I actually picked up a set of the knives right before I left England - I think they were about 7 quid, so not very expensive but a fun little prop. What makes a good set versus a bad set? I always assumed that they were about the same, except for the quality of the actual knife itself. Then again I've never really looked into them. It's a routine I hope to work on soon!

I've been working on David Williamson's 'Funner Color Stunner' and a four ace production as a "warm up" piece. It's been fun! My show when I got back went well but I decided I wanted to add a strong triumph/color changing deck routine into my repertoire, so I'm happy to have found one that's not too knuckle-busting.

Oh, and Mary - turns out Axel will be lecturing in the L.A. area so I'll be able to catch him down there. Thank you again for sending information along to me!

Andrew, have fun at the Axel lecture, bring your credit card.

-Mary Mowder

Mary - I'm already worried. I do own Newsflash which should take some of the sting out, but I know he's got some other great stuff on the market. Plus I'm going to IMX a few weeks later so I could be in even bigger trouble.

Andrew,

I'm using Joe Mogar knives and like them very much. They are real knives of good shape, size and weight. They also have the bolster on one end which, when pointed toward the audience helps limit flashing. He also has what he calls, "perfect knives" that can be viewed from the side without flashing.

All that said, I think it is probably personal preference. If they look like normal pen knives and you handle them well, it probably doesn't matter what you use.

Hudson

Hudson-

I envy your Mogar knives. At the last MagiFest in Columbus, I walked right by Joe, who was ready and willing to show me his wares. I was too fatigued to engage, and can only hope I get another chance next year. Oh, for the things we let slip by...

Jim

Thanks for the info, Hudson! I have too much on my magical plate as it is but I will certainly look into Joe's knives when I get the chance.

Continuing to work on my four ace production...there are too many options out there and I want to use all of them, so I think I may instead go down the road of Gregory Wilson's Revelation in Spades, which will give me 13 reveals instead of just four...more to play around with!

Name: Edwin Arce II

My Goal: I'm planning to head to Europe in about a month to try my hand at busking, so my broad goal is scripting a 10-15 min routine. More specifically, I have a new effect as my closer. A straitjacket escape...on a unicycle. So that's become my main focus.

Length of Sessions: 20 min

Sessions per Week: 5

Estimated Date of Competency: May 20

Where in Europe do you plan to work, Edwin?

I'm landing in Southampton on June 17 (disembarking from the Queen Mary 2). I plan to spend a day or two there and then head to central London for a week or two to begin my European busking experience amongst the more familiar English speakers (though that may change...actually, all of this may change depending on how well, or how poorly I do). From London to Paris where I hope to spend much time performing and exploring. I've been there a few times before and I'd like to find success there. Then, I would love to find success in Nice, France. To live and perform there would be a dream.

Beyond that, I hope to travel to Barcelona, Italy (Rome, Venice, Pisa, Genoa, Naples), Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Tromso, and some small villages), Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Munich, Prague, Finland (Helsinki and a few small towns), Ireland, and back to England to explore.

But, mainly, I hope to make London and Paris my "European Hubs." The places from which I depart, and return.

But, as I said, all of this will be subservient to my success or lack thereof.

Edwin,
Welcome aboard! Hope that you find this forum as helpful and motivating as I have. Good luck in Europe.
Hudson

London is a great city - I've just moved from England. Paris is my favorite city on earth, so I'm sure you'll love being there (as I'm sure you already know!) Las Ramblas in Barcelona is a great place for busking, and Covent Garden in London is the "it" spot, though I would talk with the workers there (if you haven't already) to find out more about how it works. Best of luck!

Yeah, London is excellent--the first city I'll be heading too, actually. But, after that, it's on to Paris. Do you know if permits are required around Paris?

As for my unicycle straitjacket work, the skill is coming along nicely. I went out to the local park to rehearse and had so many people coming up to me and asking me to do the trick over and over that it gave me great impetus to keep practicing. I've got all the angles down. Even practiced having a friend body check me off the unicycle to practice some uncontrolled falls while fully tied into the jacket. Now I just need to develop a patter routine... the hard part :-P

Edwin-

Oh, how I wish I would have discovered that life many, many years ago! Welcome to our group, I hope you will have the opportunity to check in often and tell us of your progress.

