Hi:

I'm doing a charity event soon, and they've asked that I perform alfresco, which I'm taking to mean very much like busking.

I've never done this before, so I thought I'd run my ideas past you guys for vetting.

#1. I'm going to have a small music style stand with a box on top to act as my storage area.

#2. I'm going to perform for 6 to 8 minutes and then wait 10 minutes before starting again. (The event is an outdoor fair, so I'm guessing 10 minutes should guarantee me a fresh crowd.)

#3. I'm going to be wearing a button that identifies me as being a member of the charity team.

#4. I'm going to stop a random guy and ask for his help. I'm going to hand him the end of a piece of rope, then duplicate the process with another guy.

I'm going to drag them out of the main flow and have them drop the ends on the ground to act as a "don't' cross line". This process (I'm hoping) will start to build a crowd.

#5. My material is going to be:
Sidewalk Shuffle
Dollar bill switch with Polygripped
Fastest knot in the west
Egg Bag
Cards across
Card to pocket
Sponge Balls



Thoughts/ideas?

You're either on or off. Be in character from the moment you begin. If the 2 guys aren't part of your character then don't use them, just lay out the rope yourself... IN CHARACTER. Doing it the way you describe only opens you up to refusals and a guaranteed slow start.

If the SWS is your opener then write an extra 90 seconds of patter at the start and use this as your characters opener. The patter doesn't need to involve the SWS directly, but it should lead back in to it after you have used it (the patter) to get your audience's attention. Think of yourself as a carnival talker and your job is to create a sensation which will hopefully make a few people curious enough to stop.

Be loud
Be colorful
Be different
Be entertaining
Be in character at all times

Good luck and come back and tell us how it went....

Thanks Chance.

With the number of posts you have, its hard to believe that you are a newbie. Especially since some of the effects you mentioned I've never heard of.

From my experience, make sure they mean "busking". The actual meaning of "alfresco" is not busking. They could intend that you freely wonder about and do your thing when and where you want to do it. This is usually how the charity events I have worked have it. Also the charity events I have worked, usually don't want you hatting people since this is all supposed to be for charity and the people there have already paid money to be there. So make sure you can actually busk...

As far as the effects you have lined up, I think you have more than 8-12 minutes. Do you have your set show ready to go or are you just winging it?

You have way too many effects for such a short time. Sidewalk Shuffle, for example, is anywhere between 4 and 6 minutes, depending on the story you weave. If you have no story, it's just another trick. Problem with SWS is - it doesn't involve the audience.
The Egg bag does, and should. That's another long one...work on it..

Cards across and cards to pocket are too similar to do back to back, or even in the same set.

Incidentally, what's "Bill switch with Polygripped"?

Put the Bill switch second, keep the specs cash and reveal it at the end. That way, you'll keep the crowd. Put it in as the first item, and half the crowd will have missed it.

Good luck with it.

DCB

Dead cat is right you have way to much. A good friend of mine does 3 routines in a 45 minute show. cut it way down. If you want to treat this as busking. make an agreement with the organization to solicit and collect tips, to give back to the charity. If you want my opinion drop the knot, cards across, and sponge balls.
I also have no clue what polygripped is. I am also going to echo DCB. keep the borrowed bill after the bill switch. end on the eggbag. Do the gag where they think they see you put the egg under you arm. then show it is a lime. under your arm. and for the finale bill from lime. That is what I would do with the effects that you listed.

Ah guys...sorry I didn't explain myself clearly.

#1. I'm NOT a newbie to magic...just to the busking style of magic.

#2. The material I'm going to do is actually about 3 acts worth. That's why card to pocket and card to billfold are in the list. I wouldn't do them together, I just want to do both.

#3. There will be no hat. I'm NOT trying to get money, since this is indeed a charity event. What I want to do is try and apply some of the ideas, themes, and theories that I've read on these pages. There's going to be 2 other guys wandering and doing close up.

#4. They do indeed want "something in this style". I really think they want a platform show, but don't have a platform handy, since they're being used by bands, etc. So, this appears to be a fair compromise.

Polygripped is an old Steve Dushek idea. The bill reappears between two plates of plastic that are rubber banded together in every direction. Takes a little reset, but I'm figuring that as long as I have 10 minutes between sets, that should be plenty of time.

