Applause is the audiences way of letting the performer know that they approve of, agree with or have been entertained by what has just transpired.
Or is it?
Have you ever applauded for a performer simply because it was the polite thing to do? Of course you have and many times that is the situation. Polite “pity applause” is actually worse than no applause at all. If the performer is not careful he can be fooled into thinking that he successfully succeeded in what he set out to do. Don’t think that just because your audience applauded they are giving you their stamp of approval. Pity applause can usually be distinguished from sincere applause by enthusiasm. Look around, is there real enthusiasm? Are there smiles on their faces? Sincere applause is usually accompanied with a degree of intensity that distinguishes it from merely polite or pity applause.
You cannot judge your performance as being good simply because the audience applauded. For instance, if you were introduced to the audience at the beginning of your performance, chances are there was applause. Obviously they’re not congratulating you on a job well done, because you haven’t done anything yet. At this point the applause is saying “welcome….. let’s see what you’ve got….. entertain me.” It’s sort of a down payment on things to follow.
So, we have established that there are different kinds and varying degrees of applause.
What the magician is striving for is response from the audience that builds to a sincere enthusiastic applause at the climax of the routine and/or show. Ideally the biggest response or applause should be at the end of your performance.
This can be accomplished by properly structuring your performance. There are many aspects to properly structuring a performance. For now we will concentrate on controlling audience response and applause.
Applause Cues
The first thing you must understand is that audiences are unsure when to applaud and nobody wants to call attention to themselves by applauding at the wrong time.
If you have any doubt that this is true, go to a live performance and watch the audience. I guarantee that you will see people starting to applaud at various times and suddenly they stop. They stop because they don’t want to embarrass themselves by being the only one applauding. This is very noticeable at an amateur performance. The spectators may want to applaud but they aren’t sure when it is appropriate.
People simply do not know when to applaud unless you tell them. The majority of people have very little experience at live theatre. Television has not only lessened the need for live performance but has also lessened the need for the audience to respond. People are accustomed to sitting in front of the TV where the applause is built into the program. When was the last time you applauded while watching TV? Regardless of how much you enjoyed the program, there is no need to applaud. The applause is dubbed in during editing. Even those programs that are taped before a so called “live audience” have big flashing APPLAUSE signs to tell the audience when to respond. At a real live performance, the performer does not have the luxury of an APPLAUSE sign and that is what the vast majority of magic performers must deal with.
Obviously, it would be absurd for you to actually tell the audience “applaud now.”
The magician must rely on a more subtle approach which we call Applause Cues.
Applause cues come in various forms but are normally body language that indicate to the audience that it is ok to applaud. If the climax of your effect is to produce a large silk, when the silk is produced, step forward, hold the scarf up for all to see, look at the scarf to draw attention to it, then immediately look directly at the audience, raise your other arm in a graceful gesture and pause. You are striking a pose. A pose that says to the audience…. “Ta Da“……“ The End“ ……or….“Now is the time to respond if you care to”. The pause is very important. If you immediately continue on to the next effect without giving the audience the opportunity to respond you confuse your audience and it will be even harder to get the response next time.
If you are finding a chosen card that has been lost in the deck, pull the card out, look at it, pause for a brief second to build suspense, then turn it over and pause. Wait for the reaction. Applause cues vary from effect to effect and many will be demonstrated in the course of instruction. Basically it is a stance, display, or body language that indicates to the audience that this is the end of the effect or performance and you are inviting them to respond.
Again, I will mention the pause after the climax. Make certain that you give the audience the opportunity to respond. If your applause cue is clear and there is no response, there is something wrong with how you presented the effect.
Too Much of A Good Thing
Applause is what we all strive for. Recognition and appreciation of our talent and our ability to entertain. Applause or response throughout the routine or performance culminating with an enthusiastic and sincere applause at the climax and/or end of the performance is ideal.
If you are performing a series of effects, you wouldn’t want to put the strongest effect in the middle. Likewise, you don’t want to receive your strongest response in the middle of the routine.
The most reliable way to ensure that you obtain your goal is through controlling the applause and reactions of the audience. We should be able to convey to the audience that it is OK to applaud and when.
On the other hand, too many applause cues can make a performance seem rather mundane. Remember we are attempting to encourage sincere reactions and responses from the audience that build with the strongest response being at the climax. Just as your routine should build to a climax, so should your reaction from the audience. Encouraging strong reactions along the way to your climax may result in the climax and response being less than desired.
Ideally each response from your audience should be stronger than the previous leading up to the climax. Each climax within a performance should be stronger than the previous. At the end of the performance the audience cannot hold back their sincere enthusiasm and applause. They burst forth with a thunderous round of applause.
OK, back to reality. Not even the most experienced performers can pull this off every time. Every audience is different and responds differently. Perfection may not be obtainable, but striving towards perfection is bound to improve your performance dramatically. Just remember to not overload your spectators with applause cues that will wear them down to the point of applauding just because it’s expected.
Begging For Applause
Begging is degrading. Whether it be for food, money or applause. If you perform your routine and it fails to create a reasonable applause or response, something is wrong.
It could be the effect, your performance of the effect or the wrong effect for that particular audience or spectator. Regardless of the cause, it’s your fault and your problem. Don’t force or beg your audience to pretend that it was worth a good response. You will lose the respect of your audience very quickly. If the response is not there, move to the next effect and forget about the last. Hopefully, the audience will also. That is, forget about the effect for now. Obviously you need to take a close look at the effect before attempting to do it again.
Blatantly pushing your audience to applaud is not an applause cue, it’s begging. There are a few instances where the magician might beg for applause and get away with it. These would be in the context of a comedy routine and then should be used very sparingly. Your best bet is to develop strong routines with good structure and present them with good showmanship. If you do, sincere applause and response will be your reward.
An Applause Cue should invite response without soliciting it.
by Ed Williams