On Friday, I did my stand-up magic show at the “end of year” banquet for the Ebell of Los Angeles. The Ebell of Los Angeles is a private woman’s group that was founded in the 1800’s. As a professional magician, I love performing for prominent Los Angeles groups.

Joe Skilton with Ebell of Los Angeles President Kelley Nelson

The show went really well… but I don’t deserve all of the credit. Kelley, the president of the organization, was extremely helpful in making sure that everything went off without a hitch. If YOU are ever planning a large magic show… I suggest you follow the same gameplan Kelley did to ensure success. These are the…

RULES OF PLANNING A STAGE SHOW:

1. Place seating as close as possible to the stage. If you have a dance floor near the stage, put temporary seating over it. Nothing will kill the energy of a magic show like a 20-foot distance between the audience and the show.

2. If possible, create seating rows for your guests that are separate from their table seating during dinner. This way, your guests can give the show their full attention, and won’t be bothered by the wait staff clearing the tables.

3. It’s important that the audience can see the magic. If guests will watch the show at their dinner tables, make sure you don’t have large centerpieces, which will hinder the view!

4. Ask the performer to provide you a short, 30-second biographical introduction that will get your guests excited about the entertainment. My personal introduction mentions my awards, Magic Castle credentials, and recent television appearances.

5. If your audience is over 40 people, provide a RISER. You’ll be amazed how much an 18 inch height difference improves the magic show.

6. Insist that your performer carry liability insurance, and that they perform CLEAN. There’s nothing worse than off-color humor in front of the wrong audience!

7. Many professional magicians (myself included) can provide their own sound system. Although a house system is often preferred… you should make sure your magician can handle all sound conditions themselves. If you would rather them use your system, don’t forget to provide an optional wireless headset or lavalier microphone.

The BEST seating layout for a Stage/Stand-up Show

Here is a photo from the stage, prior to the event. You can see the separate seeting area for the guests, the seating proximity to the stage, etc. These details really helped me make my magic show the best it can be!

I’m 32 years old today. yay?

Spent part of the afternoon at my friend Lou’s house. He cooks a great tri-tip steak. Going to stay indoors the rest of the night. Maybe watch a movie with the wife. Maybe enjoy a nice scotch.

This weekend was terrific. I did a wonderful anniversary party in Palos Verdes and an end-of-year banquet for the Ebell of Los Angeles. Both of these shows illustrate some great points about organizing a party. Stay tuned…

Okay. A friend of mine wanted to know why I was so busy. Here’s the deal:

Being a Professional Magician (in Los Angeles or anywhere), is a lot more than just doing shows at private parties and corporate events. It’s really like running your own small business.

I have to practice constantly, rehearse, do all of my own paperwork, and go to meetings and appointments, if needed. Plus… I’m working on new video projects.

These things aren’t exciting or glamorous, but they take lots of time and need to be done. That’s what I’m up to right now!

So, after arriving back in L.A., I’ve got a TON of work to catch up on. I’m going to give the blog a rest for a week or two.

Don’t worry… I’ll be back in style soon enough!

I’ll be writing more about my European adventures later this week, but in the meantime, here’s my weekly magic video.

I performed at an engagement party last Saturday night, and I’m still getting adjusted to the L.A. time zone, so I haven’t had time to tape something specifically for this blog. Instead, here’s something I taped at a party a few weeks ago. I hope you like Pink Floyd! :-)

Coin Moves in HD – Joe Skilton from Joe Skilton on Vimeo.

I’ve been fooling around with this coin sequence at a lot of gigs lately. It’s still not 100% there… but it keeps getting better.