Thoughts on Setting the Bar in Magic

I was on my way home from a very productive weekend with Jeff McBride and other magical folks in Las Vegas when I put into words the following simple truth: one fundamental difference between doing a magic act of one’s own creation and doing a magic act that is a copy of another magician’s presentation (or an act constructed of the pieces of several magicians) is who gets to set the bar of...

Getting YOU on Stage

The “en-trance”: There are many different ways to get to the center of the stage. One way is to have the curtains open and you are revealed. Another is to open by walking through the audience onto the stage. Yet another is to walk onstage from the wing. All have their advantages. The curtain reveal: Many magicians use this opening reveal, but it puts you at the mercy of the...

Backdrops, Part I

Welcome to “Tales From the Magic Tech Road” a new column for The Secret Art Journal. Our purpose for “Magic Tech” is to focus on the practical aspects of producing a one- or two-person stand-up show for a one-night-only engagement. We will discuss backdrops, lighting, sound, staging, prop management and vehicles. We will also question the assumption that large magical...

What if I Get Caught?

“What do you do if you get caught?” The room got very quiet. The young questioner instantly felt it had been a mistake to ask this question, that the question was somehow inappropriate, somehow wrong. Before he asked, the questioner thought it was a good question. It was also one that he really wanted answered. The truth was that he had been “caught” while performing his...

“Tibet Through the Red Box” by Peter Sís

Prague, September 19, 1994 The Red Box is now yours. Love, Father Thus begins author and illustrator Peter Sís’s magical artbook Tibet Through the Red Box, the tale of a father passing his legacy — his story — to his son. The mysterious Red Box of the title contains artifacts and diaries from a long-ago journey to Tibet, an odyssey filled with excitement and danger and discovery. In...

Lessons Learned

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.” — Chinese Proverb I must admit: I’m obsessive when it comes to keeping a journal. Who could blame me? I get to spend many hours (sometimes months, as in the case of our recent Atlantic City adventure) with some of the greatest minds in magic. I was inspired to begin sharing my notes during a recent...

“Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Tahir Shah

This book is a story of initiation into the secrets and mysteries of magic. It is a fable, written in autobiographical form. The author-hero finds himself, like Alice down the rabbit hole or Dorothy in Oz, in a strange, wonderful and at times dangerous world. He must somehow navigate this new territory and, with the help of some colorful companions, find his way home. The story begins when Tahir...

The Mask & Mirror Act

We talked about the mirror sequence. You mentioned that the underlying meaning behind the mirror sequence is that you’re trapped in your own creation, and the removing of masks you have created. Is there a deep underlying overall meaning of your entire act, or was that it? My full-evening show is an initiation through the elements of magic: air, fire, water, earth and spirit; and it has to...

Cultivating Our Imagination

How little in our culture do we cultivate our imagination! We treat the imagination as if it were a poor relative of the rational mind. A somewhat distracting side journey on the larger logical journey of life. And yet, when we look at it, we realize that through the centuries most of the important discoveries and innovations in art, religion, and even science, were generated not so much by...

All Linking Rings Are Not Created Equal

I have often seen magicians using any old linking rings in their performances without paying attention to their many variable qualities. I learned a great deal about rings in my research last year, so here are some “key” factors to ponder as you make your decision. WARNING: Whatever you do, try out the rings first. Make sure they are really what you want because you will probably...