MAWEEGE
A giant cootie catcher scientifically measures
the compatibility of a husband & wife.
PreSale Begins: February 16, 2023, noon Atlanta, GA

Until then, I’m sharing this series of post to let you see the strengths of Maweege. Whether you perform Maweege or not, the contents of this series will make you a better magician.

I started typing this post on a cruise ship gig off the coast of Chile. Both cruise director and the other acts have commented to me, “You are so quick with the ad-libs.” I thank them for the compliment, but I think to myself, “Thanks, but it’s mostly because I was willing to start doing it years ago and I’ve been around while. Attentive practice over time equals success.”

But I’m typing this from one end of the ad-lib tunnel. What if you haven’t even entered that tunnel yet? What if you’re thinking, like many magicians, “I’d like to get better at ad-libbing. I want to be funnier off the cuff …but how??”

How To Get Better At Comedy Ad-Libs

Just start doing it. You get better at doing it by doing it.
Best time to plant a tree: Fifty years ago.
Second best time to plant a tree: today.
It’s true with ad-libbing as well as trees. Jump in.

Get yourself in situations that are fertile for ad-libbing.
Performing the torn and restored newspaper on stage alone doesn’t lend itself to comedy ad-libs as much as having two people on stage for a sponge ball routine. Interactions are better fertile ground.

That’s why this post is part of the release of Maweege. Maweege gives you a huge jump start for comedy ad-libs. It’s an unfair advantage, but I’m OK with that and you’ll be OK with it, too.

Being older is usually an advantage (nah-nah)
YEP!! A performer with a little (or much) gray hair on his head can get away with a little more than some young punk LOL. NOT that a twenty-five year old is powerless on the ad-lib front. Far from it. Just different.

In my fifties I can say things that will come across as funny that would come across as rude if said by someone twenty-five.
So if you have a few gray hairs, enjoy.
If you don’t, you have something to anticipate!

Don’t reinvent the wheel.
What do you do for a living?
How long have you two been married?
Where are you from?
Ecetera, ecetera … Save creative approaches for when you have a few ad-lib miles on you. When you begin, stick to tried and true.

Recycle the gold
Once in a lifetime setups often happen every few months. Be ready for it.
It’s happened to you, I’m sure.
The spectator says something unusual.
You respond perfectly.
Then a few months later another spectator says the same thing.
BE READY.
Remember what scored. Then use it again when the setup happens again.

On February 16th we’ll be releasing MAWEEGE, a routine that exploits the ad-lib possibilities to their fullest, but until it’s released …

Look at your own work. Look at the routines you regularly do right now. How can you create situations fertile for funny ad-libs? What ad-libs have you scored with in the past you can recycle for new audiences? As Picard would say, “Make it so, Number One.”

Here’s an example to start you on the path: Fred Kaps’ Eleven Dollar Bill Trick.

A spouse on either side of you. Make the funny. Get the funny from the magic AND get the funny from the relationship. Have fun. PLAY!

See you soon,

Doc Dixon