Hello everyone
Soon i`m planning to hold my first mentalism act on the talent show of my university. However, I have never acted on the stage before, and although I have the routine already, i`m thinking about the ways in which I can interract better with the audience and be more confident. Could you provide me some advices about the things that I should take into consideration ?

Put some holes in your script and leave those spaces for improve and audience interaction, and always have a couple random gags handy if it suits your style.

A shot of whiskey always loosens up my vocal chords and helps me to look people in the eye more. Play off your audience by looking people in the eye. Its easy to fall into a blind gaze toward the back of the room when stage fright kicks in.

Hi guys,

Don't forget that it can take a bit of time when you invite someone on stage, do not fill that time with stillness. That's something I absolutely do not like in a show.

Regards

Prometheus

Dear Prometheus
How can I fill that time ?

Applause, a short story or joke... etc. Or invite them a bit before you need their help and go on with the routine. Or don't use spectators which are far away from stage.

Regards

Prometheus

Can someone provide me an advice about how can I act more confident on the stage since I have a stage fright?

A friend of mine at school got the same problem when doing presentations. It helped when I assisted him or was seated close to him. Also it gets better the more often you perform on stage and to foreign people. These are my experiences, hope that helps on.

Salutations

Prometheus

Two things.

#1: I have to do a lot of public speaking for work. When I mentor people on public speaking I usually advise there is no secret - the more you do it the smoother and confident you will look. So the question is, are there any opportunities for you to cram extra public speaking events between your performances? Church, school, work? Find a way to speak in front of crowds about ANYTHING and you will look and feel more comfortable each time.

#2: Until you are comfortable you should consider making "stage fright" part of your act. Make your onstage "personality" someone who is scared to speak in public. Then you can be nervous and not worry about it showing. Consider making it part of your patter. At least that works for public speaking. I have no experience as a magic performer.

Believe it or not but you can feel really nervous but still come across as calm and confident in stage. When I first started presenting (admittedly not magic tricks) I was a wreck. I was convinced I looked like a rabbit in the headlights. However some of my friends assured me that I was fine. I know everyone is different but the point is you will feel nervous (that's natural) but it doesn't always show. Just keep practising your routine so that you can do it on autopilot and I'm sure you'll be fine! Good luck, btw!

Have a "shot" of whiskey! Hey, cooool!

Bert Allerton was a TOP close up magician. He worked in the best dining room in Chicago. He worked tables. Customers would offer him a drink. He accepted them. Then,one night, he fell off his chair. That was his last night, working.

A fine performer who "did" doves, kept a bottle of Scotch on his dressing room table. He would open a new bottle every night, draw a pencil line "half way down" on the bottle. He would drink until he reached the line every night. Then, he would go on. He finished the other half, after he performed.

Then, one night, on his way back to his home, he drove down the free way in the opposing lane. It was his last drive home.

I could go on and on, but, I'll quit with those two stories.

Now, If you're going to be on a telent show, you would be wise to break in your act, well before the talent night. Going on "cold", you're heading for disaster--especially trying to do a mental act.

Try to find a TOASTMASTER'S CLUB. At least get some experience talking WITH an audience. (WITH, not, TO!!!!!)

Magic is not inherently entertaining. MENTAL magic is definitely not inherently entertaining.

I presented mental magic in my college program for several seasons. It was entertaining but I had had years of experience performing (and entertaining).

So you recommend me to not go to the talent show just because being afraid of failure?

Baha! Read again, my post(just above).

Read paragraph #6, again, carefully and slowly.

I said, "...if you're going to be on a talent show, you would be wise to break in your act, well before the talent night. Going on "cold", you're heading for disaster. --especially trying to do a mental act."

Nowhere did I recommend that should NOT go to the talent show.

BTW: You split an infinitive "...to not go..." Also, it would be better to say: "So you recommend THAT..." And, the phrase following "because" really needs a subject, (e.g.: "I") and a predicste, (e.g.: "am").

I strongly urge you to find a TOASTMASTER'S CLUB, or, enroll in a remedial English class. You do need to learn how to use the "Queen's English". --Especially if you are going to speak with an educated audience.

In your first post, you asked for "...advices (sic) about the things that I should take into consideration..." I have given you some advice that I think is very important.

Mr. bartleby has offered you some suggestions that, I think, you should consider, ponder,and think seriously about. Except for the shot of whiskey, the others who have posted, have presented some worthwhile ideas, too.

Hi Baha,

I know the feeling extremely well having only performed on stage twice, with mentalism. Once was for friends (well friends of friends mainly, at a party) and the other was in a holiday park for 3 people I knew and about 50 - 60 holiday makers. I felt nervous for both.

For the party enviroment, I was really scared but wanted to push myself - I expected the audience (a few who knew me, no one there had ever seen me perfrom or even talk about magic) to have quite low expectations of me. So I opened with some deliberatly terrible tricks - I messed an animal balloon up, pulled something obviosuly from my sleeve, done the spoon behind a clth thing etc etc, only for a minute or two.

Then I stopped - and said something along the lines of "I'm only kidding, I'm not into that kind of stuff, that's rubbish!" Introduced myself, and then went into an invisbale deck routine. My point being I was affraid of messing up, so turned this into joke, I got laughs from the begining, which helped my confidence, and I thought, they're not expecting me to be great, so all I have to do is be "quite good" and I'll get through fine. I did mess up a little, I kept putting my pen down and losing it, and alsorts of stupid errors, but because I played the first bit as a bit of a joke, people thought that it was a part of the act and enjoyed it, which in itself put me ease.

I'm not saying go to the extreme that I did from the start - but play your nerves to your advantage, and work out a way of tieing into your act - it will help massively. I agree with bartleby there. The second gig I was even more nervous but in that instance I kind of knew which tricks worked and didn't - I still messed a few things up, I think we're bound to in these early days, people said they could see I was nervous but still loved the show, most people get nervous before they perform so I think the majority are understanding and are on your side. If you want some ideas on hwo to incorperate your nervesinto the show PM me and I'll try and offer some help.

If your on or near a university I'm fairly certain that their are plenty of bars that have an "open mic night". Id suggest that you perform your routine three times at these free public forums. Its better to mess up and get experience infront of bar patrons as opposed to classmates. I certainly wouldnt just wing it at the talent show. Best of luck!

Dick Oslund
The show will not even be in english... it`ll be in russian which is my second native language so it is not a problem
Russelajallen
Thx, I really appreciate that
MichaelJae
Unfortunately in my third-world country there are no such events

Dorogoi droog (I think that's Dear Friend in Russian) I have no formal training in Russian.

If you had said in your first post that English is not your native language, I would not have raised the points that I did. I did not make the grammar "correction/suggestions to be mean. Many (too many) American magicians "offend" their audiences with extremely poor grammar and expressions.

Some audiences (and talent buyers) draw incorrect conclusions about magicians snd other entertainers from the way those performers express themselves. This hurts all of us performers.

I standby my other comments and suggestions. If you are wise, you will get as much performing experience as possinle, before you compete in the talent show.

As the old vaudevilians would say: "Break a leg"!

How's this coming along Baha?

Not bad, The show is in the end of this month, i`ve changed the routine to famous 3 envelope test. Hope I can make it.

At least you have a decent amount of time to practise - although it'll come round quick enough!
Hope it goes ok!