I’ve been into magic for about 5 years now and had a steady restaurant gig for about a year until I gave it up to coach at school.

I just started teaching middle school and don’t really have a source of income for the summer. I also need some flexibility, as my wife is expecting the end of July.

I have been strongly considering trying my hand at street magic. The performers and venue have always intrigued me and I think I have the right personality for it.

I have some concerns about how successful I can be at it though, which mostly has to do with a venue. See I live around Waterbury, CT and I don’t know that CT has the types of venues that could make street performing work. So I am looking for some advice on venues and other things.

I have been doing my homework though, mostly through this board, so let me share with you what I have so far…

Venue:
Where to work?
I’ve thought about the downtown areas of the major cities. Hartford seems to be busy during lunch as do some other major cities, e.g., New Haven, Stamford. Doing the lunch crowd there might work but what else?

Types of events:
I know that big events are good places to work but they obviously don’t happen every day. I watched and talked to Kozmo a bit at the Taste of Hartford last year. That would be one to start. I imagine that setting up some big holiday parades like Memorial day or fourth of July would be good as well as any big events in big parks.

Any other events that I might look at?

What about something like Fair Days. In a small town in CT, they have what is called Fair Days, which is when a bunch of vendors rent spaces on the green and sell all kinds of stuff. They have food as well but usually little in the way of entertainment. Would I just set up some right off the green or would you guys contact the organizers to get permission to be there, possibly on the green some where (probably down near the food?)?

In general what makes a good spot to set up. Lots of people obviously, but what else?

Drawing an edge:

While I am outgoing and very loud, I don’t know that I want to come off “carney like” if you know what I mean. I do a bit of juggling but I am not sure if that would work. I’ve read where a couple people have said they can draw an edge that way.

Could it be a decent draw or should I stick to something loud, colorful and flashy? Any ideas?

What to wear:

I have two issues with dress, one is that I lways perform in a jacket, which is not practical on the street if for no other reason than my second issue, which is I get hot quite easily and sweat a lot.

Loosing my coat pockets bothers me a bit but I figure I am not really going to need them.

I was considering using some improvised type of gibecière, since I really wanted to do the cups and balls anyway.

And this may be a silly question, but do you really need to have a hat to get a “hat”? I don’t typically wear hats and then there is the heat issue but I would buy one nonetheless. I kinda want to, really.

Routine:

As far as a routine goes I am not sure about an opener, but I had considered the standard silk vanish, maybe a quick in the hands sponge ball routine (yes I know they could fly away on the street! or perhaps a rubber band routine with black rubber bands so they would stand out more.

From there I would do a rope routine (Three Ropes and a Baby variation) and then finish with cups and balls.

I was wondering about cups and balls for smaller type crowds(I'm assuming that is the type of show I'll be doing to start). Would a routine like Jiggernaut or the Loomis/Riser in the hands chop cup routine play big enough?

Any thoughts on making a serious go at this??? Any advice/inspiration/insight would be great.

Kaliix,
Re: the sponge balls, I thought of a possible way to make them work on the street. I wanted to see what people thought. How about using a glass mixing bowl to dump them into. That way you can see how many there are and they won't fly away. The good thing about sponge balls is they are interactive; you can involve the audience, get them into the show, which 1) gives you material to draw upon for comedy and 2) gets that person and their friends to most probably tip you.

Jim

Kaliix, granted I haven't been on the streets as long as some other guys here (only a few months) but I'll share with you what I've learned.

Drawing an Edge: I first tried the carney style pitch, didn't work that well for. After standing there for a few minutes doing nothing, people would just start coming up to me, then once I got those first few, I would build up from there. Also, just saying a simple "showtime. magic show over here" has worked too.

Routine: My routine has changed 3 times in the past 3 months. I first dropped a rope routine. I then added and then dropped a comedy bit, because it wasn't funny. And just this past week, I added a funny muliple selection routine which has helped me alot in drawing a bigger crowd.

Dress: I wear a bowler hat because it looks good on me plus it helps me to stand out. I know a juggler who has two top hats but doesn't wear them, he just puts them out at the end to collect. I wear black tux pants with the Cellini pockets sewen into the front. which helps with my loads for cups and balls and it's and extra pocket to put stuff in, too. I wear a white, blue, or red long sleeve button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, or I wear a nice looking white ribbed t shirt.

Pitch: I don't know your area so I can't help you there. I can tell you that being out in the open doesn't work for me. Maybe the people are scared of magicians. I have found that if I put myself inbetween to objects (e.g. two benchs, two big plants, two light poles) it seems to help define me being there. Not sure why, maybe it gives them a comfort feeling.

