Phoenix Magic Club

If the crew does its job perfectly, the audience may never realize how much you’re doing.

That’s a compliment.

The Stage Manager runs the show.

Once the show begins, somebody has to be the final authority on timing, cues, entrances, holds, and changes. That’s the Stage Manager.

Not the loudest magician backstage.

Know the Run of Show.

Know what’s happening now, what’s happening next, and what needs to happen to get from one to the other.

Stay ahead of the show.

Don’t wait until Performer #4 finishes to wonder where Performer #5 is. The next performer should already be ready.

Ready means ready.

Props assembled. Costume correct. Microphone handled. Music queued. Volunteer requirements understood. Performer located.

“I’m pretty sure he’s in the lobby” is not ready.

Keep backstage quiet.

The audience shouldn’t hear conversations, prop cases closing, Velcro ripping, coins being dumped into buckets, or six magicians explaining to each other how they would have done the previous performer’s trick.

Protect the stage.

After an act, reset quickly and correctly. Remove what needs removing. Add what needs adding. Put furniture and props where they’ve been rehearsed.

Don’t improvise technical cues.

Lighting and sound should follow the agreed cues. If something has changed, that information goes through the Stage Manager.

Communicate clearly.

Short and specific beats long and ambiguous.

“John is ready.”

“Table is set.”

“Music is queued.”

“Hold.”

“Go.”

During a show, nobody needs a TED Talk over the headset.

Don’t create emergencies out of inconveniences.

Something will go wrong. Probably several things.

Deal with the problem at the level of the problem.

A missing Sharpie does not require six people.

Keep problems backstage.

The audience doesn’t need to know that a prop broke, somebody missed a cue, or the next performer is currently sprinting toward the theater.

Solve what you can. Adapt to what you can’t.

Help each other.

“That’s not my department” is occasionally technically correct and frequently completely useless.

If you can safely solve a small problem without abandoning your own responsibility, help.

Don’t change the show during the show unless you have to.

Every spontaneous improvement has consequences somewhere else.

Above all:

Calm is contagious. Unfortunately, so is panic.

Know the plan. Communicate. Stay ahead.

And make whatever chaos is happening backstage look completely intentional from the other side of the curtain.