There’s only a couple more days left for the presale of the 3rd Edition of How To Perform for Seniors book. The third edition updates all the info in the previous two editions and includes new information, like using video projection in your show.
This book is normally $35, however if you order before October 12th, 2026 you’ll save $5!
You can place your order here:
https://www.magicshow.tips/product/16716/
The estimated ship date is October 13th.
-Louie
Yesterday I posted an simple color changing back routine that is Elmsley Count based. You can learn the sequence here. While I waiting in my car for an appointment, I grabbed some cards and made a quick trick using that sequence:
I think more people should use the Elmsley Count with the cards held vertically. You have to shift your thinking a bit, as it’s backward. Your finger will do the thumb’s action, and your thumb will do your finger’s action.
Doing the Elmsley Count vertically puts your face into the frame, which in theory is good.
-Louie
Here’s an easy color changing backs sequence with an Elmsley Count. I came up with this the other night, but it feels like I’ve either come up with this same sequence before or read it somewhere.
You need three red backed cards and three blue backed cards. The set up from the top down is: red-red- blue-blue-blue-red
1: Do an Elmsley Count to show four red backs
2: Do an Elmsley Count to show three red and one blue. The final card of the Elmsley Count goes to the bottom of the packet.
3: Do an Elmsley Count to show two red and two blue.
4: Do an Elmsley Count to show one red and three blue.
5: Do a final Elmsley Count to show four blue cards.
There you go, not much to it. Pick up some cards and try it for fun!
-Louie
On the way to a gig the other day, I stopped at the new location for the All American Magic Theater in the Pioneer Place Mall. Gaddy is working behind the counter, and he does a great job demoing and is very knowledgeable.
The magic shop has a big variety of magic tricks, from the latest releases, to vintage magic. Portland it lucky to have a well stocked magic shop!
-Louie
In my opinion one of the easiest ways to work on your magic show is to have other people help you. Last week I was sharing an AirBnB with three other performers, and we had a workshop night.
These are pretty simple; we all did or talked about something we were working on, and then everyone brainstormed ideas.
The trick I was working on was my Juggling Monte idea. We came up with a couple of jokes for it, which is great! Still having a challenge with coming up with the presentation’s hook, however any steps forward are good!
This is just part of the work, there’s still all of the refining needed to really get the routine good! You can learn more about my process here.
-Louie
Recently this ad came across my social media:
The headline with the picture made me laugh. He’s telling you about using or creating NEW magic routines; however, the video’s cover shows him doing a very common trick!
I don’t know what product he’s selling; I didn’t click the link. I just thought the headline of not using common tricks really contradicted the image of him using a very common routine.
-Louie
PS: You can learn about my process for creating unique magic here!
When I see a magician perform an old trick and really wow an audience, it really makes me happy. By old trick, I don’t mean an overdone trick, but a trick everyone has had, but no one actually does. Recently, I worked with Michael Mesmer and in his early show he does the Prayer Vase magic trick.
This is a trick most magicians had when they were kids and haven’t thought about since. Michael has a great routine with it, and it really connects with an audience!
Sometimes the easiest way to create something that feels new is to look to the past!
-Louie
I think magicians try to overcomplicate things with the card magic they do. You can get amazing reactions with a couple of very simple things. Here’s a quick three beat trick that gets great reactions:
There’s not much to it: two forces, a top change, and then a double lift. I don’t do a double turnover. The reason for that is that most people who have had a passing interest in magic tricks learn a double turnover in the context of either an ambitious card or simply changing the card. When I do this sequence, it looks nothing like what they’d learned in a YouTube tutorial. While I’m using techniques that they may know, they don’t look like what they’d learned.
This is a good lesson: if you keep getting busted doing something like a double turnover, either find a way to eliminate it or make it look different.
-Louie
PS: If you want to learn about my thoughts on the classic force, it’s in my 2025 PCAM lecture notes.
A little over a decade ago, I released my Snake Wand Surprise. If you don’t know what it is, it’s a comedy magic wand that has a big surprise ending! Here’s what the routine looks like:
After over a dozen years of using it in my shows, there’s really not much about it that I didn’t like. The main thing I didn’t like was how bulky it was. I try to be a one trip from the car to load in and one trip to load out. The larger wand didn’t fit into a case, and it was awkward to move around.
Here’s a comparison between the original and the new one:
The smaller size takes up less space and will fit in more varieties of cases, but still oversized enough to get a reaction when you bring it out! The other thing that the smaller diameter wand does is reduce jams, there’s less room inside for the snakes to get stuck!
You can get the Snake Wand Surprise V2 at:
https://www.magicshow.tips/product/snake-wand-surprise/
-Louie
On this episode of the Moisture Festival Podcast, we welcome the incredibly talented Stephanie Layton! Moisture Festival audiences know her from “A Word for Our Sponsor,” but there’s much more to her story.
Stephanie shares how growing up in Olympia, Washington, and attending summer theater camp inspired her to pursue a career in music and theater. We talk about her early gigs in New York, the jobs that paid the bills, and her experience playing in a band that backed Bill Irwin. She also reveals how a variety show sparked the idea for the act she would bring to the Moisture Festival.
It’s a fun conversation full of stories, creativity, and a little behind-the-scenes magic. You’re going to love it!
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