Many magicians, will tell you that swearing when performing magic is completely unprofessional. However, if you watch some of the videos we produce for Magic Secrets, you may notice that, the language used can be of an adult nature and on occasion contains profanity. Does this mean that we think its acceptable to swear when performing magic?

Our society has branded particular words as being profane. The use of these words is acceptable by some and not by others. Because some people can be offended by hearing the use of these words, avoiding using them altogether is a sure way of avoiding offending your audience. Today though, many societies have evolved to the state that people use many of these words in their everyday lives. Many people have grown somewhat accustomed to hearing words that in the past would have been considered taboo. As such, rarely in today’s society does swearing on its own cause serious offense.

That being said, the appropriate use of profanity is very situational and if you do swear during performance, you have to be sure that you are not going to offend your audience by doing so. Sometimes the use of particular words can enhance a performance. For example, spectators love the ‘magician in trouble’ premise. A worried look followed by an expletive can convey to the spectators that you really in trouble and may even add to the humour of the situation depending on how you present it.

Whilst it may be acceptable to swear in front of people you know well or in casual performances down the pub, there are some situations (such as performing for children) where you would never swear at all – without exception. You have to be mature about your language use and use your initiative when deciding on the words you are using.

If you are in any doubt about causing offense, simply avoid the use of profanity altogether.