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I am the guest host for a night called The Cabaret & Burlesque meet up in October and can have a few performers of my choice come down and perform.
It's in central London at the end of October and although not a paying show (it's a showcase night) is in a lovely venue to a great reponsive crowd.
The venue is not suitable for close-up as it's in front of a crowd, so if you have effects that work with either some specs up with you or is strong enough for a crowd it'll be good.

I already have some chums from the world of comedy lined up and would like a magician, I thought I would put it on here rather than any other forum.

If you're interested, send me a PM.

Thanks,

Freddie

im only a close-up merchant...

but burlesque you say?

hmmm...can i just come along and pay for a ticket old bean?

abraxus wrote:im only a close-up merchant...

but burlesque you say?

hmmm...can I just come along and pay for a ticket old bean?

Of course you can dear chap. I'll put the details on soon and if I get guest list spaces I'll reserve them for my TM chums. Expect some very un-pc comedy from myself.

sounds like something I'd very much like to come along and be a spec at, un-pc comedy and burlesque very much included.

If that's ok with the mods, I'll post the details in a few days.

It's a lovely venue and should be a pretty wild night. I've got some great acts lined up which I've hand picked.

If its the 20th of october why dont the London meet-up group pop down as well, pub first then of to Freddies?

Sounds like fun, Freddie. Good luck with it all

Markdini wrote:If its the 20th of october why dont the London meet-up group pop down as well, pub first then of to Freddies?

That sounds like a plan there markdini

Thanks for your kind comments everyone.

It's on the 23rd October. If anyone can make it, you're very welcome and I'll try and get as many guest passes as I can.

I'm hoping to start my own night in January, comedy and cabaret and of course plenty of magicians will be welcome to perform.

Hi old bean !!!
Long time no see.

Your party sound great . Hope you manage to fill up properly your programe for that special evening and witch you good luck with it

Just one question
YOU WRITE
"It's in central London at the end of October and although not a paying show (it's a showcase night) is in a lovely venue to a great reponsive crowd."
________________
Why will someone preforme for free in a public lovely venue with a great responsive crowd? EVEN (it's a showcase night)

Are the drinks of the crowds for free??
Tickets to enter , are free,??

Y think that the owner should invest money, in presenting professionals (or not) artists,AND PAY THEM AT THE END (plainty with out work around).

I am totaly oposed personally about anyone (professionals or not)
preforming for a public venue, in witch poeple are paying in one or another way (it's a showcase night) (drinks or entry tickets)that THE ARTIST dont get pay.

(unless its a REAL audition)

But even that
, I have observe that en the UK, there are plainty of so call (it's a showcase night) AND UNDERCOVER FAKES AUDITIONS, just to have artists preforming for freewith the excuse that tonight Mr ... will be here to see you...

Most of the times all those ......are fake just to have poeple preforming FOR FREE._______________

Beside that freddie
good luck with your evening
karl

I'd love to perform something like that, even if it as free.

These sorts of things are brilliant oppotunities for those of us who don't often get the chance to perform on stage or don't have the time to follow magic professionally to perform. I'm working on some stage acts for no other reason than I love to do them. I don't know when I'll get the chance to perform them, but if I did I'd jump at the chance. In my opinion there should be more venues that allow magicians to show up and perform, not for money or fame, but because it's what they love doing.

I have some sympathy for Karl's position on this but overall I think it is a good thing. There is an old showbusiness adage that the problem is nowadays there is "no place to be bad in". The more places where an inexperienced magician can perform the better, money or no money.

I used to get on my high horse about performing for free but no more. If I am available and if I deem the promoter is not using the artist to make a merciless profit for himself I will indeed perform. I don't do this for the "exposure" or the offchance that someone important will be in the audience but solely to try out new material. If I have some new trick that needs to be worked in before presenting it for money I will jump at the chance to try it out.

I did a ton of free hypnosis shows at psychic fairs when I first started. If I did them at paid gigs I would have been booed off the stage. Since I was getting no money there was a lot less pressure on me and I eventually learned how to do it and then was able to work for real money.

Karl is correct about people trying to use the performer for their own mercenary purposes but I don't think Lord Freddie is doing that. It may not be a gig for a seasoned professional like Karl but for those who are just starting I see nothing wrong with it.

Exactly, after performing at the last one I was offered three very lucrative bookings and I like the people that run this night, they treated the performers with respect and attended to all our requirements.

They have guest hosts and asked myself and my comedy troupe to do it and we could also book a couple of acts ourselves. The acts I have chosen are ones that I believe to be good and deserving of exposure. I kow lots of acts on the circuit who are performing regularly who would have done it, but it's the people that are talented but maybe not seen as much as they should be that I have chosen.

Thanks for your kind words, Karl, Mark and everyone else. Sometimes these sort of events are good for your profile and in this industry promotion is a much needed tool to gain work and exposure.

When I used to have a twelve piece backing band, we used to get lots of work at weddings and events (well paying) and also performed at hip London nightspots (not so well paying). Although receiving the money after a function was nice, it sometimes felt too business like whereas the clubs were much more fun and it was a good night out for us as well as the audience, so it's all swings and roundabouts.

Every performance is a building block of experience and the more you are used to performing for different types of people the better you become at dealing with them. I can't resist some lights and a stage and sometimes the performances where you feel most gratified are the lower key ones.

I am hoping to start my own night next year which will be an "anything goes" comedy and cabaret club and one of my priorites (after making sure that the show is the most entertaining it can be) is to ensure that the performers feel comfortable and enjoy performing there.

Experience in front of a crowd is not something you can practice at home, which is where the youtubers will fail when they get out of their bedrooms.

In Toronto there is something called "Friday Night Magic" where once a week local magicians try out their stuff on live audiences in a bar and restaurant atmosphere. It is run by James Biss of "Messing with Minds" fame. He makes no money out of it and in fact it actually costs him money. I will always perform there when I am available even though I get no money for it. It gives me a chance to try out new material on a regular basis.

That's a good point Mark, there are some smaller clubs in London where top comedians such as Harry Hill try out their new material before they take it out on a national tour.
It's good to find out what works best in front of an audience and cut out the chaff. Weirdly the things you have laboured over and proud of are sometimes met with an underwhelming response whereas the (what you think) are throwaway items go down a storm.