[* This material here is provided as reference and support material for the Magicians At Work Lecture / Presentation ( 8th March 2023 ) at the Arts Centre Melbourne, on how to format and mark up your tech scripts for theatre performances ]
THE EXAMPLE MAGIC SHOW - LX/SX TECH SCRIPT -
PRESHOW
LX1 – PRESET
SX 1 - PRESHOW MUSIC
FOH CLEARANCE
[ If you want a blackout between the pre-show state and the first lighting state of the show, it needs to be written/programmed in - in this case, it would be the second LX cue i.e LX2 ]
LX2 – Centre Special with ambient mood ( Amber with O/W FOH fill ) stage wash – 10 sec
SX 2 - Track 2 - Wedding Dance ( after 1 minute magician enters with a glass of water )
To the music the Magician performs the torn and restore newspaper ( with a front page headline for the confabulation kicker ending prediction ) which he pins to stand on stage.
1. INTRO & ‘Opener Routine’
M - Good evening guests and friends, and welcome to The Example Magic Show, my name is
Generic Magician….. thank you for coming to the show this evening.
I do hope you enjoy the show as much as I enjoy performing it, and if not, then at least
one of us will have got something out of it…!
Now before anything else here tonight, I would like to read from an article.
It’s a story that you may know, or one you may never had heard….. so please, listen carefully….
[ Look at the formatting of the script here. It doesn't have to be, but for clarity it is generally a good idea to indent the performers script lines so that they are delineated from the techs job of Lighting &/or Sound & you can either put a name or an initial to indicate which character/performer is talking. If it is a one person show you may decide not to worry about this, as only one person will ever be delivering the script. ]
LX3 - Centre special ( drop external wash - 5 sec )
SX 3 - Track 3 - Titanic
Magician picks up an article and reads selected passages, then ….says :
…. you’ve heard this story right…?” …. which begs the question….
Can the future be predicted or did this article somehow cause the ‘generic disastrous world
event'…? Here I say more generic platitudes and thematic motivated hypothetical questions
etc. etc. blah, blah, blah…So is it just, coincidence, terrible synchronicity, or fate…
Or can we make the future happen..? Of course we can, the future is written, it is written by us
….moment by moment, we create our own realities, through our choices. When you make a
choice, you change the future…. So let’s do that now…
LX4 – Centre Special with ambient mood stage wash – 3 sec ( restore of LX2 )
2. ESP card routine.
If only you include the initial lead in script lines to your effect, they should go
here to give your tech assurance that they are following the show and all is on track.
[ And you should write that the routine happens here, including the major actions of the routine - i.e. " volunteer is brought up on stage " - as per the example here below"… ]
ESP Routine …
reveal of matching cards - applause - Magician leads audience member back to their seat and returns to stage moving a small table and placing it DS/C
M - And now for something completely different - CUE
[ You can give definite instructions for LX and SX cues by marking the moments in the script with a " CUE " if you think it is necessary or if it is of great importance that the cue is hit at a specific moment. ]
LX5 - Centre special with blue external wash ( 5 sec )
SX 4 - Track 4 - Nocturne ( mute H/Set / lapel mic )
3. RAZORBLADE EATING to music
The routine finishes as music finishes…..
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10. MAGIC ACT - Example Appearing Parasols Act
Performer set behind curtain
SX 10 - Track – “ Parasols Music “ Track Starts with a thunder roll sound effect.
Curtain opens
LX10–Back special only- 3 sec
-With Smoke
Performer walks onstage into backlit special
LX Cue - First beat of music
LX11 – Red and Blue with FOH fill- 0 sec
-FX4 starts 2 step chase in time to music
@1:07 music changes
LX12 – FX5 starts and FX4 stops- 0 sec
-FX5 – 3 step chase between Red/Blue and specials
@1:36 music changes
LX13 – FX4 starts and FX5 stops- 0 sec
@2:09 music changes
LX14 – FX5 starts and FX4 stops- 0 sec
@2:45 last beat of music
LX14 – Button - 0 sec - Follow on into LX15 - 3 sec
11. MAGIC ACT - Levitation Illusion
SX11 - Track - “ Levitation Music “ follows on after 3 seconds
LX15 – Blue/Purple with specials @45% - 3 sec
- Big smoke Q
Performers enter
Performer levitates
LX16 – Boost specials to full - 3 sec
Performer stops levitating
LX17 – Drop specials and boost Red - 5 sec
Performers bow exit followed by all dancers
LX18– Blackout – 5 sec
SX - Track plays out
As performers exit … SX Track 12 plays on ….
LX19 - POST SHOW
[ if you wish, and I always do, you should put thought to the post show lighting state as a thematic echo to what you have presented and as it's own lighting state ]
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Example Lighting Plan taken from my " Club Soda " cabaret show
