So I've got a talent show coming up in about 8 months(When I transfer colleges) and finally believe I've got my routine and presentation down. I want to introduce myself and explain that I'm a transfer student and be wearing a shirt from my old college and call attention that I am. Then introduce myself as a magician but let the audience know that what I will be doing are not tricks (Lies!) they're simply me showing off the skills that I've developed through learning magic. Have a volunteer come up on stage and perform Clutch by oz pearlman as a pick pocketing effect, Perform Dresscode while my back is turned but not pay any attention to it (hopefully audience won't notice), then perform a card on forehead effect to show misdirection and get laughs. And to put the final nail in the Coffin reveal that I have changed my shirt to one from the new college in front of the entire audience. Also I thought about as I send the volunteer off stage I do a complete B.S watch steal where I call him back and give him "his" watch, he might know it's not his but the rest of the audience doesn't. I would really appreciate any feedback or suggestions! I have plenty of time to make changes so feel free to make suggestions!

Sounds like fun! I wonder about the intro-'I'm a magician that won't be doing any tricks'. You are, in a sense, challenging the audience ( instead of inviting them on a journey down the garden path). Would an approach along the line of' my old college was a little different/strange let me show you what they were teaching' be more inviting? The switching to the new schools shirt sounds like a sure winner, might the fake pickpocketing bit, although great, be a bit of anti-climax after the shirt??

Very good point, do the pickpocket bit before the shirt. What could be some other ways of doing the whole I'm a magician bit? The schools are only about 2 hours apart so people might know about it hahaha

Just some advice... I've tried the shirt thing once at a high school presentation I did on the art of misdirection - I gave three presentations. 2/3 times people caught it. Don't count on it always working. Apollo Robbins pulled it off in his TED talk, but he's a master

See I plan on doing the shirt change while the volunteer is showing his selected card to the audience, I was hoping that would be enough of an attention getter for them to even forget about the shirt

I did the change while I left the room and played a video dude. They still caught it

Update: I've deliberated everything and decided to do a sure fire routine called Superfly by Scott Alexander! I decided not to do my other idea because 1. I don't know how long the card on forehead will last 2. Silver's comment about how they would notice the shirt and 3.It uses even more volunteers as my idea

Dude I've been thinking of getting superfly, would you recommend it?

Definitely, if you think you're able to make all the props and stuff I'd get Scott's Superfly lecture notes for $45 instead of $200

I don't know what making the props entails... Without giving it away, is it something I should be able to do easily?

Very

I mean what I really want to learn is how to get the spectators to be able to deal the cards themselves.... not too interested in the handkerchief thing he shows in the trailer... is that what I'm paying for?

The trailer dose show the spectator dealing the cards. Did you fall asleep. If you want anything else besides what you see in the trailer or read the referenced books, then you are more then welcome to invent your own version. Tricks are sold as shown and described. Wishing or wanting does not change what is being sold. And I know they will not throw out all they have manufactured because you want it to do something that it was not designed to do.

I wanted to buy a new car, I told the dealer that I liked a particular car, and said, I want single high and low beam headlight, purple in color, no tires, rides on air, not use gas, fully electric and drive a thousand miles before recharge. He said, none of those extras are available. I said but that is what I want. He walked away.

Buy the book "MY Best by J.G. Thompson Jr." the original card trick is in that book, "The Improved Zens Cards and Envelopes". Scott has tweaked the original handling, so you can do you own tweaking, but you don't like the way he does it anyway.

Want to go even cheaper, then download the original here:
http://www.abbottmagic.com/Instant-Instr......oryId=-1

Whah Bill I don't think you understood what I was trying to say. What I meant is that there are too cool things I like about this trick: that the spectators can deal the cards themselves, and the handkerchief bit. However, I don't see myself performing the handkerchief bit. The only reason I would buy this trick would be to learn Scott's handling of getting them to deal the cards themselves. Therefore my question was would it be worth purchasing the trick for just that bit of knowledge, if I'm not going to use the handkerchief?

Clearly not, since there's a $4 download for that XD