suspend belief and allow the audience to be

. . suspend belief and allow the audience to be entertained. . Magic is universal. “A magician is an actor playing the part of a magician. ” Jean Robert-Houdin

Magicians • Magicians make ordinary things act in surprising ways. • Magic is making people believe you can do the impossible.

Magicians • Magicians are actors. They are good at pretending and fooling people. • Use body language to engage your audience. • Don’t turn your back to the audience. • Speak to the ears.

So you’re a Magician • Clothes and appearance are just as important as any magical prop. • Hands: Are they clean? Are your nails trimmed? Is your skin smooth?

So you’re a Magician • Grooming: Wash and comb your hair. Brush your teeth. Take a shower. Use deodorant. • Clothing: Make sure your clothing is clean and neat. Make sure you have pockets and long sleeves if needed.

Preparation, Planning, Practice • Practice, practice, and more practice, until you can perform without any mistakes. You should be able to do the trick without thinking. • Never tell the secret of your trick! • Try not to do the same magic trick to the same people. The more a person sees the trick the easier it is to figure out. • Learn to patter. • Smile, relax, and have fun!

Patter • Patter is the art of talking while you are doing a trick. The patter keeps the audience’s attention so it is easier for the magician to do something without anyone seeing. • Patter can also make a trick more interesting. • Silence while setting up a trick helps to build suspense.

More about Patter • Avoid telling the audience the obvious, they’ll get suspicious. • Don’t say what you are going to do in advance, you’ll spoil the surprise. • Be original with your patter. Make the audience trust you.

More about Patter • Don’t make up stories while you are doing your trick. • Practice patter while you are practicing your trick. • KISS – keep it short and smile!

Terms • Effect – effect is the trick itself. Whenever you are performing a magic trick, you are performing a magic effect. Effect can be thought of as “what the audience sees”.

Terms • Method – Method is the secret of the magic trick. It is the way of accomplishing the effect. • Misdirection – is the practice of diverting the eyes, and therefore the minds, of you spectators.

What To Do • Some magicians weave their trick into a funny or scary story. • Some magicians use a volunteer from the audience to help them or an assistant, a puppet or stuffed animal.

What To Do • Some magicians use misdirection. • Control seating arrangements. Should they be seated? Looking straight on? • Borrow objects from the audience.

Misdirection If you hold something in your right hand look at it, people will look right. You are free to do something with your left hand. If you repeat an action two or three times the audience will stop paying close attention…time for the secret move. Loud noises are distracting, like foot stomping If you look at the audience, they will look at you. If you look at a prop, the audience will look at the prop. If you tell the audience what you are doing they will believe what they see and hear…. not necessarily what you did.

Types of Magic Tricks • • • Slight-of-hand tricks Card Tricks Coin Tricks Rope Tricks Scarf Tricks with Props Mentalism Escapes Illusions Cabaret Magic Close Up Silent Magic • • • Levitation Penetration Production Restoration Suspension Transformation Transposition Vanish Extrasensory Perception Betcha

Quotes • “The end of all magic is to feed with mystery the human mind, which dearly loves mystery. ” Harry Kellar • “Ours is a game of imagination. ” Max Maven • We never find the wonderful in our magic—or in life—if we aren’t willing to risk failure with the aweful. I believe that to perform requires courage because it demands that we take risks. ” Eugene Burger

How to Practice • Select several tricks (3 to 4) Avoid similar tricks. First trick should be a short attention grabber. Save your flashy trick for last. • Review the tricks and think up “patter” • Write a script • Practice in front of a mirror. Speak out loud • Make changes and practice again. Practice with an audience. • Aim for 5 to 15 minutes.

Magic • Snap your fingers • Clap your hands • Wave a wand • Say magic words… Abracadabra, Hocus Pocus, Allakazam, Presto Change-O, Purple Pickled Prunes, Shazam, Allakazoo • Rhyme – Hocus Pocus Allakazoo. Make this handkerchief turn to blue.

Remember • Never reveal the secret to your trick (except to fellow magicians) • Never repeat a trick for the same audience. • Make your magic skit your own. Be original!