Author: ChrisPilsworth

When I started to perform magic for money, I knew that I’d need some costumes in order to justify my princely sum of $5.00. Now way back then, $5.00 was a lot. That would amount to more for a half hour of work than mowing two or three lawns for neighbours.

Costumes by Mom

My mom was pretty good at sewing and we went to a fabric store and bought some turquoise material and a shirt pattern. A week later, I was set. That shirt still hangs in my closet. Some things are hard to part with because of their sentimental value.

Wizard Costumes Aren’t Always a Good Thing

I remember at one outdoor corporate function, the theme was medieval. Through my agent, the company requested that I wear a merlin costume, while I interacted with small groups of adults. That was the last time I accepted a request like that. I was hot in the costume and it was difficult to access my regular pockets that were under the wizard robe.

Costume Colours

I’ve always loved colour and frequently I’d buy blazers that would pop on stage. In my hometown of Ottawa, they were difficult to find as it is a fairly conservative city with respect to men’s fashion. On a trip to Philadelphia, I came across a shop for men that catered to an Afro-American clientele. The suits they stocked were all these amazing colours. Behind the cash, were photos of acapella groups all decked out in suits purchased at the store. I bought a few suits there that I wore at colleges and university shows. They were amazing!

Custom-Made Costumes!

For my theatrical magic show, Disappearing Nightly, my pants were a 1940’s style. I’d bought an inexpensive pair at Le Chateau. That store was for young men and sold some great style clothing. I liked the design, but wanted pants that were a better quality. When I travelled to NYC, I went to the garment district and bought enough pin-stiped, British-made, suiting material. Back in Ottawa, my tailor crafted two pair of pants from that material, using the Le Chateau pants as a pattern. The tailor took a bit longer than anticipated, so he gave me a deal. The fabric cost more than the labour to make the pants.

The outfits I wear change over time. I’ll wear different costumes for children’s performances than I do for corporate functions. I love when I discover some new clothing that will work well for my shows. Costumes make me feel great when I’m performing and let the audience know that I respect their time, while they are watching my show. I look forward to new outfits that will pop up down the road!

The reactions a performer receives when they are performing a show, are what fuel the desire to keep performing. Knowing that you are the source of fun, amazement and laughter is intoxicating.

It takes time for every performer to get good enough that the reactions become consistently strong. Every performance is for a new group and experience leads to making good decisions during the show about how best to satisfy the audiences desire for a great time.

Before Performing a Show

Gaining as much knowledge about the audience beforehand is always step one to creating a superior show. Performing for 5 year-olds is very different from performing for seniors. Each group requires different engagement and energy. Knowing what to expect, helps to determine what magic the audience will enjoy the most. Adults like to have their minds blown with though provoking illusions. Kids like slap-stick humour.

During a Show

While the show is happening, my mind is split into watching the audience’s reactions, identifying potential distractions, looking for good volunteers, reacting to comments the audience makes, my script and the sleight-of-hand. There is a lot of processing power required to make it look easy. This only happens with plenty of practice and rehearsal and getting out there and performing. Malcom Gladwell suggested that in order to be good at anything, one needs to invest about 10,000 hours of practice. I agree because only then can many of the internal decisions happen like they are second nature.

The Results of Performing a Show

Performing a show that an audience will love even when the conditions aren’t ideal, is what great performers do. Someone with less experience will chock it up as a learning experience. When a show goes well, there is a mutual feeling that all the members of the audience bond and are reacting as one. When that happens, as it often does, the results are pure magic.

A subset of the magic community create and invent new tricks. When I began learning how to be a magician, the library was my primary source of knowledge. The books that I borrowed showed how to make simple tricks with supplies that could be found around the house. Many tricks in my first public shows were made at home.

New Tricks

My love of creating new ideas was born when I started, but has continued to this day. In order to create, I start with an idea about what I want the magic to look like for the audience. Then the process begins of trying to solve the problem without resorting to real magic. One technique I use to help overcome barriers, is to imagine that another magician has already come up with a solution. This allows me to think that a solution is possible. I also think that there is more than one solution to every problem.

I’ve probably created over one hundred magic tricks that range in size from smaller tricks that can be presented to one or two people, right up to large stage-size illusions that are meant to be viewed by thousands in a large theatre.

A Cactus Inside a Balloon?

The one trick that magicians always remember, is one where I magically put a cactus inside a balloon. The idea began when I saw a photo of the comedian, Steve Martin, holding a cactus in a flower pot in one hand and a balloon in the other. I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if I could put a cactus inside a balloon? I sketched the idea in my ideas book.

