Hey guys, yet another job posting...

Do you want to get some stage time?
Want to try out some new material?
Or just want to do a show?

Well if your live in Southern Ontario, or willing to travel to Toronto, contact us!
We are looking for all types of Magical Arts entertainers who want to perform on our stage. Our venue is a small intimate theatre. We seat about 70 people confortably. We have a raised stage, curtains, ligthing, and a DJ booth. The only thing we need is you!

If interested please contact platinumproductions@rogers.com to get yourself booked. Please note that booking lead time is 6-8 weeks due to the amount of performers already interested.

Wow, tons of questions sent to me in such short time, so I thought I would give a little update.

The bookings are not paid gigs. The theatre is a not for profit charitable organization. We are running the show similar to how a small comedy club would run their stand-up shows - perform a 20 min set in exchange for some exposure and experience, or maybe a client wants to see you in action before you get booked. Plus, the whole thing is just good for the magic community in general. No one is making any money of it.

Also, I posted another job posting earlier for experienced stage performers. That is something entirely different, and it is a paid gig. Sorry for the confusion. When sending inquiries please be sure to state the you are interested in the "Local Show", if your intnention is the for the above noted show.

I have received some emails from performers who have little to no stage time, slamming me because they are not getting paid. When this idea was conceived, we thought the magic community would be excited with the fact that we are promoting magic in a city that has no show to go see. However, not everyone is keen with the idea. I'm really eager to see some responses from veteran performers to give their comments. Please post responses here publicly, PMs are not neccessary.

When you advertise for " performers wanted" you are going to get flooded with a barrage of newbies or amateurs who are waiting to be discovered as the next Copperfield. Although they have little experience they feel they only need that one chance and BINGO they will get discovered and it's all great success after that. I know this for a fact because that was me years ago. This is especially revelant when you ask for free performances, only the newbies will be interested. Let me explain more...

By the time a performer becomes professional he/she has gone through the gauntlet of doing free shows " for the exposure" that never gets them anything except a reputation for doing free shows. All I ever heard back from free shows were more requests for free shows. Don't get me wrong...I perform lots of benefits or reduced rates for charities I care about. I do however avoid the event promoter who has been paid a fee to host a show for a charity and then asks me to perform " for charity" when the truth is he is saving the cost of paying me from his alotted funding and is keeping MY fee for himself.

Keep in mind that professional performers are just that " professional". We have a lot of time and money invested into our work and don't just work for free just to create magic in the area. If you would like to enlist professional performers then you should take the time to contact each one on a direct basis , state the facts and reasons why you'd like them to perform ( including charitable fundraising ) and ask their assistance. A cattlecall is not going to attract pros. Been there done that..so to speak. I never respond to generic requests for performance. I figure if someone wants me to spend my time in their venture then they should be willing to spend some of their time writing me an email requesting assistance.

Sorry if this email seems blunt. I don't mean it to sound that way. Good Luck with your project.

Just had a thought....if you want to attract magicians ....Host a magic marathon that benefits a charity and use the event to promote ( in the media ) the need to get Doug Henning a star on the Canadian walk of Fame. I bet you'd get some great performers willing to do that.

Best,

Tim

RSD,

After reading your original post on this subject, I must say that I was happy to find that someone was finally doing something like this.

In my opinion, if performers want to go perform for free (ESPECIALLY the younger guys), then it's great. It gives them a chance to get that very important audience experience.

For those who do not wish to perform for free, they may continue doing their own private bookings. I do not see this as something that would hurt the professional magicians in the area at all. As an experienced professional I know that no matter what is going on around me, as long as I am marketing well, I'll be fine.

RSD, I wish you the best of luck with this project. I think it's a great idea. As a performer who loves to play with new material, I just may donate some of my time (once I get some time to donate).

Have you considered teaching magic workshops and using this as a medium for students to perform for an audience?

All the best to you and BREAK A LEG!

Chris Stolz
Stolz Illusions.

Chris,

I should have elaborated. I think its great if new performers want to perform for free to get some stage experience or try something out. My earlier post was mainly to answer the question of why there isn't a flood of pros asking to participate.

Best,

Tim

P.S. Let me know when you'll be there. I'll bring the tomatoes..LOL Just kidding ........tomatoes are too expensive...LOL

Seriously...this would be a great opportunity for performers to get a decent video of them on stage or to debut a new marketable effect...er..ah..did someone say...cross legged levitation? Hint Hint.

Haha. Actually Tim, it was kind of funny. I was typing my post just as you weree posting yours. I posted mine and saw that another had beat me to it! I was however impressed with how well mind seemed to be in response to yours...by complete fluke! Not bad eh.

The cross legged levitation was one of the items I had in mind actually. It would also be a great place to get some live performance footage.

-Chris.

Ah...yes...the eternal quest to get a decent performance video. Its the holy grail of performers. We could start a whole thread on stories of what went wrong and ruined that GREAT video we wanted. Mine includes the mic on the camera switched off, some goof ball standing in front of the camera and the spot light going off on me half way through an illusion. Its not good to be doing the floating ball in the dark...looks kind of suspicious. If this venue provided a decent taping ability it would surely attract performers looking for decent footage. Food for thought!

Best,

Tim

If you perform your cross legged levitation let all us locals know in advance ..so we can show up to see it live ( without tomatoes ) . I'm not suggesting you pad the audience but because its a new effect you will get a great response from the magicians in the house who appreciate something new.

I think this is a great way for amateurs or part-time professionals to improve their stage skills. The unfortunate thing is that you won't attract many full time professionals and your market will be limited to the local area (unless the theatre is at least willing to cover travel costs). The reality is that you get what you pay for.

I like this whole Vaudeville type concept, but I think eventually, you will have to start cutting some cheques to bring in the calibre of entertainment you hope for.

I support a number of local charities here in Edmonton, but they don't tell me it's a "job posting" as mis-described in the original thread. I also don't buy into the "great exposure" angle that many such organizations use. I simply choose to support certain charities because they are a great cause.

Kent

I never expected to attract pros to our stage. I'm thinking of using it as more of a breeding ground. However, I would never say no to a pro who wanted to share our stage. The fact of the matter is that there is no budget for pros - YET. Perhaps if this really takes off, maybe a pro could be paid to come in to headline a show, who knows. But for now, the show is as it is. I have got quite a few interested parties so we're going to give it a whirl and see what happens. Once we launch I will let everyknow here know the details. BTW the idea of the workshops is a great idea. The workshops will compliment the shows and vice-versa. The problem is, I don't have the skill the teach. Alright who here in Toronto wants to teach magic classes? - Paid

I think Timothy Drake would be an excellent teacher, especially in the area of stage magic. Just my two bits.

Kent

RSD,

I have taught many workshops over the years. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

-Chris.

For what it's worth...I think it's a great way to get experience. As far as the guys who want to be paid and can do 1 trick with a Svengali and have a needle thru the arm gag they can go blow beans! To work in magic takes dedication,and the attitude that will let them work for free to polish thier skills. Nothing gives a performer stage experience except ,doin it!
Dutch

I think it's a great idea too. There's not many places you can get an audience and a proper theater/stage to perform your first shows on. You need a place to be bad when you start. I need a place to be bad...I want to go to Toronto. :-D

Dear Kent,

You're correct tim is an EXCELLENT teahcer.... He is taught me and helpped me out so much!

I wonder if Tim teaches spelling ?