Oh my, that is a glaringly inaccurate statement, Andrew. Good luck.

I have to agree with Laurie.

Kids are very perceptive and they'll tell you if they think something is off.

But, no worries Andrew. I'm sure everything will be fine...really... You'll be great.

-Mary Mowder

Well, I was joking but perhaps that didn't come across. Kids can and WILL call you out every chance they've get. I would argue they're a far more difficult audience to work for because they haven't yet learned to keep quiet if they see something amiss. Gotta appreciate that as it makes you a better performer.

Well, I can't say that I ALWAYS appreciate it.

-Mary

O.k. Andrew, I thought later that might be the case. I dunno use a smiley maybe next time?

The show went well, and as always I learned a few things. Simple audience management stuff to make the routines stronger. All in all they had a great time. I debuted my coins through table and my cups and balls routines and both got fantastic reactions, so I feel pleased about that! It's always fun when the kids AND the adults are amazed. Then I know I'm doing my job.

Good on ya', Andrew!

Yea Andrew! Sorry for trying to mess with you.

Nice photo Jim.

-Mary Mowder

Ya think? I never feel I look good in a hat, my akubra excepted... Or was this sort of "that picture has such a GREAT FRAME!"???

:)

Jim

No Jim, if I meant that I would have only said, "Nice Hat".

Still fighting with my new website but my Nephew Raymond is going to help (he's aces at this). He was quite a promising Magician in his teens. No end to that boy's talents.

Here's hoping.

-Mary

Haven't had a lot of time for practice but I continue to fiddle with this and that. Went down to Abbott's Flea Market and Auction and picked up a few items. I also got to hang out with my mentor, Dick Oslund who loaned me the Dennis Loomis Knot DVD with our own Ms. Mary Mowder featured on it. Nice job Mary!

I organized our Ring's first ever Round Robin with Five Magi each performing 8 minutes at each of five tables. We had magic with ropes, balls, card revelations, silks and coins assigned to each of the five magi. It went as I had hoped and we plan on doing it again. It was a very enjoyable program!

I have plans to put a workshop together for an upcoming meeting in the future. I am thinking about doing one on developing a character and using elements of a character in your magic.

Well take care I have to go clean my closet which will be organizing all of the stuff I brought back from the auction bought and borrowed!

Just wanted to check in,

Pete

Hey, Pete, Howzit?

Thanks for the update. The Round Robin sounds interesting. Tell us more about how it went. I understand how magic "stuff" pulls us in- just bought the barbed-wire version of rings from Stevens for an upcoming gig at the Columbus Arts Fest. Can not wait to get it, but I have about 400 other things I could do!

Mary - want to see my NEW hat, little girl???

Jim

Jim,

Thanks! Five tables with about 4-6 people at each plus one performing magician. I hit the bell and each magician performed their set of Magic. We had Dr. Gary Laundre' performing ball magic - he did some clever closeup with small spongeballs using many props to spice it up and make it fun, Leo Peters performed silk magic and probably had the hardes time because repeating 8 minutes of silk magic 5 times has its challenges but he did a great job. We probably won't repeat the silk in a round robin in the future. P.J. Weber performed a nice set of coin magic and capped it off with Holy Moly. Randy Baker did some clever Card Revelations and David Storms Hammed it up with 8 minutes of Rope Magic. When the 8 minutes were done I sounded the bell and they rotated tables, I gave a double ding and this pattern was repeated until we finished all five tables. I had everyone recognized individually at the end of the final performance and it concluded a wonderful Ring meeting that begin with a 1/2 hour Workshop by Dr. Gary Laundre on how to make your magic entertaining and a short Business meeting. All and all it was Great!

Pete

Great idea! Sounds like a very enjoyable evening. I have at times dreamt of being able to move around tables or rooms and do just one type of magic. On one hand it could get repetitious, but to be able to focus on just one thing would be the best practice in the world.

Jim

Check out photos on http://www.ring211.org

Pete

I agree, sounds like an interesting session. Thanks for the report, Pete.

Sounds fun but when our club has tried similar things as well as when Tom has his Night Magic event the sound of all the performers working at once can be a little off putting.

Did you have a big distance between tables?

This problem has ruined the video of these events.

-Mary Mowder

It was about a 25 foot by 40 foot room. One 8 ft table in middle, other four - 8ft tables in each of the corners. Tables Were probably no more than 6 ft apart from each other. I tried to have performers betwwen end of table and wall, so nobody would behind them except for middle table. However, some performers switched ends at their own choice. No video, quite intimate, only hard thing to hear was my bell for switching tables. No one complained about the noise but we all kind of new that would be a minor factor. Definitely worth doing and we will do again, just not silks for this venue. Hw was excellent and knows his silks but the demand on the performer was a lot. Hindsight 20/20 as usual. If you have'nt checked out the photos on our rings website please do. Gary did a cool sponge ball routine with a clear glass bowl used for placing a ball or two that always multiplied when glass bowl was lifted. It gave transparency to one in my hand how many in yours. He pushes the envelope with his magic. Very inventive!
Pete

P.S. I haven't done a workshop for the club yet. I'm starting to piece together a workshop on adding character to one's act. If you are interested I can let you know more of what I have in mind. Not sure when I will do this. I want to make sure I know what I am doing before I commit.

I would love to have attended (or performed) at your Round Robin event Pete.

I've been working on the $ bill puzzle again because I was forgetting how to do it. I have to do a lot of remedial work to keep my skills.

Any way I can consistently get it in around 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Here-to-for my personal best was 1 min. 14 sec. but I got a 1min. 5 sec. one on my last session.

That includes z fold, cut and weave. Whoo Hoo! Now if I can think of a reason to do such a thing I'll be sitting pretty.

I spend a lot of time taping bills after they are too old for practice and unweaving and ironing cut bills that still have some useful training purpose.

If you try it, soft but neat bills are best for speed.

-Mary Mowder

Mary-

If you haven't done it, try your hand at busking. Give out a "free" folded bill with each "donation" of $5 or more... you will be amazed!

Jim