http://youtube.com/watch?v=qTVxLMmnUTg

How about this female magician's assistant.

And, Maritess, if you come up to St. Cloud, MN I will definately be your assistant!

You know what is funny. Although that is a cartoon or comic, there are some really great and creative ideas to be found in there. If yiou open up your eyes, you can find creative ideas in most anything. I really enjoyed watching that. As a creative thinker, I try and keep my eyes open to anything that sparks creative thought. Thanks.

Kyle

Wait, Mighty Fool.. you mean the magicians put you into the water tank without knowing you were a magician?

Scaevola,

It wasnt a water tank escape, more of a 'dunk-the-jerk' comedey effect. And remember, I was in on the trick, I was their stooge, pretending to be a chauvinist in the crowd. They approached me because they knew that I'd be there everyday (as a sword-pit-fighter), and since I wore a visor in the arena no one who had already seen the tournaments would recognize me. Also, due to my apperance, it made for the perfect 'magic & brains triumph over bullying brawn' scenario. The trick itself (which was the last of 4 with me onstage) went like this:After being given abck my watch & wallet, the ladies invite me to restarin one of them for the water tank escape. I gladly accept relishing the chance to get back some of my dignity. As I'm strapping her into the starightjacket, she gives me instructions about 'not too tight' and 'don't fasten ALL the locks' which I gleefully ignore, securing the jacket as tightly as possible. She complains that she can hardly breathe, and I say "So get out of it!! You're the magician right?" Her partner then walks over and says "Now help me put her up into the tank.....are you SURE you don't want to make that jacket a little easier to get out of?" I reply laughing "Yes I'm sure!! Dumb dame!" She says "I'm warning you...youre going to regret fastning it so tightly!!" And I say "Why?? Because now you can't do your stupid trick? Then why don't you both go back to whatever strip-joint you escaped from!" She says "That SO does it!!" And a curtain is whisked up around me the girl in the jacket and the tank....2 seconds later it drops...the girl is standing there, free from the jacket, and wearing my shirt, and I'm in the tank, strapped into the jacket with a look of confused horror. After musing a momment about leaving me in there , the tank is drained, and I'm out, screaming to be released ("I can't breathe in this thing! I'll sue!!") And that's that.

It was rehearsed, and of course I can't go into details as to how it was done, but it was a lot simpler than it seems. I've been to &/ worked at a lot of renfaires, but the fun I had at this one was like nothing before or since.

I think that we need to see more male assistants in the industry. I have been the male assistant to Lyn Dillies for 17 years. It is a lonley profession. The only ones I have seen are professial dancers not loyal assistants. It takes a strong person, male or female, to stay on the sidelines in this industry. I would like to hear from any other male assistants out there

I have always had males work as assistants in my show, along with female leads. So you are not alone!
Autumn

I've always had a great deal of respect for magicians' assistants, especially once I found out how much of the magic they actually perform! I my mind, I now look at assistants as I do the supporting players in a play or movie. Without them, the star can't put on much of a show.

Please! Give me a break.

"straight guys with no dance background"

As boring as it is, I’m a straight guy. (Old rodeo cowboy who still has horses.) But I do have some dance background. (Christmas, Lucy actually gave me some tap shoes!)

My mom was a singer dancer. So I had years of dancing! My wife still dances and was a model and ballerina in New York and LA until she was 39! (I won't tell you her age but she still dances.) My daughter is a ballet dancer with one of the top ballet companies west of the Rockies. (I raised her without a Mom! And she's the toughest boy I raised. On broncs, she out rides the guys! And they hate it. Her brother is 26 and still playing baseball.)

Dancing experience does help in magic. And even straight guys can do it!

In Lucy's show I am sometimes her assistant. I hate the costumes but it's fun.

In my shows she is often my assistant too. Every magician can use some misdirection!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Sorry, Bob- I just got an amusing and politically incorrect visual from that, despite having read through this entire thread.

I'm still looking for a good, part-time assistant. My wife won't commit to it- she's on-call 24/7 at her job and worried she may need to cover for someone and not be able to make a show; and I don't perform regularly, which makes it difficult to hire an assistant. My old assistant just wanted to perform just for the love of magic; people like that are tough to find. (My wife's sister recently joked with us that we need to have a daughter so I'll have an assistant...)

They are hard to find. It is even hard to find good assistants when you work steady and offer pay. There are a lot of reasons - some have been discussed here and others are discussed in my Magician's Assistant School workshop (by the way, for more info on this vist http://www.flip-side.com/coaching.html and to hear a session in process check out http://flip-side.podomatic.com ).

Finally!!

A thread where discussion of male assistants isn't discouraged!!!

I have been out of the magic community for over a year. My assistant in my few performances has always been a man. My zig zag is my fav prop.

I really prefer men as assistants. And there are men who have men as assistants (my favorite being Cosentino from Australia.)

Magicians (ladies and men), please don't be shy or intimidated about having men in the boxes instead of women. It doesn't emasculate male magicians and it doesn't make lady magicians look "awkward". ( Come on, what magician hasn't thought of a "Two and a Half Men" themed double thin model sawing? )

Ladies, you'd be very surprised at the feedback I received from my act: my night club performer friends and audience members love my act, but SAM members and older magicians seem to think it "odd".

I love being creative with my presentations. Squeezing beefy guys into tiny spaces is just part of the fun.

When you saw a guy in half, you could say, “He’s not half the man he used to be…oh wait…he IS half the man he used to be.”

Then you can play the Beatles’ Come Together while you put him back together.


Holly

Lothar,

When I saw Cosentino's show - which I enjoyed - the guys were more stagehands than assistants - certainly no big smiles - in fact they were in the main quite gum. A huge contrast to the many 'personality plus' female assistants we have all seen.

This needn't be the case though. I remember seeing a clip of a wonderful magician doing a dracula type act - coffin rise etc - and his male assistant playing an 'Igor' type butler role was absolutely wonderful . I'll have a search for the clip and post a link if I find it.

Destiny

Holly:

Thanks for a good laugh! You could start a new thread, maybe under "Puzzle Me This".

Here's my contribution:

The song lyric "I saw you last night, and got that old feeling"

Jim

OK-

Here is a great performance of the slicer using a cute guy as the assistant. Great set-up, great performance.

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=38UIf7fxwp8

I want to be Mag Lari when I grow up. (Wayne Dobson now comes in a close second.)

You might enjoy seeing me get cut up by Sue-Anne...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNz3d1TFSws

My current best assistant is my male student and friend Lonny.

Tim: Sue-Anne looks like she is just enjoying herself way too much at your exs[ense. hehehe As a husband whoalso works with my wife as my magical partner, I just know never to get her mad before we do an illusion show. lol

Kyle

Good advice Kyle!

One I have to remember constantly.. otherwise I do not eat for a week. hehehe

Kyle