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twistedace Inner circle philadelphia 3772 Posts 
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Does anybody else hate it when a fellow magician asks you about your "character"? I don't have a "character" nor do I think I will ever have one. I am just a guy that knows some cool tricks. My "character" is myself amplified a bit. I don't go out of my way to create a fake persona that many people will see through as an "act". So my question is does anybody else hate the idea of a character?
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Sir Richard Special user 650 Posts
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Hate the idea? No. A magician is, by definition, an actor playing the role of a sorcerer, so that is your primary "character" as it were. Some "actors' create a stage persona that transcends even beyond that. Look at the most famous magician: "Chung Ling Soo!" He wasn't, in fact, Chinese at all, but an American by name of Billy Robinson; yet he made a very good living as a Chinese "character." I have several different ones I use for different types of shows. I'm even working on a new one now. It's really a lot of fun. However, in the world of magic, I believe that there is room for both types of magicians.
Sir Richard.
"In the land of Murphy there is but ONE law!"
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Sir Richard Special user 650 Posts
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On a more abstract concept, my coach & mentor once told me that he'd heard it said that performing is like a crime & that all good, pros in magic have became one of 3 types of characters: "Detective," "victim," or "perpetrator." I usually play the "victim" myself. Somehow the magic happened & I don't always know how.
Sir Richard.
"In the land of Murphy there is but ONE law!"
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Jaz Inner circle NJ, U.S. 6111 Posts
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I don't hate the idea. I think that most people shift characters in everyday life. Some very subtle and some not. I naturally seem to shift character when with children, women, co-workers, etc. The world is a stage.
I don't go to extremes and much like twistedace I exaggerate my real personae for what I feel fits the moment. |
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puggo Inner circle 2022 Posts
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Jeff Hobson discussed how he created / adapted / adopted his character on a Magic Newswire podcast.. quite interesting, especially how he developed his performing persona into the entertainer we see today.
Charlie |
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SeaDawg Special user The Lunatic Fringe 718 Posts
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Here isa question?do You use differnet material and patter depending on the situation? Character... I don't do my "Biker" Busking in my corp strolling...
Crazy people take the psycho-path thru the forest...
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-12-31 12:16, SeaDawg wrote: Yes, of course. Professor Henry Higgins from "Pygmalion" would require a different treatment from the actor portraying the role, than would a portrayal of Hamlet. My close-up persona is more or less a caricature of myself. My everyday persona is probably not worthy of being in the spotlight. My stage characters can be as varied as a shopful of masquerade costumes. I can be whoever I wish to be. The quality of the act though, depends on my ability to bring a character to life on stage. The questions are simply, "How deeply do I get into character when I take the stage?", "How far removed from myself is the character?", and "At what point would I (if at all) break character while on stage?" Do I allow my stage character(s) to follow me offstage? Unless the portrayal includes offstage work while in character (meet and greets, etc.), the answer would be, no.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Ken Dumm Inner circle 1241 Posts
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Audiences wonder "how" you do it. Performers should consider "why" you do it. By it, I mean the material you perform. Choosing the material to perform says a lot about the type of performer you are, and the character you project. By choosing or creating material to perform, you are "creating" your character, even if it's just an amplification of who you are....
Ken |
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Fábio DeRose Inner circle San Paolo, Brasile 1477 Posts
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Life's a theater. Some people are actors, others the stage.
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Christopher Lyle Inner circle Dallas, Texas 5698 Posts
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Not everyone needs a character or even has one. Character is a word that gets thrown around like a limp rag doll in magic. We need to learn some new words. Some of the greats don't have a character at all, but a style. Copperfield has a style. He is just himself (more or less). Then you have persona. Which is a slight blend of character and style, but can stand alone.
If your character, style, or persona stand out above anyone else and YOU are memorable, then you are ahead in the game. Besides, who really cares what a bunch of magicians think anyway?
In Mystery,
Christopher Lyle Magician, Comic, Daredevil, and Balloon Twisting Genius For a Good Time...CLICK HERE! |
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dcjames Special user 577 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-12-31 13:04, Michael Baker wrote: This comment brought to mind a performer that I saw at a convention about 10 years ago... It was either at the SEAM in Charlotte, NC or on of the Winter Carnivals in Gatlinburg. At any rate, the performer was a backwards acting country hick (something like Larry the Cable Guy) and he was extremely funny. After performing his set, he walked to the front of the stage, removed his hat, and holding it to his chest he very eloquently said something like, "It has been my pleasure to entertain you this evening. I hope everyone had a great time and if anyone was offended in any way by my performance, I humbly apologize." The way he had carried himself, his clothing, the accent, even the tone of his voice were all a character that he had portrayed in an absolutely brilliant performance. The moment that he 'broke character' and addressed the audience as himself was truly magical.
“Magic is very easy to do - poorly.”
Tommy Wonder The Books of Wonder Volume 2 |
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Jv Regular user 136 Posts
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@Christopher Lyle 100% agree with you!
Jv
Guillotine+ASYLUM
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-12-31 11:02, Sir Richard wrote: Many people - notably, recently, here, Whit Haydn - would disagree with this definition. |
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Sir Richard Special user 650 Posts
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Quote: That's my story & I'm sticking to it! ;0)
On 2009-12-31 22:42, S2000magician wrote: Sir Richard.
"In the land of Murphy there is but ONE law!"
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-12-31 22:44, Sir Richard wrote: Scum of the Earth? ;) |
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S2000magician Inner circle Yorba Linda, CA 3465 Posts
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I'd always thought that my performing character (or persona, or whatever) was merely a slightly more extroverted version of my normal personality.
Apparently not. Years ago I was doing strolling, close-up magic at the local elementary school's end-of-the-year carnival. One of our neighbors watched me for a few minutes, then ran to get her husband, yelling, "Mark! You have to come see this! This is a Bill Campbell we've never seen before!" Oh, well. |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts
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A magician may claim not to have a character, preferring to consider the person they are on stage, as an augmented or extended version of themself. In fact, I believe the opposite may be true. The more comfortable and defined a magician may be with his character, the more he adopts that character as himself in real life. As this likely happens over considerable time, it is unlikely the magician may even notice this as happening.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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w_s_anderson Inner circle The United States 1226 Posts
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Twistedace....I also hated the idea of performing as a character, and considered my character really an exaggerated version of me. I was convinced to read a book titled "Theatrical Magic" by John Pyka and it really changed my outlook. I found it to be a great book and it left me full of ideas. You may find it truly interesting......just a thought.
Scott |
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gadfly3d Special user 963 Posts
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Quote:
On 2009-12-31 22:42, S2000magician wrote: Yeah I think this "definition" is bound to be misleading. I prefer "a magician is a guy who entertains using magic tricks" |
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Sir Richard Special user 650 Posts
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Quote: Okay, call it a sorcerer, wizard, whatever, that person is NOT real it's just a character they've taken on, which was my point. (psst, it really isn't real, is it?)
On 2010-01-01 11:37, gadfly3d wrote: Sir Richard.
"In the land of Murphy there is but ONE law!"
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Posted: Dec 31, 2009 03:39 pm 
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