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Author: Keith Fields

Magic Theatres

Keith Fields 0 Comments
I admit it, I have been far too quiet lately! So here is a bit about a new project of mine, or I should say ours, as Lady Sarah is on my case…
Many years ago in London, my good friend John Lenahan opened ‘Monday Night Magic’. It was a small upstairs theatre located at a pub called The Gatehouse.  I’m guessing that it seated about 80 people, and it quickly turned into one of those shows that everyone wanted to work. The reason was simple – the audience. They weren’t your normal comedy club or theatre crowd. They weren’t an audience of magicians.  There were rules – a magician could only get in with 3 non-magicians! It was an audience of folk who love magic.
Wow! Up to that point I never knew that people like this existed! Most of my work was performing in comedy clubs and other late-night establishments where the audience had been drinking (lots), a rowdy crowd was the norm.

Since moving to the USA I have discovered several similar venues, places where there is an audience who simply love magic. The most prestigious and my favourite dining establishment is the Magic Castle in Hollywood. Performing there is just the most wonderful experience (and quite exhausting with 3 shows a night!). But there are many others that you may not have heard of… like the California Magic Club in Martinez, and the marvelous Theatre of Dreams in Castle Rock, CO. Looking at my old diaries I have so far performed at over a dozen of them, and each one is a gem.
A Brit of Magic – Magic Castle with Lady Sarah
These venues are good for magic and a great place for us to take muggles to see professional acts. Even a magic hater can be converted if they see the right performer. And there is nothing better than seeing a good magician in a room full of lay people – it will give you a whole new perspective on our art.
So let’s make a pact. I am going to attempt to perform at as many magic theatres as I can but I need your help…
  1. Please support your local magic theatre or magic show. Take lay people. Buy them tickets if you must (you will only have to do it once as they will want to come back)
  2. Spread the word – use your social media to share local magic shows etc.
  3. If you know of a local magic theatre, please pass details on to me. I promise we will be in contact with them and do our best to come and do a show for you.
I will be writing a little story about each of them as I get to work there. And as I will be in the Dickens Parlour Theatre in Delaware in a couple of weeks, expect an update very soon.
Lets all work together to make magic more popular than it has ever been.

Keith Fields

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Spring Time in Magic Land

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                                        We came We saw He wasn’t there!

To those who have complained, yes, I am aware that my occasional newsletter has become less occasional.  I have a good excuse.  I have been busy touring Hong Kong, China (well just a little bit of China), Australia, New Zealand, and Canada all within the last 2 months! Can you say Jet Lag?  However I am now home and catching up on stuff, first order was spring cleaning, and the garden is waking up so that needs tending as well.  All this activity got me thinking…

  Is it time to spring clean your act?

Whether you are a pro, a semi-pro or a hobbyist, I am sure that like me, you love some of your old props.  They can become like old friends, or a comfortable pair of shoes.  And your props and your shoes say a lot about you.

This springtime, unless you’re antipodean, is a good time to carefully examine everything you use in your act.  The clothes you wear, the cards you shuffle and your prop case or table, are all shouting at the audience.  I want mine to say ‘this guy is a class act’.  If they are old and tatty or worse, looking a tad grubby, then you have some work to do.
Largest EVER “healed & sealed” Perth

You should not just look at the hardware, some of the software probably needs updating as well.  By software I mean the stuff you can’t kick – your lines and patter.  Does any of your material contain any sexist or racist undertones?  Maybe they are old comfortable lines and you have been getting great laughs with them but that does not make it OK.  Maybe you believe that you get away with it because of your cheeky chappy persona but I guarantee that there will be some who are not happy, maybe even offended.  As times change, and they do, it is so important for us to keep up with the rest of the world.  As a professional it has never been more important that we understand what sexism and racism is and how we need to work hard to avoid it.  The internet has given many people a voice, somewhere that they can rant in relative anonymity. You do not want to be on the receiving end of this because there is such a thing as bad publicity!

I know that just mentioning this subject will cause some people to bristle.  Some people object to political correctness and fight against it.  But it is not about you, it is about your audience and how you make them feel.  Our aim should be to spread wonder and happiness and we cannot do this if some of our audience are offended by our words and attitudes.

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Illusionists

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As facebook may have told you, yesterday was my birthday and as a surprise birthday treat, I did something I don’t usually do.  I went to see a magic show!

The Illusionists TourI was concerned this may be a bus-mans holiday (is this an English expression?)  But it turned out to be the vacation of a life time.The show is on tour for the next couple of years, it has already played Broadway and Detroit (frying pans and fires come to mind).  But if it coming to a city near you, make sure you get great seats.  This is one magic show that really delivers.

Am I really that interesting?

As a new magician I used to love reading about the life vanishcover19

stories of the pro’s.  I found their stories both fascinating and inspiring, and I still do.  Learning about their struggles and their successes would motivate me to work harder, practice more, and keep going in this strange business that we call show.  I am both humbled and honored to have my picture and my story featured  in Vanish Magazine… I guess I’m no longer a newbie….and I hope you find some inspiration from it.

