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Logan Five Inner circle Northern California 1434 Posts |
I am going to take a chance on this post.
I got a call today from my mother. She had tickets to go to the county fair, but the people she was going to go with had to cancel due to unexpected circumstances. My mother is disabled & can no longer drive herself. So, I get a call from her asking if I would like to go to the fair. She lives in the central valley and I live about 70 miles from her in the bay area of Cailfornia. Each year at the fair, she likes to go see the country music performers. So, like a good son I said yes "I'll take you." First off, let me state that I am not really a country music fan. So we go to the fair this evening. This group comes out (Sawyer Brown), I've never heard of them and I am not familiar with their songs. But I immediately took a liking to them, but it wasn't really the music, it was some other intangables I think. The whole band really seemed to be enjoying themselves, the band itself had a great sense of humor, and made what they did look simple. And it kinda got me thinking tonight. So let me ask you fellow performers out there "How do you reach your audience?" I know this is a basic entertainment question but, if you were going to do a serious study on this where would you start? Does anyone care about this? It just seems like a lot of people on this board (not the majority), seem to be interested in learning the latest moves from the movie Shade or effects from the latest Derren Brown TV show and whatever else seems to be popular at the moment. Sincerely Rick
Self concept is destiny..
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Jonathan Townsend Eternal Order Ossining, NY 27297 Posts |
Great question!
Words to google: Rapport, congruence, rhetoric, affect, sincerity This has NOTHING to do with tricks or props. It's the kind of thing you can get working with theater workers and preferably a director.
...to all the coins I've dropped here
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Neale Bacon Inner circle Burnaby BC Canada 1775 Posts |
I think the first thing any performer needs to reach an audience is the right attitude ABOUT their audience.
I find nothing puts me off more than an entertainer who thinks they are better than their audience. (Lots of magicians fit here) I want my audience to have fun WITH me, and I want to have fun with them, and that comes across in my shows.
Neale Bacon and his Crazy Critters
Burnaby BC Canada's Favourite Family Ventriloquist www.baconandfriends.com |
Tom Cutts Staff Northern CA 5925 Posts |
Sawyer Brown lept to fame with their multiple wins on the original Star Search. Back then they were a band who like to have fun on stage. I am certain that helped their winning streak.
Getting rapport with your audience may well differ from performer to performer. One common ingredient I am certain is sincerity. Another common iingredient is having a purpose for what you do. One of the "buzz phrases" I retained from my Motionfest convention experience is this. "If you do what you just to be doing it, your audience will quickly lose interest." To translate, connection comes when you have more in mind than just showing off tricks when you perform. Like an actor must have more than just saying his lines in mind. Cheers, Tom |
prettylady1990 Loyal user 206 Posts |
I agree,
I've never really thought about the question you asked. But it was very interesting. I feel you should be able to have fun with them and NOT think your better than them. |
bishthemagish Inner circle 6013 Posts |
The magician walks out on the stage and smiles. Then the magician uses eye contact and looks friendly to the audience in little groups... Covering the whole audience a little bit at a time.
This can be done if the magician opens to music or if it is a talking act. I would say the goal would be to get the audience to feel like that this (the performer) is a person that they would like to know. I can't speak for everyone but I feel after 30 years in show business that the best way to reach out to the audience is in a friendly way. Like Leipzig said... If they like you they will like your act!
Glenn Bishop Cardician
Producer of the DVD Punch Deal Pro Publisher of Glenn Bishop's Ace Cutting And Block Transfer Triumphs |
Chrystal Inner circle Canada/France 1552 Posts |
I agree with you Glenn regarding if the audience likes you they would like to see you succeed rather than fail. Appearing friendly and for myself making them laugh at my expense immediately puts them at ease.
