talkmagic.co.uk

Haha! I'm not feigning it. I really am just too nervous.

This topic comes up quite a bit here. What I think would be more interesting is if you were to get what other people thought of your character, act or whatever you want to call it. I wonder how it differs from what people think of themselves.

I just recently read a book called Acting for Magicians, which I really must go through to complete some of the exercises, which has an interesting opinion of "what's wrong with being yourself."

The reason given is that even if your 'character' is essentially 99% you, there's still one difference in that your character can do magic. Like real magic.

As Robert Houdin said (I think it was Houdin, correct me if it wasn't) "A magician is an actor playing the part of a magician.

A lot of magic is acting, be it acting as if the balled up tissue hanging on a thread from one hand is held aloft by sheer force of will or acting as if the coin in your right hand is actually placed in the left. Little deceptions like that require acting, and the best actors attempt to think in character.

The book asks the question "As you levitate something, what goes through your head"

Now in reality, what goes through your head is "Ha, I cant believe the audience is falling for this" or something more polite. However what goes through our head 9 times out of 10 is reflected in our micro expressions and body language, so we need something less cheeky to go through our head in order to keep it off our faces.

The less cheeky thoughts come from the character.

Even if you are,as they say, "being yourself", you are being yourself with supernatural powers, and that is a character.

-Stacy

PS: as a thought experiment, do you think your personality would be identical if you actually could make the things happen that you pretend to make happen?

The best advice on this is without doubt that in the first few pages of the presentation section of Expert Card Technique. The whole chapter is great but those first few pages on developing a character are probably the most important ever written on magic. It explains that it is not so much the tricks that are important but the illusion you create about yourself. YOU are the magic! The tricks just come along for the ride.

Yes. The tricks are simply a peg upon which you hang your personality. Any trick will do. Nail-thru-Finger will suffice if you have some way of hypnotizing and magnetizing the audience!

Barefoot Boy wrote:Yes. The tricks are simply a peg upon which you hang your personality. Any trick will do. Nail-thru-Finger will suffice if you have some way of hypnotizing and magnetizing the audience!

In that case, Paul I suggest you get to work immediately on Nail Through Finger. Anything is better than that horrendously long 3 part prediction that you do.

I think for most of us we play an exaggerated version of some aspects of our genuine personality when we perform.

For kids I play a borderline criminal but jolly character who bungles through life keeping one step away from getting caught out. I am not a magician, but a slightly grumpy man to whom strange things happen. I meet space aliens, battle ghosts, and collect jellyfish eggs. I break into shops to steal sausages, and my dog just might steal the birthday cake. In reality I am a slightly grumpy man who usually stays one step ahead of trouble.

For my hypnotism and mentalism shows I play a slightly detached observer who pokes fun at everything - which would be fairly much how I view most topics that don't make me angry. For me all character is an exaggerated version of aspects of my real character.

No One can tell you exactly what personna to use.
Most books & a lot of magicians often say-Be yourslelf.
Now many, many magicians DO NOT HAVE a natural performing personality. It is something that develops with age, experience, lots of thought & planning.
Sometimes there is the charismatic born magician but they are few.

Geoffrey Durham, whose work I love, used the Great Soprendo character for years. Then got tired of the wig, the makeup etc and reverted to Himself.
BUT this was after a number of years working the Public & he was an actor as well.

Ali Bongo, always came over best as The Shreik Of Pongolia.

Dante assumed the white haired, white moustache & goatee of the Great Magician.

Jeff Hobson--a camp character.

Tommy Cooper a bumbling accident prone one.


Ali Bey--a fierce Arabian wizard.
THE ANSWER or one of the answers is; How are you most comfortable? As you (but remember even in close up work--things about you are that bit exaggerated) or do you need to play a character.

In my own humble way--I am happy with me--but I have acted since the age of 5--taught Drama & Theatre for many years, Directed many other actors.
And I am equally happy as Hiram J Peabody( a cheeky USA magician) then I can get away with things I could not do as AT
As The Great Clutterbuck--it was all perverse magic
As Mr. Tippi, the children's Magic Man-- a magician who needed the help of all the kids as the magic often seemed to be in trouble.
As Chung Ling & Co. A dramatic Chinese magician.