The best news is that it is available, for a limited time, as a free download.  To get your copy click on the picture!

Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolics

April has also been an exciting month – being asked to attend and perform at the prestigious magic convention 4F.  We all know that performing in front of your peers can be a daunting experience so I decided to put them behind me rather than in front of me by getting a load of them up as my volunteers – how many of them can you name?

Coming soon in a news letter like this.

I am about to launch a new trick, (well technically it is a new version of a trick) but I think you will like it.  That surprise will have to wait a couple of weeks.  So look out for some ‘Wand-erful’ news in my next email.

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Magic Capital of the World

Keith Fields

This year ‘The Verge’ visited Abbots Get Together.  I had heard of the latter as it hasphoto 1 become a regular feature of our year since we have been in the USA, but I had no idea who or what ‘The Verge’ was, or what that would mean for the Get Together.

The who is the easy bit, just look at their web site.  They are a news/media website producing content at the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture.  They were going to do a 15 minute short form documentary about Colon.

The ‘what it would mean’ bit made me smile.  I have been to magic conventions where there are film crews before.  I am glad to report that Abbotts was no different.  There were the rumors (a reality TV show about magicians, another masked magician), the nay sayers (lets go to the other bar where the cameras aren’t) and the ego’s (lets go to the bar where the cameras are and start doing tricks!)

(tiny question from the Wife & Editor – And which one are you Keith?)

Then, standing outside 5 Star Pizza someone said, these film guys need some shots of people throwing cards.  The game was a foot!  For those who don’t know there is an unofficial thing that happens every year.  We try and throw cards over the road (about 4 lanes) and hopefully over the buildings opposite.  Those who just try, their names are quickly forgotten, those that succeed, well they are forgotten just as quickly!  As I said, it is just a thing.  A group of us got up and started throwing for all we were worth.  Unfortunately, most of the group were at least over 40.  Our throwing arms were not as good as we would like to think they once were.

It was at that moment that my good friend Michael Mode said ‘come over here, I want you to talk with these guys’ and I was suddenly in front of the camera!  I gave them about 15 minutes of brilliant stuff, more than enough to do the whole documentary, They could just use me and then relax and enjoy the rest of the convention, but sadly I have been edited down to about 30 seconds – And that my friends is show business!

Seriously though, that is how it happened!  And the guys produced a wonderful short film – 15 mins so watch it on the link below :

Colon, magic capital of the world.

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Living Your Dreams!

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For virtually every entertainer the idea of having your own show with your own audience who are there just to see you is second only to winning the lottery.  For some it would be first, but those are the ones who forget that if they won the lottery they would have enough money to buy their own theater… and audience!

The great thing about dreams is that they are just that, dreams!  In mine, I am in a luxury theater in a five star resort and the full house is ready and waiting, this is not so much a dream, more of a fantasy!

A couple of months ago I threw caution to the wind and headed south to work on my dream.

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Keith Fields on Heckling

The Washington Post & How To Handle Hecklers

Keith Fields 1 Comment

It was an ordinary sunny Wednesday morning and the last thing I expected was an email from the Washington Post. It was the day that Michelle Obama was heckled and there was a certain amount of discussion as to how she had handled the situation. Journalists and editors were now scurrying around to try and find some experts to interview and quote. Thanks to my book ‘How to Handle Hecklers’ I became one of those experts.Hecklers - how to handle them!

You can read the full Washington Post article here :

Washington Post : heckler-michelle-obama-first-amendment

As Michelle Obama discovered, how to respond to a heckler can either make or break a situation. Luckily the press will only be interested if you are a) a celebrity, and b) you get it wrong. For most of us this is quite a relief. The truth is that heckling situations, for most entertainers and speakers are few and far between. But you still need to be ready and prepared for that moment, because sooner or later it will happen. And the most important moment happens inside your head just after the heckle is delivered. This is a moment when the fight or flight reflex can kick in (the same reflex that causes a rabbit to skip away to safer territory when it hears a movement in the grass). If the heckler is also running towards you with a weapon then the rabbit option is a good one. For most other situations the first thing you need to do is take a moment to assess the situation and deliver a balanced and considered response. If you are not prepared then it is very easy to make a bad decision in the heat of the moment. One example would be to assume that the whole audience is against you and that the heckler is speaking for the whole audience. This is rarely the case. Usually it is the heckler who stands alone, and audience is on your side, and they will stay there if you handle the situation well. The way you deal with an unexpected interruption can turn a meeting round, make a good show into a great show, it can even close a sale or get a contract signed!

She may need it again in the future so I sent Michelle a signed copy of my book. Keep in touch!

