Hi.

So the show is finally done. I updated the feedback on my blog. Please comment here on the forum.

http://vernesto.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-first-show.html

WV-

I think "The Great Vernesto" is brilliant- good job!

Sounds like you did what you came to do, and that my friend, is an accomplishment. Just forget the bad, accentuate the good, and enjoy the great feeling of having DONE IT! So many sit on the sidelines never able to make the leap- and the first leap is the hard one. I predict you will quickly find a groove and have even more fun in the future.

By the way, we have thread in "Time after time" for encouraging all of us to a regular practice commitment. NOTHING is as important as regular, consistent, practice. The good news is, you do not have to invest a lot to time each day to get way better and way more confident in your skills. If you get a chance, give it a look.

Meanwhile, congrats! That is a great accomplishment!!

Jim

Right on! It does sound like things went well, and seems quite positive! And getting a potential booking for a wedding out of it is even better (especially since women want everything at their wedding to be absolutely perfect. I'd take that as quite the compliment!)
I've heard of first shows going much worse (my own included - I sliced my hand open on stage) so if you have all ten fingers attached, I'd say you did quite well for yourself!

Remember the good, work on the bad--sounds like a positive experience. Congrats for getting in the game and making it happen.

See my post "any show you walk away from..."

This is all normal. For a first show it sounds like you did quite well. Every performer gets the jitters before they go on stage, no matter how long they have been doing it or exactly what it is they do. Eventually, they will become familiar friend and you will learn how to use the nervous energy productively-- but it never goes away.

When you screwed up the cut, it sound like you caught it, fixed it, and ended well. that's as good as it gets. Everyone makes mistakes, particularly in something that is really as complex as what we do. If you can prevent the audience from telling that you made a mistake, that's as good or better then doing it "perfect." It sounds like you learned one of the most important lessons in performance which is that if you always act confident you can get away with a surprising degree of error without the audience ever catching on. As my old violin teacher used to say, "if your going to make a mistake, make it a LOUD one!"

Similarly I actually think its good that you weren't dead on your script. If you had practiced that script lien by line it would likely have been harder to react to things going *off* script.

It sounds like all in all you did great! Give yourself a good pat on the back for a job decently done and a BIG pat on the back for having had the guts to do it at all.

Now, go do your next one!

Looks like the great Vernesto did a great job on the stage!

Well done mate I'm proud!

From what I see you had a good first show. A whole lot better than most could claim. You did very well.

That's a great quote! As a musician I can certainly appreciate that one.

It does sound like it went well over-all. Echo the above that yes, everyone has nerves, even the seasoned pros. It’s natural. I’m onstage in some capacity at least once a week, and my wife still occasionally tells me to “breathe”!

Gaining stage presence as you go is also natural. Without getting all “mystical”, you and the audience give and get “energy” from each other. As you feel their applause, your confidence grows. As your confidence builds, their enjoyment builds.

The single most important thing is that your audience had a good time. Period. Everything else, including your mistakes, is secondary to that.

The Handy Cam could be a real blessing. YOU need to get hold of that video and “reverse engineer” it. It’s much more valuable than anything you could film while practicing. It’s you, live and in color! You can see not only how you flashed, but also how is your timing, your posture, your delivery, your “people skills” (bantering with volunteers). A performance video is Gold!

Congratulations on what sounds like a job well done! Hope there are MANY more!

Thanks for the feedback. I had another lady today mention to me that she is hearing positive reviews and she wasn't even at the venue. I have learned my lessons and I am going to try and get hold of that tape. Thanks for the encouragement.

Do any of you have advice on marketing myself?

Hey WV

The world is divided into two groups: The doers and the watchers. You clearly fall into the first group. Well done. Your life will be the richer for it.

Don't worry about your errors. They are more important to you than they are to anyone else. You're still "pumped" from the show...a bit of adrenalin is still coursing through your veins. You're ready to do it again, but even better this time! Cool. But for the audience, it is already a fading memory. If they remember anything at all, it won't be the occasional "flashes", but rather the mysteries...those astonishing effects that they just can't explain.

As others pointed out, you will never loose your pre-performance jitters. At least I hope you won't, because that's part of the fun isn't it? Tell me the truth, did you ever feel more alive than you did when you were facing (in your mind) potential disaster? Jitters are fine. What you do not want is for the jitters to ever develop into panic. That's where your training comes in.

