Be Clear and Concise

When speaking to your audience, enunciate clearly. Don´t mumble or speak softly. Also, don't drone on or be pedantic; be clear in speech, mannerism, movements and especially in your instructions.

Mum´s the Word!

Lie if you have to but NEVER tell them how a trick is done even if they ask you about a trick they saw Copperfield do. It's unfair to the other magicians in the world. You wouldn´t want another magician to reveal the secrets to one of your tricks.

Misdirection is Your Friend

All too frequently, perfectly good tricks are destroyed by magicians who refuse to learn the basics of misdirection. Properly used, the knack of misdirection can allow you to make moves you could never make, if the audience wasn´t momentarily distracted.

Don´t Let the Hecklers Get You Down

When faced with an aggressive heckler, just make sure you're ruder than they are. If they smell fear they'll attack again. Challenge them to perform the trick in your place; that usually shuts them up.

Siempre prepardis - Always be prepared

Never accidentally reveal a trick by being ill-prepared for unexpected contingencies. Always have a fake "double" so that your audience can examine it. Learn how to switch tricked decks and gaffed coins smoothly.

Be Professional

Develop yourself professionally. Study magic, stagecraft, acting, speech, anything that will help you be a better performer. Knowledge that you bring in from other fields can only enhance your act and will make you a more interesting person and performer.

Be Prepared for Impromptu Action

You're a magician; act like one. Every magician is presumed to be an expert with a deck of cards and a pocketful for coins. Stay versatile, and be alert to your audience. Of course, being an insufferable ham does help matters.

Always Keep Them Guessing

Keep your audience in suspense; never let them know what to expect. Unless it is absolutely necessary, never warn the spectator what to expect,e.g., "I shall now make this coin appear," or you'll sound like a caricature of a bad magician. Besides, what if the trick flops? You´ll have no way to cover.

Be Wary of Unbridled Videotaping

Be careful about allowing video recording of your performance. People will be able to closely examine your routine at their leisure, ad infinitum. Remember that, when you're checking all of your angles and the flow from one move to the next.

Jokes for Magicians

A collection of jokes and one-liners for performing magicians

From the site owner:
I thought you might be interested in a website that I have launched at www.gags.20m.com. It is a collection of jokes and one-liners with a particular bias towards magicians.

Although the site is still in its infancy, it is my hope that magicians will use the site a source of ideas and inspiration for their acts and that they will contribute to the site, making it bigger, better and funnier.

Check it out here: Jokes for Magicians

Give Them Their Money's Worth

Don't be a clock-watcher! There's nothing less professional than a performer who continually checks his watch. I've seen magicians leave a gig exactly at the hour's mark - amid trick!. Though you are working to the contract, your social skills will suffer and your callback rate will plummet!

Elements ~ Feelings and Emotions

FEELINGS and EMOTIONS are tied closely with MOVEMENTS AND CHOREOGRAPHY. One´s movements create and project mental feelings and emotions, whether it be inspiring, spooky or exciting. Having the right mix of choreographed movements is important in tying everything into your theme, and projecting the impact that you want and to make your act POWERFUL.

The Use of Animals

Every great man is always being helped by everybody; for his gift is to get good out of all things and all persons.
-John Ruskin

Be careful of animals in your care; they make you look good. Treat them in a humane manner. Train them gently and shower them with love and affection

Keep it Exciting

A trick may be very good [but] the magician must be better than the trick.
- Rene LaVand

A couple of card tricks every now and again is OK, but don´t go overboard. Also avoid card tricks that masquerade as mentalism effects. Mix it up. Experiment with different types and styles of magic. There's more to the wonderful world of magic than close-up tricks. Ever consider an escape? Mentalism offers a great diversity of effects.

Never Let Them See You Sweat

A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck.
-James A. Garfield

I can´t stress this one enough: Never let them see you sweat. You must be a bastion of stoicism while on stage. Always be prepared with an out. If a classic card force doesn't work out, simply control the card to the top and change the effect. If the revelation doesn't work out, turn it into a comedy moment. Never admit defeat!

Practice! Practice! Practice!

