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Hey TM community,

I have a stage show on for red nose day at school (march 15th) in which I will be performing a magic show with another magician friend of mine as a duo.
I mainly specialize in close up magic (and so does my partner) but we are struggling to come up with effects that cn be for a large audience as we
will be on stage. So far we have the following effects ready to go for stage:

ID(near the end)
Dresscode by Calen Morelli switching t-shirts with each other (transposition effect)
Floating rose with flash paper production

If any of you could be so kind as to recommend any stage effects that we could use in the show, it would be greatly appreciated and an extreme help!
Also our budget is not too high but are willing to purchase any necessary small inexpensive props.

-Saavan

First of all, break a leg! It's a good cause, so I hope the whole show goes well, and raises lots of money.

Second, blimey, you have left it a bit late in the day to be trying to come up with material, especially if you are performing as a duo.

Is an ID going to be even remotely visible in these circumstances? What if a picture card is chosen (these are even harder to tell apart at distance than the spot cards)? Jumbo ID, perhaps? You can get the spectator to confirm it's the right card, of course, but I think you lose impact that way. Rikcy Jay does whole stage shows of card magic, so I suppose it's possible!

Can you get someone to film your close-up stuff and project it for the audience? This might be a bit of a pain, but could be easier than coming up with brand new stuff and having it ready for a two person performance in a week.

Do you do anything with sponges, silks, rope or jumbo cards?

I like the floating rose and t-shirts (especially done as a transposition). Is there any way you can perhaps think of a theme to tie things together, so it's not just you doing a few random tricks? It's really late to be trying to do that, I suppose, but Barry and Stuart's routine http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yw7oX5CXhk is in one sense just a few bits put together, but the overall story helps elevate the tricks into an act.

Oh, and one final thing - how long have you got on stage? That might help people with suggestions.

Tossed out deck is always suggested for stage card magic.

Hey Part - Timer,

Thanks for taking the time to reply but this was arranged quite last minute so sorry for the short notice! Yes the school has arranged for a video projection to be displayed on a big screen behind us. I'm not much with sponges or ropes as my age group are very much into the style of magic i regularly perform such as close up with cards and coins. I may get a jumbo deck and hopefully am wishing to use a smoke production/device for one effect if my pure smoke returns in time.


The jumbo deck I will look into. And we have around 50 minutes to an hour on stage.
The Rubik's cube routine is definitely something i will use also.

Here is a rough format (hopefully unless we improvise) :

1. Opener(some sort of production) (3 minutes)
2. Then multiple tricks maybe in some sort of sequence + with a comedic humor between us. (hopefully involving flash paper + smoke) (around 10 or 15 minutes)
3. ID or a prediction trick.
4. Penultimate trick (up to 10 minutes perhaps)
5. Final trick with a closer. (5 minutes)

The closer I can not find anything strong enough in our close up range so we may need to get some props.
we would strongly appreciate ideas for the longer sequence, opener, and finale.
A teenager audience is quite hard to please!

-Saavan

Tossed out deck
Six card repeat
Magic square
Growing and shrinking head illusion

I know its late notice, but im sure you can both wing a 30 minute show

All the best

Steve

Thanks for the input, I was also looking at the Rubik's cube idea in Barry and Stuart's video, and using a P*ll to vanish it whilst making it collapse in a silk. Does anyone have any possible suggestions in involving the actual red nose day noses into a trick? Perhaps a levitating red nose or something similar?

-Saavan

Just go all out comedy and stretch and stretch and stretch something really basic. Then it's all presentation, no preparation (well, like no technical practice is what I mean).

mdawg wrote:Tossed out deck is always suggested for stage card magic.

T.O.D. is yet another example as to how Magicians have ruined a once solid piece of Mentalism, especially when looking at it as being a "card trick"

Yes, it's a great piece when framed properly but it is an Mental effect.

Yes, there are presentations that a traditional mage could take that could explain his/her ability to discern said information but let's face it, it would be both, a stretch and something that remains questionable at best because it's a Magician presenting the stunt e.g. someone the audience already knows to cheat and use trickery.

Given the situation I'd suggest bits like Paper Wads Over the Shoulder which, when presented properly, never fails to bring the house down. If you want to do a parody on mind reading and you have decent pick-pocket skills there's a great gag in which you lift a gents wallet; facing him with your back slightly towards the audience, you open the wallet and being acting like a Psychic and telling him all kinds of stuff about himself, his life, people and pets (photos in the wallet), etc. Long before I did Mentalism full time I used this bit and it is very funny, mainly due to how rarely it is seen. Another pseudo-Mentalism routine would be the McCombical Prediction or the Don Wayne variation known as TOP 10 of Copperfield fame; there is also an older variant known as JUMBO BLANCO that can be quite fun but it's hard to find now days.

Hi ,I have an idea about your performance.Maybe you can use two butterflies made by paper ,besides you need a fan and wire that people hardly see it.It will make the butterflies fly around you.I hope it would help you. Best wishes for you perfaomance!