marc, do you have the first edition?

"The point being that all these lectures featured on character building, stage blocking, audience management, internal dialogue etc."

The good news, is that for this type of training there is no need to go to a lecture done by a magician or mentalist. There are workshops all over the world for stage performers - endulge!

- Greg Owen

Paul, if you are certain you need to do these effects you can find them in the original, self published Pure Effect (spiral bound).

Greg, absolutlely, in fact one of the performers I was pertaining to started off life as an actor, and it shows!

Perhaps one of the most inspiring I have seen was a workshop on mask (I used to live with an actress and I sat in). To see these facelss characters spring to life with the illusion of expression was mindblowing.

"mask (I used to live with an actress and I sat in). To see these facelss characters spring to life with the illusion of expression was mindblowing."

Yes! I remember participating in a workshop where we were all given a mask to wear and had to move as a 20-person ensemble. I went to MotionFest for a few years and learned a ton from the best in the business - many from Cirque du Soleil. Sadly, MotionFest may be no more

- Greg Owen

Greg, that sounds like quite an experience. Not sure if you have read Improv by Keith Johnstone but there is some insightful stuff about mask in there, a great book in general for any performer IMHO.

Bri

There might be some confusion on published versions of this book. Derren sold his original, self-published version as a spiral bound book. Then he entered into an agreement with H&R Magic Books in Humble, TX to produce a hard cover version. Even first editions of this book do not contain the tricks.

Even after the H&R version was released, Derren was still selling his remaining copies of the self-published version. Lucky fellows snapped those up.

John LeBlanc

Pat, yes, and I'm looking at it now and those two routines are most definitely there.

Marc Climens

Gambituk1,
What a terrific piece of thinking and writing... I am not going to quote you here, but I think everyone should scroll back up to the first posting you made on this thread (Dec 12) and read it again, and again, and again.

Cheers,
JD

Hi JD,

Aww shucks <acts all coy!>, thanks.

No, seriously, I tell it like it is. I have a habbit of saying how I feel, if people like it, great, if they don't then I respect their opinion, I mean I don't have to like 'em, but I can respect 'em (joke!)

Bri