We must not promise what we ought not, lest
we be called on to perform what we cannot.
- Abraham Lincoln

How does one get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. It's a silly joke but truer words have never been spoken. Every magician, sooner or later (usually sooner) makes the same mistake. They learn a trick and go out and try to do it without practicing it. The simple secret does not mean it is simple to do. It takes work. But every great magician in history practiced for one reason: he or she loved to practice!

Don't Trust to Luck

Good luck is a lazy man´s estimate of a worker´s success.
-Anonymous

Luck is rarely that trustworthy. Leave as little as possible to chance. Check all of your equipment before and after every gig and once again immediately before using it at a specific performance.

Quality vs. quantity

In magic, simplicity makes the masterpiece
- Edmund Spreer

An amateur magician once approached Harry Houdini and told the master illusionist that he knew five hundred card tricks. The man then asked Harry how many card tricks he knew. Harry looked at the presumptuous young man and said, "Fifteen."

Err on the side of having too few tricks -- always leave them wanting more! You'll always be called upon for more tricks. If you drown your audience in yet another twenty tricks, they'll get bored and be more wary about asking you again tin the future. One great way to destroy a magical performance is to insist on not ending it.

Elements ~ Theme/Image

It´s important to always use a THEME in your act. Avoid the normal "top hat and tails" that is the same as everyone else. If you wish to be a top hat magician, there of course is nothing wrong with that. But keep in mind that you really have to be good to break away from the others. In summary, try to create your own theme. I know it's easier to copy, but trust me, you'll thank me if you change. I combine 12 years experience of martial arts and Ninjitsu into my act, combined with fire, roses, candles, canes etc, all of which fit my theme of martial arts and the mystic magician. Try to create your own world of magic that fits your theme.

Elements of a Good Performance

Being a magician, you have a lot to live up to, right?
"Come on show us a trick."
This is probably one of the expressions you´ll hear the most, as I know I have. But if magic means as much to you as it does to me, then I'm sure you'll swing this the other way around. Instead of them asking to see a trick, you should perform magic without announcing it. That way you will be seen as a magician, not just a person who knows a good trick or two.

"The power of performance" is definitely a useful ability in establishing an inspiring and powerful act. There are many aspects that bind
together to create such an outcome. These are techniques and preparation tips to create a more powerful and meaningful act, but don´t expect to get this straight away. I am learning about this myself, through trial and error, and I'd like to share some of these with you.

1. Theme/Image
2. Preparation
3. Practice
4. Movements and choreography
5. Projected feelings/emotions

The five elements labeled above represent my idea of creating a powerful act. These are the exact steps I take when creating an act. In fact in the recent past I have changed my act around several times just trying to find "the right mix." For information on these specific elements, please see the individual tips bearing their names.

Stupid Audiences

In magic, the mind is led ingeniously, step by step, to defeat its own logic.
- Dai Vernon

Don't presume you´re above everyone's intelligence and, furthermore, don't presume that just because people didn't like a trick it was because they weren't bright enough. Your effect might very well esoteric or just plain boring.

Ask the opinions of another magician friend or three.

Elements ~ Practice

PRACTICE is also extremely important, as whatever you practice at home will shine through when you´re performing. Practice as though you're on stage performing. "Repetition beats your competition," means that if you're better at your magic techniques than your competition, you will execute them more skillfully, which means a better and more polished performance.

You don't have to practice too long, to get better. In fact, practicing a few times a day is better than "slugging" it out for 5-6 hours at one time. When you've got your act "down pat" you should
try and get as much stage practice as possible in front of a live audience. This way when you've got a really important show coming up, you won't feel as
nervous or as you would without any live practice.

Consider doing free shows for schools, hospitals, care homes, shelters ... anyplace where a bit of entertainment would be welcome, but can´t always be afforded. Generally they will be very glad to have you, and in return you´ll get experience working with a live audience.

Considering your MOVEMENTS and CHOREOGRAPHY is important to give your act a "smooth flow" and make it easier for your audience to watch. It also makes
it easier for you as well, as you´ll know exactly what to do at each moment, thus cutting down on the "error factor." Use only movements that complement your act, whether a dancing magic routine or a silent top hat and tails routine. But whatever you do make it fit together. If you watch your favorite magician you will see that he/she follows their theme closely. This
is important in creating a POWERFUL ACT.

