Tag: Process

A short detour from the intricate world of ShowCraft.

Years before the official development of ShowCraft (2011 to be precise), one of my first public shows came to life. It was called “Speaking of Magic” and was a fusion of magic and storytelling through history. It touched on everything from creation myths, to Grecian legends, to fairy tales, up to the present moment in the theater.

Even from then, I knew I wanted my shows to have some sort of structure, though I didn’t yet have the terminology (theatrically, magically, or creatively) to dive in fully. I found myself organizing the pieces of the show into different arrangements until I landed on a temporal framework.

I couldn’t tell you why (maybe there was some innate structure I picked up on, or perhaps it was pure chance), but it ended up “working.” It gave the show some much needed structure (so it wasn’t a “trick parade”) and it helped guide towards the ending idea of the power of stories/words in our lives. It provided a preexisting Spectrum onto which the show’s pieces could be placed. It might not have the meticulous construction of designing a plot in accordance with a character’s goals or carefully developing a message, but it was a starting point.

In conjunction with the base “spectrum,” I had two bookend effects that helped contextualize the show. The opening piece (a version of Fiber Optics by Richard Sanders) introduced story elements to the audience and let them know what the show was about. The closing piece (a table levitation by Losander) illustrated my ideas on why stories are important. Which left the middle to share a variety of stories (and associated magic tricks) that I found compelling.

There wasn’t too much to the structure outside of that. The whole thing was tightly scripted and the transitions were carefully crafted, but internally, that was about the extent of it. When a trick wasn’t really working and I needed to change it out, I had the flexibility to do so without destroying my whole structure, while still giving the audience the sense of things being in a particular place for a reason (when a new piece came in, it was relatively clear where on my temporal spectrum it belonged).

There’s more to explore here, but I wanted to get the core idea down. And some additional “spectrum” structures could include:

• Geography/Location
• Time
• Color (abstract!)
• Complexity
• Group size (starting small and getting larger or vice versa)
• Personal Experience

Magicians don’t often talk about their “Process” – probably for good reason. My guess is that most of us don’t take as hard a look at WHY and HOW we’re creating things as other types of performers.

I think it stems from hiding our technique. When you see a painting, the technique is on vivid display. There’s certainly a distinction between the technique and the resulting piece, but there’s not the stark separation we experience with magic. The final product (the Effect) is all the audience is allowed to see and the technique (the Method) stays hidden.

I have a whole other rant on that for another day, but I want to follow this thread of accountability. When our technique isn’t on view, we take away non-magicians’ ability to critique it. And without the (fear of? ) critique from the general public on our technical abilities, we don’t feel the pressure of creating in an intentional, thoughtful way.

The number of shows I’ve seen from magicians that are nothing more than trick parades tied together by the thinnest of threads (usually “I think it’s a cool trick”) is immense. We can do better.

Our shows can go somewhere. They can communicate our beliefs. They can share about ourselves and bring our audience into our lives. But only if we craft them to do that.

And to craft something well, we need to understand the process of its creation. Everyone’s particular process will be unique, because its defining characteristic is what works for you.

My main point: a PROCESS is not a FORMULA. A formula is cold and rigid. It follows the exact same steps to produce consistent results. It’s necessary and has its place, but does not make for honest, unique artistic expression. A formulaic show would be simply plugging in a flashy piece in your first slot for the mere fact that it’s visual (with the implicit assumption that audiences have to have magic right away). A formulaic show would put the multi-phase mind reading effect at the end because the layered reveal gets a big reaction (remind me to talk about agency some other time). A formulaic show assumes there’s a “right” or “commercial” way to do things and – in the process – removes the soul and the rich uniqueness of YOU from what you’re sharing with the world.

A process involves and understanding of where we’re trying to get. It looks at the current goals, the resources we have at hand, the audience’s perspective and pulls on a toolbox of resources to create the show that serves the situation. A process means being aware and making intentional decisions each and every time. A process is exhausting and deep and is what allows us to present shows that are more than the sum of its parts because the tricks serve the purpose of a greater whole.

Process > Formula