Theory & Thoughts for Magicians

Is Self-Working Magic Working For You?

Ryan digs in to one of the biggest lies magicians tell... themselves. A critical look at the prominence of self-working tricks in the magic industry, and whether it might

Take My Advice

Some magicians keep their distance from the magic community because of bad advice. Be it unwelcome, unwarranted, or unfounded there seems to be no shortage of shaky advic

Hooks, Lines, and Thinkers

Through every moment of a routine your audience's interest is rising and falling. If it drains away, you're in trouble. Are you maintaining interest, attention, and creat

Magic Is Crumbling

Max Maven was a giant in magic, whose long shadow kept many in line. So, where does that leave us now?

Hooked On Classics

In 1954 the Magic Circle presented the Hoffmann Memorial Lecture by Charles Harrison on "The Qualities of a Classical Feat of Magic." In it he suggests eight common featu

Weakness Is Strength

A look at your personal style as a performer, as defined by your strengths, weakness, and limitations. Magicians generally tend to be all happy-go-lucky razzle-dazzle, bu

Setting The Stage

The success of your magic show hinges upon your audience being ready to receive it. I have a four phase process I use to develop a relationship with my audience, maintain

Creating Chaos

Magicians strive to control every detail of a performance, yet the more you control, the weaker the magic becomes. What happens when you let more chaos into your presenta

Do You Believe In Magic?

In this episode we dig into what your magician character believes they are actually doing when they present magic. What is really happening to cause the magic effect? Wha

Sum of Your Choices

Theory and Thoughts for Magicians will be a series of focused topic discussions about improving your magic performances. In this inaugural episode Ryan introduces a foun