I could not believe that no one had posted in this section. I am quite passionate about the prersentation of magic. I might if pushed even say that it is equal to the effect. It is easy for people to go out and learn an effect but the effect is brought alive by by the presentation. By that I am not saying we all should dress up in eccentric costumes. Although for people wanting to break into the field of magic it is one of the least explored ares I have come across.

Presentation though is more than how you look. It is about who you are, how you portray your self, how you speak (By that I mwan what you say and what you don;t say) and your story. I have always been interested in performing and I guess that is one of the things that led me into my role as a police officer (I am not one now.) I worked undercover manly with drug dealers and eventually went back into uniform working in a communitee. Many people thought this was strange but it was what I joined for but I had made quite a name for myself and frequently had probationers attached to me for shifts. At first I could not understand their reemarks about how I could do what I did and it caused me to think.

What I was doing is performing, I did it undercover and I did it in uniform. I did not set out to tell people what they wanted to hear I filled a role they felt they needed to accept what they were being told.

" I filled a role they felt they needed to accept what they were being told."

If we can do that with our magic we can make the magic come alive, it becomes real to them. It is not because you make something disappear or change from one thing to another that is magical. We can all do that or learn how to do that. It is our presentation that create an enviroment that allows the spectators to accept what they normally wouldn't.

Let me try and give an example without giving any exposure. Think about a mind reader. In todays society most people accept it is not possible, yet magicians are able to demonstrate it frequently in many enviroments. The method is often very simple and anyone could do it. I have seem some do it (I deliberatly omit perform because they are left with an audience that say it was a trick, it was a puzzle, it was nothing special, they could have done it. What makes it stand out for somne people is what is done, said and even shown to the audience before during and after the performance.

The mind reader approaches his or her (Sorry if I am not PC) the first thing is what they see, this alone is not important but with a few simple changes you can start communicating to the audience before you open your mouth. It maybe you use a stereo type to influence them. Imagine the performer dressed in dark clothing with a goatee beard. It may be done before but it sets a scene and in the mind of the audience you are already a mind reader. Speak in a low deep slow tone of voice and there is another element of your image that says mind reader. This is before you even start performing. This can be extended to your set and what surrounds you.

Your introduction can be just as effective. Introduce yourself as a mentalist or magician and they are expecting a "trick" introduce yourself as someone who is investigating, playing with, developing powers etc and you are telling them what your are and what to expect.

So bear in mind your Language from the moment you open your mouth Next is your story which encompasses your patter. This should lead your audience on a journey that is logical and methodical. Creating images, sounds, smells and feeling in your audience, using memory to release a belief that they always knew was there.

Often effects will include patter you can use. This is great but it must fit in with what came before and what comes afterwards, neglect that and it will be just a trick, something slotted into a routine. Imagine if when I was a police officer I had approached a drug dealer in uniform and said "Sell me some drugs" Now imagine someone dressed as if they are a down and out and say "Have you some Brown" The dealer is willing to interact with the down and out because they fit there image of a user. In our example the mind reader is just like the down and out and you are the police officer.

Living in the role when you perform will take your performance to a new level. In addition it will make your performance more enjoyable. Once you have been in the position of performing in this way you will want to do it more and more.

I hope this gives you some ideas about performing. I will try and put more ideas and information about performance and patter

Continue enjoying your magic,

Nic