I have performed a few mentalism shows in the past. At the time, I wrote a script for the show. Looking back, the script, and the shows were pretty bad. I’ve studied a lot since then, but the more I know, the more questions I have. I got rid of my old script. However, in trying to write a new script, I am faced with many decisions about my show. Feel free to skip over the following questions which just serve as an example of the sheer number of questions that are holding me back from finishing my script:

Should I use stories rooted in history with interesting props? Should I be a minimalist like Bob Cassidy was, and have almost nothing with me? Should I have a darker edge or should I be lighthearted and spread positivity? Should I use cards in my mentalism or leave them out completely? Should I be another body language expert, master of influence, telepathist, remote viewer, or what? What powers do I really want to present? Do I want my show to have a theme or should I just put some good routines together and have a good time? What kind of language should I use? How do I carry myself on stage? Do I really have these moves mastered? How do I test them in a low-risk environment? Or do I just go for it?

I want to get more performing experience, but I feel I cannot perform without a script, and I feel I cannot write a script without making decisions on my character, as well as my goals as a performer. What are some tips to help get out of this cycle? How can I make decisions about my character? Or, am I going about this all wrong? Please enlighten me.

Thanks in advance for any answers! If you have criticism about my post, please make it constructive and be kind.

I think what I need to do is just pick a direction and go with it. Answer all the questions I have based on my values and what I really want. If I don’t know what I really want, I can just pick something anyways because otherwise I’ll never move forward.

I understand that by "script" you mean the verbal one, perhaps with action cues.
But consider that a performance has several scripts that guide both what the performed does and the audience perceives.
They are truly "scripts" by virtue of being written down, which is what that word means - the writing down, organizing and finalizing the plan to be followed.

For many, perhaps wrestling with character problems like yours, find that the process of getting out of mind and onto paper to be vitalizing and even creative.

Type scrips are Organize/Planning, Materials, Actions, Secret, Verbal and Reporting. This is a natural progression order, bit you start with a draft Verbal and reverse engineer.

Note that 'materials' includes detailing not only physical elements like clothing, setting and furniture,
but every Move, Sleight, Stratagem or Concept used in the routine. This would include an 'character image' you would use as an influence.

In Organizing you must form an objective of what you want the audience to perceive and remember - the story told after to grandchildren.
Your choice of 'character' may or may not be important to that story. Your perceived role in the story will be critical.

Within a construct of demonstrating a paranormal event, are you the one with the 'power', an orchestrator of events, a tour guide on an adventure, the one controlling or limiting another's power/ability, a co-observer of a strange phenomenon or something else? Is who you want to be and who your are perceived to be consistent/congruent throughout All of the scripts?

Hope something in here helps you.

By way of analogy, after writing the above suggestions I prepared breakfast for myself - my wife still wisely nestled in bed with our Service Dogs.

Perhaps disturbed by noise or orders she became an audience and asked, "what are you doing?" I responded, "Making breakfast."

"I know that," she whimpered, "What exactly?"

So, I described the cutting up of a bit of Polish sausage, some left over french fries, a decision over two or three eggs and whether to add chopped jalapeno or spicy ketchup on top --
all that while performing for the attentive cat.

"Oh," sang out. "you are making a mess for me to clean up." It is all about perceptions. Character? Not so much.


....

Now, it may have made a difference if I was making breakfast for her - or, better yet, for the two of us to share. Audience engagement and intent are important too.

Thank you for this insightful answer funsway. You have certainly given me a lot to think about!

There are way too many answers to get into here. My thought is to first... determine the story you want to tell. That will help you define your personality you bring to it. Writing is SUCH a different skill from magic. Many times people will "write a script" and it will come off very stilted or artificial. This should all be solved in the workshop process. Make some decisions on the story... outline it, then start telling it in your own words until it's relatively consistent. Now video tape it and critique it from a third person view point. Do that over and over and over until it's close to where you want it, then video it and write out the actual words you're saying from the video. Now you can get to editing. Start being brutal with every word. If it doesn't move the plot forward or serve some useful purpose, cut it. Art lies in elimination. You want to get down to an efficient story with no wasted verbage. That can sometimes take weeks or months... it doesn't matter. Don't be afraid to put it on its feet in front of an audience, just make sure and video record it, then go back to editing based on the reactions. A good routine seldom comes out of the can perfect. It is something that evolves over time until it finds its balance.

