6 Ways Close Up Magicians Entertain and Engage Large Groups
Because 5 is too odd
Corporate functions and Weddings are one of my favourite gigs to do because more often than not they’re at fancy venues and it’s always nice to go to these places!
But then you turn up to the venue, survey the battle zone and notice that either
There are long banquet tables
Large round tables with a giant centerpiece in the middle
There’s only cocktail tables and groups of people scattered
Or a combination of them all by some freaky event planner!
This creates a common problem - there are large groups of people and you need to show them all magic and keep them engaged. With smaller groups of 2-5 people it’s easier to command attention but when it comes to a large group, with awkward room setups and other distractions such as music, food and drinks or networking and catch up opportunities, sometimes magic isn’t the most interesting thing on that event!
So here are six ways we can keep large groups engaged so you can keep the client happy.
Start With Something Flashy
When you approach a group for the first time, you might be able to get some of groups attention, and while it’s helpful for someone in the group to get everyone else’s attention, it feels better when you do it yourself.
One simple way to do that is with flash paper! Bring out a piece of random looking paper, light it up and in a flash, that group will be all eyes on you. Just make sure you have something to follow it up with or else their attention will go back to whatever they were doing before you came. In my case I produce a coin and then move into Triad Coins, which is quick, visual and has a lot of magic moments that everyone can see.
Sometimes fire is the best way to engage a group of people, just make sure you don’t get burnt and you have a strong follow up!
Bring Your Magic Up!
When doing tables, especially round tables that seat 10 people, it can often be difficult for people on the other side to see what you’re performing, even more so if you’re placing things on the table.
To allow the table to adequately see what you’re doing, choose material or structure your effects so that they are all done at chest level and higher. Instead of bringing the cards down in a spread for a selection to be made, hold the cards in your hand and dribble them at chest height to be stopped and show everyone the card and make sure when you do your final reveal, you show the show close to your face, so the table can see the card and remember your face.
You need to be a bit strict with the routines you perform, which might mean culling Chop Cup in favour of Fiber Optics. Therefore, it is important to find out the table setup before you get to the gig so that you can prepare your sets appropriately, but always bring extra magic just incase what you had prepared is not suitable.
If you don’t have extra material and you really, really want to do that Chop Cup routine you’ve been working on for so long then the other option is to…
Stand Up!
Taking a page from Tom Wright’s DVD Standup Magic, get your table to stand up, that way people aren’t struggling to look over the table centerpiece to see what you’re doing.
This might feel awkward getting everyone to stand up with you, but it guarantees that your group will be engaged and attentive as it would now look rude for one person to sit down or start conversing with someone next to them. Now you can confidently perform your Chop Cup routine, knowing that the group can see the cup on the table better before you hit them with your final loads.
I would recommend seeking out Tom Wright’s work on Standup Magic1 for more details but try it out at your next gig and you’ll see how beneficial it can be.
Break It Up!
I once did a gig where all the guests were seated on two long rectangular banquet tables with about 40+ people on each table expecting to see magic.
I’m sure you’ve had experiences like this and they’re not going to go away anytime soon either. When tables are setup like this, it’s best to break up the table into smaller chunks and start performing at one end before making your way down for a new batch each time. This means you need to space your sets out as well, you can’t do the same set from the first and second group as the first group would literally be right next to you, getting a chance to see your set again and suss out how you did it. Make sure you have at least two sets, but three would be better so you rotate between them as you snake your way up and around the tables.
I don’t know if I have a preference between rectangular or circular tables when it comes to performing but it’s good to have strategies to deal with each one.
Involve People Strategically
Don’t you hate it when you’re performing for a group of people and out of the corner of your eye you see two people no longer paying attention and chatting to each other instead?
In those cases, either make yourself more interesting than whatever they’re talking about or make sure they’re involved! With a round table, if you’re doing a card routine have people from opposite ends to you select a card so that it feels like the whole table is connected. Ask people questions, whether it be about themselves, related to the effect or about someone else on the table. You want to build these connections throughout the table and to yourself so that everyone is engaged, and no one wants to break the connection until you decide to. This is an idea that Juan Tamariz delves into in his writings much better than I can hope to articulate.
Cast your net wide with your magic so your group is caught up in your set, and make sure you let them go wanting more!
Remember Me
The best way to engage everyone in your group is to remember their names because people will pay more attention to you if you call them out by their name.
Of course, this isn’t the easiest thing to do when you have a table of ten but if you combine the strategy above of involving selected people, if you remember their names as well, it only benefits you more. There’s lots of ways to remember people’s names but I find just saying their name (out loud and mentally) a lot throughout your set helps to solidify them in your mind. Making jokes and building rapport is a great way to make them and yourself memorable.
There’s nothing more magical than saying goodbye to people by their names as you leave, especially if you performed for them much earlier in the gig.
Engage and Entertain
If you have any tips on how to keep large groups engaged and attentive, please share in the comments.
I’m always interested in other strategies to help share magic to the masses, one group at a time. My favourite one is definitely remembering people’s names, even though I’m likely to forget them after the gig is over, I very much want to remember as many names as possible while I’m there and be as personable as possible. I already know my material that I’m performing, so I should use the processing power I have remaining to be friendly, make connections and make things as memorable as possible.
Tom’s DVD is no longer for sale (who owns a DVD player anymore?) but his theory and work can be found in his lectures such as his Penguin Live Lecture or At the Table Lecture
One of the most difficult and easiest things to do is remembering names. I’ve always had my own mnemonic system for recalling names of people. But often times I would forget to use the system and later I would be embarrassed not remembering.