2 minutes with a chair.

The following occured in a gym with a concrete floor. It was on the 8th floor of the county correctional facility.

While setting up a chair I noticed it made an interesting sound so I repeated it.

I started to create a beat with the chair and
the floor. I noticed I got a positive reaction from the audience. (Inmates and Correctional Officers)

I was not sure what to do next or where the
"bit" was going since it was just being
"born." I turned the chair over and started finding other sounds with different parts of the chair. I then "unsuccesfully" tried to sit in the chair. It was a comedy of sound and errors.

Before the reponse and laughter died down, I sat in the chair after securing my harp(harmonica) and went into a few short runs with the same tempo. Then I introduced myself.

It was nice to have the audience on my side, before uttering a word or starting the
"magic"

What bits have you come up with out of the
"moment?"

Harris
harris.deutsch@leesummit.k12.mo.us

All of my best bits (kids shows) came from spontaneous moments. Usually me just coming up with something else to throw in the show. I think you need to plan and work things out in advance, but that'll probably just give you a dry boring show. However, you need this because it will give you something to add your new bits and pieces to.

I asked for a volunteer at a show for all ages, and usually many people raise their hand and I select one. This time, a young girl, probably about 4, just walked right up on stage. This got a laugh in itself, but then as I continued with the trick, she decided she was done and walked right back down, carrying a prop that I had given her to hold, and went over to her parents and sat back down. I just stood there and dead-panned the whole time, and the audience roared. Once the laughter died down, I asked the dad to take the needed prop and assist me on stage, and continued the routine with him. That was one of the funniest moments of the show, and it was totally unplanned. I wish I could recreate that type of thing sometimes, but the beauty of it is when it happens spontaneously and you just roll with it.

This happened to me just a few days ago.

I was booked at the Cultural Activities Center in Temple, Texas. I needed someone to act as my volunteer for my finale, the Visible Sawing Illusion.

The managing director suggested her 12 year old son. At the show, he turned out to be great, and was just enough of a natural ham to enhance the routine.

After I ran the saw through, I asked him how he was feeling. Well, in just a beat, I saw the light bulb go on in his head, and he cried out: "Aaaaaaaah! I can't feel my legs!" Of course, this brought the house down.

That line's going into the act!

See ya!
Joe L.

I was in a hotel, on vacation, when one of nights entertainers canceled. I offered to perform without my props and did a remarkable
show. Reading adds up and you never know when the opportunity will knock and we can draw from that storehouse inside our head to
create a cheap effect into an illusion, as long as we remember not to tip our hand before. The force (no pun intended) is within us.

We create the magic!

Phil aka AmazingBoz