Magic for Eastbourne Bonfire Society

Yet another weekend of magic. This time we were performing all the way in Eastbourne (some 120 miles away). This was a challenging gig. We accepted it when there was no sign of work on this weekend and we were still trying to become well known on the SteamPunk Scene.

We arrived at the venue at 8 AM after leaving home at 5.30 AM with no real idea what to expect. Unlike other SteamPunk gigs we hadn't had a face to face meeting and a look at the venue. The weather was dreadful and the event was going to be outside  by the sea. The plan was for Darren to work as a compare for the stage during the day and I would perform close up magic for the families with some balloon modelling. Then in the evening we would both bring our own brand of elegant magic to the tables of the Grand Steampunk Ball in the Wintergarden theatre. Then on the next day we would again perform our duties in the day time and finish around 5 pm.

Our fears were unfounded. The weather cleared up, the bands showed up and brought the crowds. Not many at first but it soon began to really fill up. I realised I would have trouble performing with the bands still running and so switched to mainly working with balloon modelling.
Some thoughts on balloon work.

Multi Balloon models may cost more in time and materials, but look amazing.

That said my one balloon Monkey rocks.

A hand pump is tiresome but not particularly slow.

I know a surprising amount of models now but want to learn more. In particular I want a good multi balloon dog Because....

Simple models are the hardest. There's less going on to give the final impression of what you've made.

To this end I've located a good source of balloons and will spend my soon to arrive free time on learning more balloons alongside more magic.

Other events helped make the day a success. The bands were all  superb ( I mean it not a single dud in the lot of them) and were incredibly professional. Darren   performed his special magic of making material pear out of thin air for the band change overs.  Umbrella fencing (at which I truly rock) and tea duelling also wowed the crowds. We need to make  our own umbrella fencing for when "Steampunk Shenanigans" can't make an event. (and practise at it and become superb brollymen).

After a feast of chips (seaside resorts always have great fish and chip shops) we assembled at the Winter Garden Theatre for the grand ball. I changed into a less steampunk but posher looking waistcoat. I really should make more outfits for these events. The organizers laid on a great night with burlesque, bands our favourite Steampunk DJ and even a corner set up were people could have their picture taken in an actual Time Machine.

I was loaded up "Once Upon a Time" and my usual repertoire of card effects. The gig at Seven Droog Castle reawakened a passion for adding class and enchantment into my work, a touch of elegance.

My first table was a young lady sitting by herself. I introduced myself, asked her for her name and asked if I may join her for a brief moment. I asked of she enjoyed fairy tales like I did,and then proceeded to perform "Once Upon A Time". She said it felt like a truly magical experience and it was a beautiful story. That set the pace of the night. I performed "Cartomancy" with a variation and spend a lovely session performing al my mentalist routines to a psychologist.

The next day suffered from poor weather, however the crowds still came and I used up just about every balloon I had on me! I also performed more magic and finished the day using "Once Upon A Time" again to cheer up a lady who looked like she was having a bad time of things. It worked and I left feeling like a true magician. Using slight of hand and story telling to create a real feeling of magic in people.

Colchester Invasion with Tea and Sympathy

Yesterday saw two events that I was really looking forward to.
Invasion Colchester is a local charity event where people dress up in sci fi and fantasy costumes and walk a round the town collecting money (normally off people having photo's taken with them). I've performed close up street magic in previous years, however this time we had other plans. Initially I was going to run an event for kids at a galleries Garden and tea shop. Due to a change in management this fell though close to the event however I did manage to get a place to perform in a different venue. Working in a coffee shop not only saved a lot of walking but also allowed me to perform on tables and to have a place for props.

  Dan was with me again and did a fantastic job performing to tables whilst I made balloon animals for the kids. This combination worked really well and I did still get to perform magic. A young girl came in dressed as Anna from "Frozen". I felt this would be the best time to make snow appear from my hands. We went outside with her mother and poured water into my hands where she magically turned it to snow. I've been working on the method of this effect and it was worth he effort. I created a full snow storm that whipped over the both of them. Research well spent. As ever "Once upon a time" truly enchanted the kids, big and small.

Dan did a great job performing to all the different age ranges and we raised a fair bit of money. However people do tend to donate for  less for balloon models than they've paid for them when I had a fix rate for them. This is the second time this has happened so in future when doing balloon models for charity I will have a minimum donation.

After Invasion we had one hour to eat  before heading to Tea & Sympathy. I had agreed to perform a little stage set and wanted to include Dan's whip work.. Making a short notice change to plans needed all the health and safety assessments on hand which Dan managed to get. This does demonstrate how important having paperwork is. I think it's time I sit down and work out all sorts of risk assessments, print them and pop them in my case along with a sheet of what was loaded into the car so I don't leave things behind.

As well as stage we were lucky enough to perform some close up table magic. I used the opituintiy to use some of my older material with new twists. The people loved them, "do as I do" one of the original effects I learnt got massive results with a little tweeking. Once the day job finishes (in 3 weeks) I intend to go through EVERY effect I perform, one a day and spend a few hours working through each and every bit of them to see if they can be enharnsed.

Fellow performers made a point of saying how well Dan was performing. Everyone found him charming and thinks his style compliments mine and Darrens' perfectly. We both dealt with all kinds of different participants from those who wanted deep intnece powerful magic to those who were maybe not in the best of moods (and soon were in good moods and wanted more powerful rich resonant magic)

Overall the day was fantastic with a broad range of magic and participants. It showed how learning your basics thoroughly is important as we both made adjustments whilst performing which you can only do when you have a solid grounding in an art. Defiantly one of those days that makes me glad I'm a magician and wants  me to learn and study even more!