Let's Talk About Walk-About

When I first started to get paid for performing magic, I didn’t take the usual career route. To this day I’ve only ever done two children’s birthdays parties, as favours for friends… and I don’t have any friends good enough to earn such a favour from me again! No, I jumped right into the world of strolling magic at corporate events and banquets, and that’s all I did for many years until I shifted into stand-up shows.

I’ve only dabbled in restaurant table-hopping, never having a residency of my own, but being a regular substitute for colleagues who did. My experience in strolling is focused almost exclusively on working with event planners in corporate or community organizations.

Here’s the thing; I’ve never had a mentor, I’ve never job-shadowed a veteran professional, heck I’ve barely even witnessed other magicians working in a strolling environment. I don’t know what other pros do, or how they do it, apart from picking up scraps of info along the way.

With that I’m going to talk about some of the things I wish I could have heard long ago. What follows is based solely on my personal experience, and I suggest you take it with a small boulder of salt.

What Do You Call It?

The style of performance is all about moving from one small group of people to the next, whether they are standing in a cocktail reception, or seated at a banquet table. My preferred phrase, when speaking with an event planner, is Mingling Magic, or more formally Up-Close Interactive Entertainment. Both emphasize your engagement with guests. I think Up-Close is a better descriptor than Close-Up.

Walk-about, Strolling, or worse; Table-Hopping, ought to remain in your casual conversations with magician friends. Those are insider terms and none of them sound particularly pleasing. The first two sound passive, and the last impolite.

Why Do People Hire You?

Strolling entertainment is an event problem-solver, most often applied the way putty fills in cracks. It’s strength is in its flexibility, as the performance can occur in any space, and span any available time. Usually the event planner has you in mind to patch over a weak spot in the event plan.

The more you get to know these scenarios, the better you can prepare and adjust to meet those needs, even if the planner doesn’t know to specifically ask.

The Icebreaker – Dinner starts at 6, but people will be arriving as early as 5. You are working in the lobby where guests are gathering before the dining room doors open. Your role becomes like a host, welcoming people in, and breaking through the quiet awkwardness of a small group. You can be a magnet and matchmaker for connecting individuals and couples together to meet and greet one another and form a bond even after you leave the group.

Minding the Gap – Similar to above, but it’s a lull between activities at an event. Weddings often employ a magician for this purpose, as guests are often waiting around the hall after the ceremony, but before the reception, while the wedding party are off doing photos.

Work the Line – When a planner is expecting a long line you are brought in to subdue the impatient crowd. In a sales environment, the longer people wait in line for a store grand opening, the more money they make that day.

The Babysitter – When it’s not really a family oriented event, but they expect some people to bring children anyways, you might be “a magician for the kids!” The amount of time parents can stay at an event often depends on the mental fuse of their child, and you can help slow the cranky explosion.

Part of the Circus – Sometimes it’s clear that “magician” was just checked off the list of entertainment options when you get to an event with a stilt-walker, living statue, glitter tattoos, and a juggler. They want to create an impressive carnival atmosphere, and you’re part of the ambiance.

Really there are two primary modes for a strolling magician; in most cases you are there to make a lull less boring, or you’re adding to the noisy spectacle. You might notice that your actual 'entertainment value' is not a high priority, but it's a nice bonus.

The Approach

My biggest struggle with strolling magic, as an introverted person, is the need to interrupt strangers all night long. You have to step up to a table, or somewhat more nuanced, elbow into a circle of people chatting, and introduce yourself as the magician.

In The Magic Menu, a newsletter on the topic of restaurant magic, David Acer wrote an excellent article titled First Impressions. (Nov/Dec 1991) It shared the lesson that the approach is about answering people’s unspoken questions and concerns. If a stranger interrupts you and your friends your mind starts racing; who is this guy? Is this normal? Does he want money?

I step in with a very pregnant pause, as if I’m about to speak, and hold it long enough that it gets most people’s attention. “Hi, I’m Ryan and [introductory joke],” to show I’m friendly, and fun. Then the disarming line; “Julia, the event planner, has asked me to share some magic with you tonight.”

With that I let people know it’s part of the show, I’m supposed to be there, and critically, I do not ask them for permission to perform. (“Would you like to see some magic?”) I just start right into the first routine, because I’m a professional, and it’s my job.

