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Lectures:

Keith Fields 7pm Tuesday March 9th US Toy and Magic

Shawn Farquhar 7pm Tuesday April 27th US Toy and Magic

An Uphill Battle by Kyle Peron

As a magical entertainer, I like to consider myself pretty well-rounded when it comes to the markets I perform for and the people that become my audiences. I never claim to be a jack of all trades and make sure to only perform those shows that I feel I am most qualified for. However, there is a problem that I see that has existed in magic for years. It is a problem I am sure we have all seen or been a part of, yet maybe we do not fully understand why or maybe we just simply have come to accept it. When performing for an adult audience (whether it be a stage show or strolling magic), why is it that you tend to get the feeling that the person would much rather gouge their eyes out then have to watch a magic trick? Why is it that this attitude is obviously conveyed to you through body language and what they say to you? Why is it that these people seem to think that what you are about to do is going to deprive them of minutes of their lives they will not get back? It is really quite sad, but it happens all the time. You end up feeling you have to fight an uphill battle before your show or strolling performance even gets started. It is this feeling like you have to "prove" yourself to them. It is a feeling that you must absolutely work hard at "winning them over." So why is it that adults tend to have this attitude towards magicians? Well, for starters, it must lie in the perception that the adults have as to what a magician is and what we do. This perception may be a wrong one, but many adults simply feel that every magician is exactly the same. This is a problem for sure, but it is reality. In their own minds, they often can sum up a magician as some geeky guy wearing strange clothes that embarrasses people and performs at their kid's birthday party. It is really quite sad, but if you asked a lay person to be honest, I can assure you this is how they see us. It is also the perception of how they see ANY magician. So why do they see us this way? Well let's have a reality check here folks. They are right in many ways. Simple reality is that there are so many bad magicians out there performing magic in such a manner that it is embarrassing to themselves and the audiences they perform for. There are many that simply take on gigs that they are totally not ready for, but do it because "I need the money." There are so many magicians who simply do not understand the concept of being a professional and yet others who insist that magic is about jamming it down someone's throat and making them look foolish in the process. If this is true, then no wonder they fear us when we approach them. So what do we do about this? What can we do to change the perception adults have of us? What can we change in ourselves so that we can fight this uphill battle and create a new perception? For starters, we need to always remember to not accept every single show that comes our way. Understand who you are and who you ARE NOT. If you hate performing for adults but love kids, then stick with kid shows. Do not force yourself to doing an adult show simply because they money is good. It is not fair to you, to your client and to every other magician. You then can start to realize that magic is not about fooling people or embarrassing them to inflate your own ego. It is about entertaining and making people have a good time through the usage of magic. You do not have to jam magic down their throats every time and we certainly do not have to embarrass people in our performances. Create magic that entertains and show respect. Respect is a key here. Respect your audience. Treat them as a guest in your own home and they will love you for it. Make them feel good and make them feel appreciated. A magician is a lonely person without an audience. Make sure the magic is for them and not yourself. We can also change perceptions simply by learning to be a creative thinker of magic. STOP trying to be someone you are not. STOP trying to perform a trick the same way everyone else does because it is "the easy way out." Work on creating magic that fits YOU! You can then make sure that you understand a key word here. That key word is "professional". Be a professional at all times. That does not mean be one only when the show starts and stops when the show ends. Being a professional is a state of mind that needs to happen all the time. It is how you talk to the client and how you approach adults at a strolling gig. It is how you dress for the event and how you handle situations that come your way. It is how you thank the folks for watching your magic and sincerely appreciate them for doing so. When an adult audience sees a professional, they start to realize that their perceptions of magicians may not have been correct. It is up to us to work hard to change this bad perception but it can be done. Learn the tips and techniques and suggestions I mentioned above. If we do, maybe this uphill climb will not be so hard in the years to come. As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts on my articles or suggestions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me directly at magic4u02@aol.com. I would love to hear from you.