Privileges of a Street Performer

Over there! It’s happening here! — Just about to start! Magic show, it’s good, I know I’ve seen it before! These are just a couple of lines I have used to gain the attention of the passing public when I start a street show. Street theatre is an art form I simply love — more so — Magical Street Theatre, changing people’s lives who simply had no plans at all to watch a show. Then, they find...

It’s Never Too Late to Learn from Your Mistakes

I published an article entitled Getting the Gigs in October of 2010.  The article was sent in by our dear friend, and “head mother” of the World Magic Seminar Teen Weekend, Chris Koch.  Shortly after it was published, I got a somewhat obscure email from Jeff asking me to take the article offline while we investigated a claim of plagiarism. I’m pleased to say that the article is...

It’s the Same Every Time: Master Class Observations

I have an interesting position at the Magic & Mystery School. I’m technically faculty, but I have asked not to be paid (other than a small travel stipend which I usually spend on dinners with the gang). In addition to all of the web and technical work, I donate about six weeks of my time every year to teach at the Extended Master Classes. Why, you may ask, would I do this? Those of you...

The ABC’s of an Act

Get a short, silent, parlor/standup act that doesn’t use a lot of props or specifically require the knowledge of one language. Learn it. Know it. Repeat it in front of live audiences. Not just paying shows where everyone expects a magician there. Do it out of your pockets, in bars, at festivals, anywhere people gather. Talk with the owner of a bar or club, and ask them if you can come in and...

I, Mage: Marketing Your Magic

“Style is a magic wand, and turns everything to gold that it touches.” – Logan Pearsall Smith, author, essayist and critic If you have attended a class at McBride’s Magic & Mystery School, you have likely heard Jeff break down the word “image” as “I, Mage,” meaning “I, the Magician.” As performers, our image is crucial. And whether you are doing it consciously or unconsciously, you are...

Creating an iPod Cue Sheet

Like a lot of magicians, you might use an iPod to play music during your show. It’s no surprise that this is so popular because you can carry multiple versions of your show’s music — along with your regular tunes — and nearly any assistant or show tech who hasn’t been living in a cave for the past 9 years will know how to operate the device. However, even an experienced iPod...

Midwifing Magic: Birthing Miracles in the Age of Reason

I knew what I was in for when I first met Jeff. He made no attempt to hide the fact that he has been madly in love with lady magic since he was seven years old. Since I only met him when he was 28, I knew she had twenty years on me, and that there was no sense in competing with her for his love. Instead, I began to woo her myself, and found that as I learned to speak Jeff’s primary...

The Value of a Mentor – Through the Eyes of an Apprentice

In our digital age of learning magic by watching YouTube I cannot help but wonder how far one can go by mimicking what they see someone else do in a video. Aside from performing for friends at school, how do you really take your interest in magic to the next level? It is not uncommon for young, aspiring artists to seek out a mentor among the group of successful contemporaries in their desired...

Mike Larkin Interviews Barry & Stuart

What is the concept behind the new show? The show is called “98% Séance” and is about making live contact with ghosts, spirits and demons. As anyone who has ever held a home-made Séance will know, there’s always the chance of nothing happening, and because we are pretty much totally convinced that all those things are horse-sh*t anyway, the remaining 2% of our Séance will...

Putting more funny and entertainment in your act

When you think about it, magic tricks and jokes share a very similar style. In a joke, a comedian sets up in words a story or scenario that unexpectedly changes at the last minute creating laughs. In magic, the magician shows or explains how something is impossible and can’t be done and then unexpectedly defies reality to do it; resulting in applause. Sadly, you must be warned before you read...