (except for the facility dog eating my chocolate covered cherries but in trade for the pumpkin pie and apple cider I came out ahead). Again my original pieces were the best received of the set which tells me I'm on the right track.
One women was such a sweetheart, as I was packing to load out she came up and spoke with me thinking she had seen me before. Her smile and asking to give me a hug made the day. Sometimes it really is the small things.
Even with a 2.5 hour drive home through some of the nations worst gridlock
Tonight I was the featured performer at 12:15 am for the Alliance Française party at the Napoleon Bistro and Lounge. Incredibly crowded all through Georgetown (DC), had to create a parking spot (I am a magician after all). Got there with 15 minutes to set up, club staff saw me at the door and took me right in (in front of about 25 people who were waiting to get in) .
Imagine trying to do a 15 minute set in a crowded dance club!!?? Have worked for Alliance Française before so I had worked up something special for them but wasn't expecting the conditions. The show MUST go on. With an elbow to elbow crowd I was beyond nervous, the skull I was going to float broke from it's anchor. Had a flat response to the head growing disc but patrons love fire.
For the scariest thing I could think of I did a piece about ..... Corporate America ah ha ha ha
It's the Box from David London (which is going over well) . Had a few challenges but with a lot of fire work in a small place the set went on.
Really like the Alliance Française parties and the people but hopefully if I work for them again it will be more like the party from October 3rd. If I knew what the working conditions were going to be tonight I would have prepared a different set. Had an avant garde, performance art set ready but you work with the circumstances.
Got stopped as I rolled my table down the street (why carry if you can roll) by a group sitting outside to smoke at another club, they recognized me as a magician and asked me to do something for them. What else could I do, I start pulling lights out of the air and passersby.
The 2 shows could not have been more different or more challenging in their own ways, really measures and shapes who you are as a performer. Glad to have these opportunities, to grow and gain unusual experiences.
Later today (it's 2:28AM) Professor Snape in a very special recreation of Hogwarts in Media PA and then onto Crownsville, MD to be the surprise entertainment at a upscale birthday party
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Magicial ranting and ravings
From The Actor Magician Essays
By Louis C. Haley
Extracted from his book "The Dramatic Art of Magic"
" ......People now-a-days are beginning to look upon the Magician as one who can especially amuse the children. In times past whole cities used to get wrought up to a high pitch of excitement over things that do not approach in real mystery the things that are done today. I think one reason for this attitude on the part of the public is the fact that the Magician has lost the dignity of his calling and is in imminent danger of seeing his self-respect going with it."
Written over 100 years ago and true today
It saddens me greatly to see magic considered by some as amusement for children, it grieves me worse to see heinous performers foisted upon children.
Perverse and or pretentious performers who denigrate themselves in their base attempts to pander to the lowest common denominator at what they misguidedly consider entertainment. Completed by their strange and improper looking props. Why must everything have some strange pseudo Asian writing on a painful color scheme?
Are such want to be performers too unintelligent to know any different?
I could post hundreds of thousands of pictures and websites to support my statements.
We could have enlightenment in entertainment, but instead it's a weekend clown in a $5 cape and discount wand calling it a Harry Potter show.
Can Darwinism please happen quicker in the world of magic?
Obviously you don't have to play down to anyone, especially children. Acts such as tearing apart toilet paper and offering it up to be placed in the mouth to produce a mouth coil (oh wait, I saw that in a show for adults, not kidding). All performances, children included can be presented in an intelligent, elegant and incredibly entertaining fashion.
Why are we accepting the bar being lowered in performances for children when we should be raising it to stimulate their fertile imaginations?
Why do we accept performers insulting their intelligence?
Of course there are outstanding performers who specialize in working for children. However I'd wager all of you reading this know of more heinous performers thinking they are geared to children than quality acts.
There is and always will be a place, need and market for comedy magic, but all too few quality comedic performers.
Sounding Off from the Soapbox of the Society for Quality Entertainment
By Louis C. Haley
Extracted from his book "The Dramatic Art of Magic"
" ......People now-a-days are beginning to look upon the Magician as one who can especially amuse the children. In times past whole cities used to get wrought up to a high pitch of excitement over things that do not approach in real mystery the things that are done today. I think one reason for this attitude on the part of the public is the fact that the Magician has lost the dignity of his calling and is in imminent danger of seeing his self-respect going with it."
Written over 100 years ago and true today
It saddens me greatly to see magic considered by some as amusement for children, it grieves me worse to see heinous performers foisted upon children.
Perverse and or pretentious performers who denigrate themselves in their base attempts to pander to the lowest common denominator at what they misguidedly consider entertainment. Completed by their strange and improper looking props. Why must everything have some strange pseudo Asian writing on a painful color scheme?
Are such want to be performers too unintelligent to know any different?
I could post hundreds of thousands of pictures and websites to support my statements.
We could have enlightenment in entertainment, but instead it's a weekend clown in a $5 cape and discount wand calling it a Harry Potter show.
Can Darwinism please happen quicker in the world of magic?
Obviously you don't have to play down to anyone, especially children. Acts such as tearing apart toilet paper and offering it up to be placed in the mouth to produce a mouth coil (oh wait, I saw that in a show for adults, not kidding). All performances, children included can be presented in an intelligent, elegant and incredibly entertaining fashion.
Why are we accepting the bar being lowered in performances for children when we should be raising it to stimulate their fertile imaginations?
Why do we accept performers insulting their intelligence?
Of course there are outstanding performers who specialize in working for children. However I'd wager all of you reading this know of more heinous performers thinking they are geared to children than quality acts.
There is and always will be a place, need and market for comedy magic, but all too few quality comedic performers.
Sounding Off from the Soapbox of the Society for Quality Entertainment
Sunday, October 12, 2008
David London Lecture
Saw David London's lecture least night.
I'm totally blown away, incredibly creative, totally illogical while being perfectly thought out down to the smallest detail.
Picked up the workings for a new piece that I think will be an outstanding addition to my show.
If you have an opportunity to see David London don't pass it up
4 out of 4 stars!!!!
I'm totally blown away, incredibly creative, totally illogical while being perfectly thought out down to the smallest detail.
Picked up the workings for a new piece that I think will be an outstanding addition to my show.
If you have an opportunity to see David London don't pass it up
4 out of 4 stars!!!!
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