i might go into stage after CNY.What were your 1st stage prop explain how your feel about that prop.I'm really curious about stage now maybe you guy can help me by choose my stage prop wisely :P thank you

I'm would wisely advice you to work on your BASICS first before you try to make another purchase which you cannot utilise like your ET. -_-

Besides basics, i think a wand would be good. Cos in stage, the wand sort of highlight the fact that u are a magician, and at the same time a tool of misdirection. Then again, it depends on what stage magic u are interested in.

Thank your for your advice, I'm just buying some thing simple and cheap,your 1st stage props would be too expensive right?

Stage props are usually pricey cause they are big and flashy.
I woulden recommend u going into stage yet.
Seriously u got to really IMPROVE on your close up.

The only thing suggested thus far is a magic wand... I'm confused, are you saying Cadbury's advice of it is expensive? :huh: You don't seem to quite know what you want yet. I'd suggest you study more about stage and then dabble into it at a later stage. Else you'd be buying a lot of things that you don't use, or getting things that are simply not suitable for you or the local audience. These things don't come cheap too. You should see it as an investment :)

Sheeke, you seem to know Broderick personally. Are you guys friends?

Cheers,
ning

Thank your all for your advice,i will get some good book and dvd with my CNY red packet. For now just post your 1st stage prop and how your feel about it. I'm really curious. Yes Ning we know each other, Sheeke see you tml :D

Do u mean "wouldn't" ?

Some how i think a wand is probably one of the cheapest stage prop u can get. There are many types of wands though, some have "more" specs than normal. You can take a look at magic websites and search around.

To do stage magic, you must know the type of audience you are targeting at. This will give you an idea what props to own.

Owning a number of props do not make you a magician. You must know your stuffs well and even the easiest effect need some practice. To me, all magic effects are good if you do it well.

We will have a world full of magicians just by owning a few props and perform hopelessly. You not only make yourself a fool but destroy this wonderful art.

Some so called magicians I met knows a lot in theory because they read but when they perform, they only understand what they are doing but not the audience.

So know your stuffs well, practice and practice before you go out to perform in the real world. Don't behave like a FROG IN THE WELL.

Uncle Bob

1 think that the 1st item you should invest in is DVD and VCD of performance from many stage magicians, from this you are analyse and maybe understand how a proper stage act is like.

You will find some style of the magicians that you might adopt during your show, could be the agressive type of jeff mcbride or the elegant kind of lance burton, or some comedy magician.

NEXT IMPORTANT STEP, you must ask yourself if you are comfortable being that type of magician, some people just can act very well, it is very hard for them to gesture out jokes or funny stuffs during your act, so choose something that is suitable for you rather than something that you like.

I started off all by myself with littl advice, waste thousands of dollars (seriously) buying things that is not suitable or just lousy stuffs.

Remember to think through before buying a new props and always ask for advice, it is good to seek advice here, lotsa stage magicians in SMC and willing to give good advices!!!

Cheers
Lefty
The left way of Magic

Here's my two cents from the limited knowledge i know.

Do not go into the mad rush of jus buying prop after prop. Jus as Uncle Bob says, "Owning a number of props do not make you a magician."

First plan what kind of stage act would you wanna do primarily. Be it silent acts, talking acts, audience participation, manipulation, or even children's magic or adult magic, etc. Buying of dvds and performance videos would be good at this stage and expose yourself to the various styles and performance methods.

Once you've decided, start planning on what you would like to do in your act, for example, you may want to start with something shocking in the beginning, so a fire act may be a good opener. Then maybe a manipulation act. After which you may do certain audience participation stints. Then maybe you could end with a good closer such as a Snowstorm in China.

After you've though of all these, then you go into the prop buying, where all the money will come in handy. Trust me, ur ang bao money during CNY will not cover even half cost of the props you buy. So think carefully before you go into tt nvr ending spiral of buying n buying.

I wont tell you what is ur 1st stage prop to buy, cos our preference might differ, but what i could say is try to get something skill-based rather than self-working based first.

Skill-based meaning that you really need to practice to get the moves and presentation right, very much like sleight of hands. Things like dancing canes, linking rings are good skill-based props.

Self-working props, to me, are to be used to complement your skill-based props. Prop such as the appearing cane are self-working, but when used well with a good presention, also makes the act more impressive.

Once you've gotten your stuff, it does not end there. Here's when the PRACTICE comes into play. Do not jus practice all the skills in the world, but remember the essence of magic in which you want to maintain in your whole act. This is something which i, myself in particular still struggle with, because many of the time, we jus focus on the skills and routine, and forgetting the magical part which is what we ultimately want the audience to be immersed into.

Sorry this had been a long post, im not that experienced and still quite an amateur, so i ask of the seasoned performers to correct me if i've said anything not quite right. haha. But i certainly hope this two cents of mine have helped you clear some doubt Broderick.

Cheers,
Ken

Broderick, I think the advice given above are gems. Uncle Bob has been in magic for over 30 years and what he says is the truth and will be useful to remember ^_^ I'd encourgae you to pick up a copy of STRONG MAGIC by Darwin Ortiz and study the wealth of material inside. It'll certainly help you much if you are serious about the art.

Good luck!
ning

Yes Ning, i kinda know boderick personally.
Haha.


My stand still stands. Boderick work and work and work overtime on your close up.

Thank you all for your advice ^_^ i really enjoy read all your advice. I will follow it :lol:

Hi Broderick,

Not to add to the debate on going into stage magic or what makes a stage magician (though I agree with the views), my main suggestion is to work on a stage routine first that you could try out as part of a parlour show or as a stand-alone stage piece). My suggestion is not to try to put together an act but a single 2 – 3min routine.

Stage magic is not just silent acts performed to music, it is also talking acts; basically any type of magic that is presented on stage. However, the presentation and communication of stage magic is vastly different from that of close-up. That is what you need to learn with your first stage prop.

So, if I were to suggest a prop to answer the original question, I would go with rope.

1) Rope will teach you how to handle a prop gracefully and pose with it. Rope is weak, limp and formless by itself. But, in the hands of a performer, it can be stretched to look strong, handled to moved gracefully and twirled to created large visuals on stage.

2) You can perform a multitude of effects with rope: cuts & restorations, transformations, exchanges, manipulation of knots, etc.

3) You can perform rope silently or with patter.

4) Rope is affordable and easy to transport.

5) Rope (thick bright white rope) is highly visible on stage – for 10 people or 1000 people

6) You can combine rope with other props to create different effects for variety: Ropes with rings, silks, glasses, other coloured ropes etc.


Here is a very affordable resource if you can find it: Rope Sensational by George Sands is an old booklet on the subject but covers many of techniques expounded by magicians of later generations.

Some DVDs you can consider are by Tabary, Daryl and Pavel. Alexander Decova has an excellent rope routine on Vol 1 of his Enigmatic videos.

Look for the thickest rope you can find/ afford. The best I’ve found to date is Camirand’s Elite Stage Rope.


Best,

J C

WOW thats really great thank your for your advice man. Ok so i should get a Rope and a wand. That won't be too expensive ^_^