The fog of war. It's a Clausewitz paraphrase, but generally refers to a military expression pointing out the difficulty of making decisions when you're in the middle of the fight.

Performing can be like that, too. When you're out on the stage, fighting it out for the attention and respect of the crowd and things are happening all at once - like hecklers and sound problems and 50 feet of dance floor ahead of you and the conditions aren't very good - it's hard to make decisions. I always thought it was like a firefight in a war. Thus the title, but for showbiz, The Fog Machine of War. Those fog machines are everywhere, man.

Within these pages you'll find some advice to help navigate the battle and prepare in the war room that is the rehearsal space and green room. Along the way there's some stories that might also help you avoid some of the pitfalls I've fallen into throughout my career.

Better call in reinforcements... it's about to get real.

About the author:

Matt Disero has 30 years experience performing internationally as a comedian and magician. Nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award, he has performed at Canada's Walk of Fame Ceremonies, comedy festivals across the country and appeared on the Comedy Network, Comedy Central, CBC, The CW Network and Netflix. He lives in Brampton, Canada, with his son Ferris and their Doctor Who and Transformers toy collections.