Copyright © Anthony Black 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced without written consent f
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Copyright © Anthony Black 2013 All Rights Reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced without written consent from the author.
Introduction Thank you for purchasing this idea of mine and I really hope you enjoy it and put it to use in your performances. It’s a very strong piece of Magic if performed with sincerity, so please do not see this as just another ‘trick’ but something else. See it as a way of connecting emotionally to your audience and creating a real sense of wonder for them. As always please try and adapt this to fit your character and performance style, this is just a rough map…it’s up to you to complete the journey…and take the audience along with you.
Anthony Black, February 2013
Performance The Performer sits down with Jo and begins…
“Jo…I’m picking something up from you, perhaps from when you were younger of an unfulfilled ambition. Perhaps something you always wanted to do but for one reason or another you never pursued this dream of yours. Would this make sense to you? “Yes…yes it would.” The Performer takes out a pack of playing cards, removes the jokers and places the deck face down on the table. “Would you be willing to try something with me Jo, I believe this could be important for you right now…” “Yes, okay.” “Great, I just want you to concentrate on this dream of yours as I dribble the cards down into my hand, and whenever you get a feeling that it’s right…I just want you to call out stop for me.” The performer slowly dribbles the cards down until Jo says stop. “Just here, that’s great Jo.” The performer places the cards down onto the table marking the place Jo stopped at. “So Jo, if you don’t mind me asking… and please remember this is just between the two of us. What was the unfulfilled ambition or dream you were thinking of?”
“I…well…I know it’s a bit silly but I have always wanted to be my own boss and maybe have a small handmade jewellery store…” “Well Jo, there is nothing silly about our hopes and dreams in life and we should always chase them if possible.” The performer turns over the card Jo stopped at. “Ahh…the Queen of Hearts, this tells me you are a very caring person Jo. You have such a strong spirit and people are naturally drawn to you because of this. I get a sense though that you often put other people’s needs before your own, sometimes sacrificing opportunities in life or letting them pass by in order to help others and sometimes people take advantage of your kind nature. Does this make sense to you Jo? “Yes…perfectly.” “Ok Jo, what I want you to do is just write on your card along the blank edge the word ‘dream’.
Jo writes the word ‘dream’ down along the edge of the Queen of Hearts. “That’s great…I want you to imagine something for me now…I want you to imagine that this card is a symbol of your dreams and ambitions…in particular I want you to focus on your dream of becoming your own boss of that jewellery store…I want you to just really focus and imagine that this dream card symbolizes this for you in every way…can you take a moment and do that for me please Jo…” “Yes…I can do that.” The performer gives Jo a few seconds to focus on this before placing the card face down on the table next to the rest of the pack. “That’s great Jo…and now I want to try something…I’m going to dribble the cards down again and I want you to call out stop for me…”
The performer does this and Jo calls out stop, he places her dream card into that part of the deck before allowing the rest of the cards to dribble on top of it he then places the whole deck back on the table. “Just like now Jo…your dream is lost to you…there are many things in the way of your reaching your true potential and making your dreams into reality …I want you to just think about your dream for me…I want you to imagine that you left here today and decided to chase your dream after all…what would be the first challenge you would face if you set out to do this Jo?” “I suppose it would be training, I used to love making jewellery for my friends but I’ve forgotten a lot of what I learned.” “Ok…I just want you to concentrate on the deck and imagine seeing your dream…at the moment it’s weighed down by all of these challenges…but I want you to imagine yourself getting the training you need and it slowly moves up the deck a little…I really want you to focus on this happening Jo…try and visualize it actually moving past that first challenge for me…” Jo smiles and concentrates on the deck and after a while nods her head and looks back up at you. “What other challenges stand in your way Jo?” “Well I suppose I would need someone to take care of my son whilst I was at college…” “Can you think of anyone that could help you with this?” “Yes, my mother would take care of him as she retired last year; in fact I bet she would be grateful of the company…” “Fantastic…again…just visualize this happening…another challenge out of the way and your one step closer to your dream Jo…just imagine it rising slightly higher…nearly at the top now Jo…moving past these challenges…” “Is there anything else Jo?” “Well…I suppose it would just be a bit scary…I’m not sure if I could do it?”
“It’s natural to feel a little fear when we make changes I our lives Jo…I want you to imagine that fear just melting away…I want you to visualize your dream card passing this last challenge…can you do this for me now…” Jo concentrates for a while before breaking out into a huge smile. “Jo…sometimes our dreams can become reality if we really want it enough. I’ll show you what I mean…turn over the top card for me…” Jo turns over the top card and lets out a little gasp as the Queen of Hearts is now on top of the deck. “You see Jo…dreams can come true if we really believe in them. Most of the things that stand in our way are possible to overcome…we can make them vanish if we believe Jo almost as if they never existed in the first place.” The performer picks up the cards and spreads them face up on the table…they are all blank. “Thank you for sharing your hopes and dreams with me Jo, I would like you to keep that card for good luck and whenever you are feeling a little down or something in your life is stopping you following your hopes and dreams…I want you to take it out and remember that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
End of Performance
Methods This is very simple routine to perform technically, allowing you to concentrate on the story. I’m guessing you are already miles ahead of me in regards to the method behind this, but the method is not very important or revolutionary it’s just my version of the ambitious card…but performed in this way it stops being merely a trick and something your spectator will talk about for years to come. I know for a fact of one lady who has kept her ‘dream card’ with her for around five years now and tells people about it too. You can’t get better advertising than that! So back to the method… The deck blank deck is set up like this; from the top (facedown) to the bottom: Joker Blank Card Force Card (I always use the QH) Rest of the deck At the bottom the other Joker 1) Take out the pack of cards from the box and casually remove the jokers and place them to one side being careful not to flash the bottom blank card. This is just a nice little convincer to make the spectator think this is just another deck of normal cards. 2) Perform the Cross Cut force. This is a classic of Magic and I’m sure you are all aware of the basics. If not, have a look at this video: http://www.ehow.com/video_2385680_the-cross-cut-force-card.html 3) Perform a double lift showing the force card QH and ask her to write ‘dream’ along one of the edges. Again, double lift: http://www.ehow.co.uk/video_2373285_magic-trick-double-lifttechnique.html
4) Turn the double back over and do the dribble again before placing the top blank card into the deck leaving her selection on top. Now you just concentrate on giving a wonderful performance!
I like to use the QH because I like to do a little reading of the lady too and this fits in well with the whole story, so feel free to expand on this area and push it a little further if you wish to.
Other Thoughts Luca Volpe suggested to me that you could also use this with the Tarot if you manage to find a blank deck…or are willing to make your own. I would suggest that you place a sticker on the forced Tarot and get them to sign that with the word ‘dream’ rather than actually writing on it as some people may see this as bad luck. You could also have a small sticker with your contact details on and stick it to the back of the card at the end of the routine when you hand it them as a souvenir…they are more likely to keep this over a business card. When they tell all of their friends about it (they will) your details are right there for them to see.
So Long I really hope you enjoy this and use it; it’s served me very well over the years and can make a very average trick that everyone and their uncle is doing and turn it into a miracle. Please get in touch if you have any questions as I’m always happy to help my fellow performers. Anthony Black
Other Effects & Routines All of my other works can be found here: http://www.thewrongsideofmidnight.com/ If you wish to keep updated and get the latest news and offers you can sign up here to my newsletter: http://mad.ly/signups/61016/join