When you are performing for kids, do you have a character or personna or are you just "yourself"?

I ask because I am still developing (or refining) mine.

I try to have a sense of fun and wonder in my show but am not sure "who I am" specifically.

I am not the goofy over-the-top type magician but neither am I the serious type. I am more of the "funny uncle" kind of magician, if that makes sense. My motto for my shows is Just Bacon Up Some Fun.

I think if I can define it better it will enhance my shows.

Hi Neale,

You might find the following thread useful:

Performing Personalities - Is Yours What You Think?

Brian

Very helpful Brian...thanks!

Be yourself, speak clearly, have fun with the kids, show them you enjoy being at their party, and don't try to be too clever! Don

Whilst this is good advice, it relies on the magician having a good personality to start with. There is no point in being yourself if that 'self' is not interesting, engaging, funny, amazing, entertaining.....

I believe that magicians should think like actors with characters who have different motivations, hopes, ideas etc. then our true selves.

Aside from anything, we all become different people in different settings. My friends know a different person to whom my clients meet.

I agree with Nicholas. I think you can be yourself if you have a good personality. If that's true, then you can just make it "bigger" for the stage.

Unfortunately, I've seen magicians who have either no personality or a lousy one make that "bigger" on the stage. It's not a pretty sight.

I've struggled with the "persona" thing for years. There is currently a lot in my performing persona that you would not see in my day-to-day interpersonal activities. But the core is me.

I'm currently working on a new character and act that is a different person. That's not to say that the character and I won't share some traits, but there will be different ones that I can explore. I don't need to do this, but I want to. To me it's exciting to do and I feel it pushes me and the art to another level.

Despite what I personally see as a ridiculous quote by Robert-Houdin, I think good (emphasis on that word!) acting is an essential part of entertaining magic.

Mike

Hi,

I think the phrase "be yourself" is the correct (one way) to go. But the truth is everone say's "be yourself" but without explaining what is meant by it. I think you will find (as applied to magic) it was originaly written with the meaning to look at your natural self then work on emphisiing those traits which are good or the public might like and tone down or possibly eliminate those which might be negative or distracting.

Phillip

I agree in being yourself.

But guys, how about if a magician had a pale personality. Whenever he'd be himself, his audience would not be pleased with his show. And if he would try and copy a famous magician, the audience would be highly entertained. What you think?

In performance, who you are is not truly defined by you but instead by your audience. They create, in their mind, a character whom they then choose to like or dislike. We can only present them with the starting point.

The self that you create in your mind is very different from the self that the audience creates in their minds.

I use a director ALL the time to help with my on stage persona and I constantly think about motivation etc. Why am I doing this trick?

I think you can have a much more direct impact than that on your audience's perception of your character. The key is to "know your audience."

I dawn my black contacts and exorcist voice. I seem to get quite a direct impact - but not many repeat bookings! Just kidding.

Coldthorn

I also have learned that being myself is the best way to go. The only problem with this is that it is often very hard for people to 1) know what being themselves really is and 2) allowing themselves to be that way.

Let me try and explain this a little bit. The hardest part about being yourself is that every person has a preconceived notion of who they THINK they are. Often times this notion of themself is NOT how others see them.

I think this happens because we are all in a certain state of trying to always hide our flaws. We hide the flaws by acting and dressing or talking in other fashions, thinking this will make us more comfortable. Because we do this so often, we get used to acting and being this way.

The best way to find out what your TRUE personality is like, is to ask your closest friends and family members. You may be suprised to find out how they see you is not always how you see yourself. But it is really important to know how others see you as this is the personna they remember the most. You can also find out from them what parts of your character they like the most. These can become the traits that you may want to try to show more in your performances.

The second reason why being yourself is so hard is the simple fact that being yourself makes you vulnerable. You are presenting your true self. It is not a fake acting character that you would do in a play. If it fails to connect with the audience, then it seems to sting more because you know it is the real you and nothing else.

However, being yourself and learning what traits of your own personal self works the best, allows you to really develop the best rapport with your audience. People tend to relate better with you and enjoy the entertainment more. That is really what it is all about.

I entertain as myself but...

I play myself having more fun then I would in my day to day world.

I present the magic as interesting and fun.

When I first started, a child cynic was overheard saying "this is lame". Now this fellow had grown to his advanced age of eight by being served huge dollops of adult movies... (Not XXX, just explosions and gun fights, car chases, etc.)

A break away wand just didn't hold up to ninja sword throwing.

But I sat down and thought through my routine and decided to capitalize on "LAME".

I became El Lamo. I dress like Zorro. I have a plastic sword that I have painted into a wand.

When I greet children, I go out in my cape and while I start talking, I put the hat and mask on. It is a nice transition piece and sets them up... "And now for something different!"

I have made little certificates from the Legendary Academy of Magic Extraordinaire...

When I am doing something, a child may say "It is in your hand!"

I smile and say, "Of course, I'm El Lamo", whether it is in my hand or not.

Then when a moment of amazement occurs. I can just repeat, "I'm El Lamo."

I try to show fun and amazement and lots of times I try to make the magic happen for the child.

So, characters can be yourself (smiles).