Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

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fabricemagic
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Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby fabricemagic » May 13th, 2018, 2:57 pm

Hi ,
I always wondered if there are books about this subject,
Each performers has his own way and technique to get it start ( of course the first rule is "Be a great performer" but sometimes or whit some specific kind of audience maybe some little tricks will help to get a standing O.

May some persons will think that this mine topic is not important ,
but don't forget that for many Producers /Theatre directors /Cruise ships /Casinos etc.etc. get a standing O . Mean " good show " so may get a Standing will mean book a show again or not,
So as you can understand this is very important for an Artist's life,
are there books on this? Little tricks that you use or know?
Thanks
Fm

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby performer » May 13th, 2018, 4:38 pm

I think this is a cultural thing. I have never seen once in my entire life even the top variety acts in the UK getting a standing ovation. And certainly not a magician. You have to be an opera singer to get one of those in the UK.

In North America however, you can get a standing ovation for sneezing. All sorts of daft people get them here. I even got one myself although it was just a bunch of excitable students watching my hypnotism show on orientation week. Mind you, I only saw one magician get one but that was a magicians convention where they have no idea what is good and what isn't. Oh and some daft L and L video somewhere which of course doesn't count.

My advice to fabricemagic is don't worry about it. You are never going to get one and hardly anyone else is either.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby fabricemagic » May 14th, 2018, 10:27 am

Thanks for your replay,
Yes it's also a cultural thing but it could be "helped" a bit,
It's very very important the performance offered (if is not a quality performance .....maybe ....nothing to do .....maybe) ,

but also are very very importants some little big details to"help" the S.O. ,

Paul Daniels was having a special way
A very natural way to recall for a S.O. ,
Really nobody care about ?
Really there are no study about such important thing that help to sell a show a lot more ?(especially on Cruises / or Casinos , anyway venues where the shows are not payed directly as tickets sold but are included ..... )
thanks
FM

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby fabricemagic » July 21st, 2018, 11:29 am

Dear "performer" if you have seen live P.Daniels
For shure you will remember Paul at the and of his show do a very natural thing that recall a S.o.
If you don' t remember ceck some of his videos from his live show many performers use little tricks to get a S.o.
I know very well the Weber book but this point(S.o.)
Is not examined at all.
Maybe dear"performer" you have never had an experience working in Casinos or Cruise ships etc
?so this mean you don't know at all this reality.
Having S.o. sometimes for that kind of venues meas " they are having a quality performer" so this mean booked again or not.
Look like you don' t want to follow this basic rule that is normal for those venues,
Can some performes (cruise ships or Casinos etc.ec. can you please confirm what I'm saying?)
thanks.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby performer » July 21st, 2018, 5:05 pm

I knew Paul Daniels personally and saw him perform live many, many times. He always went over well but never once got a standing ovation.
I have been doing magic for 60 years and have suffered through the performances of thousands upon thousands of magicians. I have never once seen a single one of them get a standing ovation except on VERY rare occasions at a magician's conventions.

It is true that I have never worked in a casino or cruise ship environment but I know lots of people who have and they would be the first ones to brag that they have had standing ovations. They haven't bragged because it has never happened. I suppose it is possible that someone stood up to go to the washroom in the middle of the act and the performer mistook that for the standing ovation but I really don't think that counts. It is vaguely possible that it has happened on one of those awful fake reality TV shows where they feature magicians sometime but I really don't think that counts either.

Still, perhaps i am wrong. If so, then show me a single video of a magician getting a standing ovation and i might change my mind. I have never seen it and I am quite sure i never will.

Oh, I forgot. There IS one way and I use it regularly. It does get a standing ovation but alas a fake one. When I do it everyone gets a good laugh. I won't reveal it here because I give far too much valuable info here that is not appreciated so you can all go without.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Jack Shalom » July 21st, 2018, 7:06 pm

Derek DelGaudio got a standing ovation the performance I attended. He earned it, too.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby erdnasephile » July 22nd, 2018, 2:53 pm

A related question: some audiences just applaud or laugh to be polite. Is there any easy way to tell the difference from on stage? Or does the ability to discern this just come from experience?

