In my first class as a theater major our professor said, “I’m going to attempt to demystify theater for you.”
His words introduced me to the idea that mysterious subjects can be made clear, and even quantified. Now it’s my turn to attempt to demystify becoming an illusionist, or at least help point you toward your first real illusion.
Sure, you may have heard that adding an illusion almost always increases your performance fee—and it seems “all the big magicians” include larger props in their shows. You may find it dubious when you hear that “so-and-so” successfully played their Torn and Restored Cigarette Paper for 1,500 people without using video screens. Yeah, sure they did.
The question is, “Where do I even start?” Ask this honestly, because that question can be the greatest deception in magic. In most cases, magicians aren’t really asking how to start, they’re asking, “How do I get to the end… quickly?”
The answer to that is, you don’t. Like all goals, you start where you are. Right here, right now. In fact, by asking this question and reading this article, you’ve begun. For the next step, you’ll need to take stock and assess your particular set of circumstances to create a personal plan. Let’s look at those considerations.