THE SET SHOW

-and the secret to Show Business.

This is how my students have gotten so big.

This article is what I teach my personal students out on the pitch. It is rare that I do this, but I feel if you’re here at Substack, you’re a serious student of the art.

It has partial excerpt from my book at first, but has been extended here, to go more in depth to show how the set show is made, and how it works to maximize for professional success.

What you will read towards the end is usually only oral tradition.

Lets begin.

If you're a beginner the first thing you'll need is a Set Show.

It's something you keep in your pocket, travel around the world with, and pull it out whenever you need money.

A Set Show, is a show that is scripted, memorized, and has a beginning, middle, and an end. It is the same show, every time except for the occasional Improv that seasons it.

The script is written almost always by the performer, to suit his Character, or very rarely, by a professional script writer.

The script is written for the Character that performs it.

One size, cannot fit all.

You cannot copy another Character's show, and expect the same level of success.

I once saw a film of Gazzo's Show, 30 years ago, and it was the same show, pretty much that he does today. I’ve talked to old timers who saw Cellini’s show over 35 years ago, and they described the same show I saw before he died.

The list goes on, even and especially to T.V. and stage shows, you think David Blaine or Criss Angel aren’t doing a set show? Think again!

They are!

It should be noted, that they all had their own Characters.

For most of my life I did Improv Magic.

Improv, is where the performer goes out and plays with the people unscripted, to see where it will go, and just tries to wing it with his skills as an entertainer. This can be very useful to learn new material, and hone one's skills.

I myself began doing magic this way. I’d look at the people and judge what I thought they should see, and then reach into my doctor's bag, pull out the props, and do that trick. When I was done, I’d look at em again, and decide which trick was next, and on and on.

I got away with that for a lot of years, and made plenty of money, but that’s not gonna work here, if you want to make a living, or a career, or get any better. The streets are much too chaotic, and one needs some form of structure to gain control over the space out there.

If you want people to watch and pitch like some of those statue guys who don’t do anything, Raw Improv might work for you, until you get discouraged, but if you want to be any good at this, you need a Set Show.

Even the good statues have a Set Show that they do in between standing still, this gives them more control over the space, and adds more money to their Hat.

The way to create this Set Show, is to put it together and practice it out on the pitch over and over again, whether or not somebody stops or watches. You’re like an infomercial.

You are a writer, who writes in his head, and performs his writing out loud.

Once you have this Set Show, you have a personal belonging, that takes care of you, and you can take it anywhere you go, and survive, because it's Your Show.

After you have made this Set Show, you will start to see how much money it can make, and you will begin making adjustments for it to pay more.

If you learn nothing from me, or any other street performer, please understand that this is the most important thing for a Professional Busker.

Once again, I began my Magic career as an Improv Performer, and I never knew why I couldn't make it big in Show Business.

It wasn't until I had a Set Show that I started making a successful income, and work opened up everywhere for me.

Everything became so easy, now that I wasn't going upstream.

My Street Shows even got easier, because people just started stopping more, committing more, and tipping more.

The world works on systems, and rich people know this, so when they hear your Set Show they stop instinctually, and identify with it.

I even started picking up huge gigs, because a Set Show made my act a tangible product. People knew what they were getting, and that it looked professional and wanted it at their event.

Once my teachers taught me the secret of the Set Show it was like overnight that the whole world opened up to me.

So, where to begin?

Well the good news is, much of your show is already written.

The tricks you do now, have Patter, so start there.

Also tell the people about the history of the tricks, things about yourself, and your life in Magic.

If you only have 3-5 mins of material, then you have a 3-5 min show.

Go out and do that over and over, asking for money at the end every time, and you will notice your show getting longer and longer bit by bit, until it blossoms into something you can be proud of.

And here's the best part, you are getting paid to practice and write Your Show.

That will make you a paid professional.

That's the secret to Show Business.

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