If a magician or anyone else for that matter comes across as having superior airs or aloofness, I hate to say it but the majority of us secretly smile should a mishap occur. Don't know why that is about human nature? Perhaps because they appeared to be trying to be better than "us" and we see they are human afterall. Modesty and friendliness on the other hand, and an enjoyment of their art (whatever it is) allows us to also enjoy and cheer their success. Chrystal |
markyeager Regular user 191 Posts |
"Care about the Audience!"
Then evoke an emotion by your love of performing.
It's Fun to be Fooled
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Stuart Hooper Special user Mithrandir 759 Posts |
Audience?!!! Hmm...this sounds like an interesting idea? Does anyone know of a DVD that teaches the best sleights for this new concept?
:rotf: Honestly, I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I think all of us need to be able to entertain an audience, captivate a crowd, WITHOUT magic, before we try it with magic. |
cloneman Elite user 474 Posts |
One critical component to connecting with an audience is enjoying what you're doing. The magician should be having a great time on stage. This joy in your own act will create an empathetic response in the spectators.
Although mithrandir was kidding about DVDs teaching this, I think a good look at Daryl's or Sankey's videos are, in fact, instructional on this point. Daryl always and genuinely seems to be having the time of his life in front of an audience. Regardless of whether or not you like Sankey's performing style, he also seems to delight in the magic he's performing. Note, I don't mean you have to smile and laugh and tell jokes. But you should feel (not just appear to feel) as if this act, this moment, this trick truly inspires you. If you feel it, they will too.
"Anything is possible... if you don't know what you are talking about."
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magic4u02 Eternal Order Philadelphia, PA 15110 Posts |
I mentioned in another post about the subject of the invisible wall theory. I thought it might be interesting enough to mention it here as well since I know everyone has not only encountered this before, but has their own ways of dealing with it.
The invisible wall theory is basically this: It is an idea that there really is an invisible barrier that exists between the performer and the audience. You can not see it but it is always there. It is that realm and area where the audience feels uncomfortable if they cross it or if you cross it. It tends to cause an audience to be more cautious and to not allow themselves to really relax and get into the performance. It happens with children as well as adults and I am sure we have all experienced it before. With any performance, you really need to try and break down this "Invisible Barrier" if you want the audience or children to truly enjoy your performance and to get them really involved in the fun. When you do this, you allow and show the audience that it is ok to let down their guard. It is ok to simply enjoy themselves and to enjoy the performer. If you break down the wall early on in the show, you will find the show just gets better and better. But how do you break down this wall? How do you get people to relax and to sense it is ok to go on stage and that it is ok to want to laugh and smile? There are many many methods people have used over the years and I am sure you all have your own. I am also sure that everyone has felt this theory in their shows and have not only broken the wall but at times have caused the wall to stand and not sure why it happened. I will start by telling you that it was not until recently that I even realized this wall even existed in the first place. Once I realized that it does, it was tough figuring out why it happens. I realized that most audiences build this wall for several reasons: - they do not know who you are and your a total stranger to them - especially true to the children who have been taught to never talk to strangers - they are uncomfortable being put in the spotlight for fear of being made fun of - they may feel that magic is ridiculous and foolish - they may feel that they do not want anyone trying to "fool" them - they may feel that in their seats is a safety zone. That a performer must stay on stage and they in their seats. That the two should never occupy the same space for any length of time There are certainly more, and I will let you guys talk and bring up more of them as you have experienced them. Here are a few things I have personally done over the years that have had a fairly decent effect on an audience. I will just list a few and not go into detail now. I will just get them out on the table and allow you all to go into more detail on them. - I always warm up my crowd and also try and introduce myself to them long before the performance takes place. - I try and do a "personality" piece in my show to show them I am just like they are and have the same dreams and emotions. - I try to make sure they know that it is ok to laugh and to clap and that it is encouraged to do so. - Anyone on stage is treated as my guest. I never embarrass them and I treat them with respect. They know how much I appreciate their help. - I always aim my effects as entertainment and not a show of my own ego. - I try to physically break down the wall by doing nontraditional style intros. This means that instead of coming from the stage and walking out, I often will come from the back of the audience and work my way toward the stage. I will go into this idea in more detail at some other time. Well this is already way longer then I had wanted it to be, so I will end it here. I hope this might add to the conversation and topic at hand. Kyle
