So I was watching some Nick Nickolas videos tonight, and, as usual, I'm just terribly impressed. I just love the concept and structure of his entire act.

I would love to come up with something at least half as good for myself.

First and foremost I don't want to lift anything from his act. Second, I've been performing for quite some time, but I feel like I'm just stringing tricks together.

So my question is...How does one go about coming up with something this good? (Yea, I know...just keep performing...there has to be more to it than that).

Just curious what everybody else's thoughts are on this subject.

Find good teacher then perform perform perform!!!!

Fireperfromer has it right.

Either you have the insight and creativity to do it yourself. Or you need to find someone to help you with it.

And that isn't intended to be an insult. It is just a statement of fact.

Some folks are good as seeing how to weave tricks into a rountine. And some are not.

We have a group in Ohio that meets every Saturday for just that purpose. I am the only busker at the meetings, but we have terrific card guys, fantastic coin guys, and guys who can do both and think though an effect, and really make it play with another effect. The feedback on your routine, is absdolutely priceless.

So, even if you think you are nailing it, you can benefit from the input and advice of others.

And there is no subsitute for practice. I practice and video record my practices. I move the camera and practice again. Etc. Etc.

The Doctor

Read Paddy's post regarding Bobby Maverick's Buskers Boot Camp.

"String your tricks together" in interesting ways and there is no problem. Don't over-think this "problem". A running gag or a simple reoccurring theme will help overcome this perception you have (and my guess is that it's all yours there, as the audience doesn't know what you're going to do next anyhow, even under ideal circumstances, or in a perfectly contiguous act).

Also, try "priming the pump" by TELLING your audience what you're going to do later on in the show, all the while building it up and making it seem like it's going to be "the most amazing handkerchief vanish they've ever darn seen!" -or whatever... You get the idea.

Handing out a prop or two "for examination" that you'll use in a future trick, to a spectator that you know is going to stay for the whole show can help too. You say you're giving it out for examination, but really it's to anchor them to your edge. Keep referring back to that prop and to that speckie, and it will hold the rest of the audience's attention as well -because they'll want to stick around to see what's going to happen to the poor sod you've roped into your show, as well!

I hope these tips help. These are all ideas I've picked up from other performers over the past couple of years.

Nice tips, Gaddy.

Great topic Patrick.
This is really the only part of my act that I work on these days. Constantly adding tiny bits to make the act "bloom".
A lot of notebook time, reading, watching, fine tuning.... Have a goal of adding a 'bit' a month.

It can be a callback, a running gag, a visual gag, a prop change that allows the same prop to be used where you used to use 2 different props (e.g., a hat only instead of a hat and a box), a joke.... You could also clean the show up be removing extraneous do-dahs , lines, movement, etc.

Thanks Guys,

Sounds like good suggestions all the way around.

Doc and Fireperformer...I'm planning on attending Bobby Maverick's boot camp and I'm going to Harley Newman's sideshow class. I'm planning on surrounding myself with the people that actually do this stuff all summer.

Gaddy...I love the idea of handing out props for examination to anchor folks. I really need to play up the finale more...I'm working on that.

Frank...your comment kind of reminds me of Dave Williamson's Christmas Tree analogy. His idea is that the tricks in a show are the branches on the tree, but the jokes, gags, etc. are the ornaments.

I'm just going to keep at it.

I have some new ideas that I'm going to work on. I also have a bunch of questions that I'm going to start posting on here one at a time. I'd like to get other people's feedback on some things that have been on my mind for a while. I'll try not to be too much of a pain in the behind!

Thanks again,

I had not heard that before but .... yep. that's the idea. I mentioned here at the Café before that if your think of a glass, your tricks will get your glass 1/3 full. No matter what they are or how good you can do them, you never get above 1/3 full. All the extra stuff that you eventually come up with over the years is what gets that glass all the way full. Gags, bits, original jokes, callbacks, visual gags, the ability to interact, how you deal with hecklers, etc....

Those people that continue changing the tricks, looking for the holy grail instead of just working on adding bits to their existing act will never fill that glass.

To be 100% honest...
I got my xmas tree a long time ago. Sometimes I wonder if I bought the right tree.
Sometimes I add a branch or cut one off but for the most part my tree is my tree and I don't mess with it.
I just add ornaments. Still I wonder... did I pick the right tree?