Course Overview

Each class session is divided into three parts:

1. Jeff shares his stories and demonstrates routines and teaches you his secrets & techniques.
2. Guest performers from around the world share their storytelling secrets of success.
3. Follow up lessons and a rich archive of wisdom to deepen your studies.

You will leave with new skills, routines, and a richer understanding of how story and magic intertwine. 
 

CLASS 1: Discovering the Magic in Your Story: Character and Presentation

• Opening The Story Circle: A special tour of the Magic & Mystery School.
• Demonstrations: Lighted wand, feather from wand, feather through coin and more exclusive secrets.
• Jeff’s origin stories: Childhood experiments combining magic, martial arts, masks, and costumes; performing six shows a day at the Orange County Fair.
• Historic routines: The Hotel Trick from an 1859 book, Die Box, One-Card Pete, The Exclusive Coterie.
• Character development: Create personas and develop characters to add depth, texture, humor and theatricality!
• Bardic Circle insights: Meet storytellers from around the world and learn, secrets and lessons on authenticity, vulnerability, and performance craft.
• Storytelling exercises: Finding your origin story, implicit symbolism, meta-story, & presenting personal magic.
• Techniques: Using the body, movement, music, and theatricality to amplify impact; choosing your first audience carefully to practice vulnerability.
   

CLASS 2: Scaling Stories and Engaging Audiences

• Opening reflections: Candle lighting ritual and insights from Class One.
• Audience adaptation: Thinking vs. drinking audiences; short vs. long versions of your story.
• Storytelling routines: Cross of India, Silas, and Three-Card Monte; stories integrated with props, costumes, and music.
• Cards as characters: Impromptu Storydeck techniques, poetic story decks, and leveraging narrative in card magic.
• Pipeline for performance: Narrow-casting for small groups, broad-casting to stages.
• Bardic Circle highlights: Secret sessions and lessons on visual metaphor, folklore, psychodrama, and crafting immersive experiences.
• Advanced techniques: Framing non-story magic with story elements, exploring archetypal storytelling, Joseph Campbell’s mythic structures, using soundscapes and music to immerse audiences.
   

CLASS 3: Transforming Stories into Real Magic

• Opening: Eugene Burger interview, principles of magic, and reading of Obligation of the Mage.
• Original magic creation: Story, Prop, Spirit (Feeling) framework.
• Demonstrations: Torn and Restored Bill, Druid story, Healing Hearts, George Carlin’s Modern Man, Jekyll and Hyde with simple lighting effects.
• Voice and presence: Pitch, rate, volume, reading poetry to train expression, creating transformances.
• Bardic Circle wisdom: Jeff invites his friends to share stories ‘ around the fire” lessons on audience interaction, improvisation, and connecting personal stories to others.
• Techniques for overcoming limitations: Incorporating physical challenges, call and response, and adapting performances.
• Bonus Clip: Eugene Burger’s Ballad of the Harp-Weaver by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

What You’ll Take Away

• Many new and original magic routines ready to perform.
• Video recordings of all three classes for review.
• Exclusive PDF Archive of routines, notes, and Bardic Circle insights.
• Access to Mystery School Monday Online Discussion Group.
• The Secret Arts Journal Archive.

To Register Contact 
Abigail McBride
702-450-0021
OR email
abbimc@gmail.com