Tom Gaddis Teaches Ron Bauer LIVE

 

 

S  I S  D I  T O  OM  M   TEACHES   G  A D  D  T he

o n a u e r  R  Ro B Priv Private ivat ate tudie tud ies Priva tee Studi tudies ess  rivate tudies  e r ie ie s Series

 Wriritttteen by Ron Bauer  W

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

DO YOU HAVE AN ACT? Most magicians don’t. Occasionally we do a trick for friends or family. Maybe once a year we work up a couple of tricks for the annual magic club show. Maybe we reserve our trickery for other magicians at the magic shop or club. All of these efforts rarely lead to money in. Money out, however, is to be expected because, by and large we spend our magic lives looking for “what’s new” and supporting dealers and “name magicians” by buying their books and DVDs and tricks, and going to their lectures. There are a few exceptions in every town, each of whom ist’s invariably the public as “a magician.”  And that’s tha how too known many man y of oto fu us s are a re rememb rem embered ered ,e e.g. .g.,, “there was a magician at the kids’ party.”  An ACT in the true tru e tthea heatri trical cal sense sen se makes mak es it more mor e llike ikely ly your audiences will remember you instead of the tricks. It also means you’ve got a better chance to make a few more bucks than just “a magician.”  An ACT isn’t isn ’t a SHOW S HOW which whi ch can run more than tha n an a n hour. In fact, it takes considerable talent and very special material for one person to successfully entertain entertain an  an audience for that length of time. An ACT, on the other hand, is less demanding on theatrical training and experience. It’s a relatively SHORT performance, anywhere from twelve minutes. And, it’s most likely to be signed to to twenty fit into part of a varied program, show, or deevent.  An eff effici icient ent way to devise dev ise an ACT is by building buil ding it on a FORMAT, which is a structure used in television and theater to organize various types of performances, e.g., sitcom, children, cop, documentary, reality, western,

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

Ron Bauer Private Studies

game, news, etc. These are all general but recognizable configurations. They’ve each got familiar elements to fit the subject to be covered. BACKGROUND In the late seventies, for several months, I worked as producer-writer on the syndicated Bozo the Clown TV series pumping out six shows per week. After each Saturday wrap, I usually stopped by the local magic shop to look for any good possibilities for next week’s half dozen. On one visit, the magician who worked there told me he had the opportunity to do a family show for several hundred dollars, but didn’t really have an act. I had seen him demonstrating various tricks to customers over the andnot he make was very entertaining, so itan occurred toyears, me: Why several of those into act? All that was needed was a way to tie a few of these unrelated props and stunts together, and come up with some intriguing production values without spending all of his profits.  As I ponde p ondered red,, I notice not iced da an n iitem tem in a show s howcas case e call c alled ed “Hats and Hares.” This is sort of a Cups and Balls with sponge bunnies and little top hats that nest. Those little black hats were the key. The names of the tricks could be written on slips of paper, then drawn from the hat by the audience. They would choose their own magic show! But, let’s make this BIG. Let’s let them choose from all the tricks in the magic shop... and bring them to the party in a BIG BAG. This is the fantasy, of course. But, it could be sold with the right PERFORMANCE SCRIPT.

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

FORMAT Years ago, I developed a simple, but versatile FORMAT that I’ve used to devise and produce several hundred performances ranging from magic acts to television shows. You can use it to put together an ACT that is complete from start to finish, and can be assembled with tricks you already have. 1. OPENING 2. ESTABLISH THE CONTINUITY 3. TRICK #1 4. TRANSITION 5. TRICK #2 6. TRANSITION 7. TRICK # 3 8. CLOSING You can, with some thought and experimentation, use this FORMAT to tie together an ACT of unrelated tricks to fit almost any type of audience. Once you establish the PREMISE PRE MISE,, apply it to this structure to build a PLOT OUTLINE, OUTLI NE, and onward to your your PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE SCRIPT. FORMAT

