Conjurer's Gloassary

So, you want to Think Like a Conjurer? Well, that way of thinking includes a working understanding of several theatrical terms. These terms are used throughout "The Ron Bauer Private Studies Series," and understanding their meanings will help you better follow what RB is talking about. He is, you see, your very own writer, producer, and director. And, he's always using terms like these.

Whenever I can, I'll add to this Glossary (maybe even make minor changes!).

Affinity... a strange force that causes certain objects to always be attracted to one another.

Anticlimax...producing a big anything in hopes of instantly intensifying the climax of a magic trick (See Flop Sweat.).

Beat... a dramatic pause.

Blocking... the specific arrangement of actions.

Casual Handling... a style of handling properties that appears real, as opposed to "natural." For more, see Hornswoggled Again! RB has gone in detail on this one. This is very important if you feel a little "guilty" handling your props.

Climax... the "answer" to the dramatic question.

Conflict... opposition or disagreement between or among characters or forces that motivate the plot. Drama (and FUNNY comedy) requires conflict!

Denouement... (DAY-noo-mahn), comes AFTER a climax. Is the final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot. For more, see Mechanical Deck.

Direction for Misdirection... hiding the secret out in the open. For more, see Sudden Death Gypsy Curse & Tony Chaudhuri's Feminine Side.

En Route Principle... placing the "magic machination" between two plot points of the main narrative.

Energy... the emotional component of a performance.

Exposition... explanation of what's going on through narration.

Feint... (pronounced FAYNT) a deceptive action calculated to divert attention from one's real purpose; or it's a forthright imitation of a deceptive action or actions to come.

Flop sweat... the feeling of humiliation that overcomes one when realizing the audience is not with him in any way.

Ideal Situation... the audience has the worst possible perception for them, and the best possible perception for you. For more, see Gadabout Coins Revisited.

Indicate... an overt action or facial expression that communicates an idea to the audience.

Kicker... also known as a TAG.

Lead-in... beginning of the narrative that either establishes or begins to establish the premise. It often includes setting up the situation and planting ideas. For more, see Xerox Money.

Melodrama... overly dramatic presentation similar to burlesque and farce. For more, see Gadabout Coins Revisited.

Misdirection... directing attention to something in order to draw attention away from something else. For more, see Gadabout Coins Revisited.

Narrative... the story or sequence of events, also known as patter.

Pantomime... any movements or expressions used to convey the narrative.

Perception... what an audience believes it sees or hears or smells or tastes whether or not it is correct.

Payoff... is usually the CLIMAX of a situation. Sometimes it can be a cue for applause, but more often the TAG LINE is used to cue the audience to applaud.

Performance Script... much more than "the patter." Read the inside covers of any of the twenty-four Ron Bauer Private Studies Series books for details.

Plant... provide information to get an audience ready to instantly understand an upcoming idea such as a PUNCH or TAG LINE.

Plot... the arrangement of the action and incidents that make up the story; is the story line, or sequence of events in a narrated or presented work. It's between the PREMISE and the PAYOFF.

Premise... is used to control the continuity of the piece. This is a "What If" statement. Premise Driven-the presentation (the "patter, " plot, staging, and technical handling) is developed from a premise.

Punch Line... is the ending of a joke.

Running lines... an acting technique for learning a script, which is basically going through the script quickly, without energy, to make sure you learned them all. Refer to Owed to Poker Dan for more about this.

Setup...the various plot points that give the audience the information needed to understand an upcoming situation.

Subplot... is a plot that runs parallel, but is secondary to the main plot, e.g., the Civil War is the subplot to the story line about Scarlett O'Hara.

Subtext... is what you say without saying it. Even if you lack training as an actor, you can effectively communicate the SUBTEXT by NOT trying to ACT, but REACT. SUBTEXT is too complex to cover here or in just one of the Private Studies, so RB has included various references and tips throughout the Series. For more, see Sudden Death Gypsy Curse and Xerox Money.

Suspense... wondering what's going to happen next, such as "waiting for the other shoe to drop."

Tag... when there is one, follows a PUNCH LINE of a joke. The purpose of a TAG is to get an additional laugh from a joke. This used to be called a KICKER.

Tag Line... is, in effect, a PUNCH LINE for an entire piece, not just a single joke. Signals the climax, and is how you cue your audience to applaud. Ideally, in a MAGIC performance piece, a TAG LINE should also make clear that you have manipulated the entire event. For more, see Tony Chaudhuri's Feminine Side & Owed to Poker Dan.

Talk... any noise a prop makes, such as two coins clinking.

Tell... anything that reveals theatrical devices to the audience; an action that tips off the audience that you're "up to something."

Theatrical Preparation... setting up the audience's expectations through exposition.

Theme... is an overall subject idea, e.g., a western chase adventure.

Unity... one of the rules of theater described by Aristotle that states action, time, and location should be consistent.

Vamping... improvising comments, preferably not merely exposition.