I've noticed that some planners who know me only book physically large acts for events other than walkaround stuff.

But I just know there are guys out there making it with standup stuff. I've never seen Chris Capehart using large pieces of equipment, and how about Max Maven in front of 400 people with a deck of cards?

Still fighting that burnout, but also noticing that my local library and rec center go to the outsiders for their bigger stuff.

Chris Capehart lives near me, I have seen him perform, and lecture many times over the past 15 years, and his secret is lots, and lots of talent. The most important ingredent, and the most overlooked ingredent required to attain success.

I saw Bill Abbott perform in Victoria a couple of weeks ago. He entertained an audience of 200 out of a smaller brief case. He did a 45 minute set, took a break and then came back with another set that ran about 30-40 minutes. The first part was several of his well-known stand up routines, including a hilarious 15 minutes with Chico the Chimp, a great routine with an Invisible Deck, and also The Thing. The second part consisted mostly of mentalism and card magic (along with a really neat 4 Ace trick with a violin at the end).

It's all about your personal preferences. Me, I prefer to work with a mix of small and larger props. I've entertained audiences smaller and larger with the props I choose to use.

I don't think that customers book based on the size of props. They book based on other factors.

- Donald

I am just trying to avoid slipping into a mentality where I buy bigger stuff instead of improving my act.

What is missing from sections of my act is that byplay that comes naturally when I do items like the egg bag. I need more of that and have created some new items for that purpose.

I have a routine with three pieces of rope that is a comedy repeat escape that looks like Tony Clark's DVD of a release, except that I use no cloth in front of me and do more releases and gags than are shown in his demo. It's always a big hit. But I find myself able to fit about 8 or 9 tricks in 30 minutes, which was the first clue I noticed that I am merely demonstrating a lot of my stuff, not entertaining. The escape is so well received that I am going to be courageous this summer and try some more of my own ideas. Like the cream pie escape, and the bullet catching trick without the bullet or the gun.

I must agree with Al. I also live near both Al and Chris Capehart and Al is dead on. Chris can play a huge crowd or audience with next to nothing. The man just has a ton of experience from working the streets and is oozing with talent. His background has really created the character and style he uses today and when you perform and come from street performing and busking, you have to play big, pack small and be able to move easily. Chris does this and does it amazingly well. I love watching the man perform.

Kyle

Impossible man
When I started performing the question that I asked every vetern I met was "how do you get stage presence", and no one ever had an answer for me. After maturing as a performer the answer to that question is to work constantly, and you will by osmosis attain the stage presence of a seasoned pro. Now don't get me wrong I still have a lot to learn, but I no longer ask that question.

Thanks, Al.

I have been told by acting professors and others that I have presence, but then I relied on that alone.

I have been teaching public speaking for several quarters in college now, and was doing straight lectures from PowerPoints. But I noticed how much I appreciated the hands on exercises used in our professional development and other seminars, and I realized what my students must be going through. So in the course of adding all kinds of learning experiences I looked at my magic the same way.

It is a series of demonstrations of tricks with well-written patter, and a few audience-participation items. Now my eyes are opened to the necessity of the byplay etc. Otherwise I am just giving a lecture showing how good I am at performing certain items. And some tricks I can perform exactly the same in rehearsal, without an audience.

I made this post because when business is a little slow I tend try to throw the baby out with the bathwater, but I know there are performers out there doing stand up. It's not my tricks, it's me. I'm good. I'm not great.

I hesitate to recommend what I did, but here goes. Twenty years ago I started attending comedy club open mike nights, I got good at it, but the money was rediculous. To this day I do not use any patter, my show comes from my experience writing and performing comedy monologues. It is only for someone that thinks he was born funny, so being a life long sarcastic smart a** made me think I could do it. Chris Capehart, or Simon Lovell use the same style of entertaining that I do, but they do it much better than me.

I originally got into magic because I wanted to entertain and thought I wasn't funny. Come to find out it's only my "subtle" stuff that isn't funny. Anything I try in my act is more mainstream, and people love it. But I've been so scared to risk it that I don't have much of this material in the act. It's all the more humbling when I think that I used to think MY act was better than other performers using, say, the acrobatic silks for comedy. Except they would get the bookings. Now a lot of my clients DO keep repeating and recommending me, but I know dang well that I have a lot of work ahead. Fortunately I have a couple of pieces ready to go in key spots that will transform my act for now while I improve the shorter bits.

I DO think I will spend a lot more time watching comedy and LEARNING from it.