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I'd also agree with a lot of what has been said but taking everything into consideration, there should still be no reason why you can't pull of a respectable show in the time available.

Many will remember the Faking It series where a complete lay person passed himself off as a Pro after three or four weeks and yes, he did have a professional mentor but you're not aiming as high.

If you want to give it a go, and I wish you well if you do then go into it with a positive frame of mind and that will count for a lot. To be honest, for a WI gig much of what you need is charm, confidence, patter, confidence and good manners and they will most probably love you for that alone. Add a nice jacket, shirt and trousers and you'll look the part.

The magic doesn't need to be spectacular and you could do some basic coin, sponge and card routines that will keep you going for 45 minutes. Look at it as if you're going in for a marathon rather than a sprint so it'sa matter of pacing yourself.

Good luck

Just a small contribution, but I have a tape somewhere of a fanastic bill in egg routine which was easy, fairly fool proof, plays great for the stage and uses almost nothing you won't already have. PM me for details.

On the whole I agree with what Ian and Mike Jay are saying.

For the reasons they stated, plus the fact that if it is a poor show everyone there will probably never book another magician again. It's kind of funny, but if someone sees a poor singer they just book a better one next time.

If they see a poor magician they decide that magic sucks and they book a different act next time.

There is no way you should have accepted the gig. Not so much becuase it would have been your first venture into such an act, but because you didn't have an act ready and 10 days is a ridiculous time to put one together. Even if t was just 20 minutes - let alone 45.

It is good that the woman in the magic shop has confidence in you - so no one is doubting your skill, it is merely your professionalism.

Having said all that though, one of my first gigs was for a WI group and they were a great crowd.

The difference when I did it was that

a) they knew it was not something I had a lot experience with and were happy with that. Effectively they were paying less and I was getting some good experience with a new act.

b) I had 2 months to put it together

c) I only did a 20 minute stand up slot and an hour of close up magic (they were seated at tables).

d) there were two of us and the other chap did the same (close up and 20 minutes stand up).

They night went brilliantly well, and I have gone on to perform pretty much the same act many times.

So my advice would be to decline this one, but get an act together anyway so you are ready for next time.

I'm not sure if it will go well with your act but a really nice opener is "The Silent Treatment" because it does most of the work. I dunno but anything to get the crowd in the mood whilst using up as much time as possible right?

Then again I'm no stage magician yet so please don't take me for one.

Best of Luck!!

Hey that remember me my last act! I had a very short time to figure out how to fill an hour but i released all the pressure by using sleights i already knew only.

It was easy for me to manipulate small objects as coins so i look around everything i could found and paper balls happen in my life. i looked at some performances from other artists and i had the video "On the spot"

I mixed my own sponge balls routines with everything i found on paper balls and i went from a 3-4 minutes sponge ball routine to a full 15+ minutes of paper balls and jokes routine.

Some very old classic like Fizz Master from Art of Astonishment, i dont remember wich volume sorry, are very good for entertainement. It is very easy to have people laugh over an explosive can of shaked cola. I always have to wait till it calm down a bit after i propose them to open the can or no one can hear or concentrate anymore.

I always have been looking for visual effects but lately i have a turn on effects that give me the opportunity to talk and improvise on funny topics.
I believe it is really important to involve the spectators as much as possible especially on long show but dont over weight the show with peoples coming in and out all the time.

In all for all, i just really want to say go with whatever you already know, make sure everything is easy enuff for you so you can concentrate on peoples not the tricks.

Plan everything from begining to end, practice and practice untill it become as easy as it can get. Have your close friends/familly see the show, try to plan more then 1 free show for diferent friends/familly.

Then restart from begining and reconsider every effect in relation with the reaction you had, find what you liked and what you didnt and adjust what needs to be. I think it would come handy to do another "free Show" but anyhow the time required for someone to be AND feel ready will depend from an individu to another.

I think it is very hard to come up with a first show in such a short notice but i also know it is possible in the case you already have enuff material laying around.

Thanks for the help everyone, much appreciated. I think i have some great ideas kicking about, some of which you guys have sparked up. Keep 'em coming guys...

two things that play well on stage for most people are.
1) cut and restored rope, use two audience members holding each end and move knot back and forth across the stage, great fun and you can go into fiber optics, professors nightmare or such like on completion.

2) go into audience and force a card using your favourate method and after failing to make a mental conection an few times say you have it.
....now how to reveal it in the most dramatic way...... go over to covered easil and reveal artists impression of card, mine was the queen of hearts showing a bit of leg ooo er missis.
use pop streamers or pyro were accepted and apropieate music, works well as an opener or a closer.

Thanks very much for all the help guys (and for your egg ideas Farlsborough), much appreciated.

However, after spending the weekend planning on ideas for the show and organising all my tricks and trying to order them I receive a message today (Monday) saying that after faffing around the old women have decided to book a band for the evening instead and cancelled on me for the show next week. Dispite my efforts and their clear disorganisation, I'm fairly pleased as it means I don't have to rush a show out and I've left the W.I on good business terms, meaning they may hire me in the future.

So although I know don't have to do the gig I am still working (slightly more relaxingly) on creating a half hour/45min show for future bookings; and I'm sure some of the ideas posted up here will make the final cut. All the same, thanks very much for all the help everyone.

Cheers,
Chris.

monkeyman wrote:the old women have decided to book a band for the evening instead

Turn up anyway with your comb and paper or spoons at the ready and tell 'em you're the band they hired. Then do magic!

Nice idea! I could see that being rather ammusing. But probably less so when she announces that her husband is the band and asks what the hell I'm doing hitting a pair of spoons together...

Back in the last millenium when I used to do mobile Discos, I occasionally got last minute cancellations like that - and boy was I glad I always insisted on a non-refundable deposit well in advance to cover any outlay on new records etc!

hay dude, go for it, get them enjoying them selves, you have the power! its how we learn!

and get the nice girl in the shop a bottle of wine to say thanks, then she will keep passing the work your way!

When I did my first (and only so far) show, it was for special needs kids, and so I thought the Rocky Raccoon would be a hit. I brought it out in a cat carrier and set it aside and didn't bring too much attention to it. They were so curious and wanted to know if it was real so I told them it was sleeping. Anyways, I brought him out at the end of the show and did some of the typical jokes. But I actually used him for a closer: forced a card > tear off a corner to let them hold > lose the card back in the deck and give it to a spectator > have them throw the deck in the air while I spring rocky > he catches the card in his mouth.

Kind of similar to David Williamson's performance, but less... eccentric haha. That worked out well, and could be something you could use. You can PM me if you want details on it.

Just remember time flies when your having fun,and a few jokes can go along way.A little audience participation works well and the conversation involved takes up time.If you keep it simple and stick to what u know with a few witty comments you,ll enjoy it more and so will your audience.Good Luck