PREMISE PLOT OUTLINE PERFORMANCE SCRIPT

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

Ron Bauer Private Studies

THE BIG BAG OF TRICKS & THE LITTLE BLACK HAT by Ron Bauer   © 2008, 2009 Ron Bauer PREMISE... What if I could put ALL of my tricks into a BIG BAG, and have the audience choose its own show? Begin your PLOT OUTLINE with the UNITY elements, i.e., OPENING, TRANSITIONS, and CLOSING. OPENING Getting the ACT off to a good start is your reason for using an OPENER. You use the OPENER to POLARIZE, i.e., establish the relationship that you’re the performer, and everyone else is the audience. The INTRODUCTION and WARM-UP usually works best with some relatable visuals. In our case, the imaginative props, i.e., the BIG BAG and a LITTLE BLACK HAT. Enter and place the grocery bag with the STORE LOGO IMPRINT toward the audience onto the table. “ As you c an see, see, folks, I brought my w hole bag bag of tricks with me… Oops!” Oops!” Notice that the name of the wrong side of the bag is showing... “ (sheepishly) (sheepishly) I have have it tu rned the wrong way. way... ..”” Rotate the bag to reveal your name and “claim to fame.” “ Anyway, I couldn’t make up my mind what w hat kind of a show to do for a group like you… I know you deserve the BEST... BEST ... So, I put ALL of my m y tricks tric ks into int o this B IG BAG!” Remove the LITTLE BLACK HAT from the bag. “ And, I’ve w ritt en the names of EVERY EVERY ONE ONE OF M MY Y MAGIC MAGI C TRICKS TRICKS — whi ch are ALL i n thi s BAG — on slip s o f paper... and and STUFFED STUFFED them i nto this LITTLE LITTLE HAT...” HAT. ..” Point out the slips in the LITTLE BLACK HAT.

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

ESTABL ISH THE CONTINUITY CONTINUITY “ YOU, YOU, the audience, will d etermine what this magic show wil l be. T Then hen it can’t ALL b e BLAMED ON ME. ME.”” Remove and replace a few of the slips from the LITTLE BLACK HAT. “ Here’s Here’s how it wo rks. You pick a slip... slip... I’ll do THAT TRICK! TRI CK! This is go ing to b e fun for me, because I don’ t know WHAT this show will be like until I see what you pick! For example, the show could g o like this... this...”” Select a slip, open it, and (ignoring what’s actually there) read... “ THE DISAPPEARING DISAPPEARING ELEPHANT TRICK! TRICK! ...foll ow ed by...”   Pick another. Pretend to read... “ THE UPSIDE-DO UPSIDE-DOWN WN STRAIGHT JA CKET ESCAPE TRICK! ...and, finally...”   Pick a third. Pretend to read... “ THE TORN TORN AND RESTORED RESTORED TEENAGER! TEENAGER! Wow! Wow ! I’ d like to see a magic sh ow lik e THAT THAT myself! However, you didn’t pick THESE THESE,, did you?” Discard the three slips into the bag. “ So, let’s s ee what REMARKABLE REMARKABLE MYSTERY MYSTERY opens OUR show ... ...”” TRANSITION Offer someone in the audience a choice of one of the slips from the LITTLE BLACK HAT. When one is selected... “ Read Read what it says... THE THE CARD TRIC TRICK? K? (PAUSE) (PAUSE) Oh,  Oh, I know THAT one...” one...” This let-down invariably gets a big laugh. Ignore the reaction, and get the needed props from the BIG BAG.

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

Ron Bauer Private Studies

Since a CARD TRICK usually results in the biggest disappointment after the buildup, I recommend using it. But, you can choose something else if you think the contrast is passable. Each of the tricks should have a descriptive, but simple name. Some examples are...

 THE CARD TRICK  THE BALL TRICK  THE ROPE TRICK  THE HANKY TRICK  THE MONEY TRICK  THE BOX TRICK  THE BALLOON TRICK  THE MILK TRICK  THE RINGS TRICK  THE FLAG TRICK  THE STICK TRICK  THE SNEEZE TRICK (uses TISH-OOH paper)

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etc... CLOSING NOTE: Each time you finish with a hat, drop it back into the bag. For the banner, reach into the bag, grab and dump the slips from one of the hats, grab the folded “batch,” and drop it into the empty hat. When you remove this hat from the bag, it will look full of folded slips! “ I’m going to make the last last pick of this show m yself. But, I’m not pic kin g just ONE SLIP... SLIP...”” Grab all of the remaining slips in a batch. “them See? See?int I’m pi ckinWITH g AL of them... aSLIP nd COMPRE COMP RESSI SSING NG o ONE WIT HL TWO... TWO ... ONEand WITH TWO IMPORTANT WORDS... WORDS...”” Transform the batch into a BANNER which says... “ THANK THANK YOU.. YOU.... for being such a nice audience!” This ending leaves the audience both surprised and mystified. mysti fied. (If you’re a magician, magician, you must FOOL ‘EM in order to ENTERTAIN ‘EM!)

