547: Hannibal - Making a Connection

Hannibal is another magician who got into magic later in life. He was 26 when he decided to make it a career. In this episode, he talks about being creative, finding his character, developing his unique act after he was forced to improvise. He also talks about scripting versus “Jazz magic”, performing in theatres vs. intimate venues, the benefits of street performing, and his Renaissance character as Hannibal the Liar. He also discusses what “Magic” is to him. We even have a little workshop on creativity and “not stopping too soon” when thinking about your act or a routine. The main point of this episode is inspiring you create a memorable moment in your act that your audience will take home and keep forever.

He also has a blog entitled, “The Truth Is…” which you can find by Clicking Here.

A fun little effect performed at the Magic Castle. Enjoy! Thank you for watching,

This week, Hannibal talks about how (out of necessity) he developed a new close-up act, how he developed his character, the progress of developing his act, and he even holds a little workshop on how to think beyond what you believe is “finished.” It’s almost like a mini-lecture, all tied up neatly in this week’s episode.

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531: Mark Connelly Wilson - Developing a Character

Mark C. Wilson is an actor, musician, filmmaker, producer, teacher and magician but perhaps best known in Texas as “Merlin the Wise” at the Sherwood Forest Faire near Austin. In this week’s episode, Mark talks about something that only has been discussed by a handful of previous guests: developing his character. Merlin is an iconic character so how does one pull it off? Mark has an acting background and has spent much time on developing this persona. You may not plan to every perform at a Renaissance Festival, but you will do well to take to heart the lessons he learned and teaches here. For more information, please visit his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/MerlinTheWise/

Magician, actor, and musician Mark Connelly Wilson performs as "Merlin The Wise" with "Nimue" played by Lydia Kettle, and "Newt" played by his daughter Elissa Wilson, during the 2010 opening season of Sherwood Forest Faire on the Greenwood stage.

This was the movie discussed at the end of our podcast. The music and singing in this trailer was provided by Mark C. Wilson.

For a more in-depth article about developing a character, then read the article by Kent Cummins in the June 2019 issue of The Linking Ring entitled, “Storytelling is the Secret Sauce.” Click Here to see a PDF of that article.