Mark James LIVE (Penguin LIVE)

"You are one of the funniest people I’ve ever met." - Wayne Dobson

"Very few magicians on the planet have the talent you have." - Richard Sanders

"Mark James developed a first rate act." - Peter Duffie, Magic Magazine

"I’m glad Mark lives across the pond, otherwise not sure I would be working as much. Mark is a real crowd pleaser. I have always wanted to be an entertainer first and magician second. Mark is both at the same time. His magic is terrific and his comedy is for everyone. A real magic star on the rise. Respect and props to this fine young man." - Michael Finney

What will he teach?

Subliminal Numbers - An all but self working, easy to do number prediction with a killer ending for stage.

Book Test - A multi phase, multi method book test with a double twist finish and some laughs along the way. 

Chop Cup - Mark’s take on the classic effect in magic. Mark breaks down his favorite parts of the routine along with the psychology and bits of business. 

Envelopes - A funny bit of business that may just fool you. Envelopes is a quick bit of business that can go before almost any effect or routine on stage.

Sponge Balls - Some tips on the classic close up trick including a little add on that will not only fry your audience, but leaves you set up to end your routine. 

Thought Of Card Under Cup - The think of a card plot has never been more surefire. Mark takes Joe Riding's plot, as taught to him by Mark Mason and gives you the confidence to go out and do it. 

Almost Impromptu Pateo - A ‘pack small, play big’ effect that fits in your wallet and uses everything single person at the table. 

12welve - A great twist on a card prediction.

Skittled - Direct from Mark’s DVD with thanks to Michael Kaminskas. A great take on a torn and restored sweet packet. 

Force Deck - A quick impromptu force deck you can make at home, Mark used this to solve a small problem on a cruise ship.

Plus, much more!

Mark will be covering a mix of styles and ideas in the lecture. Some things are direct from his current one hour show, some are things he uses when required to perform up to two different hours on cruise ships. Some of the material comes from his close up and corporate work or his time as a children's show performer. 

What you can be certain of is that they are all tried and tested routines that have been in Mark’s repertoire for a number of years. There will also be a small selection of ‘thought starters’. Bits and pieces that will allow you to take the core ingredients then go out and create your own presentations using the methods. Mark will also discuss many topics in a theory section. How to get more money from your bookings on the phone, why creating visual moments in your show will be important, how to write your routines with the help of wikipedia, why the opener is more important for you than the audience and a lot more. 

He’ll also include some funny stories from his own experiences in performing and meeting other magicians such as…What happens when you take a pinata to a kids show for the first time?  And, why does having your pants pulled down in Africa mean you can’t sit down for a week?

Who is he?

Mark James is a comedy magician based in the UK. He has worked professionally for over a decade on land and at sea in over 40 countries worldwide. He first became known to magicians in 2009 following the release of his critically acclaimed DVD set ‘Supercharged Classics’. Prior to its release, Mark was a full time member of the JB Magic team under Mark Mason and held down three restaurant residencies per week. 

This was soon followed up by an appearance alongside his friend and mentor Wayne Dobson in 2011 on ‘A Life In Magic’. Sometime in mid 2010, Mark was approached by Wayne to feature on a DVD that would showcase some of his finest stage and close-up routines, but all presented in a close up environment. Mark considered this opportunity a huge honour and was delighted to be working alongside Matthew Dowden & Michael J. Fitch. 

It was around this time that Mark started really getting into his stride with lectures. He has since given over 80 lectures to magic societies and conventions in the UK and overseas. Highlights included the Cyprus Magic Society and The UK’s annual IBM convention. 

Throughout all of this, Mark’s true passion has been performing on stage. Since leaving JB Magic, he has all but given up performing close up magic shows in order to perform stage and cabaret magic all over the world. A typical week sees him on stage at least 5 out of 7 nights, touring for holiday companies or flying out to cruise ships. 

He now has a cabaret show of which he is incredibly proud. Having tried out every discipline or genre of magic he could get his hands on, he’s settled into a show that features a mix of comedy, magic and even juggling. In the search for the show that fits him best, he spent time performing mentalism, manipulation, kids magic and a whole host of other styles and ideas. It is from this experience he draws much of his lecture material.