FEELINGS/EMOTIONS is tied closely with MOVEMENTS AND CHOREOGRAPHY. ONE'S movements create and project mental feelings/emotions, whether it be inspiring, spooky or exciting. So you can see that having the right mix of choreographed movements is important in tying everything into your theme, and projecting the impact that you want and to make your act POWERFUL.

Strive to be Exciting

Magicians are the only ones who care about
secrets. Everyone else wants to be entertained.
- Regina Benedict Reynolds

Its called magic for a reason. Make sure your effects are spellbinding and enthralling. Choose your tricks carefully. Do only stunning tricks. Personally, I avoid spelling tricks and others involving mathematical calculations on the part of the spectator. I find they bore rather than entertain. Make your patter interesting and topical. Movement on stage keeps things fresh and interesting. Practice your patter and the manner in which you speak. All for these details adds to your audience's entertainment.

Elements ~ Preparation

PREPARATION is vital to your act; I can't stress this enough. You will already know this I hope; I have learned this the hard way many times over. You'll need to prepare in order to get your act "properly executed" (lower the risk of error.) Everyone knows that there's nothing worse than messing up on stage.
A checklist can make this nightmare of preparation something you can cope with. Once you know you´ve prepared properly, you can then concentrate solely on your performance; it lets your mind be a little more relaxed, knowing everything is in order.

Never repeat a trick

Like warmed-up cabbage served at each repast, the repetition kills the wretch at last.
- Juvenal

Never repeat a trick. This is the same as telling them the secret of your trick, because if you repeat a trick, they know what is coming and will look on more carefully the second time.

Elements ~ Movement and Choreography

Considering your MOVEMENTS and CHOREOGRAPHY is important to give your act a "smooth flow" and make it easier for your audience to watch. It also makes it easier for you as well, as you´ll know exactly what to do at each moment, thus cutting down on the "error factor." Use only movements that complement your act, whether a dancing magic routine or a silent top hat and tails routine. But whatever you do, make it fit together. If you watch your favorite magician you will see that he/she follows their theme closely. This
is important in creating a POWERFUL ACT.

Be Considerate of Your Audience

Be considerate of your audience.

"´Do you like card tricks?´ he asked. ´No,´ I answered. He did five."
- Somerset Maugham

Don´t force magic on your audience. The attention span of most people should be respected. 30-40 minutes of good magic is enough. You can get away with an hour show only if you're that good; but don´t presume anything that hasn't been verified.

Also there are ethical, cultural and religious sensibilities that you'll need to keep in mind. Decapitation tricks don't go over well in hospital wards, and no matter how well you do Houdini's needle-swallowing trick, it's generally inappropriate for kids' parties. Make your magic and humor age appropriate. Kids don´t generally want card tricks; they want bunnies.

Don't presume that your audience just loves to see more and more of you. Gauge their interest. Don't think that just because you think you have a good trick or that your performance is stunning that everyone will rather disembowel themselves than miss it. I've seen many magicians go down in flames because they insisted on doing a specific trick that they were enamoured of, but which left their audiences yawning or even upset (i.e., the razor-blade swallowing trick or a decapitation trick doesn't always sit too well with senior citizens)

Be True to Thyself!

They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
- Isaiah 30:10

By yourself; don´t be pretentious. Don't claim paranormal or supernatural abilities; it's counterproductive to your performance. Keep in mind Houdini's campaign against unscrupulous exploitation of the uneducated or gullible, before you claim any special abilities of your own. I've found that people are already amazed at magical effects without anyone lying to them. If you really believe you have psychic abilities then I can´t really help (I´m not sure anyone can really help you actually). If you jokingly suggest that you have supernatural gifts, then show that you meant it as a good-natured lie.

Magic is meant to entertaining, not self-serving. If you claim to have incredible, preternatural abilities, then people will be in awe (falsely) of you, rather than of the effect that you do. After all, which would you rather have people respect you for, fake supernatural abilities that you obviously don't have, or the incredible dexterity and skills at which you've labored for many years?

Seek Professional Help

When in doubt, go to the expert.
- Italian proverb

Joining magical societies will help you improve your tricks and performance style. The camaraderie alone should be enough inducement to join a magic club of some sort.