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| Barcelona, that's not my 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.
Shedding The Table.
The Pros:
Getting rid of the table was the best thing to ever happen to my street show.
Immediately I became,
1. A more creative and original act.
Because it forced me to come up with new tricks, angles, distances, crowd building, gags, visual comedy, understanding of theater and on and on.
And think about it, how many magic acts are there on the street in the Anglosphere without a table? Don't use a table and bang, you're different.
2. Super versatile.
I could work any size spot, from close up to stadium, in Any direction any time by just turning one way, or even turning completely around. Also working a gig was much easier, because I could fit any where and do any thing.
3. More commercial.
Which meant more gigs and more pitches. All of a sudden everyone wanted to hire me. Even other buskers wanted to share a pitch with me, because my act was different than theirs, and it broke up the monotony of the queue.
4. A normal person in the entertainment industry.
Now when I was on the road I could walk down the street like everyone else, stop and have coffee or lunch, ride a bike, whatever, no longer did I have folded tables, carts and stuff. Entertainers in other fields don't lug this stuff around. Singers, Dancers, comedians, don't need to bring tables with them on stage.
5. Stealthy.
I could be on and off a pitch in literally seconds, I can't tell you how many times cops have come up to me at the end of the day and say, "there you are, we've been looking for you all day, you are not aloud to work in our city!" Of course by that time, I had enough money to move.
And here's another thing, I don't have to drag this thing through the airport, or through customs, or pay for the price of shipping, and then storage, and on and on.
Just me and my bag, walking.
6. A real magician.
Because a real magician doesn't need a table and can work anywhere all the time, Merlin didn't need a table. In fact you feel more powerful as a magician when you pull shows off without all the crutches, like tables signs, stage ropes, amps, etc. Don't get me wrong I still love those crutches and use them sometimes, but wow what a feeling it is pull off a show without them.
7. Safer and more secure.
If bad people want to you harm, you can get away by just walking away, you don't have to fold up tables and pack up.
8. Reliable.
No longer did I have to worry about replacing the table if it broke, was lost in luggage, or got stolen, now the only thing I had to replace was magic props.
There's a lot more, but we're going to stop here. And sure I realize all these problems and more can be resolved, but without a table you don't have them in the first place, which leaves you to deal with the huge score of busking problems one faces every day any way.
And this brings us to the Cons.
There are certainly Cons to getting rid of the table.
The Cons:
1. I lose material and pitch strategy.
My show loses table tricks, table angles, and table strategies that may have been more conducive to certain types of pitches or events. I've been to places where another guy's table act mopped the floor with my stand up act. He destroyed me, because his act fit like a glove, as to where I had to make adjustments. I'll talk more on this in a second.
2. Less assumed credibility.
A table adds a certain credibility and is more familiar to the average person shopping, it makes people feel more safe to come up close, because there is something between them and the performer. In short, building a crowd is easier with a table.
3. Loss in security.
Counting money feels safer at a table. Without a table I may have to squat and count or find a corner which looks bad. I have to look completely around periodically. As to where with a table I have more of a station and it's more difficult for an offender to get to me. Also I appear more in the norm with other vendors.
4. Coping with other buskers
This is the worst.
No table always means, you have to help the magicians your traveling with carry their stuff and try and help them with all the other problems they have, because of their table.
I'm still carrying a table even though it's not mine.
You also have to work around their tables and gear, because for some reason they feel they don't have to move their stuff for you on your turn, because you don't have anything.
This is why you may see photos of me with my bag and sign on a table.
That's not my table!
Of course I'm kidding, in fact it's pretty nice the other guys let me use there table, it's nice to have the option. Which brings me to # 5.
5. I lose the desk in my office.
A table feels like my office and makes me feel secure, having a table to conduct business on or just somewhere to put my cup of tea is nice, I lose that without a table.
6. I lose audience compact-ability.
On a small tight sidewalk pitch I can cram more people up to the table very close to me and they don't feel uncomfortable, because the table gives us a nice space between us.
There are many more reasons Pro and Con you'll figure out by experience or feel when you're out there long enough and this can help you make a decision as to what you want to do.
The trick is to not get locked into having to rely on a table, to be able to figure this stuff out honestly for yourself.
And remember if your trying to work without a table, while it's still out there on your pitch, this will teach you nothing. Leaving a table on the pitch with you yet never using it , is still using it as flash etc.
I'll prove it to you, just go out there without it one day and see for yourself the stark contrast in feeling, it feels like your all alone in a huge field, ha.
What I do, to get back the feeling of security, is to lay a rope out on the ground in a half circle and use that as my table/stage.
Well that's all for now. If you liked this, we'll talk more later.
Thanks for your time.
Your Pal.
Jimmy.
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