When Should You Use An Accomplice?

The answer is always. Perhaps not for every trick you perform, but certainly in every performance. Especially if you’re a working pro with assistants nearby or a passionate hobbyist with friends nearby — so, basically, everyone should work with an accomplice forever and always.

There used to be a time when the magic community dismissed all trick releases that required accomplices. Now, thanks to the wonders of technology, tricks with the option to use accomplices are reasonably embraced.

It still needs to be an option for a product release to be welcomed by magicians. I don’t understand the consensus. We all have friends (I hope), many of whom would love to help us with our magic.

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Imagine how many incredible magic tricks the industry misses out on because we generally put down new releases involving accomplices.

If you go and watch your favourite performers live, you’ll be amazed by how often the stage managers are solely responsible for the tricks’ secret workings.

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The best and rarely performed card trick at a house party is the card through window effect. The magician gets a card selected, gets it signed, shuffles it into the pack and then throws the entire deck at the window, and one card (their card) impossibly penetrates the glass and is stuck on the outside.

It’s a goddam miracle! And so many magicians will dismiss it because the best way to accomplish it involves an assistant. Heck — there was a super expensive product release recently that would remotely trigger a giant bionic arm to add a card to a window. Just ask a mate to do it already.

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Here are five good reasons to use an accomplice.

1. Relying on an accomplice gives you the freedom to be present and focus on what matters.

2. An accomplice has fewer distractions and pressure on them, so the effect is more likely to be a success.

3. A friend bored of your tricks will instantly become engaged as an accomplice for a trick.

4. You can often achieve far more powerful and deceptive effects with an accomplice.

5. You cannot underestimate the feeling of being a part of a team rather than performing solo.

Here’s the deal.

You don’t need to use an accomplice every time.

But you should consider working with one every time.