Magic Convention Report / Is Comedy King?

2008-07-30T15:18:00.011-04:00

We just got back from Louisville, Kentucky where we attended the combined SAM/IBM Magic Convention. Everyone I talked to thought it was an excellent and well organized convention. We saw some great shows and lectures, got a good look at the new products available in the dealers room, and even got to rub shoulders (literally) with some magic greats, such as Topaz, Mac King, Micheal Finney, Max Maven and Fantasio. (see pictures) But the real reason for us being there was to learn what it takes to win the gold in stage competition. And we feel like we just made it through basic training!

Ken Northridge
Mac King
Jen Northridge

We saw every one of the 40 stage acts plus the 6 finalist again on Saturday Night. Over 10 hours of observing the best acts in the world. It was interesting to see how each performer attempted to create a character, what music they selected and how they used it, and most importantly, how the audience reacted, since they decide who will receive the $10,000 prize.

We noted that the audience responds very well to comedy. Such was the case with Michael Tallon, The Great Kaplin, Skilldini, Timo Marc and Tony Chapek. Tony Chapek, Jen’s favorite, communicated with “himself” on a large TV screen. Then went on to pass objects back of forth through the screen. This act had all the important elements of a good act, including a great plot with conflict, filled the stage and lots of good magic. More about comedy at the end of this post.

We also give high marks to The Reed Sisters, Shawn Farquhar, Jei Min & Han Na

The winner was An Ham-Lin from South Korea whose artistry and skill could not be denied. We were very impressed with his meticulously clean card manipulations timed to music. With no props or tables except a silk scarf and playing cards, he brought the crowd of 2,000 to a rousing standing ovation. Amazing!

Topaz
and
Ken Northridge

The most pleasant surprise of the convention was a lecture given by Eberhard Reise called, ”The Evolution of an Act.” We watched an aspiring young magician perform her act, and then Mr. Reise politely critique it. Mr. Reise also taught us the fundamentals of building an act. Topaz was also on hand to add some of his thought process to this. This lecture is exactly what we needed but it ended much too soon.

Jen and I have been talking about different themes for our act for years but have had trouble focusing and deciding on one. After the lecture, with the excellent advice form Eberhard Reise fresh in our minds, Jen and I went out to dinner and challenged ourselves to decide on the theme. For 4 hours we sat at the Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant, which is directly across the street from the Kentucky Center where all the shows and competitions took place, and brain stormed and yes, finally, decided. Seeing how important the element of surprise is in these competitions, we are considering keeping some of the details secret, but we feel very good about the originality and that it will match up to all we’ve been taught this week.

Now the creative process starts. Now that we know what we want to do, we have to figure out how!

As I mentioned earlier, comedy seems to rate high with the audience. Although the first place act was not a comedy, 3 of the 6 finalist were acts with a large amount of comedy in them. If you would like to respond to this post, I would appreciate knowing your thoughts on the use of comedy in these 10-minute acts.

Thanks again for your interest and God Bless.

Ken Northridge

This 5-minute Video Introduces Our Blog

2008-06-02T17:30:00.003-04:00

Lance Burton's FISM Award Winning Act

2008-06-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

Or we could end up with something like this!

2008-06-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

Gold for God's Glory

Magic Convention Report / Is Comedy King?

This 5-minute Video Introduces Our Blog

Lance Burton's FISM Award Winning Act

Or we could end up with something like this!