Why should magicians perform at least one escape in a program?
You may already perform magic for kids, possibly corporate, busking or close-up but the connection you make with escapes is as “real” as it gets. You get real respect doing at least one escape.
Why should magicians perform at least one escape in a program?
You may already perform magic for kids, possibly corporate, busking or close-up but the connection you make with an escape is as “real” as it gets. You get real respect doing at least one escape.
Escapes can be tied to corporate messages, Anti-bullying Shows, Just Say No Shows or a variety of safety/rules presentations, all with very positive response. People never root for a magician to fool them, no matter how suave and sophisticated they are. On the other hand, people
respond unbelievably well when you escape from restraints. The audience is living vicariously and they feel the anguish and suffering the magician is
living through. People root for a winner and they need to believe in heroes. Whatever their reason, the audience is on your side when you escape and the comments after the show will prove it. Many say “I know the magic was fake but the escape was real”. Very often people comment how they like the magic (And it can be pretty amazing sleight of hand) but they verbalize but they also say “They knew I did something”. They didn’t know what, but they suspected trickery so the value of the performer is slightly diminished. People always compliment the escaped I performed by saying it was “REAL” and they knew I didn’t try to fool them while I escaped from a Straitjacket or whatever the divice is. My value as an entertainer was increased and my value as a human being too. This is because escaping from restraints is not an “Us against them scenario”. Escaping never leaves the impression that “I fooled you” or “I am slick”. When performing escapes you are performing classic drama in the form of Man Against Machine, an established plot line that’s very popular in the movies and live plays.
hen you perform magic, the audience sometimes feels like you “pulled one over on them”. During the show they may be laughing, applauding and throwing money in the tip jar but at 3:00 am, in the depths of the subconscious mind, they’re thinking “I don’t know exactly how he did that BUT… he did something! Either his hands were fast or he tricked me into looking the other way, but he did something. And right there, you disconnect with that person because they feel slighted. They understand you were a good performer and that’s the very reason they dismiss your performance. (Please reread that last sentence) No matter what you performed, it wasn’t real, it was a show and there was a trick involved. So even the best magicians can loose a small amount of respect for the exact same reason they were applauded in the first place. (Please reread that last sentense also).
When you perform escapes, even one escape, viewers accept it as real skill and root you on as you emerge victorious. Think about this: You have just made a die reappear in a hat, how many people are cheering your victory, calling your name, happy for your success? None, They may be puzzled, fooled or amused. When you make their card appear in your wallet how many are calling-out “I knew you could do it”. They may be amazed and respond to the impossibility of the situation but no one ever jumps for joy at the fact they were fooled. No one likes to be taken advantage of and that’s why we occasionally walk up to a table and the person sitting there has no interest to see “a magician”. On the other hand, when you are restrained and the audience sees your distress, they start rooting during the escape as if you’re making the winning goal at a football game (it’s true). I’ve performed every type of magic in every size venue and always notice a better response when an escape is involved at some point in the show. The audience wants to believe they cheered-on the good guy. They want to believe they saw a beaten-man overcome the odds and be free (another popular plotline in the movies). Escapes can be a team building experiance for everyone in an office to cheer together as you aproach freedom. Take a look at our books and escapes. Imagine how great it will be when the audience sees you as a role-model and hero figure. Yes, a role model and hero figure. Even though Houdini died almost a century ago, people speak his name like it was yesterday. Imagine the applause Houdini generated and you can recreate that same drama. That’s because he represented an idea that people should be free, that people can overcome obsticales and that’s more powerful then finding a card in a wallet. The audience wants to root for a winner and when you escape from something. you are not just a winner, the audience is the winner too.
