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Performance

No matter how much you practise your magic, at the end of the day, magic is a performing art and only really comes to life and fulfils its purpose in front of an audience.

So it is important that you understand issues such as:

• whether you wish to present puzzles, tricks or magic, as these are all different
• why you want to perform at all (bearing in mind that magic is primarily a form of entertainment)
• what type of magic you wish to perform and to what type of audience
• what your performing persona will be (e.g. a mystical wizard with truly special powers or a bumbling idiot where nothing seems to go right).

Once you can answer these questions, amongst many others, then you will find it much easier to make the right choices when buying magic tricks.

Other issues to bear in mind concern:

• how will you handle audience members and volunteers - will you treat them courteously or will you make them look like complete idiots on stage?
• what sort of props will you use that are consistent with your chosen persona?
• do you look presentable (e.g. well-dressed, clean) when performing?
• is your magic appropriate to the venue and audience?

The topic of performance is huge, and, in many ways, encompasses a much wider range of necessary skills than is required by the technical performance of the magic. However, there are a few good books on this subject which are well worth a read.

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