I feel for you. My first week doing street theater in NYC, in the 80's was a disaster. The only reason I kept at it was another street magician by the name of Bob Cooney. He stopped and watched my show the first day. He watched the whole show. He liked it. He told me to come back the same time tomorrow. He met me there everyday for a week and watched me till I could build and hold a crowd.

I don't know what changed, except maybe my oratory got bigger, bolder, more confident. I certainly looked theatrical, costume, shinny props. I had all my moves down after a year of working resorts in the Poconos.

For me, I think I had to establish I wasn't another crazy, but was really pitching and it was all in my voice and projection. Bob on the other hand wore jeans, jean jackets and a brown felt hat. He looked completely ordinary. He was soft spoken. All he did was endless variations on the vanishing cigarette, but he handled a thumb tip as well as anyone I ever saw.

He worked small, to crowds of 20 or 30. He worked fast, 5 minute bits, passing the hat, turning the crowd over. He could build a crowd by stopping a stranger and bumming a cigarette.

The most successful performer I ever saw in NYC was Phillip Petite, in the mid 70's. He worked for hours, entertaing crowds of 300 or more. I studied street performers while I was at NYU, in the Drama Department. I recently found my notes. I'm transcribing them now.

ERNIE: I like your approach. Thanks for sharing.

JOE: I used to hang out with Bob Cooney. He was really into LePaul. BTW, Phelipe Petite walked across the World Trade Center.

Bob Cooney was great! I still have his business card somewhere. Petite was in a class by himeself, almost unapproachable. I bumped into him once at Bok Lei Tat, the big martial arts store on Canal Street. He was getting throwing knives. I was browsing the book rack for martial arts stunts. I ended up behind him at the cash register. I was dumb struck.

I watched the Trade Center Walk on the news in '74. A year later the Village Voice did an amazing feature story on him. His street show was even more incredible. I learned more taking notes, watching him than anyone, except maybe Bob.

Needle swallowing is kinda freakshowish. You're not preparing your audience for this, when they've seen card/coin tricks. I can't imagine a lot of parents sticking around with their kids to tip you after that trick.

Add the needle swallowing to a freak show act, and play that in the evenings near bars and clubs.

Cards and coins are fine to build, but will not draw a lot.

If you have to scream, you're in the wrong place. It takes too much out of good patter to scream the lines. Also, you need sound to busk. There are silent buskers, but they attract with noise. If that noise is drowned out, you won't get much of an audience.

Kozmo's DVD is the best busking DVD, because he tells it like it is. How much money you can/can't make and what will and won't work on the street. Also, Gazzo's 2004 lecture, if you can still find it is pretty good. The remaining two Cellini videos are okay, but not essential. Vol 2 is how to do the tricks in his act. 3 is Q&A, which is a decent video on theory, but would probably be best as a later purchase to supplement koz's or Gazzo's video.

Also, read Danny Hustle's essays on his website. Reread them again after a few more outings, and read them again at least once a year.

Another thought on the silent act. Don't be silent, just because it's comfortable. You won't connect to your audience if you never get over your shyness.


Most importantly, never be afraid to mess up or suck. It's okay, I promise.

I think one of the mistakes magicians make when creating a show is that the magic will carry the show. I know when I was younger, I thought this way and was always looking for that one great trick that would make my show.

As time went by, and especially after I started busking, I found out that it's less about the magic and moreso about you as an entertainer. Some magicians can hold a paying (or comp'd) audience spellbound with a thousand dollar illusion. I can gather a crowd and entertain them for about 5 - 10 minutes with a deck of cards.

You are the show.

Entertainment. entertainment. entertainment.

make them laugh, make them have a great time, and let the magic come second.

