I have a question
When it comes to stage magic, you have to 'steal' or 'load' ur props.
But what exactly is the difference between steal and load?
Been doing stage magic for years and feel stupid not knowing the difference
Plz help

What are you refering to? I never heard the term 'load' in regards to manipulation magic.

Load is what you do before you steal, steal is what you do after you load. (Loads are done prior to performance.) Make sense?

Perhaps some of the confusion comes from the dual use of the word in magic.
As described above, the term load in manipulation... most often refers to something done during the preparation stage
ie; preparing the loads as in packets of cards that are concealed in one's jacket prior to performance.

In other areas, such as close up, loading refers to something that might happen during performance such as loading the coin under a card, or loading the balls into the cups

Regards-
JNeal

I think you have a handle on it.

Cheers!

When in a store looking for items for your act, don't talk to whoever is with you about stealing and ditching.

I just watched Jeff McBride talk about this and Stanyon is right. Load is what you hide of props before performance and steal is when you use them during the performance.
best to you

LOL! I always try to yield to my seniors, but I think I can add to the confusion here.

"Loads" are future productions.

"Loading" is really about moving something from place to place. It is not necessarily before going out on stage. (Dropping a box of cards down a coat sleeve is still loading when the cards are moved from a pocket to the coat sleeve.)

"Stealing" is retrieving the "load" to make the production or to vanish it. (In our case above with cards loaded into the coat sleeve, the hand is dropped to make the "steal" so that the deck of cards can be produced from the hand.) With other items like sponge balls, there is a "steal" before the vanish and/or transposition to another color ball, bunny, etc. perhaps "loaded" at the same time into the volunteer's hand.

Very much like a rain dance, timing is the key factor!

A good magician is never seen loading or stealing. But we know it's done.

Have you ever thought about a TT that is loaded, stolen, loaded and stolen. But it may also be loaded, stolen, unloaded, reloaded and stolen again!

Enjoy the confusion.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

What type of magic you perform? How long have you been a magician? And what books do you have?

Stealing is when you secretly obtain something and loading is when you put it into play (like behind a shell in a billiard balll routine)