Dear Mr. Magic,
How do I decide which trick I should use to start a show? Should I do my best trick first, or save it for later in the show?

Dear Magician,
The start of a show is where you and your audience meet for the first time and they decide whether they like you. How you present yourself, what you do, what you say and what you look like are all issues in the first crucial minutes of a show.

Selecting the proper opening effect is definitely an issue and it may take a good deal of trial and error before you finally arrive at the most suitable. However there are some general issues that have to be kept in mind. First, the opening of a show is where you have to take charge of the audience's attention and in a very short time convince them that they're about to have a great time.

Many performers begin their shows with a spectacular visual effect, usually to music. Once they've got the audience's attention they then step downstage to introduce themselves. This is a perfectly reasonable approach, although working out just what you're going to do as the 'spectacular effect' will obviously take some doing.

The opening is just one of several production issues that you have to consider as you put a show together. The pacing of the show and the finish are also crucial to giving a good performance. So it isn't necessarily a good idea to present your best material until you know you the audience has decided they like you and that they're having a good time.

If you're just starting to put a show together, don't be afraid to experiment with your material, pacing and show order. It is worth making a few mistakes to more quickly gain the experience needed to organize your various effects into a show.