You search, plan, experiment, experience and one day you realise WHO you WANT to be.

Allen Tipton

I'm planning a post on my mentalism blog about this, as I've found an interesting exercise that has helped me crystallise my own performance persona (though I believe they remain forever in flux).

I sat down and wrote "Jakob Newton is..." over and over, each time completing the sentence with something different - literally anything that came immediately to mind, even if it seemed to contradict other things that I'd previously written.

Once I'd filled a couple of sheets with these sentences, I took each one in turn and expanded on it. Where contradictions existed I attempted to make sense of the contradiction - where I could not I discarded them.

What I found was not only that I had a lengthy and nuanced character description, but a character that had a great deal in common with me, such that becoming the character did not seem daunting or particularly difficult.

So yes, Newton may just be me "turned up to 11", but the trouble with the "be yourself, but moreso" advice is that you have at first to decide who you are, and what about you you ought to amplify.

And Mr. Grue- Finding out- WHO & WHAT you are can take years. Very few magicians, I suspect would even give it a thought.
My first Drama Teacher when I was 14/15 would make us take a notebook out everywhere we went. We had to list, briefly, any characteristics we saw in folks. Their clothes, their way of talking, gesturing, their hair, their noses--anything that would build in our minds all aspects of people.
We were expected to then be able to bring some of these to any character we played. probably get a punch on the nose or arrested on the bus, these days!

BELOW is HOW I created Mr. Tippi--the Magic Man--Children's Entertainer.

My Magician’s Traits, Foibles, Vulnerabilities, Personality.
First I made a long list of anything the children liked, disliked, any worries, fears,
traits, assets & liabilities. I whittled this down to the following characteristics I
felt should be incorporated into my magician’s persona.
He would be quite shy but could speak out when necessary.
He was very friendly, likeable, and sympathetic with everyone but needed friends
& loved to laugh at himself.
He would often get into trouble and need help because he could make errors.
The help would not come from teachers or other adults but from his friends, the
children.
He had to have good manners; always said please & thank you etc. & Praised
any friends who helped him.
He didn’t like really loud noises or too much very loud shouting.
This would ensure loads of audience participation.
Costuming him.
Black trousers (which would go with any coloured tops), red belt, red & blue
braces, a red & white striped shirt, red bow tie, red canvas shoes, a blue mini
bowler hat, I wanted a colourful coat. My wife said “No. A shirt will be cooler &
easier to keep clean, fresh & replace.” One birthday party, held above the local
wine store really proved her point. They placed me directly in front of a gas fire,
which was turned full up! Holy thermostats!

Later the shirt was changed to broad black & red stripes. The hat red & white

with badges saying ’ I Love Magic’ plus my giveaway ones, & a green funny

spider hanging from it. Then a black & white waistcoat with a jigging wooden

clown, (when you pulled a string) a large sunflower and a Rabbit in Hat badge

with Mr. Tippi on it was added.

My wife took one look and said, “You don’t look the Uncle type, more of a

simple clown without makeup. Your Dad’s nickname was Joe Tip why not

become Mr. Tippi.” I said “Allen Tippi?” Barbara said, “No! The ‘Mr’ will give

you underlying respect”. A wise point. Respect is what is lacking in today’s world

and we must try, in even a small way, to re-establish it again. So Mr. Tippi it was

and still is when he still occasionally appears at children’s parties for close

friends. Well I did retire from full time Children’s entertaining in 2003. I

absolutely love it but a full hour now needs a lot of energy & the days of 3 shows,

sadly, gone.

Allen Tipton

My character is a naive, awkward lad who is fond of really bad puns, essentially saying "Hey, look at this cool thing I discovered!" That being said, I'm trying to work on some stuff with a more sinister feel to it, the character for which is the sort of old traveller who's seen things he'd rather not talk about, yet feels compelled to show people.