And don't forget- you help us as well! Already, hearing your plans has me cranking up my practice schedule- thank you my friend and fellow "Mr". I love your stage name, by the way. Good luck (I would say "break a leg" but with what you are doing it might tempt fate).

I am committed to working hard (have an Arts Fest gig in a month) and hope, when I grow up, to live a life like Andrew's!

Regards to all, and believe the work pays off!

Jim

Nice to see you here, MrMajestic! I believe I've seen a bit of your work before in You Oughta Be in Pictures. Hello to everyone else as well, been awhile since I've posted here, I've been tied up with my monkey fists . I have been following the thread, though, and am ready to make a general submission.

I'm wanting to put together a farm animal segment for my animal act. The set will be able to stand alone for a weekly farmer's market we have coming up here. They're looking for entertainment and I'm hoping they'll give me some regular spots. One thing in particular I've been thinking about is attempting a ball/vase sort of routine with this goose. It got my attention near Easter- I found it in a thrift store, and I think it will work quite nicely. I didn't have time to get it ready for Easter but it would have worked wonderfully with chocolate eggs, I think.

I'm a little apprehensive about sharing it here, so maybe I'll finally dig up that secret session sidekick thread Jim started if I can find it buried down there.
I will give you a peek now, though:




She needs a name.

Laurie

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=37
shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Laurie - looking forward to seeing how you pull this together. Can't wait for the video!

Hudson

Looking forward to seeing a routine, Laurie!

Jim - I may be heading to China for work in the next few months, so if that tickles your fancy, pack some granola bars and meet me at LAX. Or if you're feeling adventurous - DON'T pack some granola bars. It'll be a good time, though I don't know much about the magic scene there so we may need to explore. I've spent plenty of time in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong so I know the lay of the land - I assume you're fluent in Mandarin?

Edwin - Depending on what you're doing, the police in Paris can be on top of you. Obviously you want to be in populated areas - as do a lot of the street merchants who have no papers and routinely get busted. Etienne (LawrenceO is his screen name) on this board may know more about permits in Paris. If you're going to do Covent Garden in London I would definitely talk to the guys there, as that's one place where you really don't want to step on anyone's toes...or in your case roll over them I know of at least one guy there who does a unicycle act right near the small magic stand. The guys running that can give you good info!

Interesting idea.
I have some ideas for ya.
Will post in the secret session section.
Mobius

Laurie,

How about Pen Feather or Aura (an atmosphere of mystery incorporating the AU symbol for Gold)? There's always Lucy or Luz.
You talk about your Magical Props very much like I do, with respect and fondness.



I've been practicing for a Close-Up Contest on May 25th.

I've got a themed act that runs about 10 min. The limit is 10 min so it's a bit tight if I allow for natural interaction and applause. My act usually gets better when I start editing the things I say, so maybe that's a good thing.

I've been going through the whole act several times a day lately but I only got the act together a couple of days ago. That is not much time to get it right considering it is some new Magic and all new patter. Luckily, I'll get a chance to do the act for a few friends first.

This year I started with the theme because the subject really enthused me. Normally I start with the effects and see where they take me. (I don't want to go into my theme in an open forum). Any way I'll let you know how it turns out next Thursday the 26 of May. My fear is that, if I'm not careful, the fun subject matter may detract from the Strong Magic.

Lately our Club has been voting for a cute and talented kid and placing him way above where his skill level should have placed him. He's a great kid and this sets him up for a fall as he gets older, when he won't get that kind of attention for stronger Magic. It also makes it hard to want to compete in a contest where I don't believe my work or that of others will be judged fairly. I have a feeling that if they thought carefully about how to motivate this kid for the real world he would be winning contests fairly in a couple of years anyway. We'll see how it goes.

-Mary Mowder

Good luck, Mary.

Here's a suggestion fir young kids with potential - try raising funds in the club to send to one of the magic schools. If the club paid for tuition and the youngster had to provide transportation (or some other suitable arrangement with skin in the game) then there will be a greater understanding of the requirements to be a good magician.

Just a thought.

Hudson