Selecting A Magician
Selecting A Magician
Like most entertainers, magicians tend to have specialties. They specialize in the types of events they perform at, the repertoire of tricks they perform, and the audiences they perform for. If you answer three simple questions before you begin your search for a magician to entertain at your event, you can save yourself a great deal of time and effort.
1. What type of event am I hosting? Whether or not you have access to (and the budget for) full production facilities and crew at your event venue might drive the decision on which magician you hire. Some magicians perform elaborate illusions that require a stage, lighting, music, and truck load of props. Sleight-of-hand magicians can perform anywhere without production facilities and with props that fit in their pockets such as borrowed money or pens.
2. What types of tricks do I want a magician to perform at my event? Consider the venue and the size of the gathering. If you hire a stage performer, you will have little flexibility because the act will already be well choreographed. For a sleight-of-hand illusionist, you have more flexibility. You can choose a centralized performance, where the magician performs for the entire audience at once (ideal for moderate gatherings of up to 40 people). Or you can choose a walk-around magic performance, in which the magician roams the venue entertaining small groups (ideal for any size gathering). Whichever type of magician and performance you choose, the audience reaction should be "That's impossible! How did he do that?"
3. Who is the audience? This is an important consideration. Some magicians, like comics, gear performances for adult audiences. Others specialize in children's performances. Some specialize in corporate events and meetings; others perform only at house parties. Matching the magician to the event and its audience will help ensure the entertainment is a success for you, your audience, and the performer.
Brett Shaw is a professional sleight-of-hand, street magician and stage illusionist who can perform in any venue with or without production facilities. He specializes in corporate events and meetings. To request more information or to book Brett go to the Cotact page of this website.
