Author: ChrisPilsworth

Learning Comedy Magic

Comedy magic is no laughing matter. I loved comedy before discovering magic, but the two have both found a home in my heart. They compliment one another, make my audiences happy and make me happy too.

I remember having Christmas dinner at my aunt and uncle’s one Christmas. I had 4 cousins that were all older than I because my uncle was 14 years older than my dad. My aunt had the best laugh, which was good because my cousins were pretty funny. I may have been 10, but it was very satisfying if I could get 1 laugh during dinner.

One year for Christmas, my uncle gave my dad a two-album set, called, The Golden Age of Comedy.

It was my first introduction into great comedy writing. There were many of the comedians that cut their teeth in the radio medium. One of the classic comedy routines was Abbott and Costello’s, Who’s On First, skit. It was tight with amazing timing. Recently, I saw a sketch by the ventriloquist, Geoff Dunham. He has used the Who’s on First skit as a template for his routine with Peanut.

More Comedy Needed

When I began performing magic, my audiences were primarily children. They have a great sense of humour, however, that type of humour won’t work well for adults. It was after I graduated from university and began full-time, that I thought it would be a good idea to go to amateur nights at the comedy club. Yuk Yuks was the first in our city. Every Monday morning, amateurs would have to call the club to see if they could get a spot on the Wednesday amateur night. I spent just over a year trying out new non-magic material. I discovered that I didn’t want to do only comedy. I also discovered that what I learned was invaluable to my magic.

Finding Comedy in Magic

Over the years of performing, discoveries of what’s funny reveal themselves. Sometimes a member of the audience will say something funny that gets incorporated into that trick. Other times, when something goes wrong, an ad-libbed line gets a good laugh. These days I audio record all of my shows so that I can extract those new bits that come out spontaneously. Over time, all those little gems contribute to the quality of the show.

Study Comedy Magic

Being inspired by other performers is great motivation to become better as a comedy magician. Seeing how other performers handle different situations opens your eyes to new approaches and possibilities.

I’ve always been a student of performing and so I love to read books on all sorts of topics. Recently, I was in the library and found a book, or maybe it found me.

James Burrows directed some of the most well-loved sit coms of all time. Reading this book inspired me and also made me realize that being funny takes effort. Even at their very best, the writers, actors and director needed to refine and rework what they considered to be very good. I realized that I’m not alone in looking to improve my work and passion. I’m really lucky that I love comedy and how that has helped make my magic even more entertaining. Being a comedy magician is a great way to earn a living.

New skills are what a good magician should always be learning . Some of the skills are sleight-of-hand techniques, but there are related disciplines that can improve a performance.

New Skills Come in all Different Shapes and Sizes

Over the years, I’ve taken many courses including: acting, dance, improvisational comedy, Commedia dell’arte, clowning, tai chi and modelling. Incorporating some of the inspiration from these new skills certainly has improved my performances.

Montreal Mime Workshop

Recently, I took a trip to Montreal, to participate in a mime workshop that was designed specifically for magicians. Mario Diamond was the instructor and he gave us an introductory course in mime. Mime is the art of making the imaginary seem real. It is very complimentary to magic as it is also creating illusions.

I learned how to make an object feel heavier and lighter, how to create an imaginary wall and how to become the reflection in a mirror. Without a rope, I gave the impression that I was pulling a heavy object.

As the workshop was happening, my brain was already imagining where certain techniques could be applied to my existing repertoire. I was also thinking about how these new skills could elevate new pieces that I’m creating.

Fringe Benefits of Learning New Skills

Travelling to other cities to take courses also has the added benefit of seeing an new place and being inspired by the food, architecture, stores, fashion and events. Montreal was no different. The morning after the workshop, I had a lovely breakfast of crepes and blueberries. It was delicious.

City Sites

In the downtown core, I was able to take some photographs of some incredible graffiti. You can see for yourselves. There was also a hat store that has been in Montreal for many decades. I tried on a few that could possibly be part of a new costume. I still haven’t decided.

I’m really looking forward to the next course or workshop that I take. They always inspire me to create richer performances.

Beginning to learn how to be a magician, is like learning any new skill; it takes patience, dedication and passion. When I started, the library was my first source of knowledge. I’m so happy other magicians wrote books about sharing magic.

Most of the magic books in the library were geared towards the general public. That’s perfect when you’re 11 years old! I can recall making quite a few of my first tricks from instructions in books. They were tricks that could be made with paper or cardboard and glue.

The process of making the trick was really useful because it helped to shape the presentation. Having an good understanding of the prop allowed me to recognize what it was capable of achieving and also what were the limitations.

I think that not having a magic shop, for me, was really valuable in the beginning. It allowed me to modify tricks I’d read about in the books and made me realize that perhaps the author hadn’t considered all of the options possible. This led me to become more creative with my trick designs.

