Stage Presence

King Mob

For lack of a better term.
Does anyone adopt a character or persona when the preform or do you just act as you usually do?
Which do you think is better?

Headstuff

Persona is possibly the most important aspect of a successful show, even if you're playing for one person. Overall, be who you already are - but more professional. By this I mean practise your lines and not your character, let that come out of your work. Always hold the idea in the back of your mind that your audiences are blatant skeptics (even if they're not), this will keep you in check.

I wrote the below a little while ago on the subject, excuse the cut and paste:

"...The subject’s perception of you plays a major role in how effective your suggestions are on them. If you show just the right combination of friendliness and authority people will be eager to comply with what you ask them to do. But get the mix wrong and very little will work at all.


Image, Challenge and Respect
Let’s be honest about one aspect of mentalism; much of what’s done and said is to create a mysterious air around the performer to help insinuate that he or she has powers that others don’t. Apart from the image this helps create, once this idea of greater ability is established in the subject, the more likely any routines you do will work on them. If a volunteer believes you really can do what you say you can then they’ll also be far less likely to look for trickery and just get on with experiencing what you’re doing to or with them.
But many stage performers try to build on this idea of dominance, mystery and authority to the point where it works to their own detriment. Whether you’re walking on stage or walking up to someone in the street, who you seem to be in that first moment of contact makes the difference between a successful and entertaining performance and a total disaster. Being too dominant or mysterious is just as bad as being too ordinary and having no charisma.


Imagine that you’re the average spectator, neither a believer nor non-believer. A man walks on stage completely dressed in black, makes theatrical gestures and talks about ‘dark powers’ that he can wield over his subjects. A high percentage of people in the audience will immediately be challenged by this performer; his blatant idea that he could hold any sway over them and his references to abilities that they don’t believe in. Even his clothes and script smack of manipulative staging and image building. They hate him before he’s even begun his act and he’ll need to work very hard to restore himself to validity in their eyes.
In some cases, as some notable performers have learned to their cost, their acceptance as mentalists/hypnotists may literally depend on the country they’re playing in. What works well in America for example as a marvellous display of a deep and dangerous character performing minor miracles, can tend to be thought of as laughable and pretentious in England.
But worst of all, the ‘darker’ the persona you try to create the less it allows you to backtrack and mould who you’re pretending to be to the needs and expectations of the audience. If you have a very rigid ‘dark’ stage image you can’t allow power sharing and subtle negotiation with disruptive spectators because that would be seen as weakening your authority. You also can’t be seen to laugh nor act as a normal, fallible human being when you need to either, which is paramount to the success of some routines. If you decide on one particular persona for your stage performance you can be stuck with it - and not be able to use psychological ploys to get yourself out of awkward situations that would be seen as out of character with the way your audience has perceived you. Although it seems counter intuitive to the whole mentalist ethos, there’ll be lots of occasions when you need to be seen as less dominant, less weird and downright normal if you’re going to succeed.
Don’t establish your credentials at every opportunity and say ‘I am this’. Let your audience make up their own minds about who you are and what you can do. Let your image grow from your act, mould who you need to be for one particular subject, or one particular audience as their expectations dictate. Don’t trap yourself in a ‘set in stone’ character..."

Headstuff

magic Leon

In 2006 i won stage magician of the year with top award for showmanship by the International Brotherhood of Magicians. haven't entered it since and it hasn't been won since so I technically I'm still No 1 in Ireland.
Leon.
www.leonandersen.com