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RealityOne
Regular user
125 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 7:24am
In most magic shows that I've seen, especially kids shows, there isn't a coherent theme. Rather, the show is merely a collection of effects that the magician likes to perform.
I obviously understand that certain show DO have a theme, such as safety shows, where there is an overt message tying everything together. But what about the rest of the shows?
Does your show have a theme? Is there something (other than your character) that ties the effects you perform together into a coherent whole?
If you have a theme, what is it and how do you integrate the effects you perform with the theme?
If you don't have a theme, do you think your show would be better with a theme or do you think a theme isn't necessary?
~David
Any perception of reality is a selection of reality which results in a distortion of reality.
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magicgeorge
Inner circle
Belfast
3993 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 7:30am
I don't have a theme. I like good acts that have a theme but it doesn't seem to improve bad ones.
There is a lot of things that tie all my effects together:
Lots of call backs
Running gags
A consistent attitude, style and presentation
Athough I do kind of fancy doing a themed show, I don't think there's anything wrong with doing an entertaining show without any outside theme.
Magician Belfast
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bowers
Inner circle
3009 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 9:19am
My show has no theme either but I do try to flow one trick to another.and keep comedy all thoughout the show.
todd
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A Show By Joe
Regular user
Long Island
155 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 11:16am
I too don't have a central theme for birthday parties. What I try to do like Magicgeorge is lots of call backs, and running gags. Also I try to keep a some things constant with the volunteers, like first dress them, intro what I want them to do, 2 comedy props, something goes wrong, then right prop then conclusion. It keeps the kids knowing when to look. They get excited when they know what is going to happen.
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TonyB2009
Inner circle
3232 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 1:31pm
There is a sort of theme to my opening thirty minutes. I talk a lot about my journey to the venue (and the tricks fit that theme) and about whether I really want to do some sort of a show for the kids. This leads me up to the production of the first puppet. There is one or two more tricks, the second puppet, then the money!
I do not have an obvious theme, more a subtle one. It gives the show a sense of cohesion, at least to me.
Check out Tony's new thriller The Gilli Gilli Man at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Gilli-Tony-Black-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B007GFD0NQ/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1363055541&sr=8-16&keywords=The+Gilli+Gilli+Man
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seadog93
Inner circle
Berkeley CA
2710 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 1:45pm
My show doesn't have a theme and I don't think it's necessary.
I also think it can be done poorly, in which case it would be better not to have one.
That being said, I like the idea of a themed show.
I like the idea of having a real character (ie. with a name and a backstory) a title and a through line for the entire show, including a theatrical reason for being there and doing the show in the first place.
I think that could be so much fun, and could (...potentially, ...I think) have some advantages in marketing and in being remembered.
I'm currently sort of riding along with kids shows to try and build my mentalism, but if/when that get established I might go back and do just that.
I would love to have a strong show like this for kids (maybe a couple) and for adults/family.
"Tales of Enchantment" by Walt Anthony has lots of really great ideas on this.
But David, do YOUR show have a theme?
“Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat.” -Ben Hecht
Seadog = C-dawg = C.ourt.ney K.olb
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robholland
New user
71 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 2:24pm
Sometimes the Pirate theme, Ghost theme but most of the times the theme is MAGIC 
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Potty the Pirate
Inner circle
4254 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 2:36pm
My shows are all pirate-themed. There's a lot of difference though, between a pirate show for a 10-year-old, and one for a 3-year-old. Many of my routines rely on me maintaining my persona as a pirate. Others allow me to act more freely, and to get "into the heads" of the kids. It's pretty easy to turn everything on theme, if you really think about it.
My cake-bake routine (which is the one I'm currently using a lot) is based on a shaky premise: The Captain wasn't invited to the paaarty, so he asked me to bring him a hot cross bun. Do you have any hot cross buns? No? I thought that might happen, so how about we make the Captain a hot cross bun using MAGIC? I brought everything we need.....etc.
I offer everything from a full pirate story show, to a silly mix of magic and puppets, which are always tailored to the audience.
For a family audience, you won't see me baking hot cross buns and talking to silly monkeys who hit me on the head. Then you get "pirate games" like "Soak the Pirate" and "The Treasure Game".
I believe that offering themed shows is a big selling-point. But I'd add the caveat that anyone who's thinking of presenting a themed show, needs to really "get in character". And that means going beyond stereotypes. You need your own individual understanding of any particular character, in order to pull it off well.
Bottom line is, if you do create a good character, you will get lots of work.
The secret is the content of your shows. Yes, ideally make the content 100% on-theme. But be willing to twist any routine or idea, to give it some credence within your chosen theme.
Potty the Pirate
Sussex Magician
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RJE2
Veteran user
383 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 3:28pm
As has been stated, a poor show cannot be saved by a theme.
On the other hand, as also has been stated, themed shows and solid characters, can definitely open more doors to you.
Although we do non-themed shows, we offer themed shows to tap into certain themed festivals and parties and we advertise these on our web site. We also are willing to develop a themed show for the event planners that we work for in order to fit their plans and this also gets us more work. We keep a large closet of various costumes and enjoy adapting routines to specific themes to create customized themed shows.
