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screwystewie wrote:To answer the OP, depends who you are performing for. If it's a steampunk convention or a Levellers fans meet up or music festi, what you have described seems perfect. If it is a corporate gig for Sony, not so much...

So, where will you be working primarily?

Hopefully all the places you just said! I don't think I will ever be able to come up with an image that would fit into the corporate world so hadn't really considered it. Dreadlocks and piercings do not make people in suits happy!

My advice with what to wear would be,

At a Gig, you want to stand out but you also want to fit it, and most of all you do not want to be to samey and expecially not very different

hope that helped

stardust wrote:

screwystewie wrote:To answer the OP, depends who you are performing for. If it's a steampunk convention or a Levellers fans meet up or music festi, what you have described seems perfect. If it is a corporate gig for Sony, not so much...

So, where will you be working primarily?

Hopefully all the places you just said! I don't think I will ever be able to come up with an image that would fit into the corporate world so hadn't really considered it. Dreadlocks and piercings do not make people in suits happy!

As I thought, in that case, what you describe sounds totally perfect. You will be comfortable, your audience will know what you are doing and you don't need to think about what mainstream magi do.

Have you thought of doing a cut and restored 'lock? That would be totally awesome.

Dunno where you are, but Playgroup Festival in Sussex and The Secret Garden Party both pay (small amounts) for walkabout. Playgroup is going to have a magic theme this year (only second year of festi, but it's great).

OMG....totally gonna experiment with the cut and restored lock idea!

I've worked on the festival scene for many years now and have booked quite a few walkabout acts. I now have to make a confession.....until you mentioned it it didn't even occur to me that that's what I should be doing! So you've just hit me round the head with what should have been absolutely blindingly obvious, but my brain had compartmentalised the festival circuit off to me being an organiser, not the performer. Duh!!!

Of course the first place to be doing an act should be a festival, it would probably be mostly people I know anyway! I'd just got myself into the headspace that magicians were for mainstream audiences and that was where I was getting stuck!

I am now going to slink off feeling like a total donut and go through all the festivals I've ever booked acts for and try and tailor an act to that sort of audience rather than a more mainstream one!

Costume can be a huge part of your character - Rhys and I have based our entire act on our aesthetic (take a look at our website in my signature for an example).

We also never compromise it - if I'm working at a party or a wedding or a ball or a pub, I dress like I'm from the past, because the character I perform in is from the past. This also means that I can't use modern props, I don't have the luxury of outside coat pockets (because my frock coat doesn't have them) and I have to script my routines appropriately (no ifone10 for me!).

The benefits of a consistent costume and character are that you are instantly recognisable and often very memorable. We live by the mantra "if your audience can't describe you (and only you) in once sentence, you're doing something wrong".

There are plenty of people with suit jackets and lots of pocket space. I'd LOVE to see the girl in the extravagant tailcoat and massive dreds. Some people won't like it, but some people will absolutely love it, and those are the kind of people you are going to enjoy performing for.

I have already watched you guys on youtube and love your act. I am a big steampunk fan and your shows really appeal. Obviously I want my own unique act and don't want to steal anyone elses style, but if I did, it would be yours!

stardust wrote:I have already watched you guys on youtube and love your act. I am a big steampunk fan and your shows really appeal. Obviously I want my own unique act and don't want to steal anyone elses style, but if I did, it would be yours!

If Morgan & West's audience described them in one sentence and EITHER of them could be mistaken for a dreadlocked lady, they're defo doing something VERY wrong

I'd better go get a haircut...

I myself have 2 suits, 1 for big events which is more of a tailored tux, and one that is more for preforming in bars well still looking more professional and for street stuff or on the whim I just wear what Im wearing at that moment. there is no really way to dress its about how you want to be precieved.