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I started work performing at a bar when I was 16 (Im now 27) for £30 a night and a free meal (back then I thought, I'd made it lol )

My set consisted of Svengali Deck effects, Dynamic Coins, TT & Silk, Cig Thru £1 (or bitten 50p) and some generic card effects (mainly seen on David Blaines first programme ).

Do you remember your first time? & what you did?

Hung around the bar feeling too embarrassed to approach any tables, twiddling with my bits! Eventually caught the manager glaring at me, so forced myself to approach a couple sat waiting for their meal. Did some awful fork bending...

It's all been down hill since there really.

Did some awful fork bending

shame on you!

Which first time? My career as been on-gain, off-again for so long it's hard to decide

My first time was with a girl called Nickie - Not to to be confused with the current Mrs Webb - Nicki!!

Sorry couldnt resist - have just benn learning binary.

I haven't actually started yet, but the first time I ever performed I did out of this world, a one ahead card trick with marked cards, an equivoque card trick, a colour changing card trick, a coin lapping routine and that is about as exciting as it gets. It's good to look back sometimes and see how far you've come

SamGurney wrote:I haven't actually started yet, but the first time I ever performed I did out of this world, a one ahead card trick with marked cards, an equivoque card trick, a colour changing card trick, a coin lapping routine and that is about as exciting as it gets. It's good to look back sometimes and see how far you've come

I'd say that if you've performed all that in one go, or even individually, then you've started!

Yes, I did it in one go but I meant that I'm not employed yet I can't believe people would actually pay me to do magic- I'd do it for free tbh. But don't tell anyone

My first "shows" were living room bits for family... I was 5 & 6 at the time but progressed to the big Backyard shows by the time I was heading toward 7

Interesting, how many things in my life all started in around the same point in time... my "first time" for lots of things started between 4 and 6

Like Craig - i first showed my family a few effects when i was young.

My first reading' was to a professional 'Psychic' when i was 15 i think (He was a friend of the lady who taught me to read and said i had the gift - anyone who has seen me perform will under stand that as its a regularily occuring theme)

My first paid performance (Years later) was a Halloween show to 250 drunk squaddies - the only effects i can remember was a Bell, Book Candle prediction - to see if the spec was a witch (exactly the same as Peter Marucci's) , then rope through neck.
I closed with a reading (script) from the Original (Obviously not) Dear Boss letter, but as i got to the last few lines it burst into flames.

My first performance other than for family and friends was a talent contest. I was a quivering jibering wreck, performing a rather terrible rope routine.

Actually my above experience was the first time I'd been paid to entertain adults. Previously I'd worked as a kids' magician. My first time working at a kids party was awful. I was booked for 60 minutes. After 30 minutes I'd exhausted all of my routines and uttered the immortal lines: "So, would you like to see any of my tricks again?"

Time to learn some balloon modelling methinks.

themagicwand wrote:Actually my above experience was the first time I'd been paid to entertain adults. Previously I'd worked as a kids' magician. My first time working at a kids party was awful. I was booked for 60 minutes. After 30 minutes I'd exhausted all of my routines and uttered the immortal lines: "So, would you like to see any of my tricks again?"

Ouch!

I was seven when I did my first magic performance. I cut a hole in a table and a friend squatted underneath and passed a toy rabbit up into my hat. It was my birthday party.

My first paid performance was at 18. A friend persuaded me there was money in magic (I think he wanted to manage me). I did a birthday party and was not too bad (not great either, but definitely passable). I heard a few weeks later that the woman who hired me was dying of cancer and wanted her last birthday with the child to be special. The sadness of the situation touched me at some level, and I didn't perform again for nearly a decade.

Now I know I wasn't exploiting her illness, but helping her make the day special for her child. Back then I did not understand that.

Of course I remember the first time.
She was an australian blond, that I am
never going to forget.
She realy was a great looking lady.