Social Cues

As I’m preparing to break into a group I’m scanning for body language that hints as to whether or not I will be well received. Any sort of light-hearted conversation is a red carpet invitation to me. They are already having fun, and I can build on that.

A more serious conversation is a warning sign. Especially in a business conference environment, a sales person might have been waiting all week, jostling to get his two minutes with a buyer, one of the whales, and if you barge in with “pick a card!” you could ruin their entire month.

In your first 15 seconds of chatting with a group you ought to have a pretty good idea of just how receptive they are. If you’re not feeling the vibe, you can do an instant visual trick, and gracefully bow out. “I just wanted to welcome you to the event, have a great night!” No harm done, and you still did your job.

Look Busy

Even worse than interrupting people is when there’s nobody to interrupt. When an event has low attendance, or the schedule seems to be off, you might find yourself ready to make magic with no audience. Standing around feels awkward, and doesn’t give the impression of good value for their entertainment dollar.

I started encouraging planners to schedule my shift to begin 30 minutes after the published start time of an event. I was tired of being the one and only person in the hall.

At busy events you need to think about time management to hit as many tables as possible, but in a slow time you’re just trying to stay busy. When you do have an audience, add extra routines to hang out with them longer. You can revisit warm groups for an encore performance.

If you’re really stuck, have something in your case to use as a visual spectacle. If it’s appropriate for the event I might start spinning plates. (I bring my own plastic ones, not from the banquet table.) You can enter this passive entertainment mode to still be adding to the event ambience rather than standing around with your hands in your pockets.

The Strolling Repertoire

Much like your role at an event, your repertoire ought to be focused on solving problems. Rather than listing off the tricks in your drawer and trying to cram them into the situation, think first of the situation and apply the right trick in the right moment.

Most critical is your opener. Here are some considerations;

• Start with magic, not a set-up. Do something amazing within ten seconds. That’s actually a pretty long time for action if you cut out all your jibber-jabber.
• Keep it in your hands, don’t invade their space… yet. You haven’t earned your spot at the table.
• Be impressive. They don’t want to see stout Uncle George’s party tricks.
• Have flexible phases. It can be over and done in those ten seconds, or you can carry on to more phases, according to their interest. This is much better than a quick trick you have to put away, then start over with something different.
• Good looking props. This depends on the event, and the venue, but make sure your props are appropriate for the room. While it is a strong, quick vanish, bringing out a wrinkled silk hanky to start is not a good first impression. The classier the event, the more you want to be mindful of looking too “magicky.”

Just in the last couple years Ring and Rope has become my favourite strolling routine. It checks all those boxes, and progresses into a four-phase routine.

The greatest wisdom on a full strolling repertoire is to have three routines of three tricks each. That’s usually more than enough. I tend to rank those three routines with an A, B, C pecking order. At busy events I tend to rely more heavily on my most powerful, punchy routine, and at slow events there’s rarely demand to go beyond your greatest hits. If you’re working tables or groups close together it’s good to alternate A and B so they aren’t overhearing the same jokes. That third routine I tend to save for the moment I realize groups may have shifted, and some people already saw a previous performance. I probably won’t remember which one, but I know they haven’t seen C.

While I have my set routines, I’m also looking out for opportunities for what I call conversational close-up. While I’m talking with the group I’m looking for common questions or topics that can naturally lead me into the next routine. “How did I get started learning magic? Let me show you my first trick!” This feels a lot less like an interruption, and more like I’m a fellow guest, albeit a very entertaining one.

Card Tricks are D Material

Okay, I’m stepping on a hornet’s nest here. I’ve only recently switched over to be on Team No Card Tricks, when they have been the bulk of my repertoire for most of my life up to now.

There are four big reasons I am working on cutting out card tricks;

• They have a bad reputation. People have “seen that one before” when you bring out a deck of cards. They are generally not associated with good, entertaining magic. Event Planners, too, will have concerns about that last magician they hired who only did card tricks.
• They start slow. A card has to be picked, signed, and shuffled back in. That’s a minute or two where nothing happens.
• People are less familiar with playing cards than ever. They don’t know what the Club is called. They don’t know Poker hands.
• Card tricks require sustained attention over a long period. When the card is revealed they have to remember the chosen card, but also to have been watching the entire time to know the card wasn’t secretly slipped out or something. If a person joins the group mid-way through, the rest of the trick is meaningless. The magic moments are too dependent on facts from a minute or two ago, and crumble in a room full of distractions.

