Ed Sumner
15 Years Experience
Staffordshire, UK
Male, 28
I perform close up magic and stand up magic. I also run a children's magic company called Ready Steady Magic. You can find out more about me on YouTube! =P
As a professional magician and Member of the Magic Circle, I work hard to create incredible events.
Feel free to ask me whatever you wish and let me reveal the secrets of what I do (but not those secrets!)
I'm always playing around or learning something new, as that keeps my skills sharp, and widens my experience and knowledge of magic. Those routines usually don't make it into my working material though.
My working material is quite well rounded but if I want to try out some new ideas then I will work to create my own routine that fits the specific requirement.
Once I've learnt enough to not give the secret away, I'll start performing it. Not at paid shows straight away, but for friends, family, other magicians and on the rare occassions I have a charity show where I'm helping out for free or for a reduced price, then I will try some new material there too. Finally when it gets to a paid show, I'll put that routine alongside other more established material. That's a nice way to ease that material and learn some of the timing and the presentation.
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Both! I think of it a little bit like cooking. Once you know the basics eg. how to saute, whisk, and fold etc... and how different flavours combine, then you can put down the recipe books and start making up your own meals.It's similar with magic. I can still learn from a book, but because I know how to control, misdirect, ditch and ring in, etc... I can make up my own routines, which is all the better as they are uniquely mine, and a display of my personality. That's important as I think people are more interested in other people than they are magic tricks!
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I would say that copying other magicians should be something that should be a big NO-NO, in the same way that stand up comedians are protective about their material, because it's so personal to them.
Unfortunately, it's not like that though and there are hack magicians who just copy off others, and use lines that weren't funny the first times round. That's upsetting.
One thing that people in the magic community do get annoyed about is people copying without crediting others. It seems almost like it's all right to copy as long as you don't pass it off as your own to other magicians. So you might say, "This trick isn't mine, I learnt it from..."
But if you try to sell a trick or routine that you've blatantly copied and not credited, then we really don't like that, and it happens.
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Sorry, I don't reveal secrets. If you seriously want to learn magic, then I suggest you buy a book and learn it the same way everyone else did. As with anything, it takes time and effort to master it.
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Peace Corps Volunteer
Are Peace Corps volunteers just a bunch of "hippie freaks?"
Las Vegas Cab Driver
Do people ever ask you to keep your meter off in exchange for a cheaper fare?
Rap Promoter / Manager
Do rappers ever stage beefs with each other as a PR stunt?
That's very unspecific, but why not have a look at Don Alan's Magic Ranch? That's the right sort of era and was a show where Don performed close up magic to a group of celebrity guests.
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I answered a question similar to this previously. In short, we use those animals because they will sit quietly whilst waiting to appear. I don't use animals in my shows because I travel a lot and I don't think that stress would be fair on the animal. If I had a static show in a venue, or I could use an animal for a one off performance for a large group or for TV then I would consider it.
As for breeds, I can't say for sure as I don't use them, but I imagine so. Flemish Giant Rabbits would need a much bigger hat!
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Well card flourishes are not magic, but they can be magical. They tend to work better on video than live, but I do know of magicians that have a lot of flourishes within their close up magic routines.
The best route for you is to work on anything that you enjoy and can be passionate about. If you enjoy it, you can find someone else who enjoys it too. Start with your personality and your character not the tricks.
For example, I have a lot of self-deprecating humour in my show (I mean it's only magic tricks, right). Occasionally I come up against people who hate what I do (with a passion) but I'm OK with that because last week I met someone who said I had the exact same sense of humour as them. I like that challenge of risking the polar opposite, win or fail scenario, but others might want to play it a little safer. What on earth is my mo?
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