talkmagic.co.uk

Hi,
This Weekend I have been invited to my friends 50th Birthday. Ive been asked to perform some tricks for some of the guests which im quite nervous about.
Im very confident performing infront of Family and Friends or when ive had a few drinks haha, but to someone new for the first time, i sometimes fluff my lines or my hands start to shake.
The moves and sleights im confident with, its just when the nerves set in, i don't want it to go pear shaped!
Ive only performed to roughly 4-5 people close up at one time, ive just got bad thoughts going round my head, that come Saturday night, ill be performing to 15-20 and the nerves will set in. I understand to carve out a Career in Magic, this is something i MUST overcome. But How?

Thanks!

Nerves are something we have all faced at some time. As someone who used to perform regular magic for a living i know just how you feel.

Over the next couple of days run over what you intend to perform and how you are going to present your magic to the audience. Think about what you are going to perform and what you will say as you perform it.

try to practice in front of a mirror and imagine that the people are standing there, this will give you confidence.

A few hours before the gig take some time to relax and get in a positive frame of mind. Keep saying to yourself "I will have fun and the people will have fun, they will like me and i will like them".

If an effect goes wrong ... Don't panic! make a joke out of it and move on.

I was in the same boat as you a few months ago.

I managed to speak to Michael Ammar when he lectured at my local club and asked him about nerves/ shaking. He told me to open with something that I could 'play big', as in something that didn't narrow the spectators focus directly at my hands.

On this advice I made sure I started with a fibre optic type rope routine as this didn't put the focus directly on my hands and allowed me to step back a bit and give myself some room.

For me, this helped overcome the initial adrenaline rush that makes me shake. Another thing that helped was doing some stuff for some family members who were at the wedding which helped. Even then, the card routine started off simple and as I was making the spectators hold things, it took the focus off my hands again, which helped. This allowed me to calm down and get into the 'zone' and really enjoy myself.

As for worrying about things going wrong, something I'm beginning to understand is that the spectators don't know the routine- they won't know if something has gone wrong or not, so just carry on as normal and it'll be as if it never happened!

Don't think you have to stick rigidly to a script. Use the script to guide what you are doing.

try and become part of each group rather than performing at them. After all you are invited as a friend, not as a paid performer. Start with some friendly banter to get you settled and relaxed, Perhaps find an anecdote about your friend and build that into an opening effect ( e.g. ... "but he has never stopped being a joker" as you turn over a joker which they expect to be a king.)

Try and involve them a bit, to take the focus off you. Ask questions like..
"and what do you think happened next ?"

if something goes wrong, my favourite line at the moment is..
"that went wrong... and I blame you... I'm not saying it was your fault I just said I'm blaming you.

Good luck.

Okay my two cents. I am assuming you are not being paid, which is good.

1. Don't take the magic so seriously, if you mess up it is not the end of the world, it is simply something to learn from. Make a joke out of it so everyone laughs and relaxes and then push on.

2. Remember to entertain, just don't go pulling out a bunch of magic tricks and start 'demonstrating' them. Have fun, interact with people don't rush. As stated already don't go by a 'set' routine, don't be so rigid.

3. My advice would be different if you were being paid, but not much different.

4. Don't over perform, just because the trick is sitting in your pocket doesn't mean you have to perform it. Guage the audience and figure out when to stop. Just because they say they want more doesn't mean you have to show more, in fact. ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE!

Hi,

Just stick to the effects that you are confident with and dont try and rush things. your opener should be very quick and snappy something that you have performed plenty of times before, after the first couple of groups of people the nerves will settle and you will not want to stop.

dont forget to hand out your business cards if you have any.

all the best with it, and do let us all know how it went.

Deano

bmat wrote:4. Don't over perform, just because the trick is sitting in your pocket doesn't mean you have to perform it. Guage the audience and figure out when to stop. Just because they say they want more doesn't mean you have to show more, in fact. ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE!

Eugene Burger's advice is to tell them right at the start something like, ' I have three things to show you', that way they know you won't be there forever, there's a fixed agenda involved and, most importantly, they know when you're finished without your having to say so - cue the applause!

bmat wrote:Don't take the magic so seriously... Remember to entertain... Don't over perform... ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING MORE!

All of that

The only way to get over it is by doing it.
The more you do it, the less it will happen.
All of the above is good advice, and do not drink - you have to learn to relax in performance without it.
Break a leg, and tell us how it went.
Bruce

BrucUK wrote:do not drink - you have to learn to relax in performance without it.

+100

As Bruce said, the best way is to perform a lot, so that you'll get used to the anxiety and realize there's nothing special about it, and be confident you'll be able to have fun with the audience.

For the first few times, I would suggest imagining the best-case scenario for a positive attitude. My way is a bit more pessimistic: I imagine the worst-case scenario, the audience hates me and boos me off the stage. Then I ask myself: does my wife and loved ones still love me? Am I still alive and well, and know that whatever went wrong I can correct in the next performance? And since the answer is always positive, I usually calm down and have fun with my audience.

Maybe you could try that.

Hi all, Thanks for all your great advice and tips to my last post. Last night went very well indeed, so much so that i got my first booking as a Walkaround Close Up Magican at a wedding in August. Its such a great feeling when people love what you do, i had such a good night, and everyone was very impressed with my tricks.

While the reactions i got were great, you do find theres always one person who dosent appreciate or show that they enjoy your tricks. This one Guy looked on half heartdly, and almost as if it was a chore to watch. I couldnt help feeling inside i should jst tell the bloke to Pxxx Oxx, and move on to someone who does appreciate all the hard work that goes into my tricks.

The best feeling was when he tried to out smart me, or so he thought and the trick came back and hit him in the face, he looked embarrassed and walked off haha!

Apart from that, great night, pulled off some tricky routines, and above all i managed to control my nerves.

Thanks All!

Not everyone likes magic so you won't score a bullseye with every shot.

This will happen. When it does simply play to the rest of the group and get a good reaction from them. The problem with real world magic is not all your potential audience want to see it. When they are at a restaurant, corporate event or wedding some just want to relax. Also remember that some will not approve of magic for various reasons.

If someone is rude just smile and walk away.

Congrats on the first performance, and especially on the follow-up!

There's always a snarky-looking guy who fails to have fun. It's his problem, not yours. Your job is to make sure he doesn't ruin it for everyone else.