T H E W O R K S H O P N O T E S: Exclusively Presented To Assist In The Performance Of The Thing

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Exclusively Presented to Assist In The Performance of The Thing

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Customizing Your Gimmick Begin by sizing the gimmick "ring" with a pair of pliers and vice grips. The ring size should be slightly larger than the diameter of your right thumb. Attach one end of the cloth bandage onto the ring and slowly wrap it around the ring covering all the metal as you go.

Sizing the ‘ring’ end of the gimmick.

The ring is slightly larger than the thumb.

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Wrapping the bandage around the ring.

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Appearance of the Thing (the first effect) The Get-Ready: Right hand middle finger through gimmick ring. Right hand first and second finger on either side of the pinching the rod through the cloth. Left hand first and second finger holding adjacent corner mirroring the movement of the opposite hand. Drape The Cloth Over The Box: Gimmick rests on side of box and left hand it’s corner of the cloth fall back and over the top of the open box. Pause a few beats before the appearance of the ball. This pause should be felt rather than counted. Appearance Of The Ball: To make the ball appear slowly and imperceptibly pivot the gimmick upwards with the fingers alone using the rod against the box like a teeter-totter. Nothing should move except the Thing that slowly appears to be rising up under the cloth. The fingers move first and arms follow and later the shoulders, torso and finally feet.

The get-ready.

Gimmick rests on box (cloth removed for clarity).

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Pivot gimmick with right hand fingers.

Common mistakes: 1) Forgetting to make the most of the magical appearance and going straight into the levitation as quickly as possible. The appearance is a distinct and separate effect. Exploit it, use it and sell it for all it’s worth. 2) Putting in too much action with the arms. Let the fingers do the first animation slowly and mysteriously. Levitation of the Thing (the second effect) First and second finger pinch the gimmick (rod) through the cloth supporting the middle finger in position through the ring. As the cloth rises up it is suddenly 'free' from the box, with the visual effect of a levitation from the audience's perspective. This is the first WOW moment for the audience.

First second finger pinch rod through cloth.

Cloth removed for clarity.

Cloth is suddenly ‘free’ from the box.

Common mistakes: 1) Going straight into 'all the moves' right away and not letting the audience (or you!) experience the sudden surprise and effect of the levitation 2) Moving around too much, just letting it 'hover' over the box at first is far stronger theatrically, than moving around too much physically The Peek (a technique to sell the illusion) Gives the appearance of lifting two corners of the cloth and 'taking a look' at the levitating Thing. This move is as much a mindset as it is a technique. You have to imagine what is taking place to make it appear to be a reality. The floating ball is the axis (or pivot) point and everything else moves around it. Your hands, arms, shoulders, head, eyes, the cloth, the rod all move but not the ball does not.

Just before the peek (cloth removed for clarity).

The peek without the cloth.

The peek with the cloth.

Common mistakes: 1) Moving the ball along with everything else and the killing the illusion 2) Not 'imagining' the ball's independent nature and treating the technique as a 'move' rather than an action motivated by imagination. 3) Not performing the move with both hands in synchronized action.

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The Vanish (the third effect) This move is like a miniature 'asrah' vanish where the cloth is undraped from the Thing and it simply is not there. The vanish is a major surprise in the routine (maybe the biggest) from the audience's point of view and it really sells the effect that there is 'nothing' there. The illusion and the mindset is that you are unveiling the Thing by grabbing the front corner of the hanging cloth and slowly 'peeling' it back and letting it swing on the middle finger once the corner of the cloth has been lifted into a vertical position.

Peeling back the cloth.

Focus your gaze on the invisible object.

Without the cloth, gimmick is vertical.

Common mistakes: 1) Letting the cloth swing free and being guilty about the ring on your middle finger 2) Not 'imagining' and doing it but treating as a 'move' 3) Placing too much attention on the cloth after the vanish when your attention should be on the invisible object that is now 'free' of the cloth and floating somewhere in space. 4) Forgetting that both hands and fingers mirror one another and instead the 'guilty' hand looks guilty/stiff etc. The Reappearance (the fourth effect) Re-grip The Gimmick: The right middle finger comes out and the thumb of the right hand goes into the ring. First and second fingers support the gimmick by the rod on either side. The shape of the ball is brought back into view by draping the cloth over it while it hovers invisibly in space. Imagining the ball is actually floating in space is very important This reappearance can be done 2 ways: 1) The ball is magically and purposefully made to appear by draping the cloth over the imagined object 2) The ball is hunted and trapped like an animal, although it makes a surprise reappearance.

First and second fingers support the gimmick.

Shape of ball reappears under cloth.

Shape of ball reappears without cloth.

Common mistakes: 1) Looking at your fingers while you re-grip the with a new finger hold. Your attention should be on the invisible Thing that is now somewhere ‘out there’. 2) Forgetting that your mind must imagine a ball floating in space before you drape the cloth over. 3) Bad acting when you are hunting for the Thing and false surprise when it suddenly reappears.

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4) Both hands are not synchronized in draping the cloth and focus is drawn away from the effect. Flying Away (a technique to sell the illusion) Immediately after the reappearance the Thing is going to take flight. This is accomplished with your right thumb which is through the ring. Your first and second fingers are supporting top and bottom of the rod through the cloth and they are going to let go and let the entire gimmick will be supported solely by your right thumb. This happens while the left side of your body is facing the audience and you right hand is behind the cloth. Both hands work together with your left hand letting go of it’s corner of the cloth while your right fingers (except for your thumb) open out in a splayed condition. At the same time your right thumb causes the gimmick to move upwards creating the illusion that the Thing is taking flight. Let the thumb carry it up while your right fingers and left hand remains stationary to intensify the illusion.

