Conclusion: 24 Rules Become 24 Questions

In 1911 Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant, two of the premier magicians of the day, published Our Magic. In the first section, The Art in Magic, Maskelyne outlines 24 rules for magic performance. After well over 100 years, are these rules still relevant, and do they apply to more than magic?

Thank you so much for sticking with me during this course. It’s been a labour of love, and something that’s given me focus through lockdown. When I started this I made the decision to not read ahead, to take each rule the week I was writing it up, and see what happened. I think I’ve ended up with a pretty interesting set of principles. Most of which can easily be applied to most performances.

Now for the final step, Take everything I’ve said, every one of these 24 rules, and reverse them. Rather than thinking of them as answers to creating a performance, think of them as questions to ask afterwards. Ernest Hemingway once said that 'The only kind of writing is rewriting.' In the same way, the only kind of performance is reflection. The only way to get good at something is to do it, and so it stands to reason that the only way to get good at performing in public, is to perform in public. You can use all the rules and guides and ‘how-to’ web sites you want when you’re planning, but the way to improve is to reflect after each performance. 

If I’m honest, every single class or course I’ve taken on performance, every single book or article on the subject I’ve read hasn’t given me a single answer. Instead, they’ve created questions. Hopefully, this is what you have here. Questions to ask yourself after each performance that will help to make the next one better. Did I consider the needs of my audience? Was I clear with myself about what I wanted to accomplish? This is the mindset to bring, this is how I hope you approach your performances moving forward.

If you think a piece worked, try to work out why. If it didn’t, again, why? This way you’re going to understand what works more and more. Pretty soon, you’ll be doing it instinctively, understanding what’s going to work before you start, and knowing why things didn’t at the end.

Finally, enjoy your performances. Don’t worry about the nerves; we all get those. Instead, know that each one is a chance for you to share something with other people and, no matter what it is, that really is a special thing.

TFT

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