Houdini made his reputation first as the King of Kards, then as the Handcuff King and the Man No Jail Can Hold. So strongly did Houdini make his mark that seventy years after his death, his name is still synonymous with escape.

Copperfield is the illusionist on a grand scale, Siegfried and Roy are the wild animal illusionists, Penn and Teller are the bad boys of magic, Doug Henning is the magician of wonderment, Harry Blackstone was the classic magician presenting the legendary Blackstone show, Andre Kole is the magician with a spiritual message, Tom Mullica is the comedy magician who does the weird stuff with cigarettes, Rudy Coby is the mad scientist magician with too many legs, Lance Burton is the gentleman magician, and on and on.

Each of these magicians has found a personality, a stage character that defines how he dresses, how he speaks, the type of patter he uses, and most importantly, the magic that he presents.

An audience needs to figure out who you are before they know how to react to you. They need to feel that they "know" you, and then they will want to reward you with their attention and applause.

Choose your stage personality based on your own strengths. Are you theatrical and dramatic (an illusionist)? Are you a good speaker, good at improvisation? Are you naturally funny? Are you goofy- can you be downright silly? Do you have a special non-magical talent or trait (are you a body builder, do you have bright red hair, are you twins, are you very young)?

The key to finding a good magic personality is to make the most of what you have, who you really are. As much as you want to be just like Copperfield, it just won't work. Don't imitate anyone else. Be honest with yourself about who you really are, and develop from your strengths. You'll be much happier and much more successful with the results.

Use your magic personality as a guide in selecting the effects for your act. Be consistent in choosing tricks that fit the character you are presenting. For example, comedy magician Amazing Jonathan would never be able to pull off a serious mindreading effect, but Kreskin would. Likewise, it would be disappointing to see Siegfried and Roy sit at the edge of the stage and do a clasp card trick, and equally silly to see David Roth vanish a tiger just before sitting down to do his coin magic.

Don't be distracted by the tricks! A good trick is a good trick in anybody's show, but it's only a GREAT trick if the effect fits in with the audience's expectations of what the magician should be doing.

The key to success in magic, as in any theatrical art form, is the establishment of character. Choose your character based on your own strengths and unique qualities, select your effects based on your character, stay consistent and success will follow.