I have the pleasure to write a few lines about Rupert Appleyard's visit to Iceland, where he (as Phileas Flash) held a lecture for IBM's Ring 371.
On Wednesday night, we got a show from Phileas Flash along with about 20 teenagers, where he came flying in his big white balloon airplane driven by his kazoo engine. He flew in with a blast and he got our attention from the first second.
He played the audience and we all enjoyed his performance, kids and adults, laymen and magicians. It was a lot of fun and after the performance, all magicians went into a different location for the lecture.
Rupert, who is 34, has studied acting and clowning, worked as a ring master in a circus, and is working as a street performer, magician, clown and a balloonologist, but he can make practically anything from balloons.
The lecture was mainly about performance technique, street performance, clowning technique and bringing character into your performance, plus everything about personality.
It was very interesting. As it was Rupert's first lecture ever, he might have been a bit unsure of how to proceed and carry it out, but he did a marvelous job and many of the attendees have mentioned that they took some of Rupert's tips and ideas and started using them immediately. Just simple ideas and tips about breathing before entering are great. Something I had not thought of before the lecture. It has already helped me.
It was very interesting in learning about how building a character can be adopted to magicians, even serious magicians can create serious characters and Rupert lead us into the world of searching for - locating - adapting and finally creating a character, that you can be content with.
On Saturday we had a workshop that was called: Finding Your Inner Clown!
He touched ground at the following subjects:
- -Elements of play
-Clowning
-Playing games
-Help you bringing elements of yourself to the play
-Improvational skills
-Stop being self-consious
-Open your mind
-Enhance your performance and entertainment technique
This was a fun filled day. I think we all enjoyed the games and the uninhibited exercises (except perhaps the jumping
). One of the games we played (pics below) was about reading the crowd and reacting to what the audience indicates. The last minutes of the workshop went into some fundamental balloon sculpting and Rupert gave some very good advice to us in that field.
Overall, we had a great time with Rupert. His mother has done such a good job raising him, it's a wonder. He's extremely friendly and took time to pat the back and motivate each and everyone, at their own pace and level. He changed the ambience wherever he came. Everybody started smiling and became more friendly and more happy. His lecture and workshop were very useful to us, in all range (from amateurs to professionals) and one of the professional magicians used some of Rupert's advice in his performance the very next day, with great success.
You can find him at MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/phileasflash or at his web page: http://www.rupertappleyard.co.uk
If you are wondering if you should book Rupert/Flash for your club's lecture night or workshop, I would recommend it.
Just have an extra pair of socks available, just in case....
but it was a spiffing good show the old boy and it looks like a jolly good time was had by all
Best wishes on your future endeavours 