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

WHAT TRICKS? PLOT is the specific sequence of all of the events, including opening, transitions, and closing, that make up an  ACT. To OUTLINE the PLOT, choose three t hree or four tricks to plug into the FORMAT. Carefully go through your PLOT OUTLINE to be sure each choice has been guided by your PREMISE. First TIP: The PREMISE is whimsical; so should be the CHARACTER you present to your audience. Second TIP: Audience participation is built into the TRANSITIONS, but it’s a good idea to include as many participation tricks as you can fit into the ACT whenever possible. Third TIP: The entire ACT is about interaction. Ostensibly the audience controls and you react! This tends to encourage and sustain interest as well as stir up some sense of suspense, i.e., what will come next? I used this FORMAT to tie some David Ginn marketed tricks into a complete act that I published in M-U-M Magazine, October, 1981 featuring his work. It’s also reprinted in the first edition of these lecture notes, and on my web site (www.thinklikeaconjurer.com) as a PDF. You can try out this FORMAT by acquiring and learning the tricks in the David Ginn Version. Experience has shown me that the stuff is pretty solid. Or, use the FORMAT to help you substitute substi tute other items. A wide variety variety of tricks will work. There are some limits, of course, mostly due to the size of the bag. (Yes, I know you could use a BIGGER bag.) The point is that thanks to the FORMAT it’s easy to arrange several unrelated magic tricks into a professional looking  ACT without the inves i nvestme tment nt of time tim e and a nd money mone y that t hat’s ’s required for a high production values show. No special writing and producing skills are required.

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

Ron Bauer Private Studies

If you intend to produce and star in this mini-blockbuster, your success is only limited by how you INTERPRET the material. INTERPRETATION is the way in which an artistic work is performed in order to convey a specific understanding of the work. It’s about ACTING... MAGICIANS AS ACTORS (From #18 Xerox Money, page 19) 19) Many magicians don’t know how “acting” works. They think it’s something hard to do. In reality, acting is simply pretending, something we’ve all done as children, and still do as adults. We just don’t care to admit it. The pretending done by an actor, however, is actually easier because of certain devices (techniques) acquired through study and training, and the support of writers, directors, technicians, and other actors. Did you ever think about the fact that actors are honored for their creativity, but rarely write the script? Think about it. If actors don’t create the media, the vehicles, or the lines, why are they renowned for artistic creativity? What are they creating? The SUBTEXT. (See #2 Sudden Death Gypsy Curse, Curse, page 3.) An actor studies an acting job, first searching for ways to convey the ideas in the piece, and, second, to do so in a way that makes the audience believe, at least during the performance, that his actions and emotions are real. These are then presented to the audience through SUBTEXT rather than through the TEXT of the script. SUBTEXT is mostly revealed through body language, pantomime, and inflection. The subject of SUBTEXT is too complex to cover in just one monograph, so I’ve included various references and tips throughout the Series. Why, here’s one now... Even if you lack training as an actor, you can effectively and painlessly communicate the SUBTEXT. Instead of trying to

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

 ACT when when the need arises, arises, REACT. REACT. Study Study the situatio situations ns and plot reversals in these monographs, then REACT to them. Don’t anticipate them. Wait until they occur in the presentation, then REACT. You might be happily surprised with your newly discovered “talent.” LET’S PRETEND! (From #14 Four Squares & a Kno t, page 8) 8) “Okay. Let’s play cops and robbers. I’ll be the cop, and you be the robber trying to get away.” “KRCHHOW (sound of gunfire made with mouth)! You’re dead!” “Hey! Wait! That’s not fair! I’m the good guy. I’m s’posed to win!” “Okay. I’ll be the cop, and you be the robber.” “Okay!” “KRCHHOW (sound of gunfire with mouth)! You’re dead!” Somebody’s happy; somebody’s mad. Nobody died. Nobody really had a gun. Neither was there a real cop or a real robber. But, there were emotions. Where did they come from? Generating emotions this way is an age-old interaction that’s the basis for the phenomena of theater, literature, and art. The poet, Samuel Taylor Colerige, called it “The willing suspension of disbelief.” In more modern times, it has been called “getting into it.” Most commonly, though, it’s simply PRETENDING. Now let’s look at a familiar situation. You say, “I’m a conjurer.” Someone says, “What’s that?” “A magician.” “Oh,” they say (we hope), “let’s see a trick.” Then it’s time for the audience and you to pretend you’re a magician. If the illusion is good enough (most audiences can be very forgiving), there’s a willing suspension