I don’t think card tricks deserve a spot in your top nine trick hit list. However, I’d never do a gig without a deck in my pocket. They make for great D material. That is when you extend your stay with a group who is really enjoying your performance. They want more magic, and entertaining card tricks are a great way to spend some time together.

Playing To A Distracted Audience

That last point against card tricks is such a key realization I want to dig in deeper. The best strolling magic works with a staccato presentation, short stabs of magic with lots of breaks. It’s why Ring and Rope has been such a winner for me.

In every phase, the difference between the ring being clearly on the rope, and clearly off the rope, is no more than three seconds. I only need three seconds of your attention to deliver a magical impact. Each one of those four moments is entirely independent. While they build, for those watching intently, they also stand on their own for any person who might wander in.

With this new standard my ideal strolling trick is one with a bare bones ‘plot’, which could be communicated without words. Partly that I can still function in a loud venue, but more often that my verbal jokes float independent of the trick. I can play with the ebb and flow of the group’s attention. Sometimes they want to break into chatter after every magic moment, other times they want me to get on with it. I’m not saying you have to do magic fast. If you’re not encumbered by necessary exposition, you can tune your presentation to the group frequency.

My best walk-around card routine fits this structure. It’s a multi-phase sandwich routine. Once I get the selection and signing of the card out of the way, each phase happens pretty quick. It even has a built-in instant replay “for those who missed it.” Still not as snappy as the Ring and Rope, but pretty good… for a card trick.

Work Events Suited To Your Personality

I’ve come to learn which type of events will be a struggle for me and my style of magic, and will happily refer away those which don’t fit. I’m good with family audiences, mixed all ages, or older crowds. I am not the right magician for the 16 to 30 demographic with “Spring Break energy.” No thank you.

Because strolling magic is so much about interpersonal skills, you can’t fake it. Even the best sleight-of-hand artist will be remembered as a ‘bad magician’ if they don’t jive with the crowd. When it comes to bookings, know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em.

What Do I Charge?

My whole life I’ve wondered about my fee, and where it falls in the local market. Nobody ever talks about it!

When I started out, in 1999, my going rate for walk-around magic at an event was $125 per hour. By 2015 it was usually $300 per hour, and now I’d be asking $350.

I try not to talk to event planners using the “per hour” scale, because I won’t do an event for only one hour. Not worth the mental real estate. Rather, I quote it as a $700 performance fee, based on a two hour window. I always plan to stay an extra 15 minutes if there’s still a crowd to entertain.

If you are collecting payment at the event, be sure to do it before you start. It’s not about lack of trust, but when strolling you’re often the first thing on the schedule. When you’re ready to go home the event planner will be at peak busy, running around with a million things to do.

I’m often invited to sit-down for dinner at the event, and I almost always decline. I tend to feel like ‘the hired help’ sitting at the guest’s table. However, I’m sure other performers take this opportunity to schmooze their way into more gigs.

An Introvert Playing the Part of a Magician

I moved away from doing a lot of strolling gigs when I learned how to step onto the big stage as the after-dinner entertainment. I was thrilled to make the trade because it meant I didn’t have to interrupt strangers all night. I only had to interrupt two hundred strangers once.

That repeated cold approach of walk-around was, and still is, a big mental hurdle for me. Even though I do think I can be a reasonably entertaining fella, I hesitate to jump into a group. I know I’m a shy person, and I don’t fight for attention.

But, here’s my remedy; I can pretend to be a minor sociopath for a couple hours. I can give myself permission to have bad manners. I can push myself to crash through social norms. In his book, The Approach, Jamie D. Grant suggests giving yourself a literal VIP pass around your neck to kick open those doors. Do whatever you gotta do to put on the mask of the social butterfly entertainer without any guilt, because you’re hired to create fun.

Then, at the end of the night, you can collapse in the car and not talk to anybody for the next 24 hours.