Performance
Angles
The viewing positions from which an effect can be performed without revealing something unintended.
Rehearse with your audience’s eye level and seating in mind.
#← Back to the theater
THE GLOSSARY
A few words of magic.
A friendly vocabulary for finding your way around the craft. Definitions describe the ideas without giving away routines.
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Cards
Break
A small separation maintained between portions of a deck to mark a position.
A break is a handling tool, not a reason to stare at the deck.
#Performance
Close-up
Magic performed near the audience, often with small objects such as cards, coins, and rings.
A table can be a stage, but close-up magic can also happen standing.
#Cards
Control
A technique or procedure that brings or keeps a selected card at a useful position.
The audience sees a card apparently lost; the performer maintains useful information.
#Technique
Ditch
To dispose of or secretly set aside an object that is no longer needed in a routine.
A good routine plans what happens to every prop after its visible role ends.
#Cards
Double lift
A technique in which two cards are handled or displayed as though they were one.
Begin by making your ordinary single-card turnover comfortable and consistent.
#Theory
Effect
What the audience experiences as happening, distinct from the method that produces it.
“A coin disappears” describes an effect; the handling is the method.
#Cards
Elmsley count
A small-packet display technique named for Alex Elmsley.
Study the named creator’s work or legitimate instruction that credits him.
#Technique
False transfer
An apparent movement of an object from one place or hand to another, while its actual location differs.
Compare the action with a genuine transfer when practicing.
#Technique
Flourish
A visible display of skill or elegance, such as a card fan or coin roll.
A flourish can establish character, but need not be part of every trick.
#Technique
Force
A procedure that appears to offer a free choice while directing the outcome.
The important theatrical question is whether the choice feels natural.
#Props
Gimmick
A prepared object or hidden device used to help create an effect.
A prop is a tool; the presentation still needs thought and practice.
#Performance
Impromptu
Magic that can be performed with little or no special preparation, often using available objects.
Impromptu does not mean unrehearsed.
#Cards
Key card
A known card used as a reference to help locate or track another card.
It is a point of reference, like a landmark on a map.
#Technique
Load
To secretly introduce an object into a place or prop for a later appearance.
Plan how every object enters and leaves the routine.
#Performance
Mentalism
Theatrical effects presented around thoughts, predictions, memory, or apparent mind reading.
On this site, mentalism is entertainment, not a claim of supernatural ability.
#Theory
Method
The practical means used to produce an effect.
A strong method still needs clear staging and a reason to watch.
#Theory
Misdirection
Guiding an audience’s attention and interpretation during a performance.
Your gaze, rhythm, words, and actions all help communicate what matters.
#Performance
Out
A planned alternative ending or recovery when a routine does not follow its intended course.
A friendly reset can be a better out than a complicated improvised rescue.
#Technique
Palm
To conceal an object in a hand while the hand appears naturally empty or unoccupied.
Natural posture matters more than tightly squeezing.
#Performance
Patter
The words, story, conversation, or commentary accompanying a performance.
Say your opening aloud as if speaking to one friend.
#Props
Reset
Returning a trick or its props to the condition needed for another performance.
Know whether you need privacy or extra time to reset.
#Theory
Routine
A planned sequence of effects and presentation that forms a complete piece of magic.
A routine includes the opening, transitions, and finish.
#Theory
Self-working
A common label for effects whose procedure does much of the secret work, often with little sleight of hand.
Self-working is not self-performing: clarity and presentation still matter.
#Technique
Sleight
A practiced physical action used to create or conceal an effect.
Slow, accurate rehearsal is more useful than rushing.
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