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jay leslie
V.I.P.
southern california
6334 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 3:32pm
That's right-on potty
so many perform using the same timing, tempo and pace (for different ages) one might think they are performing as a form of therapy.
http://www.TheHouseOfEnchantment.com our 75th year
The one and only www.miraclemagiccompany.com/
And you know what they say - if it works... it's a Miracle!
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Leland Stone
Inner circle
1195 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 4:52pm
Yes, my kid shows have a theme.
Charlie Lutton is a character I created when I performed with a partner. The act we were then working on featured sales representatives from competing manufacturers, demonstrating the "latest and greatest in labor saving devices for the modern American housewife." The act never quite materialized, but Charlie remained and has been revamped. He has become the "Runaway Ringmaster," who left the circus because "clowns, they're just creepy looking!" [Pennywise? Killer Clowns From Outer Space? C'mon, I'm not the only thinkin' it!]
Charlie is terrified of bunnies ("beady little eyes and pink bow ties, long floppy ears and fuzzy on their rears"). Children watching the show MUST be careful not to make rabbit ears with their fingers or wriggle their noses in a bunny-esque fashion, of course. As long as no one does THAT, Charlie enjoys showing some of the fun stuff he learned to do at the circus.
www.orangecountybirthdaypartymagicshows.com
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Gerry Walkowski
Special user
805 Posts
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Posted: Feb 25, 2012 7:11pm
Without giving away too much, as I'm highly protective of my act, my program has an overall theme or "feeling" to it. While I had an idea of what I wanted to do, it took me years to "get my act together." Strangely enough, I kept hearing the same comments from numerous audience members while things were still in motion. It was stuff like, "Do you know what your act reminds me of?" After that I just followed my insticnts.
So to that end I would say, LISTEN TO YOUR AUDIENCE.
Gerry
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seadog93
Inner circle
Berkeley CA
2710 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 8:18pm
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 13:45, seadog93 wrote:
But David, do YOUR show have a theme?
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I think this is a great discussion topic, it would be interesting to hear the thoughts, opinions and/or experiences of the threads originator.
“Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat.” -Ben Hecht
Seadog = C-dawg = C.ourt.ney K.olb
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Al Angello
Eternal Order
Collegeville, Pa. USA
10490 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 8:36pm
I think of myself as Gabe Kaplin in "welcome back Kotter"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZmlBTgaLEI
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com
http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/
"Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone"
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bowers
Inner circle
3009 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 8:57pm
I love it al
I miss that show so much.
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TheGreatNancini
Veteran user
Ohio
358 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 8:58pm
We just did a birthday show today and afterwords, the mother of the birthday boy came up and said...
"I just love the great dynamics you and your son have! You guys are so funny and your expressions and actions when you are not talking to each other is just as funny. I have all boys and I hate to see them growing up so fast. After seeing you two perform I can relate to you so much and it makes me happy to see boys never grow up." ;-)
While we have different themes for our various shows, especially the school assemblies, I think it would be safe to say that the real underlying theme of all of them is "family being family". I am still the mom on stage and Matthew is still the son.
~Nanci
-- Nancilee N. Jones --
Website | Facebook | Twitter
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RealityOne
Regular user
125 Posts
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Posted: Feb 26, 2012 10:19pm
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 07:30, magicgeorge wrote:
I don't have a theme. I like good acts that have a theme but it doesn't seem to improve bad ones.
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Agreed. But I guess my question is does having a theme make a good act better?
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 13:31, TonyB2009 wrote:
There is a sort of theme to my opening thirty minutes. I talk a lot about my journey to the venue (and the tricks fit that theme) and about whether I really want to do some sort of a show for the kids. |
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That makes sense to me and it sounds like it puts the magic in a context.
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 13:45, seadog93 wrote:
My show doesn't have a theme and I don't think it's necessary.
I also think it can be done poorly, in which case it would be better not to have one.
That being said, I like the idea of a themed show.
I like the idea of having a real character (ie. with a name and a backstory) a title and a through line for the entire show, including a theatrical reason for being there and doing the show in the first place.
I think that could be so much fun, and could (...potentially, ...I think) have some advantages in marketing and in being remembered.
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To me, that seems to be the real reason for having a theme... to present a justification for what you are doing so that the magic has a "theatrical reason for being there."
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 13:45, seadog93 wrote:
I would love to have a strong show like this for kids (maybe a couple) and for adults/family.
"Tales of Enchantment" by Walt Anthony has lots of really great ideas on this.
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I took a look at that book and will pick it up. I've read a lot of the books by Burger, Neal, Haas and Parr and this seems to be in the same vein.
Potty / Leland/ Al:
Its interesting that your character is so closely interwoven with your theme. It seems to be more difficult to have a theme that is separate from your character.
Quote:
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On 2012-02-26 20:18, seadog93 wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 13:45, seadog93 wrote:
But David, do YOUR show have a theme?
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I think this is a great discussion topic, it would be interesting to hear the thoughts, opinions and/or experiences of the threads originator.
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The show that I've been performing doesn't have a theme. There are things that tie it together but it is at best a collection of tricks. I'm redesigning my show and have been thinking about having a theme to tie the show together better.
