Creating a Themed Magic Show

L Writes: I’m currently struggling with creating a themed magic show from the drawers full of magic stuff I’ve collected through the years (some of which I’ve never even opened!) I know the theme I want, but not sure I have the tricks I need to achieve my aim.

We’ve all been there… overwhelmed by the sheer number of magic tricks we’ve accumulated over the years. Those drawers filled with unopened gaffs, forgotten props, and half-developed effects can be both a blessing and a curse. Building a magic collection is fun, but if you are looking at the effects you have selected with no overall goal or direction while still creating a themed magic show. You may be struggling because you are trying to solve the problem the wrong way around.

Building your working material from what you have acquired over the years works OK for a general close-up magician, jumping from effect to effect with no overall theme or flow other than the pacing of the effects. But for a themed professional show, you need to do the following BEFORE you decide which effects you will use.

1. Define the Message of Your Story
The best magic acts tell a story. The first step in creating a themed magic show is to define the core message or story you want to convey.

Ask yourself:
* What do I want the spectators to feel or understand by the end of my performance?
* Is there a good lesson, emotion, or idea I want to leave them with?

The message serves as the backbone of a themed magic show. It could be a tale of victory over adversity, a journey of discovery, or a moral lesson… Whatever you choose, the message should be clear and compelling.

Example: If your theme is about the power of imagination, your message could well be, “Imagination can turn the impossible into reality.”

2. Set the Theme and Situation
Keep your message central as you create the theme and situation of your themed magic show. The theme is the core concept that pulls everything together while the situation sets the scene for your performance.

Consider:
* What world or setting does your story take place in?
* What atmosphere do you want to create?
* How does this setting support the message?

Your theme could be anything from a magical trip through a distant planet to a fantasy dream where technology comes to life. The magic should naturally occur due to the situation, making what happens a seamless extension of the narrative.

Example: If the theme of the magic show is imagination, the situation might be a magical land where the limits between reality and unreality fuse, with amazing events unfolding.

3. Identify the Protagonist
Next, we need to decide who the protagonist of your show is. In magic, the protagonist can be the magician, the spectator, or an external force that you interact with. Setting the protagonist will significantly impact how your effects are presented and viewed by the audience.

Think about this:
* Are you the one creating the magic, or is it happening to you?
* Are you a wizard in control of mystical powers or an ordinary person encountering magical events?

Understanding the role of the protagonist helps you make a consistent narrative when creating a themed magic show. If something incredible is happening to you, the tricks should feel surprising and a little bit out of your control. If you are the cause of the magic, the tricks should showcase your skill and magical prowess.

Example: In creating an imagination-themed magic show, you could be a daydreamer who discovers that they can shape the world with only their thoughts, making you both the magic’s creator and protagonist.

4. Develop the Story Arc
With the message, theme, and protagonist set, it’s time to craft the story arc. A well-made story arc keeps your spectators engaged and interested in your performance. Your act should have a clear beginning, a middle, and a climactic end:

* Beginning: Introduce the situation and the protagonist. Set the stage for the magic to happen.
* Middle: This is where the bulk of your tricks should happen. Build tension, introduce challenges or surprises, and show how the magician deals with them.
* End: Bring the story to a satisfying finish. Solve any conflicts, reveal the final twist, and reinforce the message of your themed magic show.

Example: In this example, the beginning might involve the magician discovering their newfound power to control things. The middle could have increasingly complex and amazing examples of magic. The end would show the magician mastering this power and finding the true potential of their imagination.

5. Select Effects That Build the Story
With a clear story arc, you can dig into those boxes of stored magic tricks and select the effects that best go with your narrative. Look for effects that:

* Align with your theme: The magic needs to naturally fit into the world you’ve made. Stay away from tricks that feel out of place.
* Support the message: Choose magic tricks that help tell the story’s message or move the plot forward.
* Enhance the magician’s journey: The magic should reflect the magician’s story, whether it’s their growing confidence, their struggle against the odds, or their ultimate triumph.

Remember, not every trick you own will suit this particular act, and that’s okay. Focus on quality over quantity—each effect should have a purpose in your story.

Example: Creating a themed magic show with an imagination theme, effects that involve visual transformations, impossible predictions, or objects coming to life would be ideal. For instance, a routine where a blank picture suddenly fills with colour could represent the magician’s power of imagination.

Creating a themed magic show is about more than just stringing together a series of effects you already own. It’s about crafting a cohesive experience that captivates and resonates with your audience.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, refine, and adapt your themed magic show as you go. The magic is in the details, and with a strong foundation, you’ll be well on your way to creating a magic show that entertains and tells a powerful story.

I hope this helps you.
Dominic Reyes

The Working Material of a Professional Magician

by Dominic Reyes 2 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

Robert asks: 'As a professional magician do you always stick to your staple material or keep learning new magic tricks, and create new acts out of them all of the time? Also, if you do stick to your staple material, what do you do if you keep on getting repeat bookings as you cannot show the same magic tricks from your acts twice.'

