How Do You Rehearse?

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Permalink Reply by Doreen Cohanim C.Ht on November 6, 2008 at 8:10pm

Good question, I guess you rehearse with your staff animals :) pretending they are your audience... or on random people...
any way, I will love to find out how they rehears?

Doreen

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Permalink Reply by chris john on November 7, 2008 at 2:41am

can you rehearse for a show that can go in any direction?

you know, for my first show i did...
i did nothing before hand except enjoy a pint of locally brewed ale,
took in the party atmosphere, then got on with it.

you learn by making mistakes, specially that first show.
your audience will probably never pick them up, but you will.

chris

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Permalink Reply by Marc Savard on December 10, 2008 at 9:52am

I find it can be challenging to work out new routines, let alone an entire show.

What I found helpful when I started, was to play around with hypnosis at house parties, or where ever you can get some "stage time". If you have friends that you have hypnotized before, then put together a small gathering and put on a mini-show in your living room if you have to. The purpose is not to put on a formal show, but merely to get a feel for the comedic timing of a routine. I feel a routine for a stage show should have three elements. Sometimes it is difficult to get all of those elements into a routine, but here goes...

1.) Have the suggestion invoke some time of anticipation in your audience. Let the audience have a laugh or chuckle when their imagination gets ignitied from your suggestion. For example, your suggestion might sound like this..."Upon awaking, when I shake this lady's hand she will think that the person next to her is pinching her butt. She will tell him off, but engage in no physical contact in any way shape or form" The audience is already laughing in anticipation, and the routine has not yet started. This is Laugh #1.

2.) Start the routine. The volunteer now play out the suggestion. This is Laugh #2.

3.) I like to find a way to make the routine climactic at the end to get the "extra" peak laugh. Sometimes routines just fizzle out, so I try to avoid this as best I can. Throwing in a small twist at the end, can get the audience going crazy. This is Laugh #3.

I try to follow that concept for all my routines, it can be difficult to do so, and it seems that there are just some routines that are destined to just fizzle out. :-(

The nature of hypnosis is exciting in itself, so if you just successful hypnotize a few great volunteers, there is not much you can do to mess it up. Your audience will have fun with just the simplest forms of routines. Slowly play around with suggestions and change them often, because even the change of one word in your suggestions can elicit a different response from your volunteers.

Once you get a regular show script built that you perform with all the time, remember to watch videos of yourself and never be afraid to try a change. If it does not work out, go back to the old way. Sometimes the greatest routines came from trying something you thought would never work.

In my 15 year career, I have made SO many changes. I still to this day watch videos and critique my own show. I find that I am constantly trying to adjust speed and timing of the routines. Sometimes I watch my show and pat myself on the back and say, "Funny stuff, Marc". Other times I watch it and think, "People paid money to see me? Yikes!"

The point is, go for it! Your personality and style will direct and guide your show and routines naturally. Unfortunately, you cannot rush this. Time on stage is the only thing that will help. Hypnotize people as often as you can. When you are just "messing around", give them suggestions structured like you would in a show. Meaning, treat a 1 hypnotized person, 3 audience member show the same as you would a 10 hypnotized person, 500 audience member show. Even in the smallest setting, talk to your audience, engage them, get them involved, excite their imagination, and in no time, the performer will emerge from you, and the "show" will take shape.

Good Luck !

Marc

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Permalink Reply by Buzz Collins on December 11, 2008 at 2:21pm

I faced that exact challenge earlier this year. My rehearsals then - and continue to be - in front of an empty room. I found that, really, all I could do was know my induction frontwards and backwards - as well as the order of my routines (I cheat now and use a set list that I hide off to the side of the stage.) If there's certain lines or suggestions (direct or indirect) that I want to use for specific routines, I'll also rehearse those as I go through the order of the show - just so I don't forget to include them. However, my biggest reason for being a religious rehearser, is the fact that I use a lot of SFX and music cues and if I get out of order with them - I'm hooped!

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Permalink Reply by Marc Savard on December 11, 2008 at 3:03pm

Buzz,

To minimize getting "hooped", you might want to make sure that you plan for double the show content, then when you get faced with a situation of having only females on stage, or only males, or 1 of each, or anything that is not "perfect", you can just skip over routines that you cannot do and go to your back up routines that might be simpler and easier, but are stored at the end of your regular show on your mp3, or CD player, etc.

Be as over prepared that you can be, and you will find that problems that you do not have a solution for, will be very minimal.

Marc

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Permalink Reply by Buzz Collins on December 12, 2008 at 11:17am

Good advice!

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