Progress on the Children's Museum

Even though I have yet to meet face to face with the Children's Museum, I have been able to arrange performing at their 75th Birthday event on June 17th. I will be doing shows throughout the day. I will be sending them press material on Monday and I am in the process of designing my "Theater of Wonders" posters for the event. It should be a lot of fun.

Meeting Postponed

Well, my meeting with the Portland Children's Museum has been postponed for a day or two. The person I was meeting with called in sick today. Actually, this works well for me because it allowed me to take a good look around the museum and spot any problems that I could have in performing. The thing I noticed the most is how small the spaces are. I'm not sure I would be able to do much with theming a room for my show. They do, however, have a large exhibition space, maybe there will be something there I can work with.

Promoting the children's show

I've decided to focus for a little while on bringing in some money with children's shows. I have set up an appointment with the programs director of the Portland Children's Museum. I'm hoping we will be able to work something out where I can perform on a fairly regular basis a 15 minute sampler show. The Museum is a very busy place on weekends and should be an excellent place to network with parents and promote my birthday business.

I'll have an update next week, but until then, if you want to check out the museum, go to http://www.portlandcm.org/

A split personality

I have a problem. There are really two sides to my magic business. One one side is my goal - to make a good living wage performing for adult audiences at good venues. I want to travel and have a theater-quality entertainment that people look forward to experiencing. On the other side is making some money while I work this dream out. This makes me feel like I am fighting a split personality.

If you have noticed, I have two web addresses for my business:

www.smallmiraclesentertainment.com and www.birthdaymagic.smallmiraclesentertainment.com

The first is the site for my higher valued shows. These are the shows I am most proud of and the shows I would most like to perform. However, they are also the most expensive and in my mind, the most difficult to book. I'm not really clear exactly who buys these types of shows on a regular basis and where they would be performed. Consiquently, I'm a bit intimidated by them.

The second site advertises the "easy to book" show. Kid's birthday parties. Even though these are only $80 shows, they are easiest to perform, easiest to book and the most comfortable for me to work with. In other words, I can immediately see results by performing these kid's shows.

Today, for example, I contacted a couple of kid's venues and offered my services for shows on a regular basis. This was easy. I've also spend a few days working on getting my sites posted on Google and advertised with Adwords.

The problem is this: I don't want to shy away from my real goal by sliding down the easy road, but I also want to spend as much time performing as possible.

I'm not sure sure how all this will work out, but for now, I'll just keep plugging away.

The Real Magic of Illusion

Here is a little bit about who I am:


The first magician I ever set eyes upon was the editor of our small-town newspaper, Keith Barnett. Though he never had the opportunity to perform outside our little desert community, and though he would never be recognized as a great magician, the first 30 minutes I spent with him when I was only five years old set the direction for my entire life.

That is just how powerful a few simple tricks can become.

Water poured again and again from an inexhaustible bottle, steel rings from ancient China linked and unlinked at will, bright-colored silk scarves appeared and vanished and melted together into a rainbow of colors. And, through it all, my eyes, my mind and my heart were convinced of a world outside the dust, sand and heat of my ordinary experience. At that moment I found my home - magic was the world where I wanted to live and it is the world, to this day, that I want to share with everyone I meet.

Like most young conjurors, I started with simple tricks, but soon I discovered the great magicians of the golden age of magic. People like Harry Houdini, Karl Germain, Servias LeRoy, Harry Keller, Charles Carter and Howard Thurston became more than heroes to me - they became my mentors and examples of what is possible. Magic of the golden age was more than just tricks. These masters understood the importance of presentation and relationship with their audiences. Magic was theater and if it was to be effective, it had to be more than just something the audience watched - it had to be an event in which the audience was totally involved.

This is the experience I have spent my life exploring and pursuing. I searched out every form of art that caused in me an experience of wonder and awe of possibilities. I have pursued the art of music, receiving a degree in musical composition and operatic performance. I've performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Cathedral, The American Baroque Orchestra and more. I have pursued the art of theater by acting, writing, directing and producing theatrical projects seen by thousands of people at theaters from Portland, Oregon to Washington D.C. I have pursued the art of laughter by studying and performing improvisational comedy in California, Oregon and Washington. And, through it all, I pursued the art of illusion and the psychology of wonder.

My magical studies have included one-on-one work with some of the great magicians of the 20th century. I have been fortunate enough to have worked on magic with people like card and gambling expert, Martin Nash; magician and philosopher, Eugene Burger; sleight of hand and presentation expert, Juan Tamariz; illusionist, Mark Wilson; and master showman, Stan Kramien. In addition I have collected and studied the writings of magicians throughout history. My library contains works from the 16th century with works like the Discoverie of Witchcraft by Reginald Scott and the first magic book ever published, Hocus Pocus Jr. to cutting edge modern writings by theatrical special effects designer, Jim Steinmeyer.

I have also researched, produced and republished books by P.T. Barnum and the father of modern magic, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. Currently, I am finishing work on the most comprehensive work on Theatrical special effect and Illusion Patents ever published.

Thanks,
Richard
www.smallmiraclesentertainment.com

A challenge to the readers of this blog. . .

I am starting this blog as a challenge. I have set a goal to be performing on cruise ships by next fall and I want to challenge people to push me in this goal. In the past I have performed close-up magic at private parties and am considered to be pretty good at magic. I have won several awards.

HOWEVER!

I seem to hit a creative block in moving toward a full-time career in stage magic. Please visit here to see what progress (if any) I am making toward my goal. I promise to make it entertaining and fun to read.

Please feel free to post any comments you wish.

Thanks,
Richard
www.smallmiraclesentertainment.com