Sorry for the confusion, but thanks much for the advice.

I am confused know, what makes it in the style of busking?

Yeah, this sounds more like strolling.

When I said to make an agreement to sollicit tips, I meant so you can give that money back to the charity. That would give them a few extra dollars and give you some experience on how to give a hat pitch. How ever this really doesn't sound much like a busking gig to me.

I find it a little different when I am performing "alfresco" versus busking. It a totally different game when I have to hat them, but maybe it's just me...

Performing at charity events, its already agreed that I will be there and if I am not hatting anyone then there is that added edge that is not there as apposed to finding a pitch (where I may or may not be welcomed) and hatting folks watching the show...

Even if I am welcomed, the whole hatting business brings the whole thing to a different level...but maybe that is just a level of busking that I am at at the moment....

Strolling to me is more like doing closeup for a couple of people at a time. You might get 5 or 10 people to gather around.

Busking to me (and I could be wildly wrong here) is more like doing stand up/platorm. Trying to get 20 or 50 people to stop and watch a few items.

If I'm wrong, then , sorry about that.

Don't try to stop a random guy if he's by himself. It's easier to stop a couple of people and then use one of them.

I think invisible touch is great to build a crowd

I wouldn't say your wrong at all....

The number of people you gather depends on the type of show you are putting on.
Busking is simply performing on the streets, and since your performing on the open
at an organized event you can certainly treat it as a busking type of act...

In this case, as mentioned above, I would use your keister as your flash and use the rope to outline the stage. Have a small sign (ala, JimmyTalksAlot) and slap it on your case so that when you open it people can see "Magic Show". As you start putting out your rope, it should generate curiosity. If you get a spec or two asking questions or curuious, get them to help you with the rope...start your bally
as your setting up your flash...it will be good practice in gathering a crowd and keeping them as you go through your acts.

Let us know how it turns out....

Rizyanrizy - Invisible touch? What's that, pray tell?

DCB

Thanks for the advice, guys.

Amen (standing ovation)

Ok, the event is over and here's my story.

First off, let me give you the lay of the land.

There were two access points (steps) into the park where the charity event took place. The sidewalk actually ran around the small lake in the middle of the park. All of the rides/food tents/etc were sprawled down these two arms (in the grass), leaving the nice 10 foot wide sidewalks to the pedestrians.

The area I was to perform in though was totally unusable. It was indeed a nicely flat piece of the grass, even in the shade. THe problem was that the crowd would be going up and down the sidewalk..which was about 5 feet *lower* than the area I was on, with no access (other than climbing) within about 50 feet.

To further compound problems, I was ...the....very....last thing on my arm of the sidewalk. Not much "thru" traffic here. Plus, there was a small portable stage about 30 feet to my left, where dancers and cheerleaders, etc. were to perform.

So, I moved my spot to the point where one of the steps leading into the park empties out. I figured that there'd be plenty of foot traffic here.

And was I right.

The big problem was finding a way to quit. This was a surprise to me, the fact that as people would start to leave, others would join into the crowd. So, what I'd planned as a quick 6 min. show turned into 20 minute shows.

However, quit I did. Waited 10 mins and started again.

Using the Lectrick deck as an attention grabber certainly worked. As a matter of fact, I found it best to "spring" the deck a couple of times, then stop and massage one of my hands, and act as if I was just warming up.

Then, I could look up at someone, and say, "Boy, getting old ain't much fun, eh?"

Usually they would answer, and then I started talking to them and got them to stop. Notice I said "usually". Some of the other threads here talk about developing a thick skin. I see what you mean.

My material went over ok. The egg bag was very strong. I normally do this only on platform, so was quite eager to try it more "close-up".

The card to pocket and card through handkerchief also worked well, but I was again surprised how quickly people insinuated themselves into the "weak angles" of those tricks. No huge problem, but not one I'd anticipated. And I had a wall to my back, or those tricks might not have seen the light of day.

I was also surprised that the band playing across the lake effected my show so much. The faster the band played, the faster I seemed to talk. Something I'll have to watch out for.

Anyhow, I did about 6 sets...had a great time. Just not sure I'll do it again.

Interesting idea for a question to pull them in! Every age has an answer to that!