The Character And Our Mysticism.

Most of the new guys looking for a teacher hunt me down for this one reason, The Character.

I am going to be writing a series of articles on how to find A Character. Today's article will be focusing on using our mysticism to find our characters.

All magicians have mysticism, and ours is definitely tangled up with trick theory and show character. So get ready because this is where it gets weird.


Today we are going to talk about Magic. So suspend your disbelief, and put away your science and skepticism (all great subjects, but only secondary today) because today we are going to talk about something more important to a magician, and that is Magic.

Where To Get New Material And How To Put It Together.

Some people learning the street for the first time, are tired of using canned lines, and are looking for their own material. They want to know what to say to the people, and how to tell their own story. They want to know where the heck the full time guys are getting their material.

Full time guys, are looking for new ways to get new material and new ways of using it to improve their shows. So today I thought I'd talk about my method for getting more bits of funny business, and what I do to put it all together.

Putting The Pieces Together To Create Your Own Sidewalk Show.

All the time I get new guys asking me, how to write their own show.

I always ask them, well what would your show look like, and what would it be about.

The other thing I tell them is, that if you know the structure of a show and you know your Character, that Character will write the show for you, the Show will write itself, especially with enough stage time.

If you know the basic structure of how a show works, stage time will grow your show into a full time show.

They usually look at me, like a deer in the headlights, and that's when I realize, they do not know what a Show Structure is, or how to move the pieces around to put one together. So I thought today, we would take a crack at it, at least as I understand it.

A Show Is A Story, With Nuts, Bolts, And Strings.

Essentially any show is a story.

In order to understand the construction of the story we call The Sidewalk Show, one must first know the nuts, bolts, and strings, that hold it together.

Today we are going to be talking about the skeleton and the body of a show and how it is a story. I feel this maybe one of the most important articles I have written in many years and may solve some very big problems for a lot of people.

I'll begin with terms and definitions, and then move on to how they work together.

The Pros And Cons Of Getting Rid Of The Table.

Barcelona, that's not my table.

Now anyone who is familiar with my work and my crazy opinions knows I'm against using a table.

The reason for this is mostly, me trying to get the other street magicians to think out of the box.

The fact is, tables are great, no really. I very rarely use one, but I still do sometimes, because I miss it.

There is something about standing behind a table, that makes me feel like a genuine operator, at work, at the office.

And I miss that.

There are a lot of good, and yea, even great reasons to use a table. So today I figured we'd talk about what happens if one sheds the table, Pros and Cons.

Jimmy's Virtual Hat

Out on the sidewalk, I spend a lot of my days asking for tips at the end of the shows. We call this Hatting, because the people usually come forward and put money in the hat.

When I'm asking for money, I usually like to tell them a little bit about myself and let them know why I'm asking for money, well this is my little spot on the sidewalk of the internet, so here goes.

What do Buskers mean by Roaches, and what's a Roach Show.

Well gather around kids and let grandpa tell you a story.

Over the years I have been asked to write about this, I have been reluctant to talk about this subject, because it is a derogatory term used secretly amongst performers, about a person with bad behavioral tendencies standing within the audience. I have always felt this is a bad state of mind to have as a performer, especially when approaching a show.

Also, as a performer myself, who wants their audience to trust them and like them, I would not want this to be taken in the wrong way. Never the less, roaches are a reality, and are one of the things a performer is subjected to when they go out there. So, finally, against my better judgment, I'm going to take a stab at this.

Asking for money in a close up show on the sidewalk.

Over the years magicians have asked me how to ask for money at the end of their sidewalk shows.

In my opinion the best way to end a close up show on the street is with a great finale monologue routine asking for money. Not only does this finish up your show professionally, but it also educates the audience to pay you.

I call this routine a "Hat Routine", because in it I direct everyone to put money in my hat at the end of the show.

Preventing walk offs, in a close up show on the sidewalk.

No matter how good you are, you will notice people walk off randomly through out your show.

To prevent this I use a method called "Machine gun holding"

On the street, your character and presentation are everything.

Showing a move or a puzzle wont hold anyone's attention for long, but showing magic will.


Presentation is different on the street then in a gig or with your friends. The street is full of distractions.

In order to present magic properly on the street;

How to get a close up show started on the sidewalk.

I think the best way to do a close up show, is to have an appropriate size audience move into close up position immediately and ready to watch, so you can have an intimate experience without interruption from the chores of, trying to stop people one at a time, constant crowd building, or constantly ushering.

I like to get most of these necessary chores out of the way in the very beginning, before I even start my show.