Norm Barnhart - Stunning Stage Tricks

Einhorn, Nicholas. Stand-up Magic and Optical Illusions . Inside Magic. New York:Rosen Central, 2011.

Schafer, Albert. Illusionology: The Secret Science of Magic. Somerville, Mass.: CandlewickPress, 2012.

Turnbull, Stephanie. Incredible Illusions. Secrets of Magic. Mankato, Minn.: SmartApple Media, 2012.

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Illusions performed on stage are often the most amazing of all magic tricks. World-famousmagician David Copperfield leaves people in awe of his grand illusions. He is knownfor making huge objects disappear and making people float in midair. Practice theillusions in this book, and soon youll also be wowing the crowd with your incrediblemagical skills!

Stage magic often requires some special preparation. Follow these steps to make yourtricks seem effortless and exciting.

Blocking: Plan out and practice where you and your assistants will stand and moveduring the show. Be sure everybody knows where to be at the proper time.

Lighting: Lights help set the mood for your tricks. If you do a spooky trick, usedim lighting.

Music: Music is another way to help set the mood for an audience. It can also coverup the sound of someone moving around off stage.

Stage illusions often require the help of assistants. Ask a fe friends if theydlike to be your assistants. With their help, youll soon be mastering the tricksin this book.

On-Stage Assistants

On-stage assistants work with magicians on the stage. They are often involved withthe secrets behind illusions. Stage assistants dress sharp, smile a lot, and followthe magicians lead on the stage.

Secret Assistants

Secret assistants hide behind a curtain or under a table and wait to do their partof a trick. They stay very quiet so they do not give away their location. Some secretassistants pretend to be part of the audience and volunteer when needed.

With an icy stare, Dr. Freeze can zap water into ice. People will gasp when theysee you instantly change water into frozen ice cubes!

What You Need:

• 2 paper cups
• 1 kitchen sponge
• scissors
• glass of water
• ice cubes

PREPARATION:

Cut a circle from the sponge that fits snugly in the bottom of one cup. Placethe sponge circle into the cup.

Just before the show, put three ice cubes into the cup.

PERFORMANCE:

Place the cup and a glass of water on the table. Tell the audience, I once meta scientist named Dr. Freeze. He taught me this really cool trick.

Pour a bit of water from the glass into the cup. Hold up the cup and say, Dr.Freeze just gave the water a cold, icy starelike this. Face the cup and give ita cold, hard stare.

Ask for a volunteer from the audience. Have the volunteer hold out his or herhands. Turn the cup over and dump the ice cubes into the volunteers hands.

Ask the volunteer to walk into the audience and show the ice cubes to anotherperson. As the volunteer does this, casually place the cup in your magic case andsecretly grab the second cup. Ask the volunteer to come back to the stage. Then say,You probably dont want to hold onto that ice very long.

Ask the volunteer to place the ice cubes in the new cup. Then say, Dr. Freezealso showed me a second part to this trick. Its called the melting ice trick.But it takes a lot longer. Well check the ice at the end of the show to see if itworked. The audience will get a laugh from this joke because they know the ice willjust melt normally.

How would you like to be a superhero with amazing magnetic powers? Your friendsjaws will drop when they see crayons, newspaper, and even a rubber ball magicallystick to your fingers!

What You Need:

• magicians gloves
• several small magnets
• tape
• small nails
• a crayon
• a rubber ball
• a sheet of newspaper
• a small metal washer
• a table

PREPARATION:

Turn one glove inside out. Tape magnets inside the first two fingers of the glove.Then turn it right side out.

Push a small nail into the end of the crayon.

Push a few nails into the rubber ball. Make sure the heads of the nails are flatwith the surface of the ball.

Tape the small washer into a corner of the newspaper.

PERFORMANCE:

Set out the prepared objects and the gloves. Ask the audience, Have you everwished you could have super powers like the heroes in comic books? Put on the gloves,then say, I discovered I have a super power of my own. When I rub my hands together,some sort of magnetic force builds up.

Push the crayon around with the non-magnetic hand. It will move but doesnt stick.Then rub your hands together and act like you are building up a magnetic force.

Tap the crayon with the magnetic hand. The crayon will stick to your fingers andstart to lift from the table. Hold it up so the audience can see it hanging fromyour fingertips.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the rubber ball.