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Tom Moore » July 22nd, 2018, 3:21 pm

I repeat. I have NEVER seen a magician getting a standing ovation from an audience of laymen.


Most of the big las vegas magic shows have standing ovations
Virtually every illusion act working on cruise ships (that i design/write/direct for) get consistent standing ovations.
The big touring magic shows in most territories tend to get fairly regular standing ovations.

There is a secondary point here about the authenticity and real meaning of those SO's but none the less there's a lot of magicians out there doing straight up magic shows getting them.

A related question: some audiences just applaud or laugh to be polite. Is there any easy way to tell the difference from on stage? Or does the ability to discern this just come from experience?


There's no way to tell from the stage as a performer, no matter how much performers delude themselves that there is. One of my regular show-fixing tools is to drop a load of go-pro's in the auditorium to film the audience in detail then watch the footage back. The number of times I've had a performer swear blind an audience is amazed (when the video footage shows they are clearly bored or discussing the secret with neighbors) or a performer insist that the new very expensive trick he's just bought is getting a huge audience response (when the video footage shows they are actually responding to the fancy lighting and mood altering music rather than the prop/trick itself) shows that it is impossible when on stage to get a proper feel for the audience. Indeed many other performance industries already recognize this and set aside specific research and feedback time so that the true audience experience is relayed to the performers/actors such that they properly understand the experience the audience is actually having.
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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Edward Pungot » July 23rd, 2018, 1:59 am

The best way to get a standing ovation is to earn it. And to receive it with a humble bow.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Tom Moore » July 23rd, 2018, 3:54 am

But I AM qualified! I was doing magic when you were breastfeeding and to date I have never seen a magician getting a standing ovation except where other magicians have been present. And I bet nobody else here has either. You have made an extraordinary statement and I rather think that requires extraordinary evidence


Well you don’t work on cruise ships and you haven’t been to any of the big Vegas or touring magic shows in recent times so clearly you’re not qualified.

Copperfield & Cris Angel get consistent SO’s at the end of their VEGAS shows. Penn & teller seem to get them fairly consistently. Piff & Xavier Mortimer get plenty too.

Cruise ships - john Taylor gets an SO in the middle of his show for doing Suspended Animation (he does it at twice the speed anyone else does) plus usually gets one at the end of the show. The franchised cruise ship illusion show “elements” gets SO’s on at least the 2 versions of it in involved with. The Illusionarium (now closed but ran for 2 years on a ship) got consistent SO’s.
I could list dozens of working illusionists and stage magicians on cruise ships who are consistently getting SO’s from lay audiences; it might be quicker to list the ones who don’t.

I’ve never seen “the illusionists” not get an SO in any of the touring versions I’ve seen. In the uk the show “impossible” that ran in the west end got a deserved SO. The latest version of Champions of Magic likewise. Hans klok’s Full show gets at least two. Luis deMatos gets plenty in his career and has footage of the massive arena shows he’s done that got 15000 people up on their feet. Dani Lary is out touring 150+ dates per year and clocks up plenty of SO’s....

So there are hundreds of real, working major stage and illusion shows consistently getting SO’s every night from real payin audiences.

Whilst it’s not essential to get an SO on a cruise ship it kind of is. Whether you get booked again is based on the monitoring of the audience feedback about the entertainment - if the singer gets an SO (which they can easily do by singing one of the popular trigger songs like Nessum Dorma) and the jiggle gets an SO (which they do because jugglers just do) and if the in-house production shows get an SO (which they do because millions of dollars are spent on making sure the show is full of amazing stuff done exceptionally well) but the magician doesn’t get one then the magician will get the lowest score and is unlikely to get renewed.
The stuff about different nationalities being impossible to get SO’s from is nonsense out about by performers who don’t know how to tailor their act to different markets. I’ve seen established names pitch their show wrong and fail to get a response; I’ve also seen smart performers (working in their second or third language) get SO’s from the so-called hard demographics like Asian cruises and British audiences.
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Brad Jeffers
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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Brad Jeffers » July 23rd, 2018, 4:18 am

On volume one of Trilogy of Magic, consummate professional Johnny Ace Palmer gives a standing ovation technique which he developed for use in his award winning close-up act.

