Every single time I pack up after a magic show, I find myself muttering “Darn it! Why on earth didn’t I sort this mess out after my booking last night!”.

Almost all working magicians have messy magic bags, it's something that just creeps up on us over time... When we started off setting up our case we were full of good intentions. Slowly, gig after gig, the bag becomes full of half destroyed decks of cards, peoples business cards, and a range of magic items we secretly know we will never actually use..

This week I decided to go through the horrendous job of running through everything I should have in my magic case..

- What do I need?
- Which decks of playing cards can I throw out?
- My playing cards have signatures all over them.
- Wow, those ropes look dirty!
- Oh no, I’ve run out of business cards!!
- I really should have thrown those lemons out”.

In the end I went all organisation ninja on the whole thing.. and cut down the contents of my close up case to the core of what I will actually use.

Nail Scissors

My hands are the tools of my trade.. Short and tidy finger nails are essential for a magician. There is nothing worse than that moment when you’re performing, all focus is on your hands waiting for the final ending to the trick, when you notice the state of your nails! That's bad! If I thing they are bad, imagine what the audience is thinking! So, I always carry my nail scissors with me. A quick trim takes but seconds.

Face wipes

“Face wipes? Face wipes? Are you sure you’re not looking in a makeup case?” I always carry face wipes in my close up magic case. Many reasons. Firstly, you guessed it, to wipe my face. Yep, they are good at that. Secondly, to give my hands a quick clean before I start, all helps with confidence, and thirdly, to wipe off that coffee stain from my tie. Very handy stain removers. I after have a little bottle of antiseptic hand gell too. I'm touching a lot of people, often around food. I need to make sure my hygiene is first class.

Three decks of playing cards.

One simply isn't enough. Four is overkill. Three feels about right. Two would probably be fine, but I’ve decided on three. It’s my choice and I’m sticking to it, and that’s that.. Most magicians end up carrying far too many decks of cards around with them. JUST take what you need for that gig...

One deck of blank faced cards

I don’t know why, but still to this day asking somebody to sign a card still seems as alien to me as I’m sure it does to spectators. We forget that, to magicians what seems like such a normal thing to do is actually a little bit odd! The number of times I’ve said “Please would you sign your name across the card” only to be looked at like I’m insane. “Really? You really want me to sign the card? But that will ruin them!” I now carry at least 25 blank faced cards inside my jacket, and when a signature is required I ask them to sign a blank faced card instead. Nobody questions this, and I think it’s more visual. There is nothing worse than deciding to go into a four ace routine, only to find somebody on the previous table has one of the aces signed.

The only situation I do have them sign my deck is for weddings.. I then give the deck to the bride and groom at the end.. They like sentimental things like that..

Three Sharpies

Exactly the same reason as the three decks of cards!

Deodorant

It’s good to smell... Even better if it’s a nice smell.

Tie and Bow tie

Sooner or later you will arrive at a gig and find out there and then that all the guests are wearing Bow ties. Good to be prepared.

New rope

I usually end up performing a rope routines at some point or another. I remembered years ago I saw a magician performing rope magic at a table, and the white rope he was using was clearly not very clean! It looked awful. Since that day, I have an obsession with using clean, crisp white rope every time...

Business cards

Never ever leave home without them! If you still have any at the end of your gig, you didn't use them right! Hand them out!!

Mints

See above about deodorant.

Bottle of water

With all that talking, and sometimes shouting depending on the event, It’s important to drink. Sometimes I forget to drink, but when I’ve finished I notice the water.

One new magic trick I’ve perfected, but haven’t performed.

I've a load of these and you probably do too. You’ve bought loads of stuff, learned many tricks. Put it all in the close up case. Gone to booking. Left all new stuff in the close up magic case and spent two hours doing everything you always do. I’ve found that if I keep one new trick in my case, once I’ve done my regular material, I have the option to try it out, if the conditions are right. There is often only one thing stopping me performing a new magic trick.. The first performance of it. I take just one new trick with me. I've found that has really helped get the new stuff out of the drawer and into the act.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

OK.. That’s what’s in my close up bag. Have I missed something out? Join me and give your magic case a big sort out. It takes moments and you will benefit from taking the time to prepare.

About Me and The Merchant of Magic

I'm Dominic Reyes, a full time professional magician and member of The Magic Circle, based in the UK. I teach, write, and lecture on sleight of hand, misdirection and practice techniques to magicians, as well as owning The Merchant of Magic which is the UK's largest magic shop.

Over the years being a magic dealer I've seen so many magicians start learning magic as a hobby, then give up after a few months because it's harder than they think. That's a shame because it's not hard if you know how to approach practice. You just need to understand how to practice correctly, and how to start performing for the public rather than just practicing tricks by yourself that one body gets to see. These posts are aimed at helping beginners to start learning, and to get magicians to take the next step and start performing!

Want more posts like this YES OR NO?

This post gives advice to beginner magicians starting to perform magic commercially There are so many areas of magic that we can explore, so it's hard to know which you find most useful. Would you like more posts giving tips and advice for performers? If so.. let me know with an upvote or reply. If you have any questions relating to the study or performance of magic, leave a comment and it will be added to the post topic list. Best wishes and good luck with your magic!