Kayla Drescher shared her experiences in the world of bar and restaurant magic in her “Tips for Tips” lecture at the May 2019 meeting of Ring 216. She has the distinction of being the Ring’s first female lecturer—and one of the themes of the night was the small representation of women in magic. After the lecture, an episode of the Shezam! podcast was recorded live at the meeting with Kayla and friend Carisa Hendrix, known widely for her character Lucy Darling. (Available at www.shezampod.com.)
The meeting began with a color changing bottle cap workshop, one of the routines Kayla devised working as a magic bartender—bottle caps being one of the more plentiful items at a bar. Then she delved into the many ways the bar can be gimmicked with duct tape, magnetic tape, trick coasters and ready-for-work straws. The real secrets came next: how to maximize tips. It was a topic she had researched with statistical methods, as her livelihood depended on tips far more than on salary. Wouldn’t you like to borrow a $100 bill from a spectator for a trick and have them voluntarily let you keep it at the end (without it dripping with lemon juice)? Kayla explained how she developed her technique to do just that, as well as revealing the best color to wear to get greater tips, and numerous other tactics that supported her and gave her the record for one-day tips at the Chicago Magic Lounge.
The Shezam! podcast afterward discussed the statistical work Kayla and Clarissa had done on the topic of women in magic. They estimated that about two to five percent of performing magicians are women. Few of these lecture to other magicians, and they credited John Reed of New York for encouraging women to come out as authorities in their fields. They noted men think they’re experts if they know sixty percent of the material, but women won’t consider themselves experts until they’re sure they know one hundred percent (or more). A quiz and question and answer session completed the live podcast. If you ever wanted to hear some Ring 216 member asking questions on a podcast, this is your chance!
