You wake up early one morning, in a slight sweat; but then it always happens early in the morning.  “The show went well last night didn’t it?  I mean, they said they liked it. But why did they seem so distant. Aw, it’s only a dream...but they did seem  to want to slide right past the "thanks", the "I enjoyed it". Yeah, but they laughed at me...I mean with me...or was it... at me? And the women, they didn’t want to pick my cards or let me hold their hands.  The audience seemed to be sick...lots of coughing...talking on the side...they couldn’t seem to keep their concentration...They didn’t know how to be a good audience...of course, they were on their feet...well, that’s hard...people walking around and all. “

Or maybe you’re on the phone trying to rebook that annual show with the meeting planners organizer, only to find out that she’s hired another magician this year. “Should I ask her if there’s something wrong? I did a good show for them last year; well rehearsed, nice costumes and music, lots of action. Ah, she got her money’s worth.  Could be she just wanted new blood. She’ll call again for other shows."

Geez, a guy comes up to me after a show and asks me why I move my hands so much. I said,  It’s a magic show and I use my hands to do magic!  He doesn't know what he’s talking about...He didn’t even mention which trick he liked best!...He just walked away. Idiot!"  But weirdly enough,  a month later, after our club meeting, a local magician who saw that same show, asked me the same thing. It felt like the Twilight Zone! But awake this time.”

Has this happened to you? Or other question or situations similar in feeling? How did you handle it? What did you do about it? Practice harder? Talk to someone about it? Watch the video tape of your show?  Were you told to do more funny lines or stop moving your hands? Did that take care of it? Did you get any real answers?

Maybe we should try getting inside of the audiences’ heads..”.Wow, what a nice looking guy; nice clothes; lots of birds; wonder where they came from... Aw, he doesn’t ever smile...Never even looks at the girls...wonder what he pays them?  He’s a big stiff...a well  dressed robot...no fun...nice birds...wonder what he pays them??”

Or: “Oh boy a magician...this should be interesting...ooh, his nails need work...Doesn’t look he likes this job...He never even looked at me...He’s phoning it in...oops, he did something phony...something happened...he looks guilty...ha, now he’s apologizing. He keeps looking away. What did he say? It didn’t make any sense.  Stupid sexist joke What a dork.  Where’d they get this guy? I  think I’ll join that other group.”

Miss Meeting Planner calls to book another well known magician for her elite party. During their conversation, this magician mentions that he thought  the other magician was booked for it.  She states that, “Oh, he does a nice act,  but he’s ah.. a bit  too stiff, just not enough fun.” At some point along the grapevine you hear it...”Why didn’t she say so...I’d throw in more funny lines, comedy stuff. I mean that’s the trouble with these people, they never say what they want. Then they stiff ya. “

So maybe some dissatisfaction is creeping in...oops, is that  a light brightening those dark shadows in your closet? "Hmn, do I need to get some real answers, in the real world? How do I go about finding out how to be more effective, more appealing, more meaningful? More colorful, more sexy, more in touch, more in tune, more colorful? How about more me? To be the best I can be?  After all I'm the magic! Do I go to a psychiatrist?...(maybe)...but just perhaps before going that far, you might try a session with a director. "A director! Yeah, What would he do?"

He would try to assess your strengths and weaknesses.  He would attempt to show you what your style really is and help you find it and project it. He would try to help you with routining, speech, breathing, presence, selling.  He would coax you to be more creative and original. How to better use your space and blocking. How not to waste time, energy and lose focus. How to be more aware of everything around you. How to overcome fear and appear confident. How to keep the audiences’ attention. Would that be a good goal do you think???

"Yeah, but how? What would he do or ask me?" Well, since what you do is seen, it is therefore physical and vocal....He might give you some yoga and movement sessions and  blocking, so that you don’t feel lost in space, helpless. He might give you some basic acting, to understand subtext and help justify some of the strange moves you have to make so that they don’t look unnatural.  So that you will be able to control the audiences’ focus and sublimate what they shouldn’t see.  So that routines flow and stay interesting and make sense.  So that you are in touch with the routines, the stories and the audience.

He might ask you if the audience is turned on by the way you walk onto the stage; the way you hold yourself? The way you speak to them? Does you body say “I am someone to watch?” or “I’ve really got something to show you?” Do you know why you’re walking onto a stage or doing a trick? Why should someone watch your rope trick - that they’ve probably seen many times? What makes them want to do that? How are you different?  What are you selling? Do you have a consistent persona (character) or does it change for every trick? Do you care about what you do or is it a habit? Does your stance, your eyes,  your breath say that you’re doing something they shouldn’t see? Do you express suspiciousness or confidence? Is your entire body involved or just your hands?  What are your attributes, your strengths? What’s interesting about you? What’s  your area of expertise? Do you dare to break rules or do you perform effects the way you've always seen them done? Are you dogmatic? Do you use all of you?  What are your goals - your  dreams.?? How do you treat your props - your assistants?? your spectator volunteers?

Are your clothes clean? Pressed? your props, your nails, your shoes? Are your language and words clear and focused and respectful? Do they fit the actions? Do you have manners? Do you lose your audience when you put down or pick up your props? Is your table a mess? Have you figured the logistics to get from one trick to another? Can you be heard? Are you clear? Can you handle your microphone?Are you prepared for your show? Do you have prop lists, sound and lighting cue sheets? A script or just ad lib? Do you have appropriate tapes, CD’s or charts for your act?

Are you aware of your audience’s disposition?Are they getting it? Are they catching the suspicious moves? “Why’d he blink? Why did he suddenly rush through something. Why’d he look away? Why is he pointing at that hand?Why does he seem so insincere? Does the assistant know what to do or why? Is she focused? What kind of a relationship do you both project?

Whew! too many questions! However, congratulations, you waded through all of it, if you got this far.  And you’ll be relieved to know that not all of them emanated from one person or situation. They are, however, based on my experiences with many performers and their real life searches. For instance some were close-up artists who wanted to feel free and  secure working within the larger space of  a theatre or platform. Others wanted to get better emotional reactions from their audiences, to better relate. Some wanted to structure their act more dynamically and better highlight the “moments of magic” in their show.  In this era of political correctness, some felt that their relationship with their assistants could be better defined.

So is it worth all the trouble to work with someone? Perhaps it might have made a difference for the three magicians cited at the very beginning of this article, i.e.  more work, money and satisfaction, that is, if they had dared to ask the right questions.  After all, other artists use coaches, teachers, mentors, and directors.  There is a famous quote that says, “Attention to detail separates the men from the boys”. And that applies to Close-Up, as well; and Corporate Work; and Tradeshows and Kiddie Shows, etc.

Working with a director allows you to explore yourself and your magic in safe  surroundings. It allows you to space to experiment, to fail, to learn, to become objective about what you’re doing; literally to fail with grace in a supportive experience; to push out the walls as it were and find yourself in your magic and not someone else's.  To learn a disciplined working and rehearsal process. To ask questions; to be creative with your dissatisfactions,  and to get your own answers, because you have a right to.  You’re not dreaming anymore.  So find a friend whom you trust, that will give you straight answers; or find a director; and then,  as Eugene Burger says,..."You will find meaning in your magic!”,  and you will become more magical. You'll believe in it more fully, because YOU ARE THE MAGIC!  And YOU are worth it! Top of page.