Act Type Determines Your Market
“Magician” covers a spectrum so wide it is almost meaningless to a booker. A corporate event planner looking for walk-around close-up magic for a 200-person reception and a cruise ship entertainment director looking for a 45-minute headline stage show are searching for completely different performers — even if both use the word magician.
State your act type prominently. Be specific about format, duration, and the kind of audiences you perform for.
Close-up / Walk-around
Table magic, walk-around for receptions and gala dinners. Audience of 10–300. No staging required. The highest-volume corporate booking category.
Parlour / Cabaret
Stage show for audiences of 50–200. Typically 20–30 minutes. Used in variety shows, cruise cabarets, corporate dinners with a stage.
Stage Illusion
Full stage production with props, assistants, and technical requirements. 30–60 minutes. Cruise ship headline bookings, theatre runs, TV.
Grand Illusion / Touring
Large-scale production touring venues. Significant technical rider, crew requirements, advance setup time.
Mentalism
Mind-reading and psychological illusion — often crossover with comedy or theatre. Works across close-up, cabaret, and stage formats.
Comedy Magic
Magic combined with stand-up or character. Cruise ships frequently book this format — it works for diverse international audiences.
Close-up vs Stage — Different CVs, Different Focus
Close-up magicians and stage illusionists are booked through different channels and evaluated on different criteria. If you do both, your CV needs to address each clearly — or you risk neither market taking you seriously.
For close-up bookings, bookers need to know:
- —How many guests you can work effectively per hour
- —Whether you perform in multiple languages (critical for international corporate)
- —Client references — corporate close-up is relationship-driven
- —Video showing genuine audience reaction, not just tricks in isolation
For stage bookings, bookers need to know:
- —Show duration options — 20 min, 30 min, 45 min, full 60 min
- —Prop sizes and transport requirements
- —Whether an assistant is included or needs to be provided by the venue
- —Setup and strike time
- —Stage dimensions required
Cruise Ships and Headline Bookings
Cruise ships are one of the most consistent markets for stage magicians. Headline entertainment positions on major lines pay £1,000–£2,000+ per week with full board and accommodation included. The expectation has shifted significantly — most lines now book magicians as featured headline acts with their own 45–50 minute show, not as a 20-minute slot within a variety programme.
Royal Caribbean actively recruits established stage magicians and illusionists, specifying that performers should have “a variety of prop sizes” and a complete full-length show. This means a single 20-minute cabaret act is unlikely to secure a cruise headline contract — the show must be developed to standalone length.
Required for cruise ship bookings
- —STCW Basic Safety Training — mandatory for all crew, including entertainers
- —ENG1 Seafarer's Medical Certificate — from an approved maritime medical examiner
- —Valid passport with at least 6 months beyond contract end date
- —Public Liability Insurance — required by most major lines
- —Show that works across language barriers — cruise audiences are international
Comedy magic performs particularly well on cruise ships — the format crosses language barriers better than narrative-heavy illusion shows. If your act is comedy-driven, state this explicitly. It is a significant advantage in the cruise market.
Corporate and Private Events
Corporate bookings are the highest-volume market for magicians overall — particularly for close-up and parlour acts. Corporate event planners evaluate differently from agency bookers: they prioritise reliability, professionalism, and testimonials over artistic pedigree.
Testimonials with specifics
Corporate planners respond to testimonials that name the event type, company size, and what was specifically appreciated. 'Great show!' is useless. 'Performed for our 150-person product launch in Amsterdam — every group we sent him was talking about it the next day' is what gets you booked.
Client name recognition
If you have performed for recognizable brands or organizations, list them. Corporate planners use this as a quality signal — it answers the unspoken question: 'Has someone like us trusted this performer?'
Languages
For international corporate events, performing in multiple languages multiplies your booking opportunities significantly. List every language you perform in, not just your native one.
Flexibility and communication
Corporate bookers consistently cite responsiveness and flexibility as decisive factors. A note on your CV about custom show elements or adaptability to event format signals professionalism beyond the performance itself.
Video: What Bookers Need to Watch
A magician's video portfolio needs to do something most performers don't think about: it needs to show the audience reaction, not just the trick. A booker doesn't need to be fooled — they need to see that a real audience was fooled, engaged, and entertained.
Include genuine audience reactions for close-up
Staged or rehearsed reaction shots read as fake immediately. Wide shots that show both the magician and the genuine audience response are far more persuasive than polished, isolated trick footage.
Full performance segments for stage
A 3–5 minute unedited segment from a real performance — not a trailer — gives bookers an accurate sense of pacing, stage presence, and audience management.
Multiple act durations shown
If you offer 20-minute and 45-minute versions of your show, show footage from both. Bookers making a decision often need to see that you can fill the specific duration they need.
Video hosted in your CV
Bookers reviewing multiple acts don't navigate back from YouTube. Video hosted directly on PerformerCV plays without leaving your profile — keeping the booker's focus on your act.
Technical Requirements
Booking agencies and venues specifically ask for technical information before confirming a booking. Including a brief technical note on your CV eliminates a round of back-and-forth and signals that you understand professional performance environments.
Stage dimensions
Minimum width and depth for your full show. Mention any large props that require specific wing space or ceiling height.
Sound and lighting
Whether you travel with your own system or require the venue to provide. Minimum speaker power for your largest audience size.
Setup time
Time needed before the show and after. A 45-minute show with a 2-hour setup and 1-hour strike has very different implications for a venue than a 20-minute cabaret slot.
Assistant requirements
Whether your act requires a stage assistant, and if so, whether you travel with one or require the venue to provide someone.
Insurance and Professional Credentials
Most professional booking agencies and corporate clients require proof of Public Liability Insurance before confirming a booking. Having this in place — and mentioning it on your CV — removes a common administrative blocker, especially for first-time enquiries from corporate event planners who are used to working with insured suppliers.
Membership in professional magic organizations (The Magic Circle, International Brotherhood of Magicians, Society of American Magicians) signals peer recognition and professional standing. While these are not booking requirements, they carry weight with clients who are unfamiliar with the industry and using credentials as a proxy for quality.
Common Magician CV Mistakes
Listing 'magician' without specifying act type or market
State exactly what you do: Close-up for corporate events, 45-minute stage illusion show, comedy magic for cruise ship and cabaret. Bookers match the format to the brief — generic entries don't match anything.
A showreel of tricks with no audience
Show a real audience watching and reacting. Isolation footage of tricks demonstrates skill but does not demonstrate that you can perform to an audience — which is what bookers are actually buying.
No show duration stated
Every booker's first question after watching your video is: how long is the show? 20 minutes? 45? 60? If it's not on your CV, they have to ask — and many won't bother.
Missing technical information for stage acts
State your minimum stage size, sound requirements, and setup time. Venues need this to confirm you physically fit their space before any conversation about fees.
No languages listed for international markets
If you perform in more than one language, this doubles or triples your booking options for corporate international events and cruise ships. List them explicitly.
No mention of Public Liability Insurance
Corporate clients and many agencies require this before confirming. Mentioning it on your CV removes a friction point that can delay or kill bookings.
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PerformerCV editorial team
Written from the booking desk of Prime Line Agency — reviewing performer applications for cruise lines, shows, and international agencies.