The Physical Transition

6 posts in this series

Reading Order

1 of 6 — 9 min read

Thirty People Around a Big Table: The First Step from Close-Up to Stage

The transition from close-up to stage did not start on a stage. It started in a Viennese hotel banquet room with thirty people and a table that was far too large for card tricks.

2 of 6 — 9 min read

Chest Height, Not Table Height: The Physical Shift from Close-Up to Stage

The single biggest physical adjustment from close-up to stage is not about bigger props or louder voice. It is about raising the plane of action from table height to chest height -- and everything that changes when you do.

3 of 6 — 9 min read

Testing Stage Material at the Close-Up Table: What Each Setting Teaches You

You do not need a stage to develop stage material. The close-up table is one of the most powerful testing grounds for routines that will eventually play for hundreds -- if you know what to listen for.

4 of 6 — 9 min read

From Walk-Around to Stage Show: Converting One Gig Into Two

Every walk-around gig contains the seed of a stage booking -- if you know how to plant it. Here is how I started turning one engagement into two separate performances at the same event.

5 of 6 — 9 min read

Six Nights a Week at Restaurants, Then Something Changed: The Pipeline to Stage

The performers who made the leap from close-up to stage all share one thing in common: they built a pipeline of live experience so deep that the transition became inevitable. Here is what that pipeline looks like and how I built my own version of it.

6 of 6 — 8 min read

Why Forty-Five Minutes Is the Magic Number for Your First Stage Show

When I started building my first stage show, everyone had a different opinion about how long it should be. It took a single piece of advice from John Graham to cut through the noise and give me a target that actually made sense.