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Ottawa Birthday Party Magician

As an Ottawa Birthday Party Magician, parents contact me to make the birthday child’s celebration extra-special. My first shows, were children’s parties. They were a great training ground for a 12-year old magician. As children haven’t developed the best social skills, they let a performer know that they know how a trick is done or that they are bored. That’s why a magician that wants to stay in the game learns quickly how to be a better performer.

What to Present at a Birthday Party?

Books that I borrowed from the library ended up being my source of new tricks for the show. I learned how to make some of the easier ones myself and for the more complicated procedures, I enlisted the help of my parents. My mom could always be called upon to do some special sewing. Secret scarves, costumes and theatrical curtains were all part of her repertoire. My dad was the king in the workshop. Together, meaning he, would build some custom wood props. One such prop was a box from which dozens of Chinese lanterns would appear. That was a good trick.

First Show for a Birthday Party

My very first show was for my friend’s younger sister’s birthday party. It was held in their unfinished basement. Who says showbiz isn’t glamourous? I was really nervous because there is a big difference between practicing in front of a mirror and performing for real people. I’m happy to say that the show went well. I think the pay was $5.00 and some birthday cake.

What do Kids Like at a Birthday Party?

Kids love to laugh and be surprised and sometime they like to feel that they’re smarter than the magician. Those are always good moments to include in a show. When I was only doing birthday parties, I would make a rabbit appear out of a hat. Even though I no longer perform with a rabbit, I had two during my career. At the end of the birthday party the children had a chance to pet the rabbit who sat quietly and comfortably in a hat. It was a nice treat for the rabbit to receiver their affection.

Ottawa Birthday Party Magician Schedule

I enjoy performing birthday parties in Ottawa. They represent about a quarter of the shows that I present each year. Many are for children, however, there are also quite a few for adults who want to add a splash to their party. Most of the parties happen on the weekends and there is only so much time in the day, so the parents who are able to book me, usually contact me a month or so in advance. Quite often, I hear, that they wanted to book me because all their friends mentioned my name or they had a look at the hundreds of Google reviews.

The Future for This Birthday Party Magician

I will always include performing birthday parties in my schedule. I love the energy of children 5 and up. They are enthusiastic, inquisitive, love to laugh and be amazed. That is something that I’ll never get tired of experiencing!

My Magic Mentors

Throughout my magic career, I’ve had many magic mentors that have provided timely guidance. A few years after