Kyle Peron
http://www.kylekellymagic.com Entertainers Product Site http://kpmagicproducts.com Join Our Facebook Fan Page at http://facebook.com/perondesign |
Peter Marucci Inner circle 5389 Posts |
Rick,
You are absolutely right! As Gene Burger would say, we already know too many "tricks". It's long past time that most of us started working on our audience-handling skills, which are AT LEAST as important as our sleights (and probably moreso!). Bottom line: If you like your audience and like what you are doing, then they will like you and what you are doing! (Honest, it's that simple! But try to get that through to the finger-flingers!) |
bishthemagish Inner circle 6013 Posts |
Quote:
- I try to physically break down the wall by doing nontraditional style intros. This means that instead of coming from the stage and walking out, I often will come from the back of the audience and work my way toward the stage. I will go into this idea in more detail at some other time. Kyle Entering from the audience is a very traditional way of starting a show. I have known many performers over the years that liked to enter from the audience. It is also used by magicians of the past because the misers dream was used as their opening effect... In fact my Father (the late Billy Bishop) used this method and the misers dream as an opening effect for years.
Glenn Bishop Cardician
Producer of the DVD Punch Deal Pro Publisher of Glenn Bishop's Ace Cutting And Block Transfer Triumphs |
Logan Five Inner circle Northern California 1434 Posts |
Thank all you for your wise insight. Tom Cutts, I understand exactly what you mean.
Sincerely Rick
Self concept is destiny..
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drwilson Inner circle Bar Harbor, ME 2191 Posts |
Great thread here!
I have a pretty high-energy show but have recently developed a very low-energy, relaxed, easy opening. The absolute master of this, the best person I have ever seen on stage, is Avner the Eccentric. What does he do? Practically nothing. He tries to sweep the stage, then tries to take a break for a cigarette. As he taps the pack, dozens of cigarettes go flying, he picks them up with some mishaps, then takes out a box of matches and opens it -- upside down. The matches go everywhere, the cigarette gets dropped, and so on. This goes on for five minutes. The audience is hysterical at this point. I thought, wow, that is just like my life... So now I open with a busker organ. No big entrance, no introduction, I just play the thing like I'm having fun and nothing is really happening. If someone in the audience says something, I invite them up to have a look at it. I start before curtain time with this, people are still walking in. I might go out in the front to talk to people, then back up to the organ. Finally I play a tune all the way through, welcome the audience, explain what it is and switch tunes for a sing-along. The first time I did this, I was following a very high-energy steel pan band that had to make a noisy exit. I decided that since I couldn't top them, I'd start low. The musicians that followed me really liked this approach and commented on it afterwards without any prompting from me. By the way, I highly recommend that you ask musicians about your performances. In my experience they are very sensitive to energy and mood, they might not even care all that much about magic, as for many performers it is primarily visual and many musicians are not as attuned to that as is a general audience. So this opening, in line with the ideas discussed here, breaks the fourth wall, makes me an approachable, likeable person who is not above the audience. Together, we are going to have some fun. Then we do. There are many ways to open successfully based on your style and personality. I raise my current opening because I think that we have been pressured to think that magicians must open with a flash appearance in a clap of thunder or something. That might have worked better when people had more respect for authority, and certainly it can work in a big Las Vegas production. On the other hand, look at Lance Burton's great opening, under the lamppost, producing cigarettes and doves. Just a guy with magical powers taking care of his everyday needs. I have seen plays that started with the actors in rehearsal clothes. They pull out a trunk and start to put on costumes, transforming themselves and preparing the audience for a journey. A low-energy opening with your character more of an everyday human permits you to develop rising action and rising personal magical power. If you close with something large, powerful, and thrilling you have followed one of the main rules of theater: building to a big climax. Yours, Paul |
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