Working Conditions
I made, as you know, a scouting run to the Rose Festival’s Waterfront Village a week ago last Sunday to see what things looked like regarding the stages upon which I would be performing (convoluted sentence structure GO!). One of the things I had been told was that the stages were in fact covered. I [...]
Over the past few years, I’ve been moving different bits in and out of my show – sometimes for logistical reasons (the TSA has an issue with someone bringing six feet of chain on two wooden handles as a carry on), sometimes because I just get restless and want to change things up. With the [...]
There are two ways to sell things to other Magicians. Today I discuss the other way…
Taken Saturday morning before Faire in the Grove… When we found out how close we were to the ale and food, we decided to use the pavilion as a “backstage” area and backdrop for the performance space. After flailing about to try and give the stage a name (The Adequate Stage, the Alternate Stage)… eventually [...]
Ever wonder how much rope a magician goes through in about five years? Something along the lines of a mile of rope, seen here cut into various lengths. Since I’m a big fan of cheap magic, this rope is all going to the local SYM chapter so young magicians can have their own rope to [...]
Every army constantly trains to fight the last war – unattributed Army Maxim After every show, I review what worked and what didn’t. I do the same thing after every event. The trick is to not assume that This Next Show will be like The Last Show, and This Next Event will be like the [...]
I’ve talked about the necessity of having a sign if you’re a stage act – it identifies you as, yes, an actual show, and gives your show an air of “legitimacy” (oh look he’s someone who’s performing and not some random weirdo who walked out onto the stage). I’d like to talk about another form [...]
A stage show at Faire has to contend with a lot of distractions during the show – especially if your stage is right in the middle of everything. The biggest interruptions tend to be from parades. Ah, parades. When some group or other moves en masse from one part of Faire to another – sometimes [...]
…. moving away from Cheap Magic, let’s look at cheapness uh, frugality in Faire… Bring most of your food and beverages with you – Yes, it meas you’re hauling more stuff onto site, but even bread, cheese and summer sausage bought “off site” will cost maybe 30% of what you’re going to pay for it [...]
I’ve been thinking about how much stuff I tote around when I work Faires – I’ve mentioned before that I’m a great believer in infrastructure – but when it comes down to it, there is an ABM – an Absolute Bare Minimum – that I’d want to pack in and out. If you’re starting to [...]
