My assistant and I took the sub trunk out to rehearse before a big show the next day. We both decided that it would look better in black than blue, so we spray painted the entire outside of the box, and attempted to paint an inner rim on the inside of the box so the audience wouldn't see anymore blue. Unfortunately, my assistant wasn't the best at spray painting, so she put on a pretty heavy coat. We immediately started rehearsing our 5-minute routine (which involves a lot of action while we're in the box). Needless to say, after the first run-through, we both had pretty massive headaches.

-Matt-

I heard a great story about a magician performing the sub trunk - I believe it was in Covent Garden,

He placed his new assistant into the sack, pulled the drawstring rope tight trapping her inside, she climbed into the trunk, and the lid was locked in place.

He got onto the trunk and arranged the curtain in place. All was ready for the exchange......

EXCEPT

The assistant should have grabbed a loop of rope before it was pulled tight thus allowing her some "slack" to escape from the sack. She failed to do this and was therefore trapped inside it. The magician taps on the box with his foot as a signal to open the t***.

Inside the box, the assistant (with an admirable "the show must go on" mentality) manages to open the t*** while she is still inside the sack and is climbing through! The magician looks down in horror to see a sack emerging from the box!

He is now therefore committed! After some fumbling the assistant (still inside the sack) is now on top of the trunk holding the curtain in place and the magician enters the trunk and locks the t***.

The assistant now drops the curtain to effect the exchange. Dah Dah!!

The audience was greeted by the bizarre sight of a sack on top of the box where the magician had previously stood,

The problem was that the magician was trapped inside the trunk and the assistant was trapped inside the sack!

I never did find out how they got out of it. They may still be there.......

First time EVER performing subtrunk - high school talent show - freshmen year, Rhode Island - 2003

Overly dramatic presentation (the song I used was "Sandstorm")

I got tied inside the bag, locked inside the box. I escaped from the bag and waited in my position. I was in the box and I could tell my assistant did not yet climb on top of the box ---long after the cue in the music passed. Of course, I had no idea what the heck was going on outside that box.

My assistant ran backstage because she realized we NEVER BROUGHT OUT THE CURTAIN when we set up!

The audio on the home video is priceless...my parents frantically conversing:

Mother: "Oh my god! They didn't bring the curtain out!"
Father: "Huh?"
Mother: "Where's the curtain?!??!, Make them stop the music!"
Father: "NO, we can't do that!"


With the help of two kids backstage, the curtain was brought out. My assistant unlocked the box and let me out so that I could see what the hold up was. I got out, had no idea what was going on, or why there were two random kids on stage. The techno music is still blaring, so we had no choice but to try our best to make it appear as part of the act.

I got back in the box - the curtain was put into position, we executed the exchange just as the song finished. All of the unlocking to release my assistant from the box and bag was performed in awkward silence because the music had already ended.

Oh yea...and we won first place - I can only imagine what the heck the other acts did

A video called Siegfried and Roy´s first TV appearance (it´s online) shows the Sub Trunk illusion. Watch closely, I would call that a close-call.

Yeah, you can see Siegfried ducking under and Roy take his place before they raised the curtain. Plus he has trouble getting the black leopard on top of the trunk.

Well, not what I meant... look closely as the curtain rises.

Put the key in my pocket on my 2nd show Had to take it off the ring & slip it between the box & lid. That was the 1st & last time I ever did that