Repeating a Magic Trick – Improve Reactions When showing magic tricks to friends

How to repeat a magic trick to the same people

What should you do when repeating a magic trick for a spectator?

I was recently booked to perform at a large dinner party and discovered the client had arranged a ‘fun’ way to mix up the evening. There were 15 tables of guests and between each course the host made everyone change tables with each other. Great fun for the guests, but not so much fun for a table hopping magician. Pretty soon, most tables had a guest or two that had already seen me at their table earlier. On top of that, many had been talking about it to the others that hadn’t seen me yet, and were excited about me performing some of the tricks they had just seen for the others.

Situations like that are rare, but people often want magicians to show their friends or colleagues a trick that impressed them in the past. Perhaps it’s a walk-around magic situation, and you approach a group only to find some of the members have moved from another group you have already visited.

Maybe your friends or family ask you to repeat a magic trick for one of their friends. Here’s a couple of tips I hope might help.

No, it’s not moody, atmospheric lighting, and I’ve not got the worlds worst sunburn… I’m in my car, at stupid o’clock, parked outside a hotel near Birmingham. Seriously, there’s no expense spared when it comes to my video’s!

How do you handle repeating a magic trick for spectators? Leave a comment in the section below.

How To Stop People Spoiling the Ending of a Magic Trick

by Merchant of Magic 4 Comments

‘J’ contacted us about a problem he is having with his magic: Showing magic tricks to friends of his friends.

Sometimes his friends have seen him perform a magic trick and they want him to show their friends as well. The problem J faces, is that they have already discussed it with their friends beforehand, and hyped it up, as well as giving away the ‘surprise’ ending to the trick. The result of this is that J finds his second performance does not have as good an impact as his first.

‘They spread the word to their friends, but somehow their friends will end-up sort of disappointed (what I felt from them) and comment “Your hands are really fast” instead of OMG! Or any other surprising reaction. How can I change my patter in order to get the reaction like I got the first time?’

Ben Williams: This can be a common problem when performing for many people that know each other. One technique I use at weddings and other similar gigs is that I will say, after I have finished, something like this:

‘By all means if you would like to tell people about the miracles you have just witnessed please do not tell them exactly what happened as it is kind of like telling the punchline before I get to deliver the joke. If you want, you can say I did something crazy with your ring or with the cards, but try not to detail what it was and just tell them they must see me!’

This way people understand not to ruin the surprise for people who have not yet had the chance to see my magic. I would also like to point out that when I speak of miracles I do it very tongue in cheek and not in an arrogant way at all.

Also, you must try to perform your magic as slowly as possible, if they are telling you have really quick hands it may be that you are moving too fast, or it may even be just that you are not cancelling that theory out. When I perform Ring Flight I do it as slowly and deliberately as possible and I tell them I have not moved my hands quickly and also I get them to agree, this heightens the impossibility of the routine quite dramatically.

These are a couple of quick tips that I use when I perform. I hope it helps you out in your situation.

QUESTION TO YOU: Do you have any further advice you can give J on this problem? How do you deal with having to repeat a trick when some of the spectators have already seen it? Let us know in the comments section below:

Photo courtesy of: Move The Cloud

How to Join a Magic Club or Society

by Merchant of Magic 5 Comments

‘No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.’ – John Donne

It’s time to join a magic club! The process of discovering magic, tends to follow the same pattern: You learn a magic trick, find out it’s great fun and begin learning another one. Pretty soon you’re completely obsessed. This usually takes you online to discover the new magic and socialize with other people just as mad about magic as you are. If you stop there, you are missing out on a really valuable and fun part of being a magician.Right now there are thousands of people learning and then performing their magic tricks to each other on YouTube, that’s all they ever do with their magic. That’s fun for them, but they are missing out on a huge opportunity that’s right on their doorsteps. Are you trying to learn magic on your own too?

Joining a local magic club will get you in touch with a whole community of people from all walks of life, that love magic just as much as you do. A good magic club will really help you develop as a magician, as you share ideas, learn new magic, and practice your skills in club competitions and workshops.

How often do magic clubs meet?

Most magic clubs meet a few times each month to discuss magic, watch lectures from guest magicians, swap ideas and run magic competitions etc. They often meet in local community centers or clubs during the evening. Most clubs have programs of activities that they run throughout the year. These include competition nights, themed evenings where members perform magic tricks around a chosen theme, magic lectures and workshop events.

How do I get in touch with a magic club?

The first step to joining a club is finding one within travelling distance to you, check out the directory of magic clubs and societies for a list of the best clubs in the UK. Once you find one, visit their website to see information on the club, its upcoming events and their joining criteria. Contact the magic club directly and the membership officer will give you all the details and will invite you to one of the meetings as a guest.

Will I feel welcome?

You will be surprised how friendly and welcoming magic clubs are. After all, they are a group of people as crazy about magic as you are. New members are the life blood of any club, and having new people join is very important to them. Most of the members become very good friends over the years and have all seen each others magic tricks many many times. Many of the members will be itching to show you their magic tricks and also talk about magic with you. The great thing about joining, is that you instantly have something in common with everyone there. If you feel nervous about going to a club for the first time, try to relax. You will be made to feel welcome and nobody will be testing you or assessing your magic skills. You already have something to talk about with everyone there, and will leave at the end of the evening, wondering why you were so nervous.

Does it matter that I’m only a beginner?

Not at all. Magic clubs are about learning magic much more than showing off how good you are. There are plenty of competitions you can enter to display your skills, but the focus is on learning new magic, talking about magic and helping each other to develop each others skills. As soon as you attend you will see that there is a huge range of ability throughout the club membership. Some members are passionate about magic, but not that hot at performing. Others are great at magic, but go to pieces when asked to show a trick. You will quickly find that you will fit in somewhere in the middle, so don’t think you are going to be the only beginner asked to perform magic in front of a crowd of professionals.

A magic club will expect you to have some knowledge of magic and a real interest in it, as they don’t want people attending just out of curiosity about how magic tricks are done. However, beginners are always very welcome.

The only exception to this, will be a few magic clubs for more experienced magicians, such as The Magic Circle. Those clubs will have a far stricter level of entry, so chat to the membership officer when you contact the club and they will be happy to give you details of the joining criteria. You can find out about the process to join The Magic Circle here.

Will I have to do an audition?

Many clubs will allow you to attend for a few meetings before formally joining. Some ask you to audition to become a member. This usually involves performing some magic in front of a few club members to show that you do know some magic and have a basic knowledge of presentation and performing skills. By the time you are asked to do an audition, you will have probably attended a few times, got to know the people there and will not feel so nervous about it.

DO THIS: Check out the Directory of good magic clubs in the UK (If you live outside the UK, just Google magic clubs in your country and a list relevant to you should be somewhere on the first page of search results. )

Don’t listen to any self doubts or nervousness you may have. Just call a local club and chat to the membership officer. They will give you all the details and set up a day for you to visit the club and check it out.

Directory of UK Magic Clubs and Societies