Accomplices in the Audience: Working with Stooges, Shills and Plants

Author/Originator: Trickshop.com
Product ID: e284

PDF Price: $4.00
(or just $2.80 when you buy 3 or more titles)

DESCRIPTION

Discover the secret weapon behind some of the most memorable moments in stage magic: the accomplice. Whether you call them stooges, confederates, plants, or shills, these audience helpers have long played a crucial role in illusions that leave spectators speechless. This guide pulls back the curtain to reveal how magicians use accomplices—sometimes with a prearranged plan and other times by turning real volunteers into covert collaborators right before your eyes.

What You'll Learn Inside

Many of the biggest names in magic have relied on the help of accomplices. From comedy magicians to mentalists to grand illusionists, the strategic use of a stooge can turn a good trick into a jaw-dropping miracle. While some were paid assistants, more often than not, they were simply members of the audience willing to play along—usually without the rest of the crowd ever realizing it.

In this 15-page guide, you’ll learn what type of person makes the best accomplice, how to get them to agree to help, and how to prepare them for volunteering and being on stage. In addition, you’ll also learn how cold cueing works—the process that converts genuine volunteers into willing co-conspirators.

Classic Routines and Hilarious Bits of Business

This ebook doesn’t stop at theory—it includes real-world applications from legendary magicians who successfully used stooges in their acts. You'll get fully detailed performance notes for time-tested routines like:

• The Master Cut and Restored Necktie – An uproarious comedy routine where the magician seemingly ruins an audience member’s tie…only to miraculously restore it.
• The Shirt Pulling Gag – A visually shocking effect where the performer magically pulls the shirt right off a man's back.
• Blackstone’s Famous Watch Steal – A classic bit of business whereby the magician appears to steal an audience helper’s wristwatch without him being any the wiser.
• George McAthy’s Wallet Steal – Another crowd-pleasing vanish and recovery effect pulled off with deceptive ease.

These are not just "gags," but professionally structured bits of business with strong entertainment value—ready to add to your repertoire.

Why Use Stooges and Shills?

Using accomplices isn’t about cheating—it's about enhancing the magical experience. When done right, a stooge can create a moment of impossible magic that sleight of hand alone simply can’t achieve. The audience believes what they see, and what they see is someone just like them reacting in real time to something astonishing.

Magic with accomplices adds a layer of psychological deception that goes beyond clever moves—it’s about managing perception, attention, and belief. This guide shows you how to do it ethically, effectively, and entertainingly.