Great article, Marty!

FWIW, the link to the Eugene Burger's article no longer works.

Glad you liked it, Barry. I know you do this kind of stuff already, but I've found that this systematic approach to performance development avoids me getting distracted by the latest trick/book/whatever. The use of Kanban methodology (via Trello), in particular, keeps me focused and on track.



Thanks for the heads-up, I've now fixed the link to Eugene Burger's article.

Marty

It's a bit extreme, but I've been thinking about getting a mannequin or two. Then, if that's what you're in, you can build physical rapport in your rehearsal. Things don't have to be realistic; you can still put the deck on the table imagining it's in the mannequin's hands. But it can be great for working on rapport. Just look at how often people like Tamariz or daOrtiz touch their audience: it's part of their script (perhaps not done consciously anymore, but it's certainly part has been devised to make their magic great!)


P!

Marty's article is great resource. What I also like is his suggestion to use Trello to organize it all and keep track of which effect/trick is at which stage (Example at: https://trello.com/b/bQLh3H4J/sprite-board ). I did something similar with another tool and will incorporate SPRITE into my practice/rehearsal organizaton.

Bear in mind both are Spanish so have Mediterranean "non verbals" - as a Brit if I rehearsed touching people it would seem really creepy!☺

Thanks for resuscitating this thread, rehearsal remains a problem for me - I have just spent an enjoyable summer working on a thought of cards across - the mechanics and sleights I found utterly captivating - coming up with a presentation likewise creative - now I need to rehearse to subliminality, very difficult to get round to. The only way it works for me is to schedule an actual performance then I have no choice - a bit like having an exam looming.

That reminds me of that study about waiters that get higher tips when (appropriately) touching guests. There is a place and time for everything, but you can have too much.

I think for scripting in magic touching can become creepy as well. In any culture. Making it part of standard routine might not be the best idea, because one probably would do it always, even if not appropriate.

I've rewritten my article on the SPREAD/SPRITE Sequence and published it on my blog, Marty's Bag of Tricks. Here's the link (the previous ones in this thread no longer work):

The SPREAD Sequence

I've updated the article to reflect how I now use the framework when developing a new piece of magic.

I thought it was best to revive this old thread rather than start a new one because there's an interesting conversation going on here about the relative difficulty of rehearsal compared to practice. I'm afraid I haven't cracked that particular walnut! But, hopefully, some people will find the SPREAD Sequence helpful when developing new material (or refreshing old tricks and routines).

Marty