You can see it in action HERE.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Matthew Field » July 23rd, 2018, 8:20 am

The late Professor Bobby Baxter was a friend of mine and his specialty was his Standing Ovation act.

He talked about his grandson Timmy who was quite ill. As he was leaving the house to perform that evening, Timmy asked the Professor if he was looking forward to the show. Yes, answered Bobby, very much so.

Will you get a standing ovation, asked Timmy?

He answered that he hoped so, but couldn't be sure. It would do so much to improve his health if it happened, said Timmy.

"So, not for me, but for little Timmy, I hope you will find it in your hearts to give me a standing ovation at the conclusion of my act," said the almost tearful Professor.

I won't relate the content of the act leading up to the unbelievable climax, but you can bet that he got a stnding ovation. Every time.

God, I loved that guy.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Q. Kumber » July 23rd, 2018, 8:37 am

When backstage visiting Marvin and Carol Roy, Ted Lesley met the show's star, Liberace. Ted asked Liberace how to get a standing ovation. The reply was, "You've got to ask for it."

I've participated in a good few S.O.'s and I can say that I believe the acts were choreographed for that result. Many shows have people in the audience prompted to stand. It always helps if the act is good.

I've only seen one that was totally spontaneous. Slava Polunin, the Russian clown in his theatrical Slava Snowshow. At the finish of the show, the audience are so stunned by what they have experienced they just stand up and applaud. By spontaneous, I mean that the audience did not stand in dribs and drabs, but as one unit.

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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Tom Moore » July 23rd, 2018, 9:05 am

I will repeat though that “impossible” which ran for several months in the west end got plenty of standing ovations. A British magic show, with predominantly British performers and a predominantly British audience.
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Re: psychology of a standing ovation and little tricks on it

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 23rd, 2018, 11:23 am

Mark has been removed from this discussion.
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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Richard Hatch » July 27th, 2018, 3:35 am

Boris Wild has a set of lecture notes that includes a chapter on the topic of creating standing ovations. It is available on his website here:http://www.boriswild.com/magicshop/Boris_Wild_Artist_Magician_-_Magic_Shop_-_Lecture_Notes_Creativity_%26_Impact_%28PDF%29.html

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Jackpot » August 26th, 2018, 11:54 am

If anyone's still thinking about this....

Last night I had the opportunity to witness John Carney receive a standing ovation at the Sebastiani Theatre. It was a lay audience and had nothing to do with a magic convention.

The first element which helped create the atmosphere for the ovation was the seating. While it was a good sized audience it was not a sellout. Seating was not assigned but general admission. Rather than everyone sitting anywhere they wanted, seats toward the back of the theater were roped off and only became available as seats to the front were filled in. This concentrated the audience near the stage and its members closer together. This made the audience one group rather than a bunch of small groups and individuals. This made for more applause and laughter than if the audience had been more spread out.

The magic was excellent and the show entertaining.

The final effect slowed things down a little. It was presented in a way as if Mr. Carney were not speaking to us as an audience, but rather to each of us individually. The last effect, although done in his hands, was a completely out in the open visual change which came as a total surprise to the audience and drew thunderous applause.

