Dear beginners, please a couple of points of etiquette when out in public where other magicians are performing;
1) If you are just starting out, even months or a couple of years into magic, and you have another magician take you under his wing, don't go to where he is working, say a restaurant, with the intent of siting down with him and talking shop. Don't go there if you're not going to eat, have a drink, or for any other reason you would normally go to an eating or drinking establishment. Certainly don't take any new props with you, try to show him any new moves you're working on or ask for advice regarding those props or moves. And whatever you do, never go there, whether he is there or not, don't try to perform at the venue. Your "mentor" has worked long and hard to develop his skills. He has cultivated a relationship with the staff from the owner--who probably agreed to his being there and is the one paying him--down to the busboys and custodian, because they are the actual people he is working for and has to keep happy, particularly the owner. Doing any of these things, but particularly going to his venue to with the intent to perform there is very rude and may jeopardize his working there in the future. It make you look bad, makes him look bad, and it makes magicians in general look bad. And finally, don't go there with the intent of trying to sell yourself as a magician. That would turn your mentor into a terrible adversary. If you aspire to public performance, particularly for pay, your mentor is probably all for helping you out in that regard although he would be creating a competitor for his business. Ask him what it would take for you to be like him, to join the ranks of paid professional performers. If he is worth his salt as a mentor, he will be honest and frank with you about this aspiration and will let you know when you might be ready, ho to develop you own style, presentations, and act or set so that you won't be simply a bad carbon copy of him. After all, you are an individual and he has been where you are and knows what it is like to have these aspirations, and what does it do for you, for him, or magic in general to have one more cheap copy of another magician out there? Violate any of these suggestions and depending on your mentor's personality you will get a reaction that will range any from mild irritation and a thorough dressing down to public embarrassment or even a violent confrontation.
2) You young guys out there, you know who you are. You're between ten and 16. You've watched all the videos on Youtube you can find. You may have tried few of the routines there and may even be doing some of them quite well. Every time you get some money heating up your pockets or in this day and age your debit/credit card, you spend it on the latest and greatest effect. You open the box or package as soon as it arrives give it a quick going over and then try it out. You may get a good reaction or you may not. If you find yourself out in public, say at a restaurant, with your parents or friends go ahead and tell the magician there of your interest in magic. It would be best if you wait until he's done with his set, but he will be polite and may even give you some good advice on how to get better. Go ahead and watch those Youtube vids, but don't use the knowledge thereby gained to expose the effect or bust his chops. Watch the trick and observe his presentation and style. You might learn something about magic besides a working method--actually the least important aspect of a magic effect or performance--like presentation and an individual personal style. Better yet, get yourself to a library--they have these things called books there--and find out all you can about the magic books in their collection. They can be found in a library organized using the Dewey Decimal System under 703.8. (If you already know this you're "in the club" and I'm speaking to the choir. http://www.insidemagic.com/magicnews/200......to-you/) If you haven't yet looked through every magic book in your nearest public library, actually if you haven't checked each one of them out, read them cover to cover, tried every trick, move, and idea, you should probably just keep your mouth shut about what you have "learned" on Youtube. If the magician you are watching does one of the effects you own, don't tell him you "do" it too or expose the secret while he's there or after he leaves. If you do, guess what? You've also basically decided to not do the effect yourself, particularly in front of the people you just expo ed it for. Here's what you do while watching that professional doing his job. Watch your parents reactions and don't rudely interrupt the performer. Are they having a good time? Yes! Are they busting the guys chops interrupting to tell him how they're magicians too and know this and that move or the workings of every commercial effect out there? No! They're laughing, paying attention, interacting with the performer, and you should be too. They brought you out with them, they're paying the check, you are probably eating for free since that's why the establishment has a "kid's night" (the bane of working professionals everywhere because most restaurant owners and managers have the false assumption that magic is just for kids and having a magician there on kid's night will bolster their bottom line) and the last thing your folks want is to run your mouth heckling the magician with your constant interruptions regarding your skill and knowledge as a magician. When you get home, don't log on to Youtube and search for a video with an exposure of the one or two effects you hadn't already seen there. Yeah it's probably been uploaded already, but all you will do is learn the working method. Here's a big secret. Every working magician has spent hours and hours developing his own version of any effect he does and you won't be able to duplicate what you saw at dinner any way.
3) My apologies to the admins of Magic Café in advance of this last point. Beginners should spend less time here and more time with the effects, books, and videos they already own, and more time practicing and preforming. Magic Café is a great website and the forums are very valuable as a resource of information and a place to interact, but you won't advance in skill or performance ability if you spend most of your "magic" time here instead of working on what the real purpose of the site is overall, and that is becoming better magicians.
I usually come to the "New to magic" forum to offer my advice and insight gained over 47 years of my life spent interested in and working as a magician to help out the new members of our ranks. But I felt a need to comment on the first two points after my restaurant gig last night. Yes, both things happened, the second multiple times, in a two hour period of table hopping. I can roll with the punches as any professional must, but I thought it was time I speak my mind to the beginners out there about these things, mainly to remind myself that I have to work within the realities of what I have chosen to do. I hope that the beginners will read this and head my advice, but I'm not really optimistic since this is not the firs time I have experienced this myself or witnessed other performers in the same predicament. Thus endeth my Sunday sermon brothers and sisters. Can I get an 'Amen'?

BRAVO!!!

JMHO

Hi MR! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>AMEN<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< (There! I said it!!!)

I've done an occasional table hopping gig, but, it was never a "regular" booking.

Most of my work was in school assemblies, and most of my backstage guests were students in high schools, with an occasional teacher. Most of them were a delight to meet, and some have become friends of many years. I do remember a FEW who were anything but, courteous guests. They were quickly shone the door!

I remember an adult hobbyist who rushed into the dressing room and reached into my prop case to grab a prop! I slammed the lid down on his wrist, and he left.

793.8

HA! You did read MR's post! (I wonder if perhaps MR did that on purpose, to see if readers were really reading!

Although I completely agree with the content of the OP, some magic to make paragraphs appear would have been nice.

Neocatylyst and Dick Oslund, no, that was an insomnia induced typo unfortunately. RogerTheShrubber, true that, but again, I often post in the middle of the night/early morning hours, and this was a "flow of consciousness" piece, so I missed the nuances of composition. Thanks for the agreement and the love!

To drive home one point. I have recently taken a trick I do to a much higher level. I didn't find a super move, the mechanics of the trick are the same, but now I get everyone to say ooooo at a critical moment and everyone laughs. How did I find this? By performing the trick 200 times to different audiences.

The method is important, but it's not the only thing that is important. Watch good magic - what makes it good? Watch bad magic - what makes it bad? Consider the performances as MR Sharpe said. Watch, think, learn, develop your own style.

Another AMEN! --This time to RedHat.

Yes! The PRESENTATION is what "makes" the PERFORMANCE "sparkle".

Audience involvement and interaction is, and, will be in the future, most important.

You have "discovered" a technique for involving, and interacting!!! (ooooooh!)

DITTO once again to Dick Oslund.

Ray