What is the best performance type for open spaces?

For the past couple of weekends, the team at Meta Illusions  (Jonathan, Samuel and myself, Alexander) were engaged for our Street Theatre performance at the NTUC Income Kite Festival (Community Kite Flying).

Samuel doing his finale (Picture credits: NTUC Income Kite Festival)

Street Theatre was the optimum choice of magic entertainment given the set of conditions we had to work with.

1. There was no stage or platform for performance.

2. Minimal to no audio amplification devices.

3. Having to conduct a performance in an wide open space.

4. Having to conduct a performance amidst other competing activities.

5. Having to gather, entertain and unify a crowd that comes from different walks of life and with different agendas.

Given such conditions, magicians would typically fall back on the “usual” close up magic performance in which the magician will rove around the entire area performing their close up magic. While this seems to be a “safe” form of entertainment, it is not the best form of magic in such settings. The reason is that despite the versatility of Close Up Magic, it does not fulfill the condition of unifying a crowd. For Close Up Magic, the magician would typically perform to groups that are already unified (i.e. friends and families). Also, given the small range of Close Up Magic, in which the magic typically happens in the spectators’ hands, it does not allow the magician to play big and attract other curious onlookers due to the bad visibility. In contrast, the Street Theatre type of performance allowed us to have a greater reach, which enabled us to garner the attention of large crowds who attended the event.

Rousing the crowd

A stage performance would also not be ideal because of condition 4: There are other activities going on. A stage performance  would demand the attention of all the guests and they would not have much of a choice in deciding which activity should they engage in. In addition, a stage performance requires technical arrangements such as a sound system and a platform for performance, both of which are barriers to the unification of a crowd. With such devices, a “fourth wall” is created, thus, inhibiting any audience member from participating in the performance.

Unifying the crowd and breaking the fourth wall

It is undeniable that not all events would impose such limitations, but there are several that come to mind, like post-marathon/race events, garden or park performances, festivals and carnivals, open houses etc. Meta Illusions’ Street Theatre fulfills all the above conditions and limitations. We are trained to thrive in such environments. When all the fancy boxes, lighting and sound systems are stripped away, the strength of a magician lies in his/her raw abilities to engage and hold the crowd with powerful magic and an even more powerful personality. I am very proud to say that my team and I do exceedingly well in such conditions.

The NTUC Income Kite Festival (Community Kite Flying) has been challenging but very fulfilling. It was breathtaking to see beautiful-looking kites flying high in the sky and families of different demographics coming together to spend quality time together and enjoying family-friendly performances!

Bringing smiles to adults and children

Fantastic family fun! (Picture Credits: NTUC Income Kite Festival)

Minimal props but maximal personality and entertainment

If you have an upcoming event and are fretting as to which form of entertainment to feature, I hope this article would be of value to your decision. Also, Meta Illusions offers a free consultation because we believe that each and every event is unique and has different requirements and constraints that need to be catered to. The different forms of magic we provide can be tailored to suit the different limitations and conditions of your event. So hesitate no further and drop us a call (97459753) or email us at: info@metaillusions.com !

P.S. We are performing at Tampines Ave 10 this coming weekend for the 3rd installment of Community Kite Flying, catch us in action!

Signing off,

Alexander 😉

A Unique Wedding Dinner

The 19th of May 2012 might have been an ordinary day for the rest of the world, but for newly wedded couple, An Chyi and Herng Huei, it was their wedding night.

Special thanks to An Chyi and Herng Huei for the pictures!

Performing specially for the newly wedded couple

Even though I am frequently engaged to perform for wedding dinners, every single one of them leaves a warm, fuzzy feeling in me. I should also mention that this wedding dinner had a special theme: Alice in Wonderland. Therefore, to add that magical touch to the wedding, I was engaged to perform for the guests and to fill the atmosphere with amazement.

Performing for the couple’s VIP table

Close Up Magic

There were several tables that preferred me to perform in Mandarin. And thankfully for my team and I, we are all effectively bilingual. This is also a common challenge to most wedding performers as the audience demographics are diverse and the performers need to be strong and flexible in terms of performance material.

The moment of amazement captured in a picture

I was also pleasantly surprised to meet my friend, Bernice and her fiance! Even though Bernice had seen me perform my magic on several occasions, she was delighted to have me perform at her table.

It is always a good feeling to know that you added that touch of magic to a couple’s special night, and I am also very happy to share some positive feedback from the lovely couple:

“Dear Alexander,

Thank you for your wonderful performance on our big day. We received great feedback from our guests – they loved you! 🙂

Thank you once again Alexander!

Best Wishes,

An Chyi and Herng Huei

From Taiwan”

Brings me great joy to know that I was a part of their unforgettable celebration!

So if you are planning a wedding and would like to add that special touch of magic to your wedding night, do drop us an email at info@metaillusions.com or give us a call (9745973). We’ll be more than happy to discuss such possibilities and work with you every step of the way!

Signing off

Alexander Yuen

Corporate Close Up Magic and Teach In

Last month, I had the privilege to do a unique performance for the friendly people at AIA. It was a session in which I performed a small portion of my Close Up Theatre set and Interactive Close Up magic, which ended with  a Teach-in seminar.

Finale to the Close Up Theatre set

A mini “Circle Show”

One of the main reasons why I personally decided to take up the teach-in was because of the inspirational theme of using magic. Under the leadership of District Manager, Mr Peter Lee, he wanted to showcase to his team that even though something seems impossible, it can be achievable as long as you put effort into it.

This message resonated with me and I took up the challenge. I arranged 3 effects of varying difficulties and true enough, Mr Lee and his colleagues were all able to execute them after considerable practice.

Hands on practice

The effects were handpicked based on the following criteria:

1. It cannot be a kiddish trick as it is not in line with Meta Illusions’ policy to perform kiddish tricks, let alone teach a trick that is kiddish/clownish in nature

2. There needs to be demonstration of skill involved. Because we conduct classes for youths and professional working adults, an effect is more amazing and appealing if some feats of dexterity are displayed.

3. The tricks are not heavily exposed in other mediums accessible to the general public.

With this set of criteria, my proposal was approved.

Experiential learning and group based teaching

Apart from inculcating the theme of the seminar, learning magic as a group is fun! It can create a culture of learning and sharing. It also fosters teambuilding.

Teaching and sharing within the group

I had a lot of fun teaching and performing to this group of spontaneous and fun-loving people. And I strongly believe that while magic can be performed for just entertainment’s sake, there are other subtexts that magic can exemplify, hence, creating an underlying theme or lesson.

For more on workshops and lessons, you can contact us at info@metaillusions.com, or drop us a line at 97459753.

One last thing, like us on Facebook too!

 

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

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