Magician Frequently Asked Questions.
Magician FAQ...
Q. How far do you travel?
A. Dorian
is an international magician entertainer who performs all over the UK
and abroad. He has worked his magic in France, Germany, Austria, Spain,
Switzerland, Brazil and the USA. (See also Areas Covered page).
Q. How far in advance do I need to book?
A. Bookings can be taken up to 18 Months in advance of the event. It
does not hurt to check availability as soon as you have a date in mind
as many key dates do tend to get booked up way in advance. For example
July and August are predominantly booked by wedding clients and the
weekends in these months are very much prime dates that get snapped
up quickly. All bookings are taken on a first come first served basis.
Q. What sort of magic tricks do you perform?
A. Answering that would spoil the surprise. Suffice to say it’s all great
stuff! Nothing cheesy. There's no rabbits in hats, no colourful silk
handkerchiefs, no dodgy looking boxes covered in sparkly paint and
no wand either! The magic will be great solid close up magic that involves
sleight-of-hand a bit of mind reading and a lot of stuff that just
defies all logic, physics and time.
Q. How many people can you entertain at a function?
A. That depends on what the function is. The basic rule of thumb for
a typical dinner type event is 1 magician per up-to 100 guests. Dorian
can perform a specialized act for just a single table if need be. If
your event is huge that’s no problem either as Dorian works with an
outstanding team of magicians that can cover guest numbers over a thousand.
Q. How long do you perform for?
A. However
long you want. Most bookings tend to be two to three hours, which normally
covers for example a reception/eating period or a photo
period during a wedding. Some events are longer, such trade shows or
at a corporate family fun day. Dorian also performs a 'one table show'
or 'parlour show' that lasts approx 40 minutes. This show is ideal
for those special occasions where there are only a select number of
guests seated at a single table. Click this link for more details on
the Parlour Show.
Q. There no prices on the web site, why not?
A. Every
event is quoted fairly on its own merit and requirements. The best thing
to do is drop a quick line via email (see Contact Magician page) and don't forget to include the basic details about your event such as
type of event, date, approx times, number of guests, venue/location. Emails
are normally answered within a 24 hour period.
Q. How can we tell if the act is going to be any good?
A. Take a really good look through the web site and you will see countless
photo’s of magician Dorian performing live. These photos clearly capture
the delight, amazement and enjoyment of the spectators. Also on the
web site are a number of video’s that capture some of the magical moments
and audience reactions to the magic. There are favourable references
and testimonials from both private, wedding and corporate clients that
have been so happy with Dorian’s high quality magic that they put pen
to paper to express their gratitude. Dorian's work also comes with
a 100% money-back guarantee of satisfaction.
Q. Do you have Public Liability Insurance (PLI)?
A. Yes indeed. Any professional that works in the public domain should
have this and be able to prove so.
Q. Is it possible to see Dorian perform before committing
to book him? Can we meet up with you before deciding to book your services?
A. It
is possible that you can meet and see him perform before committing to
a booking. Any magician that is confident in his work would be more
than pleased to meet up with you to give you a demonstration of his performance.
As a busy full-time professional it might be difficult to arrange, but
on the flip-side being a well-travelled entertainer Dorian might be working
right on your doorstep in the very near future and can pop around at
little
or no expense
at all.
It
does
not
hurt to ask and see if something can be arranged.
Q. Which areas in the UK do you cover?
A.
Dorian travels all of the UK and on occasion also works abroad.
Q. What kind of events / functions do you perform at?
A. Dorian
performs at all kinds of events for both private and corporate clients.
This list includes
weddings, drinks receptions, dinners, gala functions, anniversaries,
birthdays, family fun days, trade shows, exhibitions, house parties,
garden parties, product launches, engagement parties, anniversary celebrations,
retirement party, christmas parties, new year parties, christening’s,
university ball's. Anywhere where there is a group of people that need
entertaining Dorian can cater for your requirements. Even if there are
a very large number of guests planned, he can recommend other top quality
magicians to help cover all the bases.
