CASE STUDY - BEYOND NATURAL

How to Create a Successful Mentalism Tour on a Limited Budget.

Concept, Idea, Theme, Name

The paranormal theme reached an audience that may not typically be interested in mentalism or magic performances but came to see the show because there aren’t many other performances on that theme. So, aim boldly at a narrow audience where you see potential. There are plenty of subcultures in the world with large followings, but these themes haven't yet been fully explored in magic shows."

What do you want to say?

It's good if the theme is something close to your heart. I’ve always had a strong interest in paranormal phenomena and esotericism, so it was easy for me to build a performance around this subject. However, I encountered a problem with the theme: I didn’t want people to think, for example, that the spiritism segment was real. I solved this with a monologue at the start of the show. In the monologue, I say:

Before we get started, I want to make a few things clear. Everything that happens tonight is a hoax, lies, tricks, magic, and psychology. We won’t actually be contacting spirits or the afterlife. When I ring that bell, our evening begins. After the bell rings, don’t trust anything I say, as that's when the deception and lies begin.

Rings bell

Now that we’ve cleared that up, we can move on to the real stuff. You understand, of course, that I had to market the evening by saying that nothing supernatural would happen and that no real contact would be made with the spirits – it’s just magic tricks. And you understand that I had to give this disclaimer upfront to avoid being attacked and accused of things by people who don’t get it, like being called a charlatan, quack, or kook. But the truth is, we’re genuinely trying to make contact with the spirit world tonight. What happens tonight isn’t just tricks, lies, or psychology – it's something entirely different. I can’t promise anything will happen, but if it does, it’s definitely not tricks.

I later heard that the legendary mentalist David Hoy used a similar opening in his performance. I had no idea about this and thought I was a genius. But when you think about it a little more, the solution is pretty obvious.

Think of tricks through the theme

For me, the theme provided a lot of material to incorporate mentalism and magic into a full-length show. I found a lot of inspiration from bizarre magic and even spook shows from the 1950s. Since I wanted to make use of material I was already familiar with, I adapted several tricks from my usual gig repertoire into the show.

I also recommend thinking about interesting phenomena related to the theme that could occur during the performance, and only afterward consider if you could come up with methods for the tricks. An example of this is the routine in the first half of my show, where I predicted a happy memory from one of the audience members.

Scale the show and tricks according to the audience size, set goals

When building a show, it’s good to think about the size of the audience. Small things on stage won’t be visible in larger theaters. Make a realistic estimate of how big an audience you can attract and then significantly lower that estimate. Selling tickets isn’t impossible, but it’s hard, especially if you’re a relatively unknown performer.

Do test performances for smaller audiences

Before my own tour, I organized a few separate theater performances. When testing the tour theme, I did five performances with audiences limited to forty people. These test performances provided invaluable insight into what works and gave a realistic sense of how tickets might sell in larger venues.

Scriptwriting

Write a detailed script that you can adjust after each performance. Build a narrative thread where the monologues and demonstrations serve the overall theme. Think about rhythm, dramatic arc, contrasts, and dynamics, both in the performance and in the tricks. My own script has a comprehensive version where everything that happens in the show is written down, including lights and music, as well as a monologue script with just what I’m going to say.

THE PRODUCER

The producer's responsibilities include finding theaters and performance venues, negotiating contracts, and communicating with the venue on all practical matters. They may also oversee marketing and ticket sales. While the producer's work is compensated and this is reflected in the final outcome, it allows you as a performer to focus mainly on the artistic process. Regardless, you’ll still need to invest effort into marketing and encouraging people to buy tickets to your performance.

Hire a director, at least as a consultant

A good theater director knows not to interfere too much with the magic, especially if they have no experience with it. And very few of us have friends like Andy Nyman, who is a master of this whole field. Traditional theater directors, however, understand dramaturgy, rhythm, performance, and monologues far better than most magicians. I couldn’t afford to hire a director from start to finish, but I made extensive use of the expertise of one very skilled director while building my show. He also came to see a few performances and gave feedback. If hiring a director is financially out of reach for you, do what you can and ask for help from people studying direction. It’s absolutely essential to get opinions and suggestions from someone with experience and an understanding of theatrical conventions.

Differences between a theater show and a regular gig

In a theater show, it's important to have a narrative thread that carries through the entire performance. A good theme helps with everything, from marketing to the overall show. Find your own niche that stands out from the rest. In a theater show, you can challenge, provoke thoughts, and reveal more of yourself and your soul than in a traditional corporate gig where the main goal is to entertain. Speak from the heart and be authentic.

Consistent branding in marketing and social media communication

Get good, distinctive, and original promotional photos for your show. Build a consistent graphic and auditory style that covers everything from marketing to the actual performance. Hire professionals for things you're not skilled at.

Targeted social media marketing plan (attachment x)

Talk about the tour in every possible place.

Flyers, posters.

A website for the tour where all the locations and times are easily listed.

Traditional media.

An opener can be helpful in everything

Your opener should have a style that’s sufficiently different from your own. My opener got 20% of the profit from each night, plus I paid for some of their travel, hotel rooms, and meals. In return, he helped me throughout the show, from start to finish. Many tricks can be made incredibly deceptive if you have an assistant, whether hidden from the audience or visible (for example, collecting billets and stealing some of them). Go through your tricks and think about whether they could be made even stronger with the help of an assistant. However, it’s important that the assistant doesn’t appear to the audience as a possible solution to the tricks' secrets.

Choose the opener wisely. Good chemistry helps, when situations can be stressful.