Every professional magician is different, and I can only answer this queston from the point of view of a close up magician. Stage and Children's show magicians may have different ways of doing things.

On the whole most magicians will agree that they have a staple set of routines that they do over and over again at each booking. The magic tricks are built into 'sets'. Each set consisting of 3-5 magic tricks that fit well together. Some of the sets are built for walk-around and others are designed to be performed at guests tables. At most gigs, I have 6 of these sets that I rotate. I don't show the same tricks to groups of people near each other.

Core tricks

I've used many of the core tricks within my sets for the past 20 years. I know these core tricks deeply. I know they work, suit my character, and get great reactions. I've performed them so many times that I have all the little details and subtleties ironed out. I have entertaining responses for just about any question or reaction that may be given by the spectators. This only comes from repetition and live performance, so these core effects are very valuable to me. The other tricks within each set come and go over time. I'm always keeping an eye out for something new to swap into one of the sets. That keep things fresh, and my interest going.

Adding new magic tricks

Adding a new magic trick into my working material is a hard process. A professional magician doesn't add new tricks into their repertoire just because they like the trick themsleves.

Professional magicians choose tricks for the audience rather than their own personal entertainment.

I may love a trick, but I won't add it to a set, because it doesn't suit the other material, the flow of the set, my style, or the audience that will watch it. Giving up on a trick that you love it hard to accept, but it doesn't mean you can't won't perform it for family and friends, it just means it's not in your working act. I play with magic all the time. In fact, that's part of my job as the owner of The Merchant of Magic, so I always have a deck of cards or a coin in my hand. But that is very different to 'building an act'. The whole key to professional magic is narrowing down your material to a select group of tricks that you will perform over and over again to different people. It's hard to find 'space for a new trick' within my sets, as I know they work well already. Sometimes I may take a new trick with me to many gig's but it never get's performed. My 'sets' work, and when it comes to performing, I follow the pattern I know gives a good product.

When it's the same audience

Like all working magicians, I get a lot of repeat bookings. However, the client is the same but the audience rarely is. I may do an award ceremony for a company every year, but the guests change all the time. If I do have people in a group that I have seen before, I still have 6 sets to choose from, so I've always got some magic they haven't seen before. It only becomes and issue if I've performed to the same people 6 events in a row, and if that happens, I'll show those people a few core effects and then something outside of my working sets that I reserve for family and friends. That sort of situation is very rare for me bacuse I have mainly have repeat clients that have different guests attending events.

Bispoke magic

I often offer clients bispoke magic as part of my service. It's usually corporate clients that want bispoke effects presented to their guests. For these bookings, I will create a few effects that take on a theme for the event, a products USP features, or a message the client wants to highlight to their guests. Again, I have a bank of general effects that can easily be adapted to these presentations. It's a small group of tricks, that can be changed to give infinite variations.

Summery

So that's my working material: 24 tricks

Each of these tricks have been 'mastered'. I know them TOTALLY and they are performed for the public over and over again. The tricks are grouped into small sets and rotated. I learn new trick all the time, but they are not part of my working material. Some may find their way in, but the majority don't. That's enough material to cover most repeat bookings.

Every magician is different. I've worked with many that change their tricks all the time and are constantly trying out new styles and material. Each person has their own way, but from experience, I think that most professional magicians work the same way that I have just described.

What do you do?:

How did you choose your working material? How many tricks make up your core working material? Do you plan which tricks you will perform? How do you deal with repeat bookings? Please share your advice in the comments section below:

The Dangers of Learning New Magic Tricks

by Dominic Reyes Leave a Comment

Are you spending too much of your 'practice time' learning new magic tricks?

By Dominic Reyes

Ragedy Writes: 'I have a question. I've spent lots of money on books and marketed effects. What should I do with them all ? Should I ignore them? Can I make time to play with the tricks I've bought and read all the books I have, or is this all a waste of time? Is it ok to just show something for the fun of it and keep some tricks for the serious practice time. Some of the things I have are just fun and I like showing my close friends these effects. There are some though I feel fit my persona more and these are the effects I practice hard at. What do think? Am I on the right track?'

Yes, it's fine to spend some of your time learning new magic tricks. But I think you should set a goal to choose a range of magic tricks that you will build into a performing act. That should be your focus. Watch the DVD's and read the books. Play with magic and learn all you can, but do it with focus towards a GOAL.

Spend 50% of your time researching and learning new magic tricks. Spend the other 50% developing your core set of tricks and practicing their performance.

Learning new magic tricks is not 'practice', it's just research. It needs to be done, so you can build a strong act, but it's not something that should take up more than half of your magic time. Equally, it'sfine to have a range of fun tricks you perform. However, make sure that you are building a core set of effects that will make up a performing act. Hope this helps. Dominic Reyes