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I've just come back from doing my first wedding fair. I very nearly went prepared with enough material to perform for the five hour duration without repeating an effect once. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but my case was packed to the gills.

At the end of the day, I must have only used three items - the deck in my right jacket pocket, the coins in my trouser pocket and Bang On. I introduced a pendulum to a card trick for the grown ups and a wind-up robot for a kids' card trick, but that was about it.

Lesson learned methinks - travel light!

there's also such a thing as over practising it all too. i once did a little gig with a fellow student who had clearly practised his socks off and had a coin routine full of sleights that was damn near perfect. Problem was, he had this horrible habit of not pausing to allow people to react, and moving too quickly into the next section that spectators were simply confused rather than amazed

pcwells wrote:I've just come back from doing my first wedding fair. I very nearly went prepared with enough material to perform for the five hour duration without repeating an effect once. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but my case was packed to the gills.

At the end of the day, I must have only used three items - the deck in my right jacket pocket, the coins in my trouser pocket and Bang On. I introduced a pendulum to a card trick for the grown ups and a wind-up robot for a kids' card trick, but that was about it.

Lesson learned methinks - travel light!

Yes, but if someone asked for a certain type of effect, it was there.
Sometimes it's good to have these things to fall back on, even if you never use them.
I often carry an ID but only use it for an out and don't often perform the ID effect. But it's there if I need it.

Yeah I know that! "can you do this...can you do that thing sticking on the ceiling?"
I think as the magician you should decide what you wanna perfom rather letting the audiance decide. First you have a lot more control about the situation and a lot more confidence. And if they insists on a speacial effect you just stop...
well if you were just about to perform what they asked for...big deal!!!^^

This is something I'm always banging on about. It amazes me sometimes how much "stuff" magicians take with them when they're off to a gig. They must resemble a well-dressed pack horse as they struggle through the door with a huge bag full of gimmicks and gaffs, and their pockets stuffed with silk hankies and sponge balls and linking rings.

Two hour wedding booking today I used one pack of bikes, one pack of tarot, and I performed one swami routine. Knocked their socks off.

I have a small bag that I take with me, and in it is placed my car keys, my wallet, and my mobile phone.

Yes, but for my production of a family of chimps from an egg carton needs a trailer and a large cage. Cumbersome, but slays the lay people.

Ive just got my mentalism act down on paper, now that I have a few bookings ahead, so I can structure and script it.

The only 'props' I have are: Super Sharpie, business cards, a deck of playing cards and an ESP AND/OR tarot deck.

Deep Astonishment for my closer ( i think closer ) and thats it.

I could take Die Cipher 2 and Strange Travellers and other one-trick ponies but theres no need. they may go in a case and be used for walk around after but you can get by on so little.

Generally even though I get new stuff and learn new stuff it probably takes months for it to find a suitable spot in my repotire and routines.

I can go out an perform ACR, biddle and numerous card to impossible locations and get away with an hour of those three, if just performed differently and the methods of controls varied with slightly tweaked scripts.

I was much like you at first and found I had way more effects than needed.....In a roaming setting you will find that you recycle a number of effects as you get on a roll with them and start to feed off the people. Having said that I do carry a performance bag to my performances (not on me while performing) and it has a number of additional effect, props, etc....that allows me rotate things into my routine if I have misjudged the time I had, the length of the routine, etc....it gives me some flexability. I no longer spend time preparing and practicing 30 effects I only prepare and practice 6-10 but have the ability to expand as needed during performnace night....obviously my back up effects/props are all items that I use regualarily as well so I don't feel hesitant to bring them out without setup.

I also find that as the night wears on I have a few curious souls that will follow me from table to table (not in a restaurant setting but a private banquet/wedding/dinner setting) and that means I need to be prepared to pull something out that would be a dead giveaway if they see it the second time.....

Most of the time I have with me:

Depending on the length of the performance 1 or 2 decks of bikes,
a few double face cards for the double signed card routine,
4 Half dollars
some spongies
some businesscards and depending on the length again I have cups and balls game with me...

danny

I have performed for an hour just using normal Bikes, a couple of gaffs and an ESP deck. With the right effects you can entertain with just a normal deck.
I like to carry a few extra bits and bobs just in case something else is needed. I tjust makes me feel more confident that they are there as back up.

Yes, I must admit to carrying a pack of esp cards in my top pocket as a "back-up". So that's pack of bikes, pack of tarot, swami, and esp deck. Oh, and a zig zag lady cabinet.

Oh, and one more thing I must say...

Talking to the specs while doing your routines really cuts down on the number of effects you have to perform in order to fill the time!!!! I saw a magician at a wedding a few months back. He didn't interact with the specs at all, and just performed trick after trick after trick in lightning fast succesion. By george he must have performed 10 tricks in as many minutes and everyone was left with their heads spinning.

I on the other hand have been known to fill 10 minutes with one trick and a whole load of chatter!

I was going to say that. If you are good with people then you can entertain them with a few jokes or stories about your life, as long as they are interesting and perhaps vaguely related to what you are doing.

I think in a 15 set, I would perhaps perform 5 or 6 effects. ( as far as my practice runs are going.. talking to myself )

I.D wrote:
I think in a 15 set, I would perhaps perform 5 or 6 effects. ( as far as my practice runs are going.. talking to myself )

That sounds about right. Remember to slow yourself down (its something I have to reemember myself). When you're in a "live" situation, the natural response is to speed up and start motoring along. Far better to take a deep breath, pause, smile, and chat. Given the chance people will tell you all sorts of things about their lives - which is great if you're going to do a bit of reading later. And due to the nature of your performance people will want to chat to you about magic, the supernatural, other magicians, weird things that have happened to them, and all sorts of interesting stuff. You wouldn't beleive the stuff people have told me.

I did a party on Saturday night and I only had a stripper deck (which remained unused) and an ID on me. I was pitching the ID as a piece of subliminal control and people were literally cueing to have their minds controlled! It was great. "Despite your best efforts, and despite how you try to change your mind, you're going to pick the card I choose for you." That and the Naked Book Test a few times was all I did all night.