Make the evening easy for the tech crew (your own technician? Technical solutions like Audioape or Mediastar Pro?)

Technicians at different theaters can be very helpful or, alternatively, quite indifferent. Technicians are their own kind of people. Even if you’re stressed, always try to be as pleasant and relaxed as possible with both the house technicians and the rest of the staff. Mystery entertainment is always a technical mystery as well, and technicians usually don’t know in advance how much work they’ll be doing. Send a precise but easy and clear instruction guide beforehand, and carry printed copies with you just in case.

Visual and sound design of the show

I resolved the stage's visual design by utilizing the built-in minimalism of mentalism. There are no props on stage, just a couple of tables and chairs. The visuals are created through background videos and a carefully selected soundscape. [Link to Spotify.]

Meet & greets are important at first in building a fan base and a great opportunity for additional sales

At first, it might feel a bit awkward to promote that there will be a meet & greet after the show where the audience can come to chat and take pictures with the performer. What if no one shows up? You just have to endure this unpleasant situation if it happens. However, usually, people are happy to come over, chat, take pictures, and buy merchandise. I made some nice additional sales during the tour from books sold at the meet & greet. Sometimes I sold over ten books, and sometimes none at all.

I’m not a celebrity, but I noticed during the tour that I have some sort of vague fan base. Several people were genuinely happy to meet me live. Some even expressed surprise out loud, saying, “I never thought I’d get the chance to meet you.” This felt absolutely crazy to me, but at the same time, of course, flattering. Meeting fans strengthens the fan relationship, and every fan is, in addition to everything else, a free marketing tool for your work.

Accept that the first shows may not be what you imagined

When I went to see Derren Brown’s show in 2014, I had the honor of meeting Derren backstage, and after that, we even had a few beers together. One of the highlights of my career! Derren lamented that it was unfortunate I came to see such an early show, as everything was still in disarray. It was his thirteenth performance. I thought that in Finland, it would be fantastic if a magician could even do ten solo performances in theaters. I’ve now done those thirteen shows and understand a little bit what Derren meant. After each show, I come up with ideas on how to make the set even better. At the end of the year, I still have thirteen shows left, and I guess by the last ones, they’ll be reasonably good.

My first performance was downright bizarre. It felt like two hours passed in half an hour. My performance wasn’t present or relaxed; I was more like a robot going through the motions. The show went fine, but I wasn’t myself or the performer I usually am at regular gigs.

It wasn’t until my third show on tour that I was relatively satisfied. I celebrated it with my opener. The fifth show was the first one where I felt I had done my best, and everything went exactly as it should. After the performance, I didn’t celebrate, but instead, I sat quietly backstage. The opener asked me if I wasn’t happy with the show. “Best so far,” I replied. “I’m just surprised you’re not more excited,” he said.

“Now I’ve seen that the show works. The real work is just about to begin.”

My Technical Raider

Technical Rider and Instructions for "Beyond the Supernatural"

Technical Needs:

  • 1 x Headset Microphone: A wireless handheld microphone with a direct stand.

  • Connection Options: Ability to connect an MP3 player to the sound system (3.5 mm plug) and a traditional power socket for the player’s charger. Performers will handle music transitions and volume adjustments.

  • 2 x High Stand Tables

  • 2 x Chairs

  • Video Projection and Screen: The videos used in the background of the performance can be found here: Video Folder. The technical team should load and test the videos before the event.

Lighting: The technical team has the freedom to arrange the lighting in a way that looks good in their space. Unlike many standard performances, the mentalist needs to see the audience for interaction, so this should be considered when setting up the lights. If a fog machine is available, it can be used lightly to enhance the lighting atmosphere.

Lighting Arrangements:

  1. General Lighting

  2. General Lighting + Brighter Audience Lighting

  3. Spotlight

  4. Blackout

  • General Lighting: If the stage is large, wash a front area of about 5 meters wide and 4 meters deep.

  • Background visuals will be projected behind the stage using a projector.

  • A small audience light should be used so the performer can see the audience.

General Lighting + Brighter Audience Lighting: For situations where audience members are brought up on stage or the performer interacts with the audience.

Spotlight: For monologues. No need to follow the performer.

At the start of the second half, when the audience is settled and the performance begins, all lights should go out. Jose will walk to the designated spot on stage, and then the spotlight will come on (this will be reviewed with the technical team before the performance).

At the end of the performance, when the bell on the table starts ringing on its own: wait about five seconds of silence, then turn on the lights for the closing music and bows.

Videos: The videos should be set to loop. They are designed so that the transition is seamless. The performers will review the video transitions with the technical team during the technical check.

Video Order:

  • Intro.mp4: Starts as soon as the doors open and people enter, continuing until Jose steps on stage.

  • Eye.mp4: Plays as Jose walks on stage.

  • Snowfall.mp4: Used during Raimo's performance (opener).

  • Eye.mp4: Plays when Jose returns to the stage.

  • Brain.mp4: Plays when Jose begins his monologue about remote viewing. The video starts when Jose says, “From 1975 to 1995, the CIA had a secret project aimed at developing psychic spies.”

  • Eye.mp4: Plays when the first audience assistant is brought on stage. This video continues until the end of the first half.

Second Half:

  • Curtains.mp4: Plays until the start of the spiritism section.

  • Skull.mp4: For the spiritism section. The video starts when Jose says, “Minna Canth once stated: ‘Every cultured person engages in spiritism.’”

  • Eye.mp4: For closing remarks (when the locked box is opened and the assistant leaves the stage).

All videos should loop and are designed to ensure the transitions are unnoticeable.