In my view, it is mistake to attempt to actually be serious when it comes to presenting our magic. That is because the purpose of our magic is to amuse and amaze the crowed at the same time. That is usually achieved by way of first asserting some fictional nonsense with patter and then apparently proving that nonsense is true with an apparently factual magic experiment. For comic effect of course the fictional nonsense asserted must be treated as if it is serious. It is through the fictional nonsense that the audience get into the spirit of the thing. Such nonsense is often created by exaggerating the effect of some real or plausible phenomena. An illusion is a distortion of the truth and with exaggeration an illusion is what you create with patter and it is the entertaining side of it. The amazing side it is in proving that illusion is apparently real with the magic experiment. Put simply it is a balancing act. The balancing or crossing of fiction and fact creates a synthesis which is we might call the magic moment.

Hello ryanshaw9572,

Your concerns and analysis are well-posed, and your attention to the importance of the script is spot-on. I'd like to suggest you find a copy of Henning Nelms' Magic and Showmanship: A Handbook for Conjurers, (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1969). This is written by an experienced theatrical director who just happened to also have been an amateur magician. You won't regret studying it for his insights on verbal/silent scripting, characterization, preparation, stage presence, and much more.

This may have gone out of print recently. At one time it was cheap on Amazon (under ten bucks), but now only seems to be available in existing, unsold stock from various magic dealers. Get it while you can.

I won't belabor the point: this is the most important book in my home library of some five or six hundred volumes. I bought it when it first came out in 1969 and it completely changed how I look at my scripting. In fact, the scribbled-in marginalia and annotations filling my copy exceed the actual text in length!

One other suggestion: considering hiring a director, someone with experience of theater. This doesn't have to be expensive if you approach grad or even undergrad students from the theater department of a local college. Maybe even offer payment "in kind" for an analysis of your script and performance. The point being that we mystery performers get so wrapped up in the methods that we often overlook the standard practices of theater even beginning actors know.

And a final tip. I've had over 130 articles published on various subjects over the years, but not because I'm the next Shakespeare. It's simply that the editors of these magazines always told me "you write like you speak" and that's why they bought them. So, when writing your scripts, write while you speak the words. Edit aloud. And revise like nuts until it sounds like it's coming from your mouth for the very first time.

Good luck with your scripting and rehearsals!

Thomas Henry

What he said (Thomas Henry, above) about Magic and Showmanship by Henning Nelms.

Too bad if Dover has let it go out of print , but if you can't find a used copy of the book , it is available on Amazon as a Kindle e-book version. (their Kindle Reader app works on any computer or mobile devices , so you don't need a Kindle tablet to read it) .

https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Showmanship......A735CMQ/

Thank you all for your responses! I have read the Henning Nelms book by the way, from a friend who lent it to me.

Scripting Magic, Volume 1, by Pete McCabe, will help you immensely.

Of course what you perform should be rehearsed. Writing down all the important lines, actions, placement of props etc. is very useful. You don't know the material till you've had many things go wrong before, during and after performing. And then there's audience feedback... where you discover what they find impressive and (by omission) what they don't find meaningful.

Who would you like to perform for? What do they talk about, or as a group what do they find topical there? What do you want to add to their discussion?

That said, what does your character (that which you project when you perform) want to share with an audience?

:)

After that it's all about what you choose to present yourself as and your audience dynamic. Not everyone is gonna make a career out of a grey elephant costume and claiming to be from Denmark or doing conspiracy theory branded revelations including showing the tinfoil hat really lets you read their thoughts.

Thank you kindly Jon. It seems you are wearing your plain English hat today.