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Santiago’s Red Light Jugglers

Keith Fields 0 Comments
This headline on the BBC news website caught my attention… 

Santiago’s Red Light Jugglers

By Maryrose Fison, Santiago, Chile

Was this is a story about a variety entertainer or a new and dangerous way of taking a left at the lights? 
It was in an international news website so of course I was going to read it just in case. But I had already sort of guessed what it might be about. Do you have any idea?
 
This is my story…
About a year ago I was traveling home from a cruise, it was Lima, Peru.  I was picked up by a taxi and was en-route to the airport.  It was only the second time I had been there and both times I was disembarking. This meant little or no time to sight see, in fact my only experience of that city is the port, the airport and the inside of a taxi.
 
This Taxi was better than the usual (the air conditioning worked) and the windows had been freshly cleaned (thanks to  the squeegee boys at the last junction) so I was relaxing and enjoying the scenery.  It was dusk and the exciting city was just coming to life.  Not the business life, that was just ending, I’m talking about the night life.
 
Lima is a colorful city and there was sound and light everywhere.  The roads were busy and the aggressive form of driving (one hand on the wheel the other on the horn) seemed to be the order of the day. The car behind honked us because we accidentally stopped at a red light!
 
And that is when I experienced a Red Light Juggler.
 
All of a sudden standing in the middle of the road was a guy juggling five clubs. He did a 60 second routine that involved  behind the back and under the leg and several other tricks, and any juggler will tell you that we are talking highly advanced stuff here!
 
Just before the lights changed he rushed around the four or five cars to collect tips, and then it was over. The shortest street show I have ever experienced, and this one really was in the street!
***
I still go out and do street shows a few days every year.  I do it because I love the challenge, it keeps my street chops fresh, and I still say that it is the sweetest money I ever earn. 
 
I used to joke that a successful street entertainer was just a beggar with talent. You are basically asking for money from strangers, but you do it in a slightly nicer way than your average down and out. Then I thought a better simile would be a con man. You have to find a mark, show him a trick and get him to give you some money, and none of this was the marks intention when he left home.  Now-a-days I think the whole thing has become an exciting game that I love to play and I love to win. But most of all I love the fact that I go out there and have no idea exactly what is going to happen next. 
 
You can read the BBC story and see some pictures of the red light jugglers here.  Watch the video link of the whole process… 
Santiago’s red light jugglers by Maryrose Fison
 
 
So here is your challenge for today – 

The lights have just turned red and you have 60 seconds to impress the crowd and get the money! 

What would you do in your 60 seconds

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Keep It Fresh

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Keith FieldsI received an email today complaining about the lack of messages that I have sent to my mail list of late!  I guess that means I occasionally say something of interest.One of the reasons is that we have been busy updating websites and have now put all magic newsletters and blogs on a new site at www.KeithFieldsMagic.com My main site www.KeithFields.com carries a link to the magic site but has been redesigned to promote, shows and speaking work.We value feedback from our magic friends so please let us know what you think.And now my thought for the day…

Keep It Fresh
My thought for today is actually just over a year old!
I was on a lecture tour in California and a fine tour it was. I had several lectures to do and a few shows at some casinos.  During a lecture at Grand Illusions in Sacramento I met the proprietor,Steve Johnson, who asked me if I would do a short radio style interview for his web site.  I am always willing to try anything that sounds like fun so I did the interview and promptly forgot all about it!
Fast forward twelve months (to yesterday) and I walk into my office to hear my voice coming out of Sarah’s computer.  I had no idea what it was and I was intrigued.  Especially as Sarah was laughing. Turns out that I was both quite funny and full of good information and I was also in trouble. I now had to explain to my wife why I hadn’t shared this gem with her and with you.
So here we are.  It is twelve months late but I hope you enjoy it.
It only lasts ten minutes so click here on picture below and I hope it puts a smile on your face.
the magic broadcast banner

Put the Fun into Fundraising
– A new Ebook by
Keith Fields and Sarah Harfield

put the fun into fundraising

 Between them, Keith and Sarah have over 50 years of experience  working with schools, PTO’s, churches, charities and non-profits of all shapes and sizes.
 They have distilled and shared their experience and wisdom in this new EBook.
Learn a constructive approach to analyzing your fundraising efforts and some of Sarah Harfieldthe best ways to raise thousands of $$$.
Click on the picture of the book cover for more information.
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In search of the ULTIMATE comedy equation

Keith Fields

I don’t know if you have seen it, how could I? I don’t know who you are.  But if you haven’t do yourself a favor and hop over to youtube and search for ‘hack lines magicians say’ by Paul Draper and Jason Andrews.  (Or Click here).  This funny little clip started me on one of my Think Journeys –

What makes a line a ‘hack’ line? AND, Does it matter?

One thing Paul and Jason say in their written description of the clip is ‘We just don’t like it when some insert them into their shows without the work to make it their own’ and I agree with their sentiments.  I would also like to use this forum to add some more comments.

But first a confession…k6

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