That is what I've learned and what I'm doing now. I'm sure someone else might write and say bady things about what I've written, but who knows. Hope it helps.


Nolan

Nolan,

I am interested in why you dropped the rope routine? It seems to me that a rope routine would be ideal for the street.

I like the use of the multiple selection routine as it would provide the opportunity for a lot of audience involvement.

I was doing Bob Sheets' "Hang 'em High" and for some reason I wasn't getting a good response with it, either I sucked at it or people didn't like it, I think it was the aforementioed. My multiple selection is tied with with passing an object over my body, like a tennis racket(but it's not, i'm not telling what it is), I pass the object over my body as I find the cards. Very funny bit, it draws them in.

I love Rope routines. I use at least one version whenever I street perform. They are inherently funny and very visual. Multiple selection routines are awesome. Before I used them I didn't realize how strong they are.
Cups and Balls are a staple in my act. I would stay away from smaller routines such as 'Jiggernaught'. You can perform the cups for any number of people.
Sponge balls would be good crowd builders stops a few people to see what going on. At dusk I would use D'Lights to build interest. amd then move into my last show.
I use a hat but I don't wear it. I use it in one of my effects. So it has a place in my show. I like to set them up psychologically with a misers dream type thing with the money falling into the hat. I always do this while saying "Ladies and Gentleman of course this is an Illusion to be more precise it is an Allusion of what I would like you to do in a few minutes". Sort of a pre-pass thing. I never close with this though. The Cups are always my final peice.
Jason

Multiple selection means you have the various audience members selecting or otherwise contributing various times throughout the routine? Never heard of it before.
Jim

Man oh man, what a series of good questions. Many of the answers are buried in dozens of posts across this thread. I especially refer you to Danny Hustle’s various postings talking about gathering an edge.

You wonder where you can work. My street work tends to be small town festivals, fairs, and “events”. I do Strawberry, Blueberry, Apple Butter, Heritage Days, Spring, and Autumn festivals. They are all in small towns and draw fairly substantial crowds. Most are the “arts and crafts” type of events. Some are even tied to a small carnival (a few rides and some games). In most I get a bit of advertising in the local newspaper and in the flyer the promoters of the event put out. People come expecting to see me perform.

Other than the odd High School band and local barbershop quartet I am often the only entertainment. In three of my regular fairs I am paid to perform a platform act five times over the two days of the event. I am also allowed to do my street act and pass the hat.

I wear comfortable clothing. I tend to dress distinctively (colorful) to attract attention. I usually wear knickers and high boots. My boots are comfortable and lightweight (as cool as a pair of Levi’s) with insoles designed for long periods standing. Keep your feet comfortable and you can work longer! My clothing is made of cotton and is loose fitting.

By the way, I have a lightweight cotton (linen look) sports coat (partially lined) that is not all that hot when worn over a colorful and loose Haines Beefy-T. Like you I work out of my pockets. Otherwise, it is a long sleeve Beefy-T and working out of the gibecière and pouches. In the heat of August I am known to wear a short sleeve, colorful Beefy-T under an open Hawaiian shirt. That over worn lightweight slacks and comfortable shoes. I guess what I am saying is that you should dress for comfort (especially the footwear) and dress distinctively. Clean and pressed doesn’t hurt the image either. Bottom line is that you are going to sweat no matter what you wear (or don’t wear) so get as comfortable as you can.

Jacket aside, I have two different gibecière’s that I can use. One is leather and the other is a heavy upholstery material with an embroidered-look (and doesn’t look that silly worn with a Hawaiian shirt!). The entire act packs into organizers built into the gibecière. I have built organizers that fit into the pockets and keep things ready for use and out of the way. Putting an item away resets the trick.

Some items are held under my table ready for use. Cups hang from a pouch/bag from the side of the table.

I wear any number of different hats. I wear them for two main reasons, first they are eye-candy, they attract attention second they protect my balding head from the elements (sun!). If I am doing a Renaissance fair type event (Heritage Days) I will wear a Tudor hat, or a very wide brim Amish style hat, or even a very floppy beret type of thing. All have feathers and are very eye-catching. I have a nice panama hat for the Hawaiian shirt look, but most often I wear a Bowler (as said above it looks good on me! IMHO).

While I offer my hat (for the HAT) I also use an old (1960’s version) Ireland Misers Dream Bucket for collecting the tip (tip immediately goes into the fanny pack for safety, I only leave a few dollars in the pot as a primer).

