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i thought this was an excellent how to guide but i would say the[ are you ready] section depends on what sort of magic you do. if you do comedy magic,or stand up comedy with magic, which is different in my opinion, and is what i do[each comedy routine has a trick that fits in with the gag ie the gag comes first then i try to find a trick to compliment it not the other way round }then i would say you are never ready until you get up and perform it in front of an audience.you will walk off to the sound of your own footsteps YOU WILL DIE TERRIBLE TERRIBLE DEATHS.but as the golfer gary player said .The strange thing is the more i practice the better i get.no he didn't say that !.he said"funny,the more i practice the luckier i get.[thanks KATE}

The Nike shoe company has a tag line that reads "Just Do It!" This is exactly what you are talking about johny and on many levels, you are right. I've watched far too many "dreamers" get book after book and trick after trick just so they can "get ready" but five, ten, even twenty years later, they are still stock piling material that's barely skimmed through let alone "studied" and still, they've not taken that deep breath and dived into the proverbial pool for a swim.

Yes, we must prepare ourselves and as I've pointed out many a time, that means dealing with the hard issues as well as the fantasy we all have while building up an act. I hate sounding like a PR Parrot, but this is one of the things Paul Brook speaks of in Alchemical Tools that applies to both, magic and mentalism; being willing to cut those effects we want to do because they are weak, don't fit, or we simply haven't what it takes to sell them to our audience. I've been in the position of having to do this with expensive major illusions that I happened to love but just didn't work with the public... that is, based on how I was doing it... they work for others but each has a different personality and style and that makes all the difference in the world.

The one thing I can best compare things to is the art of being a Reader. I have numerous "students" that come to me with questions either about something they've found or how to use one of my published systems; frequently the only answer is "go out and do the work and you'll find the answers for yourself." Experience, as we all know, being the supreme teacher.

Before we take this particular leap we owe it to ourselves to do everything humanly possible to be prepared; scripting, rehearsals and getting in-put from at least one or two fellow performers (experienced people, not someone as fresh and new as you are) as well as two or three lay-persons. If possible, get some coaching from someone that understands voice and word skills and even the psychology of effective body language when used by a performer or public speaker.

We don't have to take all of these steps at once, but they are the things that will help us round out our persona as well as "the act"... and contrary to popular belief "the act" is something that stays fairly well consistent for years in many cases, not something you change as frequently as you do your socks. Create something that's solid and stick with it for a while so you can perfect it and build a reputation with it... (shhh... that's one of the big trade secrets ) you are after all, a product and as such the consumer likes to know that what it is paying for is what it ordered.

You mention Comedy and having had attempted it once many moons ago, I know that it is certainly not for everyone... it's certainly one of the tougher modes of skill expression I've ever experimented with. The thing is, I got up and did it. As my old drama teachers said many, many moons ago, "The secret of being a successful actor is not being afraid to get up in front of thousands of people and make an utter fool of yourself..."

The gods know, I've been quite proficient at that

Getting Started means that we take baby steps, graduating from the habit of simply doing "tricks" into a mode of creating both, intrigue and a sense of character. We start getting a bit more critical on ourselves as well as picky when it comes to the material we present and more importantly, how we present it; striving to "make it our own" vs. mimicking what we've seen others do (while lying to ourselves, thinking we aren't doing it in the same mode... sorry, but just because you use green sponge balls instead of red one, doesn't mean your act is different).

I hope that this discussion moves along the lines I'm envisioning. Sadly, many of us simply want to not only do tricks but do the one's that have just come out and have that high sense of popularity... typically due to the fact that Derren, David, David, Steve, Gerry, or Criss have recently presented them on TV.

johny wrote:as the golfer gary player said .The strange thing is the more i practice the better i get.

It was actually "Funny; the more I practice the luckier I get" in response to someone who tutted at a brilliant shot and said "Lucky!" to him.

I'm a pedant

thanks graig for your indepth response.i once did a double act we hired a rehearsal room and practiced for weeks but in real performance we changed nearly all of it. but again it was heavily stand up based.i did like a lot of what you said and it will help the neophyte. im procrastinating now when i should be writing my ed fringe show which was my point.so i guess both points are valid NIKE should have a strap line{ just do it ,but know what your doing}
kate. i knew gary player said something wise so i just guessed. thanks for the far wittier actual quip