Edinburgh is a mere four months away, and changes are afoot! Here’s what’s up:
I did interviews
Last month, I went on The Martin Talk Show, which you can view here. This week, I did another interview which will be released soon.
No single interview will make your career, but the accumulation of media creates a “surround-sound” effect. In an ideal world, people think “wow, he’s on a lot of podcasts/interviews, I should probably see this show.”
I recently saw the plays Burnout Paradise and Every Brilliant Thing in New York. In both situations, I saw so many ads and media spots for each show that it felt like I couldn’t escape them.
The bottom line: Most press is good press. Blitz people with the fact that you are alive.
I’ve solved some problems with the show
As I mentioned in this post, performing in the UK means I can’t tear money (it’s plastic), and I need to make a significant change to the show.
This doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I like my current routine, but changing something is an opportunity to make it better.
In Notes From a Fellow Traveler, Derren Brown writes that he needed to change his opening routine in Showman, and that:
“We weren’t going to stop thinking until we had something we thought was better [emphasis mine]….There is an infinite pool of ideas…”
In short—if you’re going to change a routine, it needs to be an improvement.
I am currently working out the kinks to make sure the show is stronger and more versatile.
I have a new blurb
This is important, because it’s how people decide whether to see your show. I’ll show you the old and new blurb so you can see the changes I made:
Old Blurb:
What are you thinking? Just kidding... Max already knows. Get ready for an interactive mind-reading show by critically acclaimed mentalist, Max Davidson. From guessing your phone passwords and your childhood memories, to stopping his own heart beat – each night is its own unique creation, because it’s made up of the audience’s thoughts. Impossible? You decide. As seen at the world-famous Magic Castle, Caesars Palace, and the Chicago Magic Lounge, and featured in the New York Times. ‘The magic is literally unreal – see it ASAP’ (TripAdvisor review). ‘Downright amazing’ (TripAdvisor review).
I’d give that a 5/10. It gives you a sense of the show, but the hook is cheesy (which I feel comfortable criticizing because I wrote it myself) and “Impossible? You decide” just doesn’t work.
The reviews and past venues add credibility, but it doesn’t really feel like you know what the show is about. Instead, I changed it to this:
New Blurb:
An interactive mentalism show where the audience plays a central role, and no secret — or phone passcode — is safe.
The sold-out sensation comes to Edinburgh on the heels of multiple U.S. tours and NYC runs. Part mind-reading, part storytelling, the show is ultimately a joyful celebration of the beauty we find in strangers when we slow down enough to see them.
A TimeOut NYC Top Magic Show. As seen at The Magic Castle, Caesars’ Palace & in the NYT.
Have you ever read a description for a nonfiction book and learned something in the blurb? That’s how you know it’s good. Because you’ve already benefitted from the author.
By framing the show as a “celebration of beauty,” I’m already giving them permission to slow down and notice the world around them.
Additionally, the first sentence now tells you exactly what the show is without being cheesy. And the venues and reviews at the end add necessary credibility.
I pulled out of San Diego Fringe
If you’ve followed the Road to Edinburgh series, you’ll know that I had San Diego, Denver, and Hollywood fringes on my calendar.
It became apparent that travel and lodging costs were a net negative compared to performing in New York.
While I’m from Denver (so that Fringe is a piece of cake), and it’s always good to have a presence in LA, I didn’t need to establish myself in San Diego.
By saying no, I’ve reclaimed my May schedule and added a show in NYC on May 11th (you can get tickets here if they’re still available).
This was a wonderful reminder of the value of saying no. Pulling out of San Diego really opened up my May, and better positioned me for the summer.
I’m adding new lines to the show
The show is 70 minutes. It needs to go to 60 (and ideally 55). I’m already cutting a routine that will get me to about 63, but the remaining will come from “word-level” editing. .
When you edit a script word for word, redundancies are everywhere. I’m currently adding new lines while cutting the fat.
Looking forward…
March and April are “down” months dedicated to refinement and new content. By May, I will have clarity on the final material (including updated lighting and sound design). I’ll also need to soon start planning posters and physical marketing for Edinburgh. Needless to say—there will be plenty to talk about.
See you soon!