After high school, I studied product design at Carleton University. The process of learning how to design and create products for mass production also influenced my magic creations. Upon completion of my degree, I embarked on a career as a full-time magician. The combined skill-sets of a performing magician and designer has allowed me to continue to create brand new magic tricks and ideas.

Chris Pilsworth’s 2025 Lecture Tour

As my reputation spread, in the global magic community, I’ve had the pleasure of visiting magic clubs in different cities in Canada, the United States and also China. The presentations I gave offered a sample of some of my creations. Typically, these presentations are called lectures. After the lecture, the magician, sells lecture notes and also some of their magic creations. Over the years I’ve created different lectures that feature some of the tricks that other magicians could introduce into their repertoires. I love hearing from them after they tell me how much the love what I’ve created and how well it is being received in their shows.

Sharing Magic in China

In 2024, I was in China for three weeks. In each of the six cities I visited, I presented my lecture to their respective magic clubs. What was really amazing was that my lecture notes were translated into Mandarin. The translators had copies printed and they were sold at each city. I loved how the graphics and presentation of the notes had an Asian flavour.

Even in my 40th year of full-time performing, I still get excited about bringing new ideas and tricks into my shows. Sometimes, it’s as simple as making a modification to an existing trick and other times it is a completely brand-new idea. All the effort to bring the idea from conception to reality is made worth while when I present the trick in front of an audience. It is a very satisfying feeling. Sharing magic is fun!

Since starting to perform full-time, I’ve discovered that each year is made up of goals that I set in January and serendipitous events. 2024, a magical year, was no different and was full of some amazing performances and locations.

The Beginning of A Magical Year

January and February are always a bit slow after the Christmas holidays, however, Winter Carnivals are always in full swing. This year I performed at a few that have hosted me before and also added in some new ones. Shiverfest in Manotick is one of my favourites. It is hosted upstairs in the arena and families come to attend and are always a great audience.

One of the big events in 2024 was a three week tour of China. I performed 10 shows in 6 cities. In addition to the shows, I also presented my lecture of magic I’ve created to the magic clubs in each of the cities. They were all really well attended. Each city had a host or two. My hosts couldn’t have been more gracious and accommodating. I felt like a touring rock-star. During the tour I signed more autographs than in my entire career!

One of my regularly scheduled events on my magic calendar takes place in Buffalo, New York for an exclusive magic convention, that is limited to 200 magicians world-wide. It is by invitation only, so it is only the cream of the crop. There are many shows over the 4 day convention and they are presented by some of the attendees. I was pleased to be selected to perform again this year for my peers. The first time I did so, about 10 years ago, I was very nervous. Since then, I’ve gotten used to performing for the best.

Rick Wilcox, one of my friends from the convention, has a 500 seat theatre in Wisconsin Dells. In 2024, he and his wife celebrated their 25 anniversary of performing in their theatre. I flew to Wisconsin in June and had a marvelous time over the celebration weekend. Another guest is my good friend, Gene Anderson. We shared a hotel room and were able to have some great conversations about magic. Rick and his wife created a fantastic weekend with shows, amazing meals and dancing under the stars!

Summertime in a Magical Year

When the summer rolled around, there were more shows including numerous performances at Summer Festivals. I was lucky to get hired to perform at a 3 day festival in Sault Ste. Marie. The outdoor shows were really well attended and I was in good company with three other performers from the Montreal region. As an added bonus, one of my good friends from public, and high school lives in the Sault. We had a chance to catch up in between shows.

The other two festivals of note were the Ottawa and Pembroke busker festivals. They were both amazing. The weather was pretty good for both and lots of people attended all of my shows. I was breaking in a new character, called Dr. Miracle. He’s a bit of a science nerd and nutty professor all rolled into one! I’m going to keep refining this character as he is a bit off the beaten path and lets me explore some new directions with my magic.

Fall Performances

In October, I was back at the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum for their Halloween weekend. On the Saturday and Sunday, I roamed the grounds and presented amazing up-close magic for the families. It is such a great location and lovely to see the parents and children in costume. I’ll be back in 2025!

November had me back to Wisconsin. My friend, Rick Wilcox, has flown me into Wisconsin Dells for 10 years now. I stay for a week at a time and consult for him. Each year we work on new magic that will be introduced into the next season’s repertoire. We work long hours to create some of the best magic in the world. He’s a great friend and I really enjoy using my magic and design skills to move his show forward.

The End of a Magical Year

December is always full of holiday shows. 2024 was no exception. There is always a huge variety of audiences for the Christmas shows, from family parties for the Bank of Canada, to more intimate home parties. I love having the experience to be able to tailor the show to all these different types of groups.

2024 was quite a year. 2025 is already shaping up to be equally interesting. You’ll be able to read about it as the year goes on.