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

Ron Bauer Private Studies

of disbelief. They get into it. They don’t believe they’re seeing real magic. But, they can pretend you’re a magician when the illusions look real or the tricks you pull on them are fun. PERFORMANCE SCRIPT I often hear the amateurish assertion, “I don’t like using other people’s routines!” Well, unless you’re a master mimic, it’s almost impossible to do things exactly as someone else. There will always be differences. And, if you have stayed true to your own CHARACTER and STYLE as you followed the development of an ACT from the FORMAT, you’ll be well on the way to having your own fresh approach to your magic. Don’t attempt to write your PERFORMANCE though, until you’ve carefully analyzed each ofSCRIPT, the events (opening, transitions, the tricks, and the ending) to see that your PLOT works on every level. Then you’ll be delighted to discover it will almost write itself! HOW TO MAKE THE BIG BAG The illustrations tell most of the story. You need two large grocery bags, one of which you decorate. The outer BAG should have a prominent grocery chain logo on one side. The other side should display a fanciful version of your name, e.g., “The GRATE TOM.” It should “look” amateurish, but not be that way. Often you’ll be better off having a professional do the work on some art paper, then attaching it to the bag. The THREE hats I use are 2 inches high, and 4 inches across the brim. But, you can find several sizes of little black hats at hobby and stores such as Michael’s. One can be nested inside another for support, and to conserve space. (Fig. 1) The inner bag also needs some preparation. First, reinforce its bottom with a piece of cardboard cut to fit. (Fig.2) (Fig.2)  

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

Then make a hat compartment out of poster board. Cut, fold, and glue (or use Velcro) it about an inch or so below the top of the inner bag in one corner. Fit the inner bag inside the outer bag, and you’re good to go. HOW TO MAKE THE SLIPS The slips are 2.5” X 4.25.” You need eight or more slips for each of the tricks. (Fig. 3) For example, print THE CARD TRICK on each of one set of slips. Fold each slip in half twice. Put one set of slips into one of the little black hats. You’ll need one hat for each of the tricks. The audience thinks there’s only one hat. Actually, you’re exchanging hats inside the bag between presentations. (Note: In the first part of the ACT, you select three slips and read them to the audience. The truth is, you pick any three slips and PRETEND to read them.) Transforming a batch of slips into the “Thank You” sign is also shown in the illustrations. (Fig. 4) Need I mention that you should use the same type of paper as the slips? (I’ve caught several magicians on this transformation because they couldn’t figure where I disposed of the folded slips. There weren’t any!) The transformation is made by grasping the corner of panel A with your right fingers, corner B with your left fingers, and pulling both hands apart. Try it in front of a mirror to get the whole effect. You can customize the final message, e.g., “Happy Birthday, Tommy!” or any other appropriate comment. Nest the hats with trick number one slips in the top one, number two in the next, number three in the bottom one. Put the nest into the compartment. Paper clip the “batch” to the compartment in such a way that you can easily grab it when needed.

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

Ron Bauer Private Studies

You’ll be surprised how many props will fit inside. After all, you really need only three or four tricks! FINALLY...  Al ter nat iv e PREMISES for f or th is FORMA FORMAT T are ar e pos p os si bl e with a customized customized “ St Stamp amp Album” or “ Coloring Coloring Book” type of device... device... SCRAPBOOK You flip through pages to show a variety of famous magic tricks or past performances. Spectators choose by saying stop as you flip the pages. You can use one book for each trick. Or, make one book force one of three or four items. MAGIC TRICKS CATALOG You flip through pages to show dozens of tricks from a magic shop. Spectators choose by saying stop as you flip the pages. With several force books (codes on covers), several tricks can be presented. Or, make one book force one of three or four items. Special versions of a scrapbook or catalog can be constructed to unfold into a large display for a big visual payoff. Sid Lorraine has a design in his Lecture Notes called “Crosswalk Poster” which can be adapted to an unfolding book that reveals artwork similar to the cartoon carnival photo boards that fit beneath one’s head. Use your imagination! Asisyou’ve seen, switching oneone for another BIG BAG easy enough. Simply put into the with bag,the and take the other out!

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

REVISED EDITION  The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture ▪

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Excerpted from The Ron Bauer 2008 Lecture—Revised Edition Copyright © 2008, 2009 by Ron Bauer  All rights reserved. reserved. Reproduction by any means prohibited.

 

The The

Ron Bauer  Studies Private Studie Studi e s Series 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Gadabout Coins Revisited Sudden Death Gypsy Curse Tony Chaudhuri’s Feminine Side Butch, Ringo, and the Sheep Hornswoggled Again! Owed to Poker Dan Dixie! The Cursed Ring Fair and Sloppy Charlie Miller’s Left-Handed Hank The Mechanical Deck Paul Chosse’s Bar Bill Stunt Senator Crandall’s Cut-Up Card Trick

14. Four Squares and a Knot 15. The Siamese Goose Egg Bag 16. Ed Marlo’s Time Machine 17. Second Finger Top Deal 18. Xerox Money 19. Milt Kort’s All Out’s Think-of-a-Card 20. That’s the Spirit! 21. Brother Hamman’s Final(ly) Aces 22. Jim Bergstrom’s Hat Trick 23. Bob Longe’s Worn Out Deck 24. Don Alan’s Sneaky Nudist Rides Again

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