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    The Great Gordino Newsletter - Issue 266 - Fri 10th Dec 2004
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    Hi There,

    I hope all is well at your end.

    This week I have been talking about following your passion, and
    grabbing opportunity.
    I get passionate about the world of entertainment, both watching
    and performing.
    I love the red crushed velvet atmosphere of a theatre, I love the
    difference between what the audience sees and the usual chaos
    going on behind the scenes.

    Recently a documentary finished about the history of magic
    performance, and it had me glued to the screen.

    In the early 1900s, magic had moved from the street inside,
    with John Maskelyne founding the first theatre specifically for
    magic, London's Egyptian Hall.

    He unveiled his leviation illusion, which had audiences gasping.

    One audeince member not gasping was called Harry Kellar.
    He was the leading American magician, and saw the show at
    least 50 times trying to work out how it was done.

    Increasingly frustrated at not being able to work it out, he had
    no other option but to jump up on the stage in the middle of a
    performance and have a good look around!
    Can you imagine!

    The stage invasion did the job, and it wasn't long before Kellar
    was performing the leviation in his own show.

    Of course in those days, the poster was the main form of
    advertising, and to see them now, those posters are great, as
    they have all the ingredients for a good ad - they attract
    attention and curiosity, the desire to see the show, with the
    name and face of the performer bold and loud.

    Good stuff, even if Kellar was more than a bit cheeky in order to
    further himself.

    Around that time, live entertainment was at its' peak, and
    my 'unicycle of death' act could have made me a whole career.
    I could have done a 10 minute act, spent 18 months taking it
    around the theatres, and then spent the next 18 months taking
    it round again, and so on.

    Nowadays I perform the act to an audience that shouts quips
    like 'Oi mate, you've lost a wheel'.

    Oooh, don't these people see the class and nostalgia hidden in
    the depths of the one-wheeled wonder!!??

    You may wonder why I'm not doing a panto tour this year.
    Of course, it's equally possible that you may *not* be
    wondering, but in case you are, I'll tell you.

    I must admit I miss it.
    I miss it a lot.
    Getting up at the crack of dawn in the freezing cold to drive for
    hours to a venue in the middle of nowhere, to unpack the show,
    perfom for 2 hours, pack up and drive for hours to the next
    venue, getting back late at night, to do it all over again the next
    day, living out of a suitcase for 2 months, eating on the go.

    Believe me there are plenty of times when you have had
    enough, but the whole adventure is worth it for the 2 hours of
    showtime, to see hundreds of smiling faces in front of you, to be
    able to transport yourself to that special place at least twice a
    day, the whole tour is a real adventure.

    So why aren't I doing one this year?

    Well, it's exhausting, so you have to be 110% commited to it or
    you will struggle, and at the moment my internet adventure is
    going at a pace where I dont want to leave it for 2 months.
    That doesn't mean I'm tied to it, that would rather defeat the
    object, it's just that I'm having fun.

    Also, with the recent pinching of my money online, the financial
    aspect of internet work has to outweigh the earning potential of
    panto.

    Yes, I miss the touring, the happy shouts of the kids, but
    there'll be other times.
    Maybe next year.

    I've really enjoyed delving a little into the performance world this
    week, it's important to me, and I know some of you have too,
    as you've emailed me to let me know.
    Thanks for that, and after Monday's issue on the
    program 'Musicality', I got an email from Rebecca, which had a
    great comment which I'll leave you with today.

    Ok, have a great weekend, and here's the comment...

    'You never know when greatness and destiny are handing out
    invitations in the brown paper wrapping of 'unknown opportunity'.
    It certainly argues for having the courage to at least step up and
    take a swing!'

    'Til Monday,
    Health and Happiness,
    Gordon
    email me at gordon@gordonbryan.com - you'll have to copy and paste
    thanks to the idiot online spammers!



    
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