Phoenix Magic Club

You’re not just performing your act. You’re part of a show.

Our goal is to give the audience one smooth, entertaining show—not a collection of unrelated acts. A few things help enormously:

Keep your introduction short.

Give the MC a brief introduction—about 50 words maximum. We love you, but we don’t need your complete magical résumé before you appear.

Be ready before you’re introduced.

Know where you’re entering, where you’re performing, and where you’re exiting. When the MC says your name, it’s showtime.

Respect your time.

If you’re given eight minutes, build an act that normally runs about seven. Applause, laughter, choosing volunteers, and unexpected delays are part of your running time.

Take your applause.

You earned it! When your act ends, stop. Smile. Bow or otherwise acknowledge the audience. Then leave. Don’t finish your last trick and immediately flee the stage as though you’ve just remembered where you parked.

Have an ending.

The audience should know when your act is over. A strong final moment followed by a clear acknowledgement beats, “Well…that’s about it for me.”

Take care of your volunteers.*

Know how you’ll get them onstage, where you want them, and how you’ll return them to their seats. Make them look good. They volunteered to help you, not to become the punchline.

Tell us about your technical needs ahead of time.

Music, microphones, lighting cues, tables, chairs, video, special entrances—if you need it, we need to know before show day. “I’ll explain it to the sound guy right before I go on” makes the sound guy cry.

Don’t surprise the crew.

Once we’ve rehearsed or established your act, don’t suddenly add music, fire, six volunteers, a fog machine, or a live goat without talking to the stage manager.

Have a cleanup plan.

Cards, rope, paper, confetti, water, props, furniture, mysterious bodily fluids—whatever your act leaves behind needs to disappear quickly so the next performer gets a clean stage.

Be where you’re supposed to be.

Know approximately when you’re performing and be backstage well before your cue. Nobody should have to organize a search party for Performer #6.

Backstage is still part of the theater.

Keep conversations and prop preparation quiet while somebody else is performing.

Most importantly: help the performer before you, help the performer after you, and help the crew help you.

If we all do that, everybody gets a better show.