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MagicRocks New user 91 Posts |
Hi all,
I would like to ask a question. What if the person who you perform magic to frequently (wife, parents, friends) criticize your magic before it ends and spoil your performance(that is you are just performing to that person)? Should they wait for your performance to end or is this method of expressing their views halfway through your performance correct? Any opinions? |
solrak29 Special user NY Metro 936 Posts |
First I will say, stop performing to these folks; they will hate magic
Second, I would just nod or note it and keep going. An alternative would be to tell them ahead of time to wait until the end of the performance. The problem with having them wait until the end is that they may forget something that they wanted to tell you at that moment. Or that could be the whole point? I question this all the time...but I tend not to perform to them nowadays unless I am really desperate in need of feedback.... I think we're back to square one here...
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Cyberqat Inner circle You can tell I work on the net from my 2209 Posts |
Really it depends on what you are asking of them.
The one time I was lucky enough to have th chance to work with a Director, the director would stop my mid presentation to ask questions or make suggestions. That was his job-- coaching me on performance and stage presence. If you are asking for feedback, be gracious about it however it comes. OTOh if this is happening during performance, then either (a) you picked the wrong audience (audience control is toughest with people with whom you have complicated prior relationships) OR (b) you aren't ready to be performing that illusion. In that case, practice more in front of mirrors and critique yourself. Likely some of both is true.
It is always darkest just before you are eaten by a grue.
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Brad Burt Inner circle 2675 Posts |
Use it and learn from it. Say thanks and just keep going. Performing is both learning to manage the audience AND manage yourself as the performer.
You WILL encounter difficult folks in all sorts of situations if you perform in a wider venue. But, also, learn to listen to your audience. Are these folks telling you, "Pleeease, don't do magic for me anymore!", or are they saying something else by their actions? If their comments are valid and you are in fact flashing the method or making some other mistake what they could be saying is that you have a problem, etc. On the other hand, if their comments are not in fact valid, but merely irritating...that's a different thing and you have to look for what is really being communicated. All best,
Brad Burt
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DWRackley Inner circle Chattanooga, TN 1909 Posts |
"A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house."
...or put another way... "Familiarity breeds contempt!" I won't do Magic for someone who's too close to me. For one thing, they know me when I'm not "being magical", and it's too much to ask them to pretend they haven't just watched me change hats. The one exception (and even this is rare), I will show my wife something if it's really good, or if I need SPECIFIC CRITQUE about a certain thing such as language or direction. If you’re performing for someone (and it’s not a paying audience) be very specific in telling them what you expect from them. “Does this fool you?” is very different from “How’s my delivery?” In fact, you probably need to answer honestly yourself, what are you hoping for when you show your Magic to this particular person? If the answer is simply to perform Magic, or to garner applause and adulation, then this audience is fed up, and it’s time to locate another venue! If nobody around you wants to see your stuff, or feels they can’t behave politely while you show off, it might be nature’s way of telling you either you need to improve or you need to go out into the world! One way or the other, it’s time to cut off this audience!
...what if I could read your mind?
Chattanooga's Premier Mentalist Donatelli and Company at ChattanoogaPerformers.com also on FaceBook |
aalexander Loyal user 232 Posts |
Agreed with the other posters. If people aren't supportive, just don't perform for them. You can have a super hero double life where you perform for other people, and if your family members aren't actually trying to undermine you, eventually the reputation you build and the expectation that they have from not being able to see your deeds my just win them over later on.
My personal compromise is to perform for people close to me until they catch me, knowing all along that it is a con and that they will try to catch what I am doing. If they do it was what was intended all along, if they don't then it's a genuine miracle. Once I have seen how far I can take it with the doubters, I will do better in the real world. If they're really skeptical and perhaps wanting not to play along for some reason, learn some real cons that aren't showy, and then just present them as such to the people who are close to you. That way it's a mutual activity of appreciating whatever is behind the ruse rather than you both being opposed to one another. "Of course it's a con but WHAT a con!" and "this had me stumped for hours" (even if it didn't have you stumped for hours) really changes the dynamic. |
crochow Regular user Youngstown, Ohio 129 Posts |
Perhaps if you can videotape your performance instead of performing in front the the 'critics', that would solve your dilema. We are usually our worse critic! LOL!
Magically,
Chris Rochow |
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