How do you develop a really good magic act?

This is the question that I have been thinking about for over sixty years. Ever since I discovered magic and magicians at the age of five, I have been learning and performing magic.

Every time I meet an accomplished magician with a wonderful act, I ask them how they did it. Here are the results from sixty years of research.

The best magicians are the ones who do the most shows.

When I say “do the most shows” I don’t mean shows for their family or friends. I mean shows for strangers. Shows for people they don’t know.

As we perform our magic for audiences, we naturally try new bits and slight variations on our performance. We listen to the reaction from the audience. If the new idea works, we keep it in. If it doesn’t work, we discard it. This continual editing never really stops. It is a livelong pursuit.

After you get 1,000 shows under your belt you will have a professional act!

One thousand shows seems like an insurmountable task when you are just starting out. So don’t think about that. Ten shows! Just start with that as your goal. Go out and do ten shows! After doing ten shows you will notice you are better. You will have learned some things. You will be closer to your goal!

Every show is a valuable learning experience. Eventually you will have a really bad show. You will totally crash and burn. Congratulations! You are now part of the club! Every magician has had bad shows. I certainly have. Those are the shows that you learn the most from. Just keep getting up and get back on the horse!

Magic is the world’s greatest hobby! Every moment you devote to practice and performance will pay you back tenfold!

Good Luck!

Lance Burton

Master Magician

Order of Merlin Excalibur