It is rather like becoming a soldier I think. First you must master the tools of your new trade. In your case that would mean the mechanics of the effects you want to present. When you can do them in your sleep, blind folded, and in the pouring rain, then you're ready to work on your battle drill, or presentation. I think you have hit upon something crucial in your "after operations" post on your blog, that is, your failure to speak your lines as part of your rehearsals.

Would any Shakespearean actor rehearse by moving about an empty stage focusing only on the physical, material aspects of his role, without ever uttering a single word of dialog? Unless you are doing a silent routine, the patter should be treated as a vital part of your performance. It should be carefully crafted to advance the "plot" of any given effect, to aid in misdirection when required, and above all to move the mere presentation of a trick to the level of entertainment. Therefore, when rehearsing, speak your lines out loud, with the same pitch and intonation as you intend to deliver in performance. Do not assume that it will "just happen" when the time comes. You will feel self conscious at first, but you'll get over it. Eventually, I bet you wouldn't dream of doing it any other way?

Doing this will give you more confidence going in because any uncertainties about what you are to do have been eliminated. You have already done everything a hundred times. No need for panic...just jitters, like a paratrooper standing in the door before the jump light goes from red to green. No panic, but like DWRackley said...breathe man breathe! Of course, like Cyberqat pointed out, sh*t happens, so accept that now and then you will find yourself digging out of a smoking hole. But careful preparation should keep the number of such events to a minimum.

To illustrate all of this, take a moment to look at a master at work. I refer you to a video of Tommy Wonder doing his version of Cups and Balls. The link to the video is at the bottom of this post. PLease watch the video at least four times as follows.

1 - First just watch the video straight through and enjoy.

2 - Next, play the video with your eyes closed. Just listen to him. What does he say, and when. The when part is important. Note how his patter consists of words AND PAUSES. The pauses are very important. Consider why. What do the pauses do?

3 - Then watch the video again, but turn the audio off. Just watch his gestures, facial expressions, posture, and body language. Do you think any of it was left to chance or "just happened"?

4 - Finally, watch the video once more, still with the audio off, but only observe the audience. Their faces tell it all. The wonder, the astonishment, the absolute delight. They didn't just see a trick...they were entertained, and with a capital E. That is your goal.

Go for it man!

Tommy Wonder - Cups & Balls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ6qT8JvaMY

PS

Always set up two cameras of your own to video your performances, one recording you, and the other recording the audience. Those videos will probably be the best teachers you ever had.

The problem with the Café, you don't know who any of these people are and if there opinion is worth listening to. Magicians helping magicians is no good if the magicians trying to help need help themselves and are just sprouting opinions, even if they are well intentioned.

Before you give your opinion read what Sharpe has to say about critics and criticism. If you have to ask who is Sharpe well then, you might reconsider giving opinions.

You can see me and my body of work anytime and decide if you think my words are worth merit


Here's the rub, YOUR MISTAKES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!!!! If anyone tells you to forget them, DON'T BELIEVE THEM

Your mistakes are what you learn from, you learn nothing from a perfect performance. Address the mistakes and take action to correct them, don't beat yourself up over them but YOU CAN NOT IGNORE THEM.

To start let's address your "nerves", can you start thinking of the nerves as energy? Then let's channel that energy into your performing character and your performance.

It took years of regular performing until I lost the "nerves" but I learned to use them. Now when it's time to take the stage I'm eager, that is my stage and that is my audinece and I've got to give them the most amazing entertainment experience I possibly can. Every ounce of work, imagination, study, practice, rehearsal, determination and dedication goes into that (and every) show!

Practice and more practice, then proper practice and rehearsal will take care of the mistakes and lessen the amount of nerves you have to channel into energy.

If you truly want to be a great or even good magician there is a serious amount of time and dedication required, do you have what it takes, the desire and ability to devote that much of yourself to the art? Does it mean than much to you?

If so then keep crawling and before long you might be able to walk

Hello WV,

As a young magician who is still learning, seeing performances such as this help me build in confidence

Like those above you have done great, and id love to hear about how you perform a few more shows down the track

Regards,
Kane

Thanks.

This is what I'm trying to achieve with my BLOG. A learn as I learn type experience.