Last month we began talking about the Eight Traits of a True Magician that we teach kids at The Dallas Magic Academy. We started with the first trait, “A True Magician is Respectful”. There is a reason we start with being respectful. We know that the students will not even hear any of the other important traits of a true magician if they aren’t being respectful and listening first.
The next trait I want to discuss is “A True Magician is Prepared”. Of course, being prepared is the foundation that every successful act is built on. Being prepared starts with practice. It goes without saying that when adding a trick to your repertoire, the first thing you need to know is how the trick works. You need to master the mechanics of the magic, whether it’s a difficult move or a clever self working method, you need to master that part of the trick and you do that with practice, practice, practice.
After you have practiced enough, we need to move on to rehearsal. I can already hear many of you saying, “Hold on Dal, isn’t practice the same thing as rehearsal?”
Of course it isn’t. Practice is the act of perfecting a skill or method, while rehearsal is an activity that focuses on integrating those skills and methods into a cohesive, complete performance. Practice builds foundational technique and muscle memory, whereas rehearsal refines dynamics, transitions, and the overall flow of a performance.
Being prepared also means knowing what you are going to say. It means writing your script, memorizing it, refining it, and then having a back up script when things go differently from the way you planned (and believe me when I tell you that things will ALWAYS go differently from the way you planned). You won’t want to look like a robot that breaks down when the audience doesn’t act or respond the way you want it to (or the way you expect them to). You have to have room for changes that you make on the fly. I’m not necessarily talking about Improv Skills (which are always useful in this kind of situation) but instead we should have a kind of “Planned Spontaneity” to fall back on. This makes our act look fresh and exciting, even though you have performed it hundreds of times.
I could go on forever on this trait of a true magician…I am quite prepared to talk about being prepared. Instead, I’ll just share some of the keys to being prepared.
- Do things the right way, right away – Practice, practice, practice…rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Then get there early, set up early, be ready to go on time. I have one agent that says if I’m 15 minutes early, I’m already late.
- Always have a plan – Know your beginning, middle and end.
- Always have a backup plan – Know what you will say and do when something goes wrong.
The BEST place for you to rehearse and refine your magic is at the Dallas Magic Club. It is the BEST way to get prepared to perform in front of an audience.
…as always, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
