How many of you change the colors in your show for the season? Now we are into Halloween. Orange, black, gold and green?

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I now have over a dozen different "clothesline" silk productions for my different theme shows. This weekend, I am using my string of clowns for a circus theme birthday, and a string of orange 18" with pumpkins drawn on them for a Halloween party later that night. For the Fall Fstivals coming up, I have a string of red, orange, and yellow, with the outline of different leaves drawn on them.

:)

Mark

Mark,

These are great! I wish others here on The Magic Café could see them. They really change the show.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I think seasonal silks are important, and use them in my shows.

I have rainbow colours for my colour show; in another I have Pirate patterned ones for the Pirates and Purple one's for the Princesses. (Lightweight curtain fabric cut into 24" squares and hemmed.) I also use themed devil's napkins for these shows in the same fabric. Christmas is white, green, red and black leading to a production of Santa etc.

When not in use I employ them as drapes to screen props I haven't used yet or as foulards to hide productions.

For my Children's Halloween parties I Use red, yellow and orange silks in my Crystal Silk Cylinder and they become an apple, a popcorn ball (wrapped in yellow cellophane) and a tiny Jack-O-Lantern (plastic or wax works well as finding right sized real ones is hard and they don't last. Get the tallest, thinnest ones that will fit. bring the inner tube shopping.). I also make orange and black mouth coils which I produce from the center of a silk handkerchief. I've made my own mis-made Jack-o-Lantern silk effect. I wear black and orange but the other colors throughout my show stay the same.
Mary Mowder

Mary,

For Crystal silk Cylinder, I get out my grocery list which is just colored silks that remind me of apples, lemons, oranges, etc. I put them in, cover them and they turn to the real thing!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

PS --- The props are too pretty to not use.

Dear Bob,

Sounds very much the same. perhaps you've solved a problem I've had. I'd like to take the 3 objects out (I had wanted to use fruit like you or juggling balls etc..) but it seems really awkward to remove them, so far I've just left them in. Any Ideas?

In my normal show I use a silk streamer with a magnet on the end with a magnetic wand. Works great.
For Christmas I'd like to use ornaments strung together which does offer a way to remove them if I hold something from slipping out as I pull.

Do you remove the fruit or leave it in?

-Mary Mowder

Taking out the objects show that they are real and solid. I use to pour out the balls from CSC. Also I never had a problem with the gimmick moving in my models.

Thanks wmhegbll, I agree about taking the objects out.

I'd like to avoid dumping if possible. Round things can roll nicely but I'd like 3 balls and if they're round it seems to take 4 to look "full".

I'll try it though, I might just need a little better prop management.

-Mary Mowder

I never have had a problem dumping out the fruit either.

Dump it into a round Pyrex bowl they can see through.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

PS --- For Mardi Gras, it can be loaded with hundreds of shiny beaded necklaces to toss out to the audience.

Mary,

I just reread your post about unloading the load.

Suggestion: First open a 36" silk and use it to line the load chamber of the CSC. Load in the solid items and fold the remaining silk back over it. Produce the load by lifting out the loaded silk and drop it on a plate or shallow bowl (Making it look larger!)

I like to use a printed THANK YOU! silk because of the contrast with the other silks and colors. Thank You! is always a welcome message.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

Good suggestion Bob,

THANK YOU!

- Mary

Mary, it is nice to see you in your new avatar.

If you need a better CSC, take a look at the best on the market here: http://www.dazzlingmagic.com/stage_magic.htm You may want to take into consideration the baseless version. That way it is performed more in the hands and the dumping would not feel as uncomfortable.

It is imperative that the changed to items be taken out and shown as being real and solid. If left in, the audience could think they are just a picture.

I agree with Bill. The Crystal Silk Cylinders from Marty are beautiful and very roadworthy.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I love Dazzling Magic's CSS also!

I don't usually change colors of the silks used in my routines to match the seasons, but I do use matching-colored silks in many of my seasonal routines. For example, I have a Christmas routine that involves a die box, square circle, and some other props. The routine uses many silks, and they are all either red, green, or white. I use normally use different colored silks in my square circle routine. However, the routines are so different I don't really consider that I am changing the silk colors as much I am changing the routine.

It surprises me how often the audience that has seen the show before thinks it is a different show in different colors.

But the advice is to Use IT!

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander