Tomorrow, I will be doing my first performance at a coffee house. I do a lot of mental magic and have spent a considerable amount of time planning out the show. My real question is how easy or difficult it will be to keep the spectators' attention. I realize there is a chance that they may be distracted with conversation and all the other things that go on in a coffee house (including a possible weak performance on my part...although I've worked hard preparing) ....so I'm prepared for the possibility of being ignored by some of them. However, I look at it as a learning experience and I am determined to do everything in my power to keep their attention. If I don't, then I will certainly analyze things in order to make adjustments in the future. Any thoughts from any of you??

Be bold, be confident, and keep smiling.

I think what you are doing is great. A lot of people talk it..but you are jumping out there..

Just remember, they will listen if you seem confident and in control.

Ricahrd S

First of all, good for you!

Any type of performance is really about connecting with your audience. This is even more exemplified in Mentalism, as it's really just you in front of people with a pad, pen, cards, etc.

First suggestion is; know your material so well (technically), that you can put almost all of your energy into making and maintaining that connection. This means being confident, charming (if that fits your persona), and animated (avoid talking in a monotone manner, when something remarkable happens, your voice and mannerisms should echo what is occurring).

Second suggestion; keep it simple. Pick routines, particularly an opener, that are easy to understand, brief, and offers surprises/unexpected moments.

Next, be yourself...don't try to be a mystical character from a faraway land....be true to who you are, only slightly exaggerated/enhanced.

as a rule of thumb you should expect to be quite nervous before starting; this is not only normal, but necessary, as it puts your body and mind on alert. You can turn this nervousness into a positive, by focusing it on one simple thing/task, that you will do early in the set. The other byproduct of nerves is that your pacing will speed-up, so, as a mantra, s.....l....o....w............d....o...w...n!

To that end, record yourself (preferably audio & video, but audio alone is very helpful as well). You'll learn far more from reviewing your performance this way, than based on what you observed and are able to recall. The recording is far better/more truthful than any well-meaning buddy's well-intentioned comments/praises/critiques.

Finally, accept up front, that you will rarely get everyone's attention. Work on them one at a time, and if you manage to connect with one single person the first time out, consider it a success. Yes, people are easily distracted, and often appear to have A.D.D., but most people also have a fundamental need/desire for things remarkable to occur in their lives, and you can meet that need!

Hope this helps....good luck, and let us know how it goes!

How exciting, Bill! Coffee shop magic is definitely my very favorite kind and where I spend most of my "magic time".

The great thing about performing there, is that most people go either to relax or do business, so it's fairly clear cut who's who.

Good luck with your first coffee gig!

Alvo

Hi billm55, I've been working on a book called Coffee House Mentalism one routine is called Delicious Billets!. The spectator writes down their thoughts on a billet and puts the billet in a cupcake (or similar) which you then eat - right infront of the them. The idea is that you can pick up on the spec's thoughts by tasting them.

This is obviously a comedy routine but gets great reactions from specs. I use it as a opening for a few routines because the premise gets spectator attention.

Readers of Katterfelto magazine get the effect free as 'taster' (ho-ho) for the upcoming book - I'll extend this to Café members since there is interest in Coffeehouse mentalism.

To get Delicious Billets! go to http://3wonders.com find 'Free Effect' and click on ENTER. The username and password are:

Username: magic
Password: Café (spelt in the normal way - lower case 'c' and ending with an 'e')

I hope people enjoy this fun effect

Thanks for the free effect S. Lea! Very clever indeed.

DT3

Edible mentalism may be my niche

I'm currently working on a gingerbread clipboard (*joke!)

I'm working on a fudge-writer...it works in my undies quite well...

Tomorrow let us know how great you did. Have some coffee and a donut before you start.

Don't Forget to Taped your Show using Video Camera or using your favourite method

Good Luck

I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I HAVE worked mentalism in a coffee house, so here is my advice.

