How to Try Out New Material
by Kenton Knepper

Perhaps you have read some great ideas, you have decided how you want to present them, but now comes the moment of truth...how do you go out and perform these effects?

If you are working towards doing magic for any pay at all, you want to be good right away, right?

Yes, and no, are the correct answers.

You don't want to be paid as a mentalist or magician without experience. Doing poorly and trying to excuse it as being new to the field won't make your customers any happier, and you will have harmed all mentalists or magicians in the process.

"We already had one of those at our party - he was horrible. Let's book a band instead."

The fear has built in you, you want to perform, you want to be paid eventually, you want to be good and not fail. How do you do all of that?

The answer is, you can't. Not at first. Stay with me.

What all performers do, even most Broadway shows and major touring acts, as well as stand up comedians and magicians, is try out new material somewhere that it won't matter so much. All performers try out new material in out of the way places, often without any pay at all, so if they don't do well, few people will notice and no one can complain they paid a decent sum of money to see them.

If you want to try to break in new material, begin in this way. Try it out in real life, some place where you can perform it for free, so if it doesn't work you are not harming your reputation or what people are paying you to do.

Many of us began doing things in hospitals, small benefits, open mic nights, and other places where there is a need to have people come in and give attention to others, to lift their spirits, without pay. Talk to people in charge of such things and tell them that you simply want to help out and won't ask for pay. Then you can do things you know how to do, and add in other things you are not sure of as much.

Nothing tells you what's going to work or not than performing it with real people. Work in bars, restaurants, hospitals, any place where people want to be entertained, or have a need, but don't want to pay you. Always get permission to do this first - including restaurants - of course.

The best way to learn is to do.

Perform in smaller segments to try each part out. If the situation allows, you can mix in one new thing with one or two tried and tested things if you have those, for personal comfort and guaranteed audience reaction as well.

Doing is huge part of learning how to do.

You can always adjust, and keep adjusting, because that's what pros do until they feel like something is just right for them and the audience. It doesn't happen the first time, every time, right out of the gate. Everything evolves as you perform it.

Rather than let that concern you, embrace it. Expect to evolve.

Do and you will learn how to do.

In a word, the best way to learn to do something is to do it.

The best way to change a less than spectacular audience reaction is to change how you do what you are doing.

The only way you will know what to change is to do an effect for many real audiences.

Perform at places in need, and for free, and you will get much useful feedback without harming your reputation or the reputations of fellow performers.

Then, expect to evolve. Don't be upset when what you do isn't perfect right away.

Expect to evolve. Then change and keep changing until you have the effect the way you and audiences like it.

Repeat.

Nearly every performer in every art form has dealt with taking the leap into performing, or presenting new material, in this manner.

It might just be the way for you too.

Kenton