Okay, so this is actually a video of my second live magic performance, though my first was only about half an hour before this one. I also think that the first one actually went better than this one. The crowd was much larger and more engaged. That is partly because this second show was happening right at the end of the event, and people were leaving. I don’t mean to be making excuses though. I am still very happy with how this show went, from the Egg bag, to the ring on rope routine, the fish production, and the wine bottle finale.
I want to make sure I give credit where it is due. The scripting for the ring on rope section is largely (or completely) lifted from a magician I was very excited to meet by the name of Glenn Morphew. He is very nice, and incredibly generous to have taught me the routine and allowed me to perform it for the show. I also want to thank Patrick Snowden and Kyle Elder for mentoring me for nearly a year before I got to the moment you see in the above video. Without their help and guidance, I definitely never would have found myself anywhere near that stage or any other in the future. I would be remiss if I did not thank Max Gross from Hocus-Pocus.com for giving me the idea to produce a live fish from the squared circle and give it away. That was a real kicker, and I was told afterward that the little boy who got the fish couldn’t stop talking about his “shark” for weeks afterward.
This live magic performance was put on for Animal Rescue of Fresno in October 2023, for its annual Trunk or Treat event. Being outside, this was not the best situation for a magician to perform in (which I was told by a much more seasoned magician just minutes before my show). The wind worried me a little bit. There are definitely some moments that would immediately be much less magical if certain props went flying across the stage (and not in the magical way). Thankfully, that did not end up happening, and most of the show went off without a hitch.
There were definitely a few moments that did not go exactly as planned, but I am choosing to take that as a good thing. For myself (and any other aspiring magicians who may come across this later) I am taking those hiccups as proof that I won’t explode just because an effect or scripted joke doesn’t go exactly the way I thought it would during practice. Also, I have a feeling I noticed a lot more of the mistakes than anyone else might have, because that is the way it goes a lot of the time. I do tend to be my own worst critic. To be clear that is not an open invitation to lob your worst criticisms my way.
All this is to say I am really very happy with how the whole thing went, mistakes and all. It allowed me to show myself that it is possible, and that is the biggest lesson I am taking from this whole experience.
Thank you for watching, and if you are interested you can see the beginnings of my Journey into magic here. You are also always welcome (and encouraged) to watch me stream live on Twitch, which I sometimes use to work out how my routines will go together.