Magic Shows for Shopping Malls

In the month of August, I was engaged to perform for Central at Clarke Quay. Initially, the organizers wanted me to perform Interactive Close Up Magic in which I would walk along the stretch of Singapore River, on the side of Central to perform my magic.

However, after further discussions and understanding why they chose magic instead of other entertainment, I proposed Street Theatre. Their objective was to add buzz and color to Central. In addition to the stalls and music, they wanted a magician to entertain, bring laughter and amazement to the crowd. Understanding this, I pushed for Street Theatre as it would fulfill their objectives more precisely making it a right match of entertainment with setting.

The organizers were initially slightly reluctant as they were new to the concept of a Street Theatre show, but they decided to give it a try on day 1. It was a success!

Day 1: Street Theatre at Central

The organizers were extremely pleased and surprised that I could draw such a large crowd for them! Without a doubt, they were very impressed by the insights I shared and the unconventional proposition to their original proposal.

Finale for Day 1

After the first day, the organizers were sure that this was what they wanted. And we carried on for the rest of the month.

Despite the strong positive feedback, I thought about the organizer’s initial objectives and thereafter, I made adjustments to the setting so that I could:

1) Capture a larger crowd.

2) Do a a bigger show.

3) Add more buzz to the event.

I realized that all I needed to do was to perform facing Central, and let the audience members sit on the steps. This allowed more people to be able to watch the performance and it allowed for more interaction between the performer and the audiences as I am now able to see all their faces and make eye contact with them.

Street Theatre

With a larger crowd, it also becomes harder for a performer to retain and engage every member of the audience. This is especially true in the street setting as the audience members have no obligation to stay and watch the performer (in contrast to a Dinner and Dance function or a paid ticketed performance), it takes a lot of confidence and charisma to draw and retain such a large crowd. In fact, I had fellow magicians coming up to me asking in disbelief,  “How is it possible for you to retain such crowd without the use of music, staging, lighting and big fancy props?!”

The answer is simple, the show is designed to flow and maximize engagement, the interaction and by-play that are embedded in the show so that it makes each member of the audience feel like they are a part of a unique performance. That is why they do not leave as they are having so much fun in this “play” that I started and they too want to be a part of its ending. This is not an easy task, it took me years to get to this point and till today, I am still constantly improving the act.

The view from the top!

At the end of each performance, I have made many friends who came up to me, shook my hand and took a picture with me, telling me that this is a totally different show from what they have ever seen.

Performing at Central was definitely not an easy task, however, it is very fulfilling to perform for a dispersed crowd and turning them into an audience who would respond to you in unison, creating that buzz and colour to the shopping mall. I personally think that you can add so much more vibrancy and value to a place and event by making sure that the right entertainment fits the right setting, and not relying on the “easy” or “conventional” approach.
That’s all from me! Maybe I will see you as an audience of Street Theatre soon!

Signing off,

Alexander

In the past couple of months, many event producers and magicians have been constantly asking me what exactly is Street Theatre. I see this as is a testament to the uniqueness of Street Theatre. Meta Illusions is the first to introduce such a concept in Singapore.

Street Theatre in NUS Alumni Day

In essence, Street Theatre is a form of performance that breaks the “fourth wall”. The audiences become part of the entertainment, they contribute to the show. And that being said, each show is different as different audience members might contribute differently to a show, hence it is very important for the performer to be experienced and well versed in audience management.

Despite its novelty, we had the privilege to present Street Theatre at many different venues in the past 2 months. In July, Jonathan and I brought our Street Theatre show down to NUS Alumni Day at UTown. There were booths and other activities going on, and Street Theatre fit well in this carnival/festival setting.

Getting the audience in action! (Picture from NUS Office of Alumni Facebook)

In other typical magic shows, the audience members are regarded as passive viewers who would simply watch the magic without adding to the show. In our Street Theatre Shows, Jonathan and I capitalize on the audience members to create a new dimension of entertainment. However, that does not mean we demean the audiences, nor do we embarrass them. For instance, Jonathan has a segment in his show in which an audience member would challenge him to a duel of speed, in which the fastest hands win. You can imagine why each show is different as every unique member of each show reacts differently in these situations.

Alexander and a young member of the crowd

In one of the segments of my own show, I would request the assistance of a young member of the audience to help me. This is the segment of the show that I enjoy the most as it can be unpredictable what the child might do, and more often than not, it brings a big laugh to the crowd.

Street Theatre Finale

So there you have it! As much as I would like to share more about Street Theatre, the amount of study in terms of understanding human interactions and psychology is too much to pen down. And to perform such a show is definitely not easy as the script is extremely malleable and you always need to be on your toes to address the unique situations.

 

Signing off,

Alexander

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 😉

An exclusive show: Street Theatre

When I was in the United States for exchange programme offered by National University of Singapore and Arizona State University, I witnessed wonderful magic in renaissance fairs and town fairs.

The magician would set up his table or case and would be able to gather a huge crowd for his act, and they typically look like this:

One of my favourite magician: Jim Cellini

This is pretty remarkable, and it is a full show with a definitive beginning and an end. Wonderful, simply wonderful.

And since I was in the States, I managed to meet real Street Performers and interacted with them. I learnt how to gather a huge crowd, I learnt how to maintain a crowd and end with a bang. Also, I took the six months I had in the States to design, craft and test my very own Street show, which I now call, Street Theatre. It was very well received by the Americans =)

While it is true that in Singapore, we do not have a lot of magicians who do shows like this, most of them do “hit and run” magic in which they show one or two ‘tricks’ and then leave. I have a certain distaste for this type of performance because it tend to leave your audience feeling incomplete.

Also, I should add that most Singapore magicians do not believe that Singaporeans would stay and watch magic. One of the reasons for such (false) beliefs is the lackluster busking scene in Singapore in which passer-bys would simply, pass by, these performers.

About more than a year ago, I had a conviction that what I had to offer was different and the things I learnt while I was in America would be valuable to the events industry in Singapore. I decided to do Street Theatre in the streets of Singapore. And the result? It turned out better than expected. I had tons of people stopping to watch my show.

Screenshot of Half the Crowd

On a separate engagement:

Towards the big finish!

Street Theatre is a show, not a hit and run type of performance but a structured and well designed show to maximize  buzz and add colour to your event. It caters  very well to events like festival, trade shows, road shows and product launches in which buzz and exposure is important.

Check out our promo video for Street Theatre (in HD): 

For more information on Street Theatre or a consultation on the best form of magic for you event, check out our website at http://www.metaillusions.com

See ya!

Alexander 😉