talkmagic.co.uk

I ask this question as someone who is fairly new to magic (6 mths) and loving it. I am looking at going to a lecture next year and I was wonder what people's experiences of lectures are.

I realise that there are many different types of lecture involving different standards of magician. I am trying to keep the thread as open as possible to allow a more open discussion.

I guess it depends on who is giving the lecture but if it's a professional Magish then it will probably be worth every penny. The usual format is that they show tricks and routines, then explain them step by step, and more than likely will have lecture notes on sale afterwards. These are usually excellent value and are worth buying. It's posible that complete tricks etc will be on sale as well so be prepared to say goodbye to a lot of cash!

Even if the tricks and routines aren't the sort of thing you do, you'll get a lot of background info, hints and tips which apply to almost all areas of magic.

I totally agree with Mandrake here. The only addition would be to perhaps look at the type of magic and see if that interests you.

I sat at two lectures recently and one was mentalism based (Marc Paul) which I found stunning. The other was by a famous childrens magician (Poz) and to be honest it didn't hold anywhere near to the same level of interest for me. However, I know that those into Childrens entertaining loved it more than the mentalism lecture.

Other than that .....................

I've been to one lecture, and it was by Michael Ammar. I will never forget it, and if I have the opportunity, I will go to many more lectures.

As has been said above, the type of magic involved has got to interest you, but, other than that, the tips you can get from a pro magician are worth their weight in gold - and that's without even asking him/her any questions!

I always make an effort to see as many lectures as I can. I have seen some that are fantastic Michael Ammar, Nick Einhorn, etc. and seen some that were not so good (I wont mention any names)

However I have never been to a lecture that I have not taken anything away from though. And the price it goes to see a lecture (£10ish?) is a lot cheaper than many marketed effects that we have all bought and left in a drawer!

Having toured with lectures for the past 8 or 10 years (with a different lecture every year), the major value in a lecture would be that you get to see how a professional magian does various moves and routines.

In other words, it's worth it. (But then, I may be biased! )

The lectures I've attended in the past year have all been excellent value and have been given by folks such as Jay Sankey, Max Maven, Daryl, Bill Malone, Jon Allen, Scott Creasey, John Lennahan, Scott Penrose and many other names perhaps not quite so well known. The magic was varied and covered close up, mentalism, stage presentations etc but the common thread to all was that all the lecturers treated the audience as equals. Not just as an audience but as fellow magii who were there to learn and share skills and that was just so encouraging it was worth the money many times over. These lectures probably form a vital part of the performer's annual income so it's a two way process which we can all enjoy.

So far I have only been to one lecture which was a Childrens Magician who came to our Magic Club.

I can thoroughly recommend it as a wasy of not just learning effects but of getting a really good view of presentation, the side of magic that really sells the trick but which does not always come across when you buy a trick.

put simply, you should take the chance to see any magician working live, what ever the situation, be it lecture, or show.

My advice is, dont buy lecture notes.
I rarly do, because i think that if an effect is memorable, and right for you, you will remember it.

If you do splash out on notes, get them signed and dated.

Good point about the lecture notes. I have found some that have been excellent, but a particular well known South African magician that visited my club performed some ok ish material and proceeded to tell us after each effect that what he had just done was not in the notes...

Come to think of it the lecture was pretty poor. It was the only one where at the end I left without spending any hard earned. My other half was so happy, and thought that I had broken the CUPS condition. How wrong she was!

So anyway who is anyone going to see lecturing in the new year?

thank you all very much I think that I shall book my ticket. All your posts have been most helpful.

I have probably been to 20-30 lectures over the last 3 or 4 years, I don't think I have been disappointed by one. Seriously, even if it is a genre of magic that you are not into, there is always something to be taken away. These are for the professional magicians and as such they have a wealth of information to give.

It also has to be said that quite often the better lectures aren't by the Michael Ammar's/Michael Closes but by some of th elesser known names.

Lectures are one of the big advantages of being a member of a magic society, but also one of the big pulls of conventions. They are also more often than not great value for money. Often cheaper than a cinema ticket.

Why would you even consider missing out?

I have a couple of questions:

1. Do you need to be a certain age to atend these lectures
2. How do you find out where and when they are on
3. And about how much do they cost

1. Do you need to be a certain age to attend these lectures - it depends on where they are and who's organising them. A local magic Club may restrict attendance to members only but sometime will be happy to have guests. You'd need to ask individually.

2. How do you find out where and when they are on - www.magicweek.co.uk very often carries news of forthcoming lectures/visits etc and you could always ask at your local magic Club to see if they have anything on offer. Events such as The Blackpool Magician's Club Annual gathering (next month!!) have many lectures spread over two and a half days.

3. And about how much do they cost - again, it depends where they're being held. From about £5 upwards seems to be about right based on the local Magic Club 'open nights'.

PS I like the way your 'couple of questions' was actually three - nice bit of Magical misdirection and confusion !

1. Do you need to be a certain age to atend these lectures
2. How do you find out where and when they are on
3. And about how much do they cost

There are two main sources of Magic Lectures. Those put on by Magic Societies, and those put on at Conventions. The Magic Society lectures are often for members of that Society only, and will normally be included as part of your annual subs. Occasionally the Society will put on an additional lecture for which they may charge a minimal sum.

If you wish to attend a lecture at a Society you are not a member of, then they may refuse, they may only allow you entrance if you are a member of another Society, or more often than not they will allow you entry. However, if you are not a member of the host Society there will nearly always be a charge, which will range. Normally in the region of £5-£10. But it will vary.

Age could be an issue here. Most Societies have a lower Age limit for membership anyway, and this is likely to be also used for visiting agicians as well, but there are always exceptions, so it is always worth asking.

Lectures at Conventions will more often than not be available for anyone who has registered for that convention, although occasionally there are some special "sessions" only available to those invited or that fit a certain criteria and sometimes these special sessions may be at an additional cost. Again, it's worth checking before you register.

As mentioned before. Lectures are a huge reason for being a member of a magic society. Most Societies will have at least a few lectures each year, some many more.

To find out the events of a specific Society in your area, either check out the website of the society (see the region list in my signature), but bear in mind not all societies have a website, so sometimes an email or phone conversation will be needed. Alternatively www.magicweek.co.uk has a pretty good events page.