Doc Seaton's Magic Sideshow

You may remember that last year (2010)'s TAOM had something a little extra in it: the Austin Street Magic Festival. The festival was a smashing success, so much so that the Austin SAM decided to have it again, but this time they were going to honor the man who had made it possible: Doc Seaton. And so Doc Seaton's Magic Sideshow was born, and Clay Dippel and I were invited to perform.

This year, the Sideshow was attached to the Old Pecan Street Festival, something that is apparently a very big deal in Austin. The Sideshow even got the Mayor of Austin to declare the section of Trinity Ave that the Sideshow was on "Magic Street." It turned out that hooking up with the Old Pecan Street Festival really did us some good. I can't tell you how many people wandered through the Sideshow looking for magic and excitement.

Of course, it helped that right up front there was a performance spot, arguably the best performance spot in the festival, and as the best performance spot, the best performers were up there making a complete spectacle that drew the entire street into the festival.

Now any busker will tell you that one of the easiest things is getting people to watch, after you get them stopped that is, and the hardest thing is to get paid. Well I have to say that, for the most part, the people of Austin were more than willing to stop and watch, and even pay, as long as you were good.

And boy were there some good performers! To start off with, there was Magical Mystical Michael, a busker who was absolutely hysterical. Everything he did kept the audience laughing and they loved him for it. Next there was Gypsy Geoff, another professional busker from up north who kept the audience intrigued with his sock garters and entertained with his combination of juggling and magic. But for me, the real stars of the show was the Crescent Circus. These guys did some great juggling, balancing on top of one another, and were overall just as charming as could be.

Of course the show had it's setbacks, just like any show does. The only difference in this one is that most of the entertainers were professionals who could adapt themselves to the show as well as the show to them. Really the biggest single problem was that there was too much magic! There was so much happening all the time that even walking through as a performer, you weren't sure what to watch and where to go.

But if that's my biggest critique, then I have to say that it was an awesome show and I look forward to it next year.

~Cameron Rivers