8 posts in this series
I learned the hard way that audiences notice when your props change between routines -- and that the simplest inconsistency can unravel the credibility of an entire show.
Read MoreThe most 'spontaneous' moments in a show are the most carefully planned. I learned that engineering the feeling of improvisation is a craft in itself -- and that audiences want to believe they are watching something happen for the first time.
Read MoreOne of the most disarming moves in stage magic is giving away a prop early in the show and then shamelessly asking for it back later. The audience laughs at the transparent ploy -- and that laughter is exactly why it works.
Read MoreThe most powerful prop on stage is the one the audience stopped noticing ten minutes ago. I learned to deliberately leave things in plain sight after their first use, so that when they reappear later, no one thinks twice.
Read MoreBookending your show -- starting and ending with connected elements -- creates a sense of completeness that audiences feel even when they can't articulate it. I discovered that my shows felt incomplete until I learned to build this circular unity into every performance.
Read MoreYour prop case or table isn't just storage -- it's a performance tool that enables seamless transitions. I learned that the natural action of going to your case between effects is one of the most valuable moments in your entire show.
Read MoreMost performers only think about exchanging a prepared item for an unprepared one -- for examination. But the reverse direction opens up entirely different creative possibilities that I never considered until I read one sentence that reversed my thinking.
Read MoreSometimes the most elegant solution is to make the problem disappear conceptually rather than physically. I realized that if the show's energy moves forward, the audience simply stops thinking about what happened to the prop -- and that is a vanish in itself.
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