The Power of Premise
Many magic authors talk about the “premise” of a trick. What exactly is a premise in this context? This is a very important question because a good premise can mean the difference between a fantastic...
View ArticleThe Plot Thickens
Another term that is used a lot in magic books is the word “plot”. But what exactly do we mean when we talk about the plot of a magic trick? Like premise, the word also comes from the world of...
View ArticleThematic Thinking
In my last post I talked about plot, and before that I discussed the importance of premise. I’m now going to focus on the next piece of the performance puzzle: theme. Most performers use this term in...
View ArticleThe SPREAD Sequence
Recently, I’ve been trying to develop a framework to help me improve my performances. This has lead me to define the following sequence of activities to encourage me to practice, rehearse and develop...
View ArticleThe NEWT Zones of Practice
Earlier this year I shared a useful framework called the SPREAD sequence, which I designed to help you improve as a performer. Lately, I’ve been using another acronym to encourage me to be more...
View ArticleThe Session Convention 2014 (Part 11)
Iain Sharkey was next to lecture at The Session Convention. Iain has been a writer on the Derren Brown television show for the past 8 years, so it’s safe to say that he knows a thing or two about...
View ArticleThe Session Convention 2014 (Part 14)
The penultimate event of the convention took the form of an interview between Josh Jay and special guest Larry Wilmore. Larry is a television writer and producer, and has worked on many hits shows,...
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