Mr. Carney then set his props down, bowed his head and raised his arms. His arm raising gesture acknowledged the audience and also cued and encourage its members of stand up. Just like with the earlier applause, oohs and aahs, and laughter, those who were quick to respond helped draw the rest of the audience along for the standing ovation.
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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Jon Pendragon » December 23rd, 2018, 12:44 am

Don't even think about it. I have seen great performances ruined because a performer was clearly expecting, prompting or even begging for an SO. There is no technique that doesn't break the self-awareness rule of art. Art that is aware of itself is no longer art, it's false art.

The truth, simply give the best performance you can and be gracious at the end, that's it, it's the only was you will know if you deserved it or if you "tricked" your audience into giving you one.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby The Burnaby Kid » December 23rd, 2018, 10:11 am

Easiest way to get a standing ovation is to busk.
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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Leonard Hevia » December 23rd, 2018, 11:00 am

Or you can beef up the applause by piping in prerecorded applause thru the loudspeakers at the end as some Vegas performer do. The audience can't tell if it's coming from them or the loudspeakers. Humans have terrible directional hearing. You can hear the cop or ambulance siren coming but figuring out from which direction is almost impossible.

This technique might get thru without breaking the self-awareness rule. Of course it's cheating--but money is on the line.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby MagicbyAlfred » December 23rd, 2018, 12:52 pm

Great post, Leonard!

And of course, the other thing that would help immensely, is just to get so freakin' great that they won't be able to help themselves from rising to their feet and applauding thunderously. (This is something that does not seem to work for me when I perform in my room for my stuffed animals. So I just chalk it up to "stunned silence.")

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Leonard Hevia » December 23rd, 2018, 10:56 pm

Thanks Alfred! Stunned silence and some smiles is just another form applause. Hand clapping is a bit formal and usually isn't customary in bars, restaurants, and corporate parties.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Jon Pendragon » December 24th, 2018, 1:22 am

As I am nearly retired, I can say honestly that I got SOs more than a few times and I always appreciated them. Towards the end there were times when I turned to my crew and told them, "That SO was for who I was, not who I am now." As a quick glance down the posts reveal, it can do a real head trip on you, more so now that the SO is far more common than it use to be. I honestly advise avoiding any bits that hint at the reaction you so desperately want, as it will feel hollow.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby webbmaster » February 18th, 2020, 1:56 pm

Bobby Baxter, The Master of Mirth, used to tell this ridiculous story of having promised his son Timmy that he would get a standing ovation for him (the fictitious Timmy being a cripple or some such thing to get the audience to give in) and he would plead with them to give him a standing ovation "for Timmy". A very uncomfortable way to get one.
I never got one myself, but the closest I got was a woman Blackjack dealer gave me a folded up bill with a huge rock of cocaine in it. She said she never saw anyone handle cards (splitfans etc.) like me in her life. Seriously I gave it all away. The secret...learn to do the splits without flashing the way most magicians do . You have to rotate your hand and arm foreward so the audience doesn't see underneath the action and get that flash of the cards going back. But, really, when doing any manipulations, if you don't flash and you can "get a 'burn', the audience will appreciate your efforts. Takes constant attention to detail. You'll get there if you stick with it.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby performer » February 18th, 2020, 2:21 pm

webbmaster wrote:Bobby Baxter, The Master of Mirth, used to tell this ridiculous story of having promised his son Timmy that he would get a standing ovation for him (the fictitious Timmy being a cripple or some such thing to get the audience to give in) and he would plead with them to give him a standing ovation "for Timmy". A very uncomfortable way to get one.


I seem to remember Ken Weber in his Maximum Entertainment book saying rude things about this particular technique.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Max Maven » February 18th, 2020, 8:57 pm

The son in Bobby Baxter’s routine was named Tommy.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby MagicbyAlfred » February 19th, 2020, 7:07 am

Almost makes you wonder if this Bobby Baxter dude's pathetic story was inspired by the fictitious "Tommy" from the Rock Opera composed by The Who/Peter Townsend - you know - "...That deaf, dumb and blind kid, sure plays a mean pin ball." (*BTW, when I say "makes you wonder," the pun was unintentional, as I was not making an oblique reference to the great Tommy Wonder)