I work pretty hard gathering an edge. Not really “Carney” but clearly outgoing and attention getting. I use a lot of noise (another use of my bucket, jokes, and banter with passerby’s, and sometimes an impromptu Misers Dream or the old vanishing hank). I try to do short act (10 minute act, 5 minute combined in getting the edge and later turning the tip) to average size groups (40 to 50 but will work a 10 to 15 person edge). With a good rhythm I can average 7 shows in two hours. I try for a 9 to 10 hour day that includes some comfort breaks and lunch.

As I gather the crowd I tell them what wonders they are going to see, then I show them the wonders (do the act) and I remind what they have seen as I pass the hat. I prefer tricks that are very visual, that play big, whose premise is easily understood (especially important if you have a big crowd, there is a lot of background noise, or if you have a number of non-English speaking folk in the crowd), and can involve several spectators.

As to act, I am a strong believer that you must have a firm, polished, well practiced and rehearsed ACT. I find it very difficult of ad lib or improvise when I don’t know my act cold! I tend to do ropes, Signed borrowed bill to lemon (OK, OK, lately I have been the Mark Jenest's Bill to Balloon), and cups and balls or chop cup (OK, there is some warm-up, show-off, crowd attracting stuff too). It sounds sterile but is really a lot of fun interacting with the audience.

The only coin work I do is warm-up, crowd gathering stuff (Misers Dream). I don’t do any card work in my street act. While I love my Slydini Silk routine and it is central to my Stand-up act I don’t perform it on the street. The wind and humidity simply plays havoc with silks and cards so I don’t do them. The only trick that I do that is even a little subject to the wind is the Bill in Balloon. On real windy days I will switch back to bill to lemon. I am ready for both.

While the core of my street act includes several rope routines, a signed bill to Lemon/Balloon, the Cups and Balls, or chop cup, or Benson Bowl. I also have a sponge ball/rabbit routine and a solid thumb tie (with watch steal) routine that I will also perform when the crowd is real small (say 10 people) and I want to create a bit of intimacy. I might even perform my borrowed, signed, torn and restored bill routine.

This is gone over long, the points I am trying to make is to develop a firm act, dress comfortably and distinctively, use sound and movement to attract a crowd, perform your heart out, and hopefully collect a little tip for doing so.

Final piece of wisdom (is any of this really wisdom?), don’t expect to make a lot of money! You’ll make money to be sure; just don’t expect a ton of it (Me? A fat hat always surprises me!). Give it a try, you may love it and become addicted to being a street performer.

Hey Harry,
Thanks for the the post, that was terrific. We have spoken about this before but the time has arrived. I have finally plucked up courage to take to the streets. I am working during a local fair on 5th May as a street entertainer so------ we shall see what happens !!
Regards, David

Kaliix,
You've got some very good tips and advice here.

But the bottom line still is:

You'll never know for YOURSELF until you do it YOURSELF!

Go for it!

Actor Dustin Hoffman once said that, when he's rocking on the front porch of the old folks' home, he wanted to regret the things that he did -- not the things that he didn't do!

Harry, great post.

What do you see as the advantages/ disadvantages of the bill in balloon as opposed to the bill in lemon?

There are three big advantages to performing the “Bill to Balloon” over the “Bill to Lemon”.

The first is NO dipping mess and no soggy bill to hand back (and thus no paper towels to carry around). The second advantage is that a bag of balloons is much easier to truck around than an equal number of lemons (ten performances worth of balloons fit easily into a pants pocket, try that with ten lemons!). And finally, you don’t have to worry about having a knife sharp enough to cut a lemon open (sharp and pointy knives can cause some little nervousness to some law enforcement types and to some spectators).

I love the Bill to Lemon but lately have been doing “Billoon” for all the above reasons.

I like the Billoon suggestion, Harry. I used to do that trick, though I haven't performed it in a while.

I'll have to keep it in mind.

Kaliix,
I have one bit of very good advice. Find a pitch where people are sort of milling around looking for something to happen. For instance: NOT the spot they would pass to go to the theater or concert. There may be a lot of pedestrian traffic but they already have a destination and it ain't your magic show.

This has been my experience since I hit the bricks about a month ago. My present pitch sucks beyond belief for the reasons mentioned above. I don't persist because I am a masochist. There is a potential pot of gold about one and a half blocks away. For reasons too complicated to detail, I am not working that golden pitch at the moment, but I am working on it. Nobody else is working there. It's all about red tape.

