I have heard that magicians are often asked to perform a trick out of the blue. If that is the case, let's say this scenario happens............

You are on vacation with your family, visiting relatives in a different city in a different state. Since you are in a different city in a different state and on vacation, you never thought of bringing any pocket tricks or coins or anything with you, as you never expected to have to perform any kind of tricks at all, since you figured no one would know you there. But alas, the unthinkable happens. Someone comes up to you, they have seen your act (and/or performance) back in your own home town (don't ask why they are in this new city and state as well, that doesn't matter). They ask you to perform a trick for them and their friend they have with them.

You start to say you have nothing to perform with, but before you can finish, this stranger that asked you to perform hands you two U.S. Pennies, a pencil, and a sheet of white paper, and asks you to do something, anything magical with those items.

What do you do, and please keep it limited only to those items I mentioned? Descibe what trick/illussion you would perform for them using only those items?

I am very curious to see how you all would handle this?

A centre tear, magic square, Osterlind's watch routine. Solid material, with a piece of paper and pencil.

With the objects you mentioned, could do a coin through hand, transposition, vanish/reappearance (not really a coin worker, sure people could give you more advice on this.)

There is also a ton of impromptu effects without those items, that people will have with them - Wilson's On the Spot has lots of great stuff.

Simon

This is what I would do with these limited materials as an impromptu routine.

1. Bare handed production of a penny
2. Retention Vanish of Penny
3. Reproduction of Penny in impossible location
4. Striking Vanish of Penny
5. Reproduction of Penny from spectator's ear
6. Floating pencil in hand (more as a joke for the interlude)
7. Torn & Restored Paper (instead of bill)
8. Bill Through Pencil (I can't remember the proper name of this trick, but it is where the bill breaks the pencil in two. Spectators hold the pencil during the effect.)
9. Mentalism effect using 6 small squares of paper and magician's choice, with advance prediction held by spectator.

In developing the routine here are some of my thoughts. Money is always a good attention getter and a solid way to open a routine, but my personal opinion is that whenever you vanish something, you should always reproduce it. Otherwise, the spectators will continue to be distracted by wondering where the thing went. I try to inject as much spectator involvement as possible as the routine builds. This increased involvement helps to build interest as the routine moves on. Provide some variety in the pacing of the routine (that's why I injected the comedy floating pencil bit). The routine builds to a climax with an effect (mentalism) that is entirely different from the rest of the routine (to provide contrast).

Anyways, that's what I would do with the limited materials at hand. This routine would probably run from 8 to 9 minutes in length.

Kent

The real question is are you going to develop a routine for every silly little situation that may come up in life?

This is a little far fetched I think.

The best thing to do is to beg off if you are a professional. If you are not ready to actually do anything, then don't. You can really look silly trying to improvise something on the spot. If your ego requires you to be always "on" then vanish the coins using the pensil as a wand.

Best to not do anything than to be caught doing something badly.

Danny

In this situation I would use the pencil and the paper and both of these items would be forced. Take the paper and rip it into small sheets and hand 3 of the small sheets to the spectator and have her write a question on each one and then ball it up after she's completed the question. I cannot tell you the method because that is illegal in this forum. But basicly you switch one of the balled up questions for a blank one and you are now one ahead and get your peak.You can now start to perform by putting each crinkled up question to your forehead and tell them the question without ever seeing what she wrote and you do this with each question. This effect doesn't have to be done with questions you can use whatever you would like to foretell. You can PM me for more details.

Stike vanish w/ pencil.
Pencil thru paper (variation).
"The Coin Fold" in Bobo's.
"Two Pennies on the Leg" in Bobo's.
"Coins in the Teeth" in Bobo's.
Coin across.

Vanishing penny and pencil from the Magic for Dummies book.

-Tenkai pennies
-coins thru hand

Messiah Vanish using the two pennies.

You could take out a dime and do the transpozition from on the spot, or take out a dollar and peform Sankeys Dought with the pencil and the paper.

You could do Epic: Mark Down without markers.

I'd do the old stand by! Glass or bottle thru table.

You could do pencil up nose or something... lol

Have them hold onto one penny, do a strike vanish of the other, then ditch it in showing hands empty. Take the second penny, strike vanish of pencil (behind ear), ditch penny in pocket as I point out the pencil. Then 'vanish' the second penny. Give them the pencil, ball up the paper, do a 'guess which hand' twice giving them the pencil as a pointer, then make Slydini proud. Hold the pencil like a wand and say 'Hey that went well, anyone have a hundred..' either doing flipstick or push it under my watch '..or another pencil?'

If you make all their stuff vanish, they'll get the hint I think.

I would do some mind reading where I would predict the dates of the pennys.

Don't forget "pencil through cheek" from Andrew Mayne's Shock FX!
You could also try to guess which hand the spectator placed the coin(s) in- either the psychological method or the old hold up the coin to your eyes and stare at it for 30 seconds method...

Center Tear, Book test, Picture duplication ala Banachek or Osterlind, lip stick through the hand from Greg Wilson. Plus what every one else has said.

A old time magician once told me tha a good magician should always be prepared to perform atleast one trick impromptu.

Michael

Is there a book or article you can cite that gives details?


Kent, David Pogue explains 'Pencil-Breaking Cash' and gives lots of tips in 'Magic for Dummies.' If you get good reactions from children, do you have other tips? I was disappointed the 1st time I showed a 10-yr old and never tried it again. Do you think it is a good impromptu trick or just a way to met this thread's challenge of pencil, bill, pennies?

I would say the best thing to do is to politely decline. Personally I would explain to them that since I am on vacation, that means it is a vacation from everything including magic. I would then kindly urge them to take a vacation themselves and come see my show sometime in the future. This way you take control of the situation, rather than them having control. Remember, audience control is still important even if it's only two people...and probably when magic isn't even involved! And yes, I realize this might be the "easy" way out of the situation and might not be what you intended with this post, but I believe it leaves you with a feeling of professionalism, allowing yourself to choose when you want to perform. Performing improptu magic is certainly fine, I have no qualms with it, but controlling the situation avoids spectators randomly walking up to you and making you their trick monkey. Hope that helps!

-Eric D.

I think I would do an old mathematical trick where you determine a thought of card by having the spectator do some simple math calculations with the number and suit of the card. Then I would pocket the two pennies, telling the spectator that this was your 2 cents worth.

Dan