1) Get some amplification. You need a microphone and speakers so you can be heard over the equipment. If you don't have this you're going to find yourself having to either stop when someone is using the espresso machine or having to restate your routine every three minutes. Either one is going to ruin your timing.

2) Talk with the manager/head honcho before your show and let him or her know what they can expect from your program. You don't want to start a show only to find out the person in charge opposes what you're doing. (Been there once and wasn't fun)

3) Expect to have to talk over the noise going on. Hence the microphone.

4) Engage the audience. The atmosphere of a coffee house is (or was for me) very good for getting open minded people but they can be difficult to get involved. You have to make them want to listen. Don't just stand there and talk to the air around the audience. Speak to the people there. Move around the room if you can. Engage as many people as you can either by going to them or by bringing them to you. Expect people to say "no thank you" or just "no". Bring them up anyway, but reassure them that you will not embarrass them. And if you have a routine that can embarrass your assistant (like the bra trick) drop it. If you embarrass your helper, others will not want to help.

5) If you screw up and get caught cheating (happened to me during a book test) laugh it off and move on. It's for entertainment, what do they expect? Learn from the experience after the fact.

6) Bring a notebook to write notes on your experience after the show. Working a coffee house is different from most other venues, but it can be very rewarding. Good luck and have fun.

One last thing. If you ever find that you are the opening act for a local high school band and the audience is 95% teenage girls, help the band set up as fast as they can and run. Those teenage girls are BRUTAL.

So how did it go?

And, not to be completely pedantic about it, but was this a coffee house (as the subject line indicates) or a coffee shop (which most people addressed in their answers)? Yes, there is a difference between a coffee house and a coffee shop.

R

Is it like the differences between a Gingerbread house and a Gingerbread shop?

Morning Rory.

Morning, Tony.

A coffee shop is where you go for your double latte and fat free bran muffin and use the free wi-fi.

A coffee house is usually a weekly/monthly event at a space used for something else, often (in my experience) a church hall. They'll bring in an act (usually musical, often folk), and maybe set up a table at the back to sell coffee and muffins and the performer's CDs.

People usually aren't expecting entertainment at the first venue; at the second, they are, it's why they are there.

I once mentioned to my friend Brian that Mrs. Raven was volunteering at a coffee house ... and he wondered why she would work at Starbucks for free. Bri can be a little slow.

R

Actually Rory, I have worked at both types of venues that you're talking about. The advice I gave would have applied for both venues, but yes I was talking about a coffee shop. Down here we actually call the more upscale ones coffee houses to differenciate between them and a Starbucks type of place. The one I worked had started carrying books for sale before it closed. They had purchased the inventory of a small book store that had shared space with them for a time. The business had also sponsored a dinner theater and had entertainment on a regular basis. Most of the entertainment was provided by a local band. In addition to the bands I also provided entertainment as well.

Coffee Houses and Coffee Shops are the same thing. When the first coffee 'houses' opened in London in the mid 17th Century they were called Coffee Houses and were like Free Houses (pubs) but served coffee instead of beer. Queen's Lane Coffee House est. 1654, in Oxford is still running I believe.

The use of coffee shop is much later terminology and more accurately describes a place that primarily sells coffee beans to be taken home and roasted. Some places also have small areas available to sample/drink coffee such as the Monmouth Coffee shop in London (which incidently is an excellent place to buy coffee beans).

The use of coffee house as a social event is not well known in the UK. Although many events are held outside of coffee houses, originally such events were held in coffee houses - which is where they got the name.

I'm aware of the origins of the terms. Over here in the U. S., they generally mean different things.

Too bad the OP hasn't come back to say how it went.

Rory

Historically that may be correct but regionally its more than acceptable to use the term Coffee shop as a place that sells Coffee and tea.

Or just wait long enough in the one place, and eventually there's a strong chance it will become a Starbucks

That may be true over there, but if you come over here and see a sign for a "cat house" don't expect to be able to purchase a kitty.

:kitty: