Hi everyone. I have been doing magic for a year and a half or so and have been thinking about volunteering at some places. However, I haven't really performed for strangers that much. I have done it a couple of times and generally get good reactions. so I was wondering if maybe I would be better of maybe performing somewhere else first. Also the only routine I really have put together is an ambitious card routine and if I have to perform in front of a group I'm not really sure that it would be the best one to do.

I am in scouts so have done lots of volunteering so I know how to be around the people I would be performing for. Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot,
Lonewolf210

I did magic back in my scouting days too. Cub packs generally have a magic themed meeting at least once a year, if not a blue and gold banquet to have entertainment at, a scout magician volunteering for a show there would be good exposure and experience for you. But you need more than one routine to do a show. Ambitious card is a good start in magic, but you need more than card magic. If you can't afford a number of stand up /parlor props, get a book like Mark Wilson's complete Course in magic, there are a number of props easy to build in there, most can be made of cardboard, that you can build a show around. If you are going to do volunteer work at first, you don't need a large show, 20-30 min is more than enough. And 6-8 effects with good patter will get you through that amount of time with no problem. Card magic can be done from the stage, but close up card magic like Ambitious card won't play well to a large group. Try cards up the sleeve (if you can do Ambitious card you will have no problem with cards up the sleeve). Max Mavins "Mockingbird" plays well to a group, and isn't that hard to do (no real sleights), and is both a card and mentalism trick to give you variety, it also has a good impact. Squared Circle plays well in parlor magic and can give you a lot of material for a routine. Rope magic plays well also, cheap and easy to do. Younger audiences likes visual magic. Linking rings plays well and you can generally get a 10 inch set for fairly reasonable amount. A thumb tie plays well and costs almost nothing. A simple TT trick or two can be very visual and plays well. Mark's book can give you a couple hours of material easily, all with stuff you can pretty well build yourself, or do with things you already have around.
In my teen years I did not have huge funds for magical props. I did pretty well with cards, coins, and things I could easily build myself. I even developed a levitation (requires 3 people) built out of cardboard and cloth, that wowed them, I even continued to play it into my adult professional years. Can still be built for about 30 dollars.
Practice a lot, rehearse ur routines and show a lot, don't go out to do a show without a lot of practice and rehersal. Have a full show laid out, don't go out and start doing random magic. You don't have to be an adult or in magic 20 years to look like a pro. Hope that gives you an idea or two.

Stick with what you know. Start close to home, ie. friends, family, scouts and some of the events you attend. Be nice. Who cares if you only know one trick! Just make sure you smile and perform it well. The rest will follow. You are on the right road.

Good Luck!

Justin

Try a Skate Park. The guys at Skate parks love magic and normally don't care if you mess up (as long as you do good on your next trick). I have only been doing magic for about six mouths and am already well known at my Skate Park. I would sugest you not performing much for Family and Friends because they tend to try to make you look stupid or at least give away what you are doing. To them you are just there friend who picked up a few tricks. To Strangers the only thing they know you as is a magician, thus they will be fooled by simpler slights.

Find a good restraunt. Go in and order some food or a drink or even an appetiser. go in the afternoon where it is not real buisy and the waitresses have a little time to see your magic.Get youself a good thumbtip and a rainbow streamer in your right pocket. Fold up a dollar bill in your left pocket. After you are done eating tell the waitress you have something special for her. Say this kind of loud so some other customers will hear and turn there focus onto you.(you just got a small audience.) Reach into your pockets and put on the thmbtip with the streamer inside of it on your right thumb.Put the small folded bill (I prefer a five dollar bill) ask her to put out her hands in front of her. Then putting your right hand on top of hers hiding the thumb tip under your fingers ask her if she see's any thing in her hand.When she says no say it is a wish. Put your right hand into a fist leaving the thumbtip closed inside your hand and pull out some of the rainbow silk and hold one end in the left hand and the rest in the thumbtip in the right fist. Tell her this is a wishing rainbow and when it touches her hand she needs to make a wish. When she says she made her wish let go of the streamer in the left hand and put your hands together leaving the thumbtip in your left fist hiding it. pull your right hand across the streamer so that you are holding the thumbtip in the left fist, the other end of the streamer in the right hand. Then tell her this is where the magic begins. put the streamer with your right finger back into the thumb tip. Holding your thumb tip behind your four fingers slowly start to unroll the folded up bill. As you unfold the bill keep the thumb tip behind the bill. Then keeping the thumb tip on your thumb roll the bill around the thumb tip hiding it from view. Once you role the bill around reach inside and pull out the rainbow streamer all the way out. flash the streamer by waving it up and down once or twice and put the thumb tip back on. Put the streamer into the right hand and take the bill and wave it up and down once or twice while pulling the finger tip into your hand covering it with the streamer and put it in your pocket then with both hands clean pull the bill between your left and right hand and sit it into her hand and tell her I hope this will get you closer to your wish. You have just tipped your waitress in a very memorable way. If you practice this you should be able to do it in about two and a half minutes. The other customers will see this and on your way out ask them if they would like to see some magic and go into another card or coin or spongeball presentation. The only thing I can warn you about though is be ready when you go back with some other magic becouse you will be asked to show the waitresses some more. you can repeat this with different waitresses but always have something else to show.

Photius gave several good suggestions.
The problem is that your going to need more than an ACR routine.
Also, for a sizable group it would have to be more visible than just cards. More along the lines of parlor magic than close up.

As far as to who and where to test and volunteer your magic there have been several suggestions in this topic.

Good luck and welcome to the Café.

Now that's is my question....

How much material do you need? I imagine if your performing at the same place
for some time, your bound to repeat routines...no?

Great advice-this is where we all pretty much started

Good Luck