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Kamal Loyal user 253 Posts |
My post was serious. I see far too many street performers going the 'easy' route when it comes to performing. What ever happened to creating the effect you want, regardless of cost?
Every man and his dog is now doing a straight-jacket escape on the street, and I for one would like to encourage anyone creating a street act to find something that no-else would dare do. Not only would the card sword work well on the street, other stage items would also make you stand out from the crowd, i.e. linking rings, billiard ball manipulation, and even dove work. Don't put put off by people who say it can't be done... do it anyway, and prove those people wrong! |
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Bravo for you Dr. K! Go for it! Frankly, I thought we were talking about busking here. Making a living on the street. I tend to need to do at least four performances an hour and work at least 7 hours to make any money. I now understand that you plan to do one show.
True there are many people out there doing similar things. I have seen ropes, cup and balls, the vanishing hank and the odd card trick performed on the streets. Linking rings are pretty common too. Almost as common as the Cups and Balls/chop cup/ Benson bowl. Multiplying balls? Maybe a good close-up routine that guards angles (if you are using a shell) would work. Most card manipulation doesn’t work due to the angle problems. Card flourishes tend to get blown away. But they can all be made to work in a doorway act where the angles are controlled. I prefer to work in the round; I’m too hyper to stand still. It is laudable that one would want to be unique. I think that all of us really want to be unique. I’ll leave the card sword to you and stick to a card stab. The difference? No tossing a deck of cards into the air creating litter to pick-up (and the expense of buying several decks of cards IF you plan to do more than one show a day), and there is no reset (nothing to hide) with the card stab. A card stab only requires a deck, a rubber band, a knife, and maybe even a marker and bandana for a blindfold. Here is an act and rarely if ever seen on the street. (I do the Berland card stab, not the Malini version). That is from having been there (I was once moved from a pitch because I was making to much mess! I gave up the Malini Card Stab that very day!). I do use a card sword routine in a Renaissance fair act. But there I am on a platform, have a backstage, and have an hour between performances to reset the act. In that venue the card sword makes manifest sense. On the streets where people are talking to me as I reset/set-up for the next performance, the card sword would not work (without giving it away) unless I had a dozen loaded swords (one for every performance!). What I am saying is that different venues call for different tactics and perhaps allow for different tricks. It is those tactics and tricks that I speak to in my little posts. I agree that trucking an illusion to the streets would be unique. Been there, done that, and got tired of trucking the illusion. I have done a variety of Head Chests, Head choppers, and even the Sword Basket on the streets (all for sale by the way!). I didn’t make a dime more from the tip than I did without them. But that may have just been me and my inability to milk the illusion. You have seen everyman and his dog doing the straightjacket escape on the street. I have seen two in 10 years! But then I don’t go to venues that have a dozen or so street performers working at the same time anymore. You’re luckier than I am; you find many street performers to watch. I struggle to find even one! The odd street performer I do tend to catch is just that, a single person working the street for some cash. Most of the time the performer is a juggler. I rarely see another street magician. Heck, I would love to see a dove worker on the street (just not in August! Poor doves!). Like you, I encourage people to develop unique and personal acts, with a strong emphasis on “Acts”. However, I don’t believe that building a tight, well rehearsed, and entertaining act is easy! I also want to encourage all performers to stretch and explore and test their performing limits. The marketplace and the realities of the street environment will shape you more than any advice that you will get here. Try it, whatever “it” is.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Adam V Special user 603 Posts |
Dr K is right about the number of people performing straight jacket escapes. Where I come from there are hundreds of street performers every day and the majority of them are jugglers and escape artists. In the 10 years that I have been watching street performers I have only seen two or three magicians working here.
Hmm... maybe I should cash in on this because most of them were terrible
Adam V - 9 out of 10 dentists recommend him.
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Nick Alexander New user Australia 60 Posts |
I must concure with Adam V, where I am the most impressive thing I've seen on the streets is a guy that makes a poodle jump through balloons. I mean really, any magic show's got to be more entertaining than that. Yes
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Adam where do you live? I would love to be able to sample hundreds of street performers. I live in the Mid Atlantic region of the East Coast and in ten years I doubt if I have seen 25 street performers. Baltimore inner harbor has a venue for street performing (well regulated and acts must audition and are given a specific performing time).