All right another strange approach that I have used to my delight (and the audiences) which goes back in a way to the early Punch& Judy shows, similar to using a "swazzel" (probably spelled wrong) a reed or small sounding device places in the mouth which produce a loud buzzing voice (some times sold as a Swiss Warbler or instant ventriloquims gimmick, but the point is you can be very expressive and loud in your delivery with out using any real words or language - I, however do not use the gimmick (nearly choked to death on one) but rather use a totally made up language - bad Russian, or Hungarian or some strange combination - I started doing this just to amuse myself when burnt out on stand offish crowds - but quickly realized that it had a lot of power - 1) it got the people to listen and try to understand what I was saying (of course I use tricks that did not depend on them understand what I was saying in the first place) - 2) it made some people feel sorry for me with my broken English (poor me, immigrant in the big city) 3) it gives me the license to play very big, loud and bold (hey, that is how we do it - in whatever strange country I come from) 4) It is a hell of a lot of fun IF YOU ARE GOOD AT IMPROVISATION, which I am - 5) it freshens up you performance, breaks you out of old performing formats and can really give you an energy rush to keep you cranking thru the grind - now don't get all huffy, I do not recommend this for everybody, only those that can tell the marks from the narcs.

Very well said-I agree totally

Having worked many years in clubs & thetares with full stageshows many to music..

I love the outdoor festivals, shows & markets etc.. with cards & close up that attract
really large crowds, Its as mentioned all about you

You learn more about yourself as an Entertainer connecting with the audience...

Good topic!

Cheers

Yea this is a great topic, the only grain of truth we all seem to be avoiding is the effect of the contemporary audience, and their lack of experience of being an audience. It used to be (in the 70's) in SF you could perform, good, bad or mediocre you could gather some coin, then people tried to organize the "spontaneity", giving you a time to perform, and a place (in the 90's) as if every day the same time in the same place would yield the same kind of audience (we who work know better), but the real question is not so much what to do, or how - but really how do you close the deal, get the green, jingle the jangle - getting laid was (and is) theeasy part, getting them to part with tip money has become hard to the point of ridiculousness. There are easy way to do it a a duo or trio, but on the solo level it has gotten *** near impossible - kid get down loads for free, secrets on YouTube, a applaud for acts that really are not entertaining (American idol comes to mind); so much of my street work is for personal satisfaction and creating new material - I often work hard in the street for 20$ than I do for my $2,500 corporate clients - and neither crowd really has much in the way of audience skill. Some times you need to teach them how to watch a show, while they watch a show - getting them to pay up is a whole diffrent problem - to a large extend it has kill busking in many of the tourist areas in America - am I wrong (I hope so) - e

Evil Dan is right on.... Street performers are not magicians who entertain, they are entertainers who use some magic. you need to introduce them to the smiles inside themselves... They need to be having a good time through you.

Back to the original posters description of not being able to do the whole show. That isn't necessarily bad. Your shows will never be exactly the same, and they rarely are exactly as you planned them. You are always changing, based on the audience, weather, outside influences, your mood, etc, etc. But it takes experience to know exactly when and where to tweak the act on the run. But it is the key to surviving. There are few "one size fits all" shows. So you adjust to the moment.

I am not saying that you suddenly toss in something that you never do... I am saying that you stretch something, or chop something based on what feedback you get from the audience. I do a 4 effect routine. And sometimes it is three effects. Or other times, one of the phases takes on a whole life of its own, and carries a long way.

Be flexible. This isn't an excuse for not planning, and practicing. But it is a suggestion, that you work off of the crowd, adjusting your act to what they like that day.

BroDavid
aka The Doctor

I'm all about them have a good time through us. Can't disagree with introducing them to smiles within themselves. It's the thought about "Street performers are not magicians who entertain, they are entertainers who use some magic." that I have slight disagreement with. When it is put like that I think it belittles Magic, like it's just something, a spice, to flavor the Entertainer. Might as well be cup stacking or clipping your toe nails. "some magic"...OUCH! The show I give is about the Magic & me the Magician. Yeah I honestly think I could entertain clipping my toenails (WOW! check the ego on this guy), however I would never put clipping in the same ballpark as Magic. No wonder people think so little of Magic when we ourselves toss it off. Remember the part about believe in your magic, the ball is really in your hand, and they will too? Respect your Magic and they will too as well.