Q. What’s your favourite thing about being a magician?
A. There
is no single answer to that question as there are a many number of things
that make this job very enjoyable, but here's some of the things that come
to mind:
- The reactions people have to the magic. There is nothing more satisfying than getting great reactions from the people you are entertaining. Some people respond so vocally and spontaneously that it is a joy to witness and gives that feeling of job satisfaction.
- I really enjoy meeting (and entertaining) new people. In this business you are meeting all different people all the time and from all different walks of life.
- The mystery factor, I don’t mean the mystery of the magic, but more in the places you end up and the things you get to see. Sometimes you do get to see things that you would not get to see in normal everyday life, this job can be a great adventure.
- Travelling is a big part of the job. Whether it’s driving up and down the UK or hopping on a plane to work in another country. I have to admit that it’s a very nice feeling to be sitting on a plane awaiting take-off, with the knowledge that someone deemed your act worthy for you to be jetted off to entertain their clients in another country.
Q. Do you entertain at kids parties?
A. A number of functions (such as weddings) there are children present
and that's no problem at all, but Dorian is NOT a kids party entertainer.
Q. We want to book you but have not decided on times yet.
Is this OK?
A. That’s fine. As time goes on, should a second enquiry come in for
the same date you will be contacted first to see if you have decided
on a time and work the second booking around that.
Q. What if you are ill and can't make it to our event?
A. To
date Dorian has never been late or not turned up for a booking. Should
he be taken ill (he is only human after all… honestly.. well kind of...
ish) He does work with a small handful of truly excellent magicians and
can get the job covered no problems.
Q. What’s the best method to get hold of you?
A. To
contact magician Dorian you can telephone him on the numbers on the contact
page of this web site (see Magician Contact page). If there is no
answer on either land line or the mobile, just leave a short message
stating the
basic
details of your event. Don't forget to include the date and
location along with your contact telephone number. Alternatively you
can send
an email. Dorian endeavours to respond as soon as he can to all
enquiries. If for some reason you have not heard back within 48 hours,
please re-send.
Q. I have had a number of quotes from magicians and yours
is at the higher end of the scale. Why is this?
A. The
saying “pay peanuts and get monkeys” comes to mind, which is fine if
you’re organizing a chimp’s tea party. Dorian’s fee is a direct reflection
of the quality of the magic and service you will be hiring. In over
a
decade he has to date never been late and never not shown up for a booking.
Q. Will you haggle?
A. You
wouldn't go to a shop and haggle down the price of a bar of
chocolate. The fee quoted will be a fair quote and a fair reflection
of the quality of service you will be getting for your money. A professional
magician will no doubt have to pay a mortgage and bills out of being
full time at his job. Out of their wages they need to pay for professional
services such as accountants, marketing, promotional material and not
to forget the tax man.
Q. Do I need to pay a deposit?
A. Yes.
A small deposit (normally about 20% of the fee) is taken to secure the
date.
Q. Do you have any references from previous bookers?
A. Absolutely!
There are three seperate pages dedicated to the tesimonials and kudos
gained from satisfied customers, the links are as follows:
Q.
Is this really your full-time job?
A. Yes
100%. This is the job that pays the bills, keeps a roof over our heads,
feeds the kids and
feeds the treasury's hungry coffers.
Q. What are the reasons for you to book a real professional magician for your
event?
A.
Magic is not (for the most part) a career that you can just jump into. One has
to invest much time and effort in acquiring the necessary skills and
techniques in the art of conjuring. Even after the magic has been perfected
it has to be audience tested and tweaked. So after all the technical
learning and time in developing and refining the magical effects, skills
have also to be developed in audience management and how to interact
with all manner of people with the magic. It is necessary to apply time
and build up live performance skills for all kinds of social situations.
It depends on what you are looking for as a client looking to book a
magician.
In short there are some really good armature magicians that can do a very competent job of being an entertainer with their magic. If you are looking to book a magician and your budget is very minimal it’s going to be a bit of a gamble. You could be lucky and manage to get an armature that is both good and entertaining and worth the small financial outlay. Or you could end up with someone that is not ready to be performing to a live audience and definitely should not be charging money for it. Alternatively you can book a full time seasoned professional who is going to perform a refined and astounding magic act that will help make your party or event an amazing experience. A professional magic entertainer will help make your guests and colleagues absolutely rave about what they saw for a long time after the event.