Flying away without cloth.

Flying away with cloth.

Gimmick solely supported by thumb.

Common mistakes: 1) This is easily the most over-used and abused technique in the entire routine. Keep the technique or ‘move’ down to a minimum. If it is over done it can literally kill the illusion. 2) Chasing the Thing at the same time or before it has taken flight. This is simply bad timing and can be corrected by rehearsing in front of the mirror and later in front of the video camera to perfect the illusion. Pushing It Into the Box (a technique to sell the illusion) After the Thing has taken ‘flight’ you want to grab it and push it down into the box. Position yourself beside the box, let go of the corner with your left hand and grab the ball from the top through the cloth. Now you will push the ball down towards the box which will create tension on the middle finger of you right hand becoming a spring board. If you let go completely with your left hand the entire thing will spring upwards as if attempting to get away. Grab it once again with your left hand and push down into the box.

Exposed ‘spring-board’ action.

Pushing down with left hand.

Gimmick springs upwards when left hand releases.

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Common mistakes: 1) Over-using this technique so the initial surprise is gone. 2) Bad acting while the Thing is ‘getting away’. 3) Not allowing the natural spring of the gimmick to determine the action created but manufacturing the movement yourself. Closing The Box and Ending The Routine Remove the thumb from the ring and hold cloth by right hand first and second finger clipping the ring through the cloth. Push ball down into box with left hand and then pull cloth straight up and out with right hand. Continue pulling straight upwards until cloth is free from the left hand and the box and then let it gently fall while still holding it in the right first and second finger. Close box with left hand, pick it up and take your bow.

Clipping ring with the first and second fingers.

Left pushes ball down, right pulls up.

Cloth is pulled straight up until free.

Let the cloth fall gently, still holding the ring.

Closing box with left hand.

Take a bow.

Final Thoughts My routine plays for 2-4 minutes maximum and the majority of those minutes is the build up I give the effect before the levitation actually happens. I strongly believe that levitation is the most powerful effect we possess as magicians and at it’s very best it is brief. Think of it as a magical moment in our audiences memory rather than an ordeal they had to sit through. Thank you for purchasing the Thing. It is my desire that with these notes and instruction you will be adding it very quickly to your current repertoire.

Sincerely, Bill Abbott

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With A Volunteer An exciting way to perform the Thing is with an audience volunteer on stage with you. Their role is to be the “clear box holder”. By having the participant hold the box at the bottom with both hands palm up and together with thumbs around the two sides, the box will be secure and more importantly, the spectator will have to maintain this position or the box will fall. This way you can have a child as young as 6 or 7 hold the box and even if he/she is tempted to “grab” at the Thing they won’t be able to. The reaction of the audience member on stage enhances the effect considerably. At the end of the routine I will hand the volunteer the invisible Thing to keep, which I scoop out of the box and place in their hand (using pantomime!). I cost effective give-away. Bill In Lemon When I was performing my six-month run at the Torch Lounge in downtown Toronto I used the Thing in a bill in lemon routine. On stage I had a medium sized bowl full of lemons and the Thing gimmick in my case. During the show I would borrow a bill, have it signed and placed under a gimmicked handkercheif that the volunteer would then hold. I would load the bill into a lemon in my left trouser pocket while I directed everyone’s attention to the bowl of lemons. Removing the Thing gimmick from my case I would lay it over the bowl of fruit. The fruit would create lumps and bumps under the cloth and the shape of the ball in the gimmicked cloth would blend right in unnoticed! The Thing would slowly begin to rise up giving the appearance that one of the lemons had become airbourne. I would let it rise up to about chest level and turn my body so that my right side was facing the audience. Letting go with the left hand I would secretly retrieve the loaded lemon from my trouser pocket and come up under the cloth with my left hand. Drawing the cloth straight up with my right hand and displaying the lemon with my left, it gave the appearance that I was simply lifting the cloth to reveal the floating object. Gimmicked cloth would go back in my case, signed bill would ‘disappear’ from the spectator’s hand and I would cut the lemon open to reveal the missing cash. An Inside Job I have had many performers tell me that they perform the Thing without ever removing/exposing the ring outside of the gimmicked cloth keeping it inside the cloth throughout the performance. I tried this method out a few times and find that it is a workable solution if you are nervous about exposing the ring in perfomance. It is also a great way to perform the Thing in extreme close-up situations where the ring could be exposed during the performance. I feel, however, that the flexibility and workability in the handling is greatly reduced and many of the moves and technique are impossible to perform without access to the ring. Strolling With The Thing The Thing is great for walk-around but you must adapt it for pocket management and the environment you are in. If you keep the gimmicked cloth in your back right trouser pocket with the ring side of the gimmick sticking up and out you can cover it with a suit jacket. Instead of carrying around the large plastic box, purchase a small clear gift box that folds up and you can keep in your inside jacket pocket. To perform simply take out the gift box from your jacket pocket and construct it. You can place it on a table, on a volunteers hand (see above) or on the floor. Reach back to your back pocket with your right hand, grab the ring part of the gimmick and pull it straight out of your pocket. Perform the Thing as normal and possibly utilize the technique described above under the heading ‘An Inside Job’ so as not to expose the ring. At the end of the routine put the gimmick back in your pocket, hand out the invisible Thing to a spectator and fold up your gift box. This is a very hard environment to perform the Thing so you should be confident and completely rehearsed before you attempt a performance.

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