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Max Maven » February 20th, 2020, 10:04 pm

It wasn’t pathetic. It was a comedy routine that was knowingly over the top.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby performer » February 20th, 2020, 10:46 pm

webbmaster wrote: She said she never saw anyone handle cards (splitfans etc.) like me in her life. Seriously I gave it all away. The secret...learn to do the splits without flashing the way most magicians do . You have to rotate your hand and arm foreward so the audience doesn't see underneath the action and get that flash of the cards going back. But, really, when doing any manipulations, if you don't flash and you can "get a 'burn', the audience will appreciate your efforts. Takes constant attention to detail. You'll get there if you stick with it.


It seems that someone asked Channing Pollock how he managed to do all that back palming in the night clubs because they were not angle proof places to work. Many people could see plainly all the cards behind the hands so of course magicians wondered how on earth he got away with it. It seems that Channing replied "The people in front of me think it is magic and the people behind me think it is juggling so both are satisfied!"

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby MagicbyAlfred » February 21st, 2020, 5:48 am

Max Maven wrote:It wasn’t pathetic. It was a comedy routine that was knowingly over the top.


That may be a distinction that escapes me. I was hesitant to use that word, and I generally try to avoid negative language. In fairness, I've never witnessed the routine and I was only going on the descriptions I read here. But honestly, that's how it struck me. And perhaps my idea of comedy - you know, what's funny - is a different one.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby webbmaster » March 23rd, 2020, 4:37 pm

I knew Bobby Baxter very well over a long period of years. I seem to distinctly remember Timmy. Maybe I'm getting pre-Alzheimer's, but Max can look into my brain and let us know.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Michael Pascoe » September 8th, 2021, 3:24 pm

I saw David Copperfield get a standing ovation as well as Doug Henning. When Blackstone Jr. was ill with cancer, he got one also. It was the most touching of the three because he didn't live much longer after that.

I still remember that standing ovation. It was at the Sahara Casino in Las Vegas. Right in the middle Blackstone taking his final bows, some man from the audience stopped the show. "Mr. Blackstone, Mr. Blackstone."

I thought to myself, "Oh, no... a heckler."

After he got the rooms attention, he said, "Mister Blackstone you are the greatest magician I have ever seen."

Harry didn't know what to do after that. He was extremely touched by it. The audience was overwhelmed too. One by one they all stood up and applauded. What a great tribute to a great man.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby MagicbyAlfred » September 14th, 2021, 9:22 am

On Bill Malone's On the Loose DVD (Vol. 3) there is a routine (performed and taught) called "Standing Ovation Invisible Deck." This is an example (among many) showing that Bill is not only a grandmaster of sleight of hand and hilarious entertaining performer, but a brilliant thinker, as well. He orchestrates the routine in a manner which brings the spectator-volunteer into the limelight and leads the audience into giving the volunteer a rousing standing ovation upon the denouement, which they are only too happy to do. What makes this so good is that if the event planner or host/hostess is present, or anywhere within earshot, the magician still essentially gets the credit, because that kind of reaction by the audience (regardless of how it was generated) is music to the event planner/host's ears, which, in turn, can magically turn into $$ in the pocket of the performer by way of future engagements.

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby Tarotist » September 14th, 2021, 2:13 pm

I have invented a method of getting a standing ovation every time. It never fails. Of course I scam them into it. And they know full well that they have been scammed! I do it at the end of the show and it gets a great laugh when they realise they have been scammed!

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Re: Psychology of a Standing Ovation and Little Tricks on it

Postby JimKane » December 25th, 2021, 12:07 am

Many old-time theatre people have little tricks to pull applause and subtly cue an ovation.

Understand, like any other technique used on a group, there is no sure-fire response - with each group having it's own personality if you will.

My best advice to you is to seek-out the guidance of theatrically-trained professionals on this specific topic of stage-craft. - Jim


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