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Mr. Pitts Inner circle David Pitts 1058 Posts |
I recently did a lecture at my local clown club called "So, Do You Have an Act?". I started a thread by the same title a few months back and got some good feedback on the subject.
The best way I have found of describing an 'act', is that it's a variety artist's stock in trade, your personal performance piece. If a friend of yours from the Lions Club calls and says, "Hey, we're having our annual banquet next month and I'm in charge of the entertainment, can you come do your act?" "Sure" you say, "I'd love to.." After discussing price and details you hang up. At this point, if you have an act, you relax because you know exactly what you'll be doing. If you don't have an act, you nervously start going through all your stuff trying to put something together for this show. You can have a safety show, a day care show, a reading show, and all these shows might have elements of your act in them, but your act is your personal performance, developed and refined over years and years. It can and should change and grow, but at any given time, you should know your act very, very well. Even if it's somewhat different year to year, it should have some consistency, some elements of your stage persona and signature bits that you keep. In a variety show you do 7 to 10 minutes of your act. You should know your act well enough to know exactly what parts to do. I read a piece about Jay Marshall recently that described an amazing bit of ad libbing he did in a show once. He said, "when you're an act you can do that". He put it that way, and I've heard other people describe it like that too, "when you're an act", which to me implies that I AM the act, which implies that what I do onstage should be me, an extension of myself, and that the various bits and pieces I do can be added and subtracted, but the act is still there, recognizable as my act. There are lots of magicians who have an act of course, but one who comes to mind is Mac King. If you were to say to another magician that you saw Mac King do his act, they'd know pretty much what you saw. And even if you've both seen it before, it's got so much character and fun in it, you wouldn't mind seeing it again. Sure, checkered suit, goldfish, cloak of invisibility, always good stuff, probably a few new surprises too, but a lot of stuff you know... but it's got a life of it's own in a way, and you don't mind seeing it again. It's like a friend, or a favorite book.. you just don't get tired of it. Now THAT's an ACT. |
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BIGmagiclV Veteran user 375 Posts |
Quote:
Wouldn't that be a bouquet of tricks? I'm so confused. Btw...watch Amazing jonathan's show closely. He does only one real magic trick and it takes him an hour. that's an act! |
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David Thiel Inner circle Western Canada...where all that oil is 4005 Posts |
I've always thought of the presentation of an effect as a "chapter" in the overall book.
Sometimes they string together...sometimes they don't. I don't want to be locked into an ACT -- if the definition of 'act' is something that can't be revised. Many things have an impact on what I am doing in any given show: the age of the kids, the environment (living room or outdoor stage), the number of people in the audience...stuff like that. I have many carefully polished "chapters" at my disposal and I really like the freedom to choose the ones that will work best for any given show. IF I'm doing a themed show it is a presentation designed for a specific client at a specific venue or series of venues (libraries or schools) -- and then the "show" doesn't change because certain components have been promised and paid for. David
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except bears. Bears will kill you.
My books are here: www.magicpendulums.com www.MidnightMagicAndMentalism.com |
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Kent Wong Inner circle Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2458 Posts |
Think of your show as a play. Plays have a beginning, a middle and an end - each portion of which is divided into different acts. As Peter mentioned, you may have a number of tricks or routines within each act. However, the acts need to build theatrically toward a predetermined climax. As an example, think of your opening act. This may include your warm-up routine and one or two pre-determined tricks/routines to establish your credibility as a magician and to actively engage the audience. The act may or may not be thematic, but it has a defined purpose. For my children's shows, I have several different opening acts to choose from, depending on the age of the kids and the size of the audience.
Kent
"Believing is Seeing"
<BR>______________________ <BR> <BR>www.kentwongmagic.com |
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TheAmbitiousCard Eternal Order Northern California 13425 Posts |
You'll find the following things in acts.
Running gags Callbacks Things in tricks overlap, things that progress and are used in other tricks All of this naturally happens over time if you think about what you're doing and care about magic instead of making it just a way to make a living. To me, that's most of the fun... developing and spit-shining the act. Making sure that each year the act is better than the year before. If you have an act then if someone just removed one of your tricks, or told you to re-arrange them the act would not work anymore. Because everything else is too intertwined to take out and replace. My second trick is replaceable but the rest really needs to be in and needs to be where it is. I would bet that most kids magicians just do a bunch of tricks off the "what are your top 5" lists.
www.theambitiouscard.com Hand Crafted Magic
Trophy Husband, Father of the Year Candidate, Chippendale's Dancer applicant, Unofficial World Record Holder. |
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MJ Marrs Inner circle Los Angeles 1124 Posts |
Nice post, Frank! I like the idea of taking one's "act" and improving upon it over the years until it becomes a masterpiece. An ounce of gold is worth more than a ton of dust.
I also like the idea of a modular act. I have some stand alone routines which can fit into a particular spot in my show in case I need to add more time. Of course, I could also take out certain routines in case a shortened act is needed. This can be done without breaking the flow of the show since the transitions flow seamlessly whether I'm using tricks A, B, and C or only tricks A and C. |
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harris Inner circle Harris Deutsch 8812 Posts |
Sometimes as Frank wrote, you need B to go into C.
For me my character is as important as A, B and C. The Character influences which is my top 5. (not necessarily what others are using) Actually took out things for a while, because ie. many magicians in my area were doing the vanishing hanky. Then put it in, again within how my character would handle it. Bringing it back is also a fun thought process. That is where will it reappear..... 1. in the other hand 2. out of another hanky 3. inside of a cream filled donut..... Enjoy the process...
Harris Deutsch aka dr laugh
drlaugh4u@gmail.com music, magic and marvelous toys http://magician.org/member/drlaugh4u |
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David Thiel Inner circle Western Canada...where all that oil is 4005 Posts |
If you are just doing what others are doing, pretty much any of the "others" will do.
I am always on the look-out for something unique -- or an "older" idea or prop I can put a new spin on. But my core act: the stuff that really works for ME is very slow to change. I'll add in the "latest greatest" thing somewhere in the middle and work it. But I have found it takes a LONG time for that prop to make its way onto the "A" list.
Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except bears. Bears will kill you.
My books are here: www.magicpendulums.com www.MidnightMagicAndMentalism.com |
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