talkmagic.co.uk

Hello you lovely lot!

I am in the process of applying to join the magic circle and obviously will have an audition, now I perform for people everyday and the more I do it the less at phases me, but the thought of performing for magicians especially somewhere as prestigious as the magic circle strikes fear into my heart!!

Also I don't want to do the usual routines (even though they are classics of magic!) so I am going to steer clear of my ACR or cups and balls etc.

Could any of you lovely people recommend me something to look at for my audition piece?

Much love

Aza

Several people have posted about this in the past, in effect no matter what you chose the judges will have seen it all before so they're not really looking at what you do, just how you do it. On that basis choose stuff which you can do well, I doubt you'll have to do a lot of stuff so it could be wise to choose a few which demonstrate your range of magical ability.

Pretty sure they won't have seen ILC

Aza wrote:Hello you lovely lot!

I am in the process of applying to join the magic circle and obviously will have an audition, now I perform for people everyday and the more I do it the less at phases me, but the thought of performing for magicians especially somewhere as prestigious as the magic circle strikes fear into my heart!!

Also I don't want to do the usual routines (even though they are classics of magic!) so I am going to steer clear of my ACR or cups and balls etc.

Could any of you lovely people recommend me something to look at for my audition piece?

Much love

Aza

Hey Aaron good luck mate.. Remember my son having his back in 2011, after he spent 3 years with the young magicians at the circle. Remember once you pass the audition there will be exams to take also.. There is a long progress, so you really need to prepare yourself. I say go for it matey... Just imagine all those magic props they have waiting for you to see!!
.

mr invisible wrote:Remember once you pass the audition there will be exams to take also.. There is a long progress, so you really need to prepare yourself.

Not sure where you got this idea, but the "audition" is the exam - there's nothing else afterwards unless you want to take another audition for AIMC. There is a written "examination" (actually a thesis) as an alternative to audition, though.

I agree with earlier comments - it's not what you do, but how you do it. I've seen some pretty diabolical efforts (including my own back in the 1980s!) but you should have no problem if you perform regularly. Use your standard act and try to add a bit of polish in the performance.

Barry

Completely agreeing - don't go for originality in terms of the tricks, go for what you can do under scrutiny.

If you look on their website they have the marking guide for the audition available as a PDF - it's more important you do it well than you do it new.

Good Luck AZA...

magicofthemind wrote:

mr invisible wrote:Remember once you pass the audition there will be exams to take also.. There is a long progress, so you really need to prepare yourself.

Not sure where you got this idea, but the "audition" is the exam - there's nothing else afterwards unless you want to take another audition for AIMC. There is a written "examination" (actually a thesis) as an alternative to audition, though.

I agree with earlier comments - it's not what you do, but how you do it. I've seen some pretty diabolical efforts (including my own back in the 1980s!) but you should have no problem if you perform regularly. Use your standard act and try to add a bit of polish in the performance.

Barry

Maybe I should have explained my post more better to be fair. I was talking about a written examination, to which my son also had to do after his audition/exam. Thanks Garry.

I've got my Magic Circle audition next month and I'm doing a great job of tying my brain into knots with it. I have a few set routines for close up which work very well at weddings. but I'm not sure if something as small as "twilight Angels" will work for the Audition (where the performer is behind a table and the participants are up to 3 rows back). Also I've been warned off "ambitious card" as it's over done So three weeks of hitting the books for me

If you are any good you will fly through the audition, no matter what you choose. And if you are useless it will be a struggle. It is as simple as that. There is nothing mysterious about The Magic Circle. The majority of the members are hobbiest. Do the routines that you do when you want to impress ordinary people. Don't do anything fancy, or that is not part of your everyday repertoire.

Thanks Tony, My regular working repertoire covers the slights the like to see. I suppose I'm getting hung up on two points,
1) I work close up, but the exam looks more like platform, so one or two of my favourite effects might not work there
2) my mate has his exam the same day. we've been told it's advisable to include something non card, trouble is we BOTH do a cups and balls routine. Part of me thinks they judges wont care at all as we'll be judged individually and so won't mind if they see two cups and balls sets, but another lil part of me is a paranoid git

BUt I'll try to take on board what you said, and just work through what I normally do for folks at weddings and garden parties. I get repeat bookings so I can't be too bad

Agree with Tony.
Yes, it's kinda like platform, but some close up stuff crosses over into that.
I just did something from my close up set that plays a little bigger, for example for larger tables.
Piece of cake!

cheers jing, Hmm i think I'll mock up the distances when I'm down the bar this weekend and try out "Twilight Angels" to see if it plays. Will definitely use "Wee Wee Mentalist" from David Forrest, people love it when I perform it, and it puts me at ease, it also shows card control, colour changes etc.

I'd describe the room layout as "parlour" rather than close-up or platform. Anything you do flat on the table - like laying out cards or coins - will really only be visible to helpers sitting at the table. Apart from anything else, anyone sitting in the second or third rows will have a lot of heads in the way, so if you want to keep them involved I'd suggest you stand throughout.

Barry

The one thing that has put me off having a go for membership is that I have always thought that I would need routines of my own making. I just don't make up my own stuff. I buy and learn and perform. So would I get away with stuff like Wayne Dobsons Nailed or for something non cardy, Ring Flash? Both of these go down really well at the tables when I am working and both of them have an ending which means that whilst it is still close up there is enough for people sitting back a bit to see.