Man is this an old point of contention - "the magician is an actor playing the part of a magician" yea, and Hamlet is just an actor playing the part of a prince... and is he a Mentalist or just a Magician doing mentalist tricks - this is all a part of the same philosophical discourse, like is he a guitar player (a musician) or just a guy with a guitar - the magic performer, the props and the audience all work in concord to create the magic experience (or magic effect if you prefer). And I have seen a lot of guys with magic equipment that do not have a magic act, and acts that have no props that are truly magical - now don't get me wrong, I am not arguing with any point of view, but they are only POINTS OF VIEW. One of the reason I do street performance is to enlarge, change and evolve my point of view. On a more profound level it is all a magical effect, on all levels, only some know it, some have suspicion, and others don't have a clue; and I find all kinds in my audiences. As my friend Tom Jorgenson says," assume your assumptions "

Yes it is an old point of contention. Yes what I post is my point of view and should only be taken as the Gospel by fools, it's only my point of view. One of the reasons I live is to enlarge, change and evolve my point of view. If I fail to share my point of view here where people do such a thing I think I may be cheating someone from just the point of view that may help them and the Art of Magic. After all this is the Magicians helping Magicians place is it not?

I like Jorgenson's "assume your assumptions". I'd add, "but seek the applicable truth." Doubtful you will find it in my posts but seek and ye shall find eh?

Buskers are not just magicians. But they are entertainers, and magicians who busk must be entertainers too. People won't pay for nothing. They have to gain something in the performer/audience contract. It is the entertainment that they pay to see.

Decide who you are...I don't care if you are best magician on the planet, you wont succeed on the street unless you do a good job of entertaining.

And you can entertain with self working magic that technically is not really very good magic, and you can succeed on the street, because you are entertaining. Or you can eat nails, if you can make it entertaining. Or you can do cartwheels across the promenade, if it is entertaining, you will make money.

My point is simple and I stand by it. If you aren't entertaining, you won't make money busking.

We have all seen them. M\These are the magicians who perform, and never even make eye contact with their audience. They don't even smile, they just do magic. How entertaining is that?

As for me, I have the highest regard for the art of magic. I respect the skill of those who practice at great length and master the most difficult sleights, and handling. I practice a lot myself, and I wouldn't do it, if I didn't care about doing quality magic.

To take what I said as some kind of insult to magicians, or to be personally offended by it, seems a bit thin skinned to me. So I think you must have missed my point.

I hope this clarifies what I meant: If you work the streets, (I don't know if you do, but I do), you MUST ENTERTAIN to make fat hats. Frankly, I don't care if they respect the magic or not, because it is the entertainment value that fills the hat in the end. That was my point, and I stand by it. I am not demeaning magicians, I am just telling you what works.

Doctor Cognos

You are correct, one must entertain first and foremost, However, "you have to be entertaining to get paid", I wish. Popular culture is turning that around, i.e. $500 per seat to see Charlie Sheen rant, entertaining? In a way I guess, put the pull is idol worship and the thin judgments rendered by the "popular mind". As pointed out in the millionaire magician's book "Winning the Crowd" get them on your side (by being entertaining, or rousing peoples curiosity) and you have a good show. The goal of good busking is to accomplish this quickly and efficiently in a public place (i.e. the street) Practice of the craft helps this by building confidence in our presentation (from our own POV) and smoothness in delivery (from the audience POV). As for me, I firmly believe that the audience is smarter than THEY think they are, one of my main goals is to show them this singularly life changing truth; and do it in an entertaining way.

But you notice audiences are walking out on Charlie and he's not going to KEEP getting $500 a seat unless he hurries up and gets pretty entertaining pretty fast.

Oh well, maybe he's had his show adjusted or people are going now to actually WATCH the train wreck because ticket sales are still strong.
I thought for sure word of mouth would kill his box office.

I have to agree with the Doctor. A friend of mine who is a juggler told me that street performing is 80% balls and I said "then the rest must be showmanship." He agreed. Not technical skill. My friend can juggle amazing numbers and do highly technical routines but on the street all he needs is a torch, a bowling ball and a knife and he can do a great show. The same is true with magic I feel.

Yes, less is often more - I always take too much equipment, an then settle back on the few things that really work, and I can do while drunk - not that I perform drunk (or as much as I used to - it was required in the high end catered party world) but if I can do the effect drunk then it passes many tests, i.e. easy to carry, re-set, and execute - in my world it is kind of like the "packs small, plays big" test - no for everyone but as a general guide to presentation selections it has served me well for 40+ years.

Ahhhhh the drunk test.