I currently have 3 acts. One I use for a general, family friendly show that lasts about an hour. This is usually all ages and is my go to for most bookings. This act fluctuates though, I have 5 pieces of magic I will do but will switch out endings depending on how I feel the crowd out when I arrive to a performance.
My second act is my comedy magic act. This leans heavily on stand up comedy infused with magic. I'm from the Chicago area and Chicago is well known for comedy so I try to infuse that with magic. Plus booking wise for me it's better to write some jokes and do magic together to get into some of the bigger clubs like Laugh Factory or the Improv. This is currently my favorite act because it constantly makes me think and if a joke doesn't hit with the crowd you can resort to magic again.
The third act is a rare act because I mainly do side show effects with nails, needles, and razor blades. I only perform this for things such as tattoo expos or Halloween. I originally was fascinated with shock magic when I started but couldn't make it marketable so I began the comedy but it's definitely fun to perform when Halloween rolls around. Just advice if you ever want to try side show, find a mentor and don't try sticking anything into your body that can hurt you.
I am just outside of Chicago. I occasionally pop in here from time to time to try the Saturday night contests just to keep the creative juices flowing. As JoshL8 said, it comes and goes.
