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Prop Management
by Kevin Gallagher
Like all close-up magicians, I regularly perform in a stroll-around situation
where my role is to mingle among the guests. Being comfortable in this situation
is a lot about prop management and over the years, a way of working this type of
event has evolved which I share here.
I am a great fan of card magic and have a large repertoire. No other prop offers
such incredible versatility and it is my experience that people generally love
to see fast moving visual card magic where cards vanish, appear, transpose, jump
to the trouser pocket and Kapps wallet and so forth and they generally relish
the experience of taking a card themselves from a ‘real’ magician. I carry two
decks of contrasting coloured backs. One deck goes into my left inside jacket
pocket together with two marker pens. The pens are my reminder that this deck
may be defaced. When one pen runs out, I throw it away and use the other,
replacing the spent one for the next show. I use this deck to perform linking
cards, card warp, signed card revelations or any trick where cards are written
on, folded or destroyed. The inside right jacket pocket has the other coloured
deck which is in perfect working condition. No-one is allowed to shuffle or
otherwise manhandle this deck and it is used to perform elegant magic requiring
good condition cards. At the end of the night, what remains of the defaced deck
is thrown in the bin, the good deck becomes the rough deck for the next show and
a new deck of the opposite colour is opened and worked for a short while until
it is perfect for use as the new ‘good’ deck. This means that each time I
perform, I consume one deck.
I like thread magic though it requires some management and care. For this, I use
an Invisible Thread Reel. The end of the thread is tied to a fake wedding ring
which sits in its own ticket pocket, in my case in a specially positioned
purpose fitted pocket. To perform with thread, I simply slip the ring on and I
am ready to perform. At the end of the routine, I quietly slip it off and put it
back into the pocket. This is a very simple but highly practical solution.
I have many excellent pieces of magic but, no matter how good, if it does not
reset with only a little work back into the same pocket, I would never use it in
a stroll-around situation. In each pocket, I have a hard item and a soft item.
By way of example, in my right trouser pocket I might have an I’ll start again
paddle and two brightly coloured headbands for Mike Ammar’s Linking Headbands.
In my left hand trouser pocket, I may have unequal ropes and a small purse with
three crowns inside, together with one loose coin which would be taken out at
the same time but never seen since this is the Coin ahead for a number of
routines including Coins through Silk and Coins Across. At absolutely any time,
anyone can slap me on the back and say "Come on then mister Magician, show us a
trick." With confidence, I can dip into any pocket, bring out one of two items,
perform the routine and put it away allowing it to be re-used immediately any
number of times.
Occasionally for this type of booking, costume is requested. Last Halloween for
example, I was employed as a Wizard at an Alarms exhibition. The costume had no
pockets of its own but had two slits allowing access to the trouser pockets. I
have also performed in a pocketless promotional tunic. Bookers often have no
regard for the practicalities of supplied costumes but using good prop
management, I can comfortably work for several continuous hours if required.
© Kevin Gallagher September 2003