Persistence Pays Off with New Tricks

The idea laid dormant for a while, but then piece of the puzzle began to reveal themselves to me. After about a year the first version of the trick was ready. I debuted the trick at a magic competition in New York. When I finished the trick, I had to wait for the judges to decide. Finally, it was revealed that I’d won first prize in the stage category. That made all the creative effort even more worth while.

Constant Refinement

Since then, the trick has undergone some major revisions. Even though the trick was created about 30 years ago, I’m still finding little ways to make it even better.

Whenever you see a new trick presented in my show, you can be assured that it is merely the tip of the iceberg. Creating is both fun and frustrating, but seeing the results in the expressions of my audiences make the development time totally worth it!

Learning to be a magician can only happen when more experienced magicians share their tricks, wisdom and knowledge. When I started to learn how to be a magician, the library was a great place to discover magician’s secrets. I probably took out all the magic books in the library multiple times each. That helped me to absorb the tricks and tips that they were revealing to me. I’m so thankful that other magicians before me also found value in sharing magic.

Giving Back

After having been a full-time performer for most of my life, I’m sharing my magic creations with other magicians. My ideas are very well respected in the magic community and have enabled me to perform at magic conventions across Canada and the States.

Sharing Magic Lecture Tour

Currently, I’m getting ready to head back to China to present some shows and also give lectures and workshops to magicians in multiple cities throughout China. The tricks that I’ll be teaching have been refined over many years and are all in my working repertoire. Fairly soon, I’ll be sending the text of the instructions to my contact in China. He’ll have it translated into Mandarin.

Sharing Magic through Illustrations

The two illustrations above I created and are just a few of the many that help to explain the tricks I’ll be teaching. Each illustration starts with a photo and from there I create a line drawing by hand. There is an art to providing the correct amount of visual information in the illustrations. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Win, Win

Sharing magic is great fun as it continues the tradition of passing along secrets from one generation to the next. One additional benefit of sharing magic is that I also learn new techniques and ideas from the magicians I meet globally.

Designing magic and create new mysteries is something I love to do! It is not always easy to come up with ideas about how to make the impossible possible. Sometimes I imagine that another magician has already come up with a solution. Then the question becomes, how would I do that trick?

Begin with a Strong Education in Design

After high school, I was accepted into Carleton University’s, School of Industrial Design, program. The year I entered, there were 300 applicants for only 30 positions. Every candidate had to go to an interview with one of the professors of the school and present a portfolio of art they had created. My portfolio consisted of art I’d made throughout high school and also some of the magic projects I’d created on my own. Industrial design is actually product design. The four year program taught me all the essentials for good design.

When I graduated, with distinction, I set out to perform magic full-time. The trick I create are possible as a result of a strong background in both magic and design. Other performers have also come to me to design ideas that they have, but are unable to fathom potential solutions.

This is one of my creations where I magically put a cactus inside a balloon. This trick has allowed me to headline at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. It also paved the way to consult on a 12 part TV series in China. While I was there, I conceptualized cutting-edge magic for the top Chinese magicians.

Above is a sample of the story boards I illustrated for the show. The second photo is the stage for the show, which was custom built in a large sound stage. If you look very closely, you can see a couple of performers on the stage. The curved section in the middle of the second photo is where the celebrity judges were seated.

Designing Magic Never Ends

I always have new projects on the go. They feed my creativity and it is very satisfying designing magic and seeing an audience’s reaction! What a fun life.

Being able to perform around the world is one of the benefits of being a world travelling magician. In a few months, I’ll be returning to China to perform some shows and present my magical creations to Chinese magicians at lectures in different cities throughout China.

World Travelling Magician gets his first Taste of China

Last time I was in China was 2017. I was hired for 6 months to create cutting-edge magic for Chinese magicians that were competing in a 12-part reality TV show. As one of 5 international consultants, I pitched ideas to be part of the show. It was an amazing experience!

The photo above, shows most of the team that created the 12 part series, The Amazing Magicians! It was a very young and enthusiastic group, working together to produce a show unlike anything that had been done in the world. This photo was taken in the room the team would meet at the Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation. Their tower is located in the beautiful city of Nanjing.

Magic Consultant

That world travelling magician, consulting job came about because I’d met China’s top magician at a magic convention a few years beforehand at a magic convention in New York. We became good friends, as he loved the type of magic that I created. Some of my inventions made their way into his repertoire.

My friend is organizing this new tour and I’m really looking forward to going back to China. I’ll have a bit of spare time to explore the cities and enjoy the cuisine that is so varied. I know it is going to be another incredible trip and that I’ll meet some new friends from half way around the world. Once I return home, I’ll be able to post some of the photos and memories of this next global adventure. Like I said, it is fantastic to be a world travelling magician!