Fitzkee lists eight techniques for creating unity in a magic act: theme, character, costume, music, prop consistency, running gags, narrative thread, and escalating structure. Here is how I turned a random collection of effects into something that felt like a show.
Read MoreFitzkee's staircase metaphor: every moment should advance the show. No plateaus, no steps backward, no repetition of energy level. The audience should always feel movement. Here is how I learned to eliminate the flat spots in my own set.
Read MoreTiming isn't about how fast you go. It's about controlling the pace to achieve a specific emotional effect. Slow can be more powerful than fast when used deliberately. A lesson from Fitzkee that changed how I perform every single routine.
Read MoreFitzkee's five timing rules: build gradually, slow toward the climax, pause before the key moment, accelerate through transitions, and never rush a reveal. Practical rules I now apply to every routine in my set.
Read MoreFitzkee reframes misdirection as a subset of pointing -- you're not directing attention away, you're directing it toward something else. This positive framing changes how you design every moment of a performance.
Read MoreFitzkee's concept of perverse magic: routines where the magic seems to work against the performer. The audience sympathizes with the performer's struggle and celebrates when things finally work out. It is one of the most powerful structures in all of magic.
Read MoreThe performer's job is not to execute tricks sequentially but to orchestrate them into a unified experience. Like a conductor, you shape dynamics, tempo, and emotional arc -- and the difference between playing the notes and interpreting the music is the difference between mediocrity and mastery.
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