Whether you are just beginning your career as a magician on stage or already are a professional looking for the behavioural tics to refine your technique in order to maximize your performance to which the spectators will bear witness, you can find something worth while for you here. How can a magician go from being good to being really damned good in creating 'an experience that burns premier class impressions into your audience’?
Let’s start with the 4 Elements of a show:
The first part of your show is the person giving the show. You should think through how you want to be perceived from the audience. The great thing about this sort of venture is that you can be whatever persona you like.
The second thing is the content. You must ask yourself what your routines are, and what your script is. Your content is the most coveted thing for any show, and organized subject matter is an integral part of a successful magic show.
The methods are the third thing to consider. How are you going to perform the tricks? What props are you going to use? Are you going to have music, lights? Are you going to use volunteers?
The final element concerns the purpose of the show. Is it information? Is the show about motivating and persuading your audience? Is it for teaching, or is it for a whole lot of fun?
Sometimes, your magic is about being able to do your thing and entertain clients, but in serious business situations, you might use your magic as a way to deliver serious messages – for instance, you might run a magic show about workplace safety, so people find it interesting to pay attention to the stuff they need to know.
You could be hired to entertain a bunch of blue-suited corporate CEOs at a swanky awards evening. Your magic provides the hook with which to illustrate a business plan or other approved corporate message. It makes the business speak more interesting and thus more memorable.
And let’s not be shy about it either, you could also make some good coin by using your magic tricks to promote products. Launch a product, spearhead a campaign, or showcase unique services. The fact that the company brought in a magical specialist can be the showy piece that creates a buzz. And the best part is that you can modify your tricks as suits the occasion.
Let's consider a situational example that incorporates the elements discussed:
Picture yourself as a magician. A big corporate company has approached you to appear at their annual conference.
The persona – that’s the first element – comes into play. Your research uncovers that the audience is made up of senior corporate executives and businesspeople. You decide your image must be intelligent, polished, quite upmarket. You want to be seen not as a joke-teller, not as an entertainer. You want them to think you could handle there and then a business-related theme.
Moving on to content, you choose magic tricks and scripts that, by amplifying themes of development and hard work, subtly smuggle important messages relevant to the company’s goals and strategies – like the ideals of innovation, teamwork and success.
The third is the means you choose, choosing to make potent use of props – specifically visual aids, perhaps in the form of a well-co-ordinated light show, plus discreet yet effective ambient music that adds to the mood of corporate drama.
In this case, the magic is the vehicle for communicating important business strategies in a fresh and memorable way. Here, your efforts are an added-value rather than a just a magic performance.
Whether you want to sell the idea of workplace safety to your coworkers, to impress people in high positions, or to push a product launch. It’s not just about entertaining; it’s also about using magic to talk, engage, educate, transmit messages and create impressions on a wide array of crowds.