A couple of things have influenced my thinking. One was a show that I did for a birthday party that had a Harry Potter theme. I did it using a character named Professor Stubblebeard (who wasn't actually a professor but did finish at the top of his class at Hogwarts if you counted from the bottom). The magic coloring book became how wizard children color (we would use our fingers). My cups and balls routine became a demonstration of vanishing cups where you could put something inside one cup and it would appear in another. I made a three minute routine out of Insta-Snow - using a labeled jar filled with essence of nothing (lots of word play about how much nothing should go into the mix) and labeled jar filled with Boarhound saliva (even the adults cringed when I tasted it and said "sill fresh"). The show had a different feel to it.
The other thing that influenced my perception is watching two big illusion shows. I saw Copperfield in Connecticut last year and Kalin and Jinger two years ago in Atlantic City. Copperfield's show was an amazing show which didn't have any theme other then the strength of Copperfield's persona. Kalin and Jinger's show was based around the "Carnival of Wonders" theme and the different parts of the show represented different parts of the Carnival. If asked what the Copperfield show was about, I would respond that it was about David Copperfield's magic. If asked what Kalin and Jinger's show was about I would answer that it was about a magical carnival.
To me, a theme seems preferable than merely performing a bunch of tricks. I'd rather each part of the show have a relationship to the whole. Like chapters in a larger story.
So the show I'm designing has a theme, but I'm not sure how strong the theme ties the show together. The show is an all ages show (with a median age of the target audience 6 to 8). The premise of the show is a question: How Would You Describe Magic? I pose the question after the introduction and come up with five adjectives -- mysterious, creative, impossible, amazing and grand -- to describe magic. I put the words up on a foam board beside the stage. The presentation for each routine plays off of one of the adjectives. Before the grand finale (the last adjective is grand) I rearrange the words (turning them over so the first letter is highlighted):
M ysterious
A mazing
G rand
I mpossible
C reative
Without performing the show, it is difficult to see if that works or if it comes off as being contrived.
I'm interested in other people's thoughts on the topic including what types of themes you use and what other things you do to keep your show from being just the performance of a series of tricks.
~David
Any perception of reality is a selection of reality which results in a distortion of reality.
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magicgeorge
Inner circle
Belfast
3993 Posts
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Posted: Feb 27, 2012 12:57pm
Quote:
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On 2012-02-26 22:19, RealityOne wrote:
Quote:
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On 2012-02-25 07:30, magicgeorge wrote:
I don't have a theme. I like good acts that have a theme but it doesn't seem to improve bad ones.
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Agreed. But I guess my question is does having a theme make a good act better?
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I don't think a theme should be applied to an act already in existence. I think you start with the theme and build your act from there.
So the answer to the question does a theme make a good act better. Probably not. Stick with your good act.
If you're question is what is better a themed act or a non-themed act. Well I don't know, what's better mustard or sunsets? It's all subjective.
Magician Belfast
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RJE2
Veteran user
383 Posts
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Posted: Feb 27, 2012 1:06pm
Again, I agree with George. Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing?!?! 
It is often easier to come up with a theme and get thinking from the theme point of view first. Then, look at what routines you know of that can be adopted to fit the theme. Then look at patter and so on all from the point of view of the theme.
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seadog93
Inner circle
Berkeley CA
2710 Posts
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Posted: Feb 27, 2012 1:51pm
I like the sound of the Harry Potter themed show.
I did one (H.P. Theme show) that was okay, but I learned a lot and if I was getting calls for it I think I could have a pretty good act.
It seems to me (although admittedly based on limited experience) that you would absolutely have to start with the theme and build a whole new act around it.
“Love is the magician that pulls man out of his own hat.” -Ben Hecht
Seadog = C-dawg = C.ourt.ney K.olb
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harris
Inner circle
Harris Deutsch
6115 Posts
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Posted: Feb 28, 2012 8:21am
One of my themes that has "stuck" is wrapped around a Nearly Normal Life style.
Example: I warm up the audience telling them about my morning routine.
While finishing dressing, I put on a sock then a shoe...then the other sock and then a shoe. I do this while switching out my street shoes for another pair.(ducky, lounge shoes, tennis shoes....) The socks and shoes become a comedy of errors. During the routine I find others that do the sock, sock ..shoe shoe thing...Sometimes I create an impromptu train song using those 4 words and members of the audience names(and one of my trusty harmonicas...)
Another example is the coin that falls up. Most peoples coins fall down.."I'm nearly normal." At the end of the programs I hand out my It's fun to be Nearly Normal certificates/Right to play with my contact information.
With enough time, I have created themes for birthdays from Abba/K-State for a 40 something birthday party...to super heroes for a 6 year old.
Sometimes it is just a mish mash held together (ha ha) by quickly moving mind and brings in found at the venue. (a more improvisational, less planned show...that at time surprises even me...note to self don't turn a small round table into a steering wheel before checking out how much it weighs)
Harris
laughologist and nearly normal reader and righter
Harris Deutsch
aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com
music, magic and marvelous toys
http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u
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