I am interested in the fairs and craft shows mentioned by Harry. Harry, how do you go about getting into these events as a performer? Do you pay for your pitch or do you just set up and start doing your thing? This is the kind of place where people are looking for entertainment and are not hauling ass off to somewhere else. Also, Harry, what is a Beefy-T? And do they come in XX?
Patrick

Patrick,
You are right about people having a destination and not stopping. I may find that the concert venue is not the best one.

I think however, that it might be workable. People tend to make a night of it when they go to the Meadows. People are congregating hours before a concert, just hanging out, partying and socializing. It is these people that I was hoping to catch before the show. And then again, I may just find that it doesn't work. I'll let you guys know.

Patrick,

The fairs and craft shows and small town festivals fit both bills. That is people are attending to see what ever is on display (the booths of “stuff) and to watch whatever program there is. Yet, there is a huge amount of people just wandering aimlessly about just looking. They are fairly (no pun intended) easy to stop and perform for.

As to getting the gig, I have simply stopped and started performing at a few of them with almost no hassle, I have had to buy a vendors button at three of them (a non-booth vendor’s badge), and I have actually been invited and paid a small fee to perform at a couple of them (plus being allowed to pass the hat).

There is not set rule. Find the organizers if you can and dicker. The more informal the event the more likely you will just find a spot, set up and do your thing.

Kaliix,
The circumstance you describe sounds great. Go get em.

Harry,
The more I think about it the more the festivals intrigue me. Is there some sort of directory available in each state that catalogues these events? still interested in the Beffy Ts. Really, I am looking for a sturdy tee shirt to wear under my Hiwaiin shirts. I wear my shirt open with a tee shirt beneath. The shirt hides a multitude of loads and looks ungimmicked, since it is. I like to do cups and balls from my pockets as I think the loads are covered better. Also, I cary a jigger of whisky attached to my belt which I load during my dice routine. The shirt covers everything well. I would dearly love to wear a coat, but it is just too bloody hot down here in Texas. I am even thinking about getting one of those pith helmuts with the little fan that blows on your head in exchange for my felt pork pie hat.
Thanks for the info, Patrick

well...
The folks who control the pitch I have been hoping to get just said thanks but no thanks. I am pretty disappointed but there are still other spots in the vicinity that may work. It's either that or hit the fairs and festivals.

Patrick, Beefy-T’s is a Hanes product (the underwear people!). They are a very full cut T-shirt. They come in long and short sleeve and in a rainbow of colors. They are made from heavy cotton and are comfortable to wear. I love them. You might try the Hines web site: http://www.onehanesplace.com

Like you I wear an open Hawaiian shirt. I actually have a nice Topit sewn into my shirt. I used two shirts of the same pattern and made my own version of a Topit. Unfortunately it cannot be unloaded from an outside pocket as there are no outside pockets) still it does what I need it to do.

I found many of the small town fairs and festivals in my area by keeping up with the local interest magazines. Around here they include the Washingtonian for Washington D.C., the Baltimore Magazine (where else?), the Chesapeake Magazine, the Annapolitian (Annapolis) and a few others. After a couple of years I have a nice index of about fifty regional events that I can play.

I also make sure that I keep up with the weekend edition of the local newspapers. Some very small events get noted. I can’t tell you the number of small privet school spring flings I have managed to play (and be allowed to pass the hat) from that source.

I also check out American Express’s “Travel and Leisure” family vacation edition. They will often list interesting “events” for family to take day trips to. These are good events to try to hook up with.

Renaissance Magazine (at your local newsstand) provides a listing in every issue of every States and some foreign (non-UAS) Renaissance fair (there are several in Texas). They sometimes are hard to break into, but you can often get a “visiting artiest” gig for a couple of weekends. It will be like an audition.

I have even found a couple while driving to a vacation spot. I have passed signs along the road advertising a small town having a Maple Syrup day or a Strawberry Festival. I turn off the main road, find the organizers and sell my “clean, family, entertainment!”

It will take some homework and effort to build a strong base of this kind of venue. Part of it is to keep your eyes open and your note pad ready. You will never know when you will find the good pitch!

While not “pure” street work in the sense of a Kosmo, Gazzo, or Danny Hustle, it is similar.

i'm working on sponge balls....because i have an idea for an addition for my chop cup routine,,,,dante...remember the name...hes great.....put little weights in the balls to keep them from blowing away...i also have a rim around my table that should help...i will let you know how it works out...i'm trying tomorrow....i will get fans and blow on them....it might work grear...or it could suck

koz

Kaliix,

You can perform in CT on the boardwalk in Bridgeport. I know of at least two performers who do and they didn't need a permit for working there. I've never made it down there but when there is a baseball game I guess it gets kinda busy.

Brian