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STREET MAGIC - WHAT A GREAT PLACE TO PERFORM! |
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Another well kept secret to street magic is how to draw a crowd. Some prefer to just start doing a few tricks and watch what develops. I prefer to set up the crowd then let them all watch. This isn't the easiest thing to do. But, if you get good at it your income as a street performer will easily double. Here are a few tips which help.
- Make a paper clock with movable hands to set a time. It should have "Next Show Time" written above it.
- Draw a circle in chalk, on the street, where you want your crowd to stand, and tell them to please stand behind the line in a semi-circle.
- Develope a patter (spoken routine) which will make people laugh and join in. In my novel the magician character uses the patter that I actually use in my street shows.
- Hire several beautiful girls to parade around in the street in front of you half-naked.
- Give away free beer.
Of course I was joking on the last two. But many performers yell out "FREEEEE BEEEER." Of course this only disappoints people like me.
Another suggestion is to try to draw the spectators closer to you. Those farthest from you will be the ones that leave without placing money in your hat. Hence the closer you get them (up to a point) the better off you will be. Also, remember that by bringing people up to the front, you make room for more customers in the back. Something that I always do when I am performing at street level is to have the kids sit at the front. Parents don't seem to mind if the kids move up to the front and sit in the street. I don't know why really, but they just don't mind. I've found this to be a useful tool, because all the kids want to be able to put a dollar in the hat after the show and they force their parents to come up to the front to take them away.
Remember to keep it short. Too many performers try to perform continuously. This does not work. Your magic show needs a beginning a middle and an end. All that is going to happen should happen in less than fifteen minutes, ten is even better. Remember, that whether you give them ten or fifteen minutes, really has no bearing on how much money they will give you. Most give a dollar or the change they have handy, no matter how long. A good but short performance is much better than a great long performance, because the people will still be there when you pass the hat.
One more trick is in dealing with the wind. When you go out to the street for the first time, remember that a sudden gust of wind will turn that deck of cards sitting on your side table into a pile of 52 pickup. In fact it doesn't take that big of a gust to turn over those lightweight tables. I once saw a sudden gust of wind blow over an unattended Zig Zag Lady with his assistant locked inside, too. He was embarrassed to no end and she wasn't too happy about it either. You can use many tricks that you would under better circumstances (no wind) but you have to learn to protect them. Have people hold things or set heavy objects on things that may blow. If a trick isn't wind resistant, you'll find that you can't perform it on the street.
Another secret is to involve your audience members as much as possible. Almost without fail, the person or persons you use as magicain's assistants will give you a tip. (When, truth is, you should pay them most of the time.)
Be sure and inform your audience that at the end of the show, you are indeed going to be asking for money. This won't be a surprise to most, but telling them you'll want money is like asking them to buy a ticket. This of course can be done with either humor or a more serious tone, but never belittling the audience for watching without paying. I've seen magicians try that, and they make a little more than nothing. They just lose the crowd.
A good line for setting up the money might be, "Many people ask me how I do these marvelous miracles, more often they ask me why ... WHY? Well let me tell you ... I'm doing it for a worthy cause... cause if I'm not worthy, I won't eat."
My last magic secret to share is that you should also tell the audience that you are going to end the show, before you end it. For example, "ladies and gentlemen, something we've all been waiting for.... my last trick." When you finish the show be sure and bow and ask for the money. The line I use is "If you appreciated the show, please show your appreciation. Thank you."
MAGIC KITS AND TRICKS FOR SALELast updated: 12/15/2006
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to get a crowd going, while performing at a street festival or to
create a crowd from the people wandering doing a little window
shopping. I first learned how to perform on the streets in
California. (This was long before David Blaine even picked up a deck
of cards.) Not to diminish Blaine. His work is amazing and his style
certainly demands attention. Just as with David Blaine, street magic
is near and dear to me. My work wasn't quite as glamorous. I didn't
make a TV special with Leo. However, I've done street magic for
years. Instead of performing for the big dollars coming from huge
sponsorships, street magic for me, like for most, means being
magical enough to receive a monetary reward after your performance
by way of passing the hat. Sometimes this is referred to as "the
throw." When I first started Street Magic, it was not by
choice. I was just a struggling performer and I had to make ends
meet. Really, I had to get something to eat. I was really
struggling. Eventually I was performing at Six Flags Magic Mountain
as 
