3 Steps to Creating Theme Shows

“Thank you for doing this! I try to instill these same messages into my kids. It’s good for them to hear it from someone else in a different way.”

I thanked her, smiling the whole time.

I love it when someone thanks me after the show for the message, not the magic.

I had just finished a show for a new client. She had requested a program on resilience.

She had heard of me through another client. But since I didn’t offer a resiliency program, I had to create one from the ground up.

The event was for foster parents and their kids, a celebration of the great work foster parents do.

In the past, I’ve pushed back on creating ‘one-off’ programs. But in this case, the topic intrigued me. I knew I could put together a fun, informative show for this event pretty easily.

When multiple people thanked me after the show (again for the messages), I knew I had nailed it.

Creating theme shows is one of my superpowers. I love doing it, and with no false modesty, I know I’m good at it.

Like any skill, it takes time to develop. But like a muscle, the more you work it, the stronger it gets.

I’ve distilled creating theme shows down to three critical steps. There is a LOT more to it, with a lot of nuances, but for this newsletter, these steps will be a good starting point if you’ve never created one before.

First, a bit of context: for this little exercise, I’m going to define a ‘themed show’ as one with educational content.

I’ll assume that you already have a theme in mind, one that’s interesting to a potential market.

Side note: This is one of the major stumbling blocks I see when magicians try creating theme shows.

They decide to put together a show based on something they like…without first checking to see if a market actually wants/needs the show.

Big mistake. Do some research in your market. Find out what topics they want.

Okay, let’s dive in…

Step One: Refining Your Talking Points

When you research your topic, you’ll likely find a ton of information about it. Some good, some bad.

Make sure you use credible, reputable sources for your information. When I was putting together a presentation for my Cube in a Bottle trick, I found a source claiming that a Rubik’s Cube had about “43 Quintillion” combinations.

Fair enough, that part is accurate.

But this same source said it was “43 with a hundred zeros after.” That part turned out to be false.

“43 Quintillion” reads as 43,000,000,000,000,000,000.

So research your topic heavily. Again, use multiple sources.

You’re not going to use all of the information, but you’ll want to know enough about it to have a meaningful conversation after your show when people inevitably start asking you questions.

Step Two: Distill the Information Down to a Handful of Talking Points

Here is a key step. Highlight just a few main points in your presentation.

Most magicians perform anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. That’s not a lot of time to cover a subject in depth. Don’t try to.

When you research your topic, you’ll likely come across those high points naturally. If not, your client will probably highlight them for you when they talk to you about it.

I generally focus on three to five main points. For my school shows, I’ll often use a three- or four-letter acronym.

Acronyms are great. They provide a quick ‘roadmap’ to show your audience where you’re headed. And they’re an easy way for your audience to remember your key points.

Step Three: Find Effects or Routines Which Illustrate Those Key Points

Here is where, again, most magicians I see mess up.

When putting together routines, you want to choose effects that naturally tie into the messages or concepts you’re talking about.

If you have to ‘crowbar’ a message into a trick that doesn’t fit, you’re doing it wrong.

Finding the right trick for the right lesson is an incredible feeling. When you hit upon that perfect combination, it should feel, to quote Thanos, “inevitable.”

Here’s a red flag to watch out for…


If, while doing the trick, you have to say “this represents…” you’re probably trying too hard to make a trick fit into a message.

Here are a few shortcuts that make this a lot easier.

First, dig out your old Spelling Bee trick. If you don’t have one, get one.

Not familiar with it? It’s a board with slots for seven letter cards. On the back of the board are seven numbers.

The letter cards are removed and mixed. The audience has a free choice of which letter matches up with which number.

When you spin the board around, amazingly, the audience has placed each letter in the correct order to spell a word.

Of course, the word is a key point or topic for your presentation.

Here’s one more: If you do a card trick during your show, replace the cards with a blank-faced deck.

Write key terms on the faces of the cards. Just one term or word per card.

When the spectator picks a card, force an important topic you want to focus on.

Have the spectator sign that card. As they’re signing it, show the faces of some of the other cards. NOT the entire deck, please.

This lets you highlight, briefly, some key points.

The force key is a super-important point to highlight.

Yes, you’re forcing the word. But having the volunteer sign the card ramps up the impossibility.

Have the signed card reappear in an impossible location. I use an effect like this in nearly every show I do.

Quick ‘commercial’ before I close. As many of you reading this know, I’m heavily into the library market.

I’ve decided to release an entire library program creation and marketing system. The course will include exactly how I book library shows, which topics, and much more.

Plus, the course will include a recording of a live show I did for a longtime client this past summer.

Look for details in this newsletter in the next few weeks.

Have a great week!

--Cris

 
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