Thank you to all of you who posted ideas to help make my most recent stage show a success!

Issues - venue seats 1300 people...and stage is HUGE.

Resolutions - papered the house just slightly (i.e. invited a few for free), roped off the upper areas to cram everyone into the lower portion. Had a little over 200 in attendance. Decent for a low-visibility magic show (no TV or Radio ads this year...but will consider for next year!). Anyway, got some great promo video work from the show so looking VERY forward to seeing what comes from that. AND I go a standing ovation at the end of the show and we got that on video! TOTALLY unprompted (personal thing...I can't stand watching performers basically begging for applause. I think your work should move people to react, and not you asking them. But I digress.)

So THANKS to all of you who gave some cool ideas to implement!

Here was the set list of effects (minus routines) for those interested:

Creative Magic Flip Switch to produce me
Creative Magic Shadow Tent
Creative Magic Bigger Wands and Jumbo Flash cards in conjunction with Axtell Magic Drawing Board and Big Guys Magic Drawing Board Vanish
Jay Leslie Chair Suspension
Creative Magic Cube Squared to produce balls for Creative Magic Random Fate. Used those in conjunction with Jason Palter's Red Carpet.
Victor Voitko Flying Rings
Alan Wong/Jeff McBride Butterfly Blizzard
Losander Floating Table
Adams Upside-down strait jacket escape

My favorite part of the night, I think, was having my local IBM ring (194) members come up after the show to let me know how much they enjoyed it. SO nice of them and they had only good things to say! That's really surprising to me! Not because they aren't good guys, but because they KNOW some of those effects and they still enjoyed the presentation! So happy to be able to entertain magicians along with the rest of the audience. It wasn't the goal...but I'm SUPER glad it still happened, you know? One "nameless" guy said, "Your show was GREAT. I loved it!" He then told me all the things he liked about it...and then he said, "But don't quote me on that..." LOL. He's another working pro in the area so it was so nice for him to say that!

Anyway, I have a TON to still work on...seriously...a ton. But thanks so much for letting me share in a small success because the Lord knows I've had so many failures in the past. lol.

I think my "happiness" trickled over to the next day's corporate event down at the beach (that, and happy probably because I was at the beach...lol). Anyway, that closeup magic set went so well they booked me on the spot for next year. GREAT!

Final thoughts -

Creativity breeds creativity
Positivity breeds positivity
Hard work pays off

Focus on the good things and enjoy success, whether your own or others'. If you do, your whole attitude can be positive and sometimes that can make all the difference between a successful event and not.

Matt, congratulations on this!!

Kudos Matt, sounds like a fantastic evening!

Jim

Congrats!!!! Hard work indeed does pay off.

Thank you for sharing your moment with us. Very pleased that your show went so well. Congratulations!

Congrats!!

Thanks guys! Y'all are awesome. It's not nearly as fun if you can't share it with friends.