Boy Scout Magic
Ladies and Gentlemen . . . Thank you for that excellent introduction. My Name is Jeff Stone and what you are about to witness is the miracle that we call mind and memory . . . mind reading as it were. My first experiment will involve this noted pad, your mind sir and this . . . My . . . um . . . this . . . um . . . I had it a second ago . . . my . . . Does anyone have a huge permanent marker I can use?
I hope you have NEVER had that happen to you, but you never know . . . I’m a firm believer in . . . The Boy Scout Motto. Be Prepared!
Root:
Let’s remember our roots. This month’s root: Be Prepared. Do you have a pre-show check list? Do you know where all of your props are? Did you double and triple check everything? I have a cheat sheet that is two sided, laminated with Velcro attached to it. Before each show, using a grease pencil I check off each item on the pre-show check list (side 1). Then I Velcro the list to the back of my show case so that side 2 faces me. Side 2 contains the act along with brief one liners or in-lines that I use to get the effect started. Additionally, at the bottom, it has a HUGE sign that says, “SLOW DOWN.”
If you’d like to take a peek at it, here it is: Stone Cold Magic Pre-Show Check List.
Branch:
Let’s build our branches. It’s simple folks, just make a list like the one I’ve shown you above. You’ll notice that the side 1 check list tells me where to put every single prop for my stand up show. Side 2 shows each effect from my show in order with brief lines to help me if I forget something. You’ll also notice that my final effect “CLUE,” has a long list of bullets . . . this is a routine that I have very specific points that I want to make sure I do not miss, so I’m a little extra careful on that effect. Take the time to make a check list and go through it. One good thing that might come of it is you may discover that you have too much stuff to carry around in your show case. That’s what I discovered, which is why I’m rebuilding my show. Now go study the classics, and go discover your true magical self.
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