Most of the larger cities nearby are not street performing friendly. The acts I have seen in this area are mainly jugglers. Three of the dozen or so jugglers, I have seen around here, had high-unicycles in their acts. All of the jugglers did a “bite the apple” routine, and they all juggled at least one lit torch. One street performer in Baltimore did a fire-eating act. He had only two torches (home made from clothes hangers!) but kept the crowd entranced and laughing I have seen only two other street magicians around here. Neither of the magicians did the same things in their act. Only one did a cups and balls routine. The first was a regular at the Baltimore Inner Harbor for years, he wore tights and tunic billed himself as “Sir Andrew”. He did a bill to orange using a dove pan to produce the oranges. He also did the linking rings (a full eight ring routine) and a cut and restored rope. The other magician worked a doorway act in Georgetown (Washington ,D.C.). He performed some coin flourishes and tricks, did a 51 card to pocket routine, and the Cups and Balls. I have never seen an escape or animal act on the streets around here. I have seen only two escape acts on the street in my life. Both of those were in California. One at Venice Beach the other in San Francisco (the Cannery area). I envy you that you live in an area where street performing abounds. I agree that that you should try to cash in on the scene. Especially if the other acts are bad. Masked...a trained poodle! I don't know if a magic show can beat a trained poodle!
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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hat trick New user 53 Posts |
Harry,
Apparently, Adam is from Australia? And Victoria of all places. 100's of street performers in Victoria, AU and 100's of street performers in Victoria, BC. There's some irony somewhere. LOL! |
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Nick Alexander New user Australia 60 Posts |
Trust me Harry, the poodles not trained well. I'm also from Melbourne Australia and I will once again agree with Adam. I've seen his show and he's watched me give it a shot and trust me, any magician's act would wipe the floor when it comes to street performing
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
If the street venue is that open and free and the acts hitting the street that bad, then I would say, build a good, strong, and entertaining act and take it to the streets!
Go for it. You will learn best by doing. Let us know of your experiences!
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Masked,
Just a small point: Wouldn't the reset problem with the appearing pole be impossible to overcome on the street? Ideally, four shows an hour is what you should be aiming for. (Well, that's my opinion, anyway.) |
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0pus Inner circle New Jersey 1739 Posts |
Just a thought.
One effect I haven't seen a street performer do that would seem ideal for the venue is the balls and net routine. You involve two spectators (holding the net), but don't ask them to "lend" you anything (like a bill, their wallet, their self-respect, etc.). I also know that cups and balls is a great favorite of magicians, but doesn't lugging a table around get old? And hasn't Gazzo become the definitive C&B street performer? If I wanted to do a similar effect, I might consider one of those strollong chop cup effects (where you use a spectator's palm as the "table"). 0pus |
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Adam V Special user 603 Posts |
Yeah, I live in Melbourne, Australia with the_masked_magician and Dr K. I work in Southgate which is a shopping complex along the Yarra River. There are plenty of performers along the river all day long. 9 out of 10 of them are jugglers and 9 out of 10 of the jugglers to the biting an apple then spitting it out and juggling the pieces routine. A lot do the straight-jacket escape on the 10-foot unicycle also.
Adam V - 9 out of 10 dentists recommend him.
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Adam, when you say you work in a shopping center, I guess that you are not doing magic but rather in the retail or food service industries.
Still, I envy that you have an area that encourages street performing. Too bad that there is so little variety in the acts (or even so few good performers). I wonder when the straightjacket escape became the purview of unicycling jugglers? Since there are no magic acts there I think that it would be a nice change for the spectators to see one. It would probably make some money just for the novelty. Imagine what a good, strong magic act could do! You guys should focus on building good magic acts and get out there and go for it!
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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gocall911 Loyal user Salem, VA 247 Posts |
I think the C&B would be the best to end with and I liked the idea of ending with the dove as a load. It's really up to you though so you just find out what works best for you. Just remeber try and end with your best effect.
"Use your head." ~Dai Vernon~
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Adam V Special user 603 Posts |
Actually Harry, I work for The Magic Store in a centre called Southgate which is a fairly uppermarket shopping centre.
Adam V - 9 out of 10 dentists recommend him.
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Adam you have the best of all worlds! You work in a magic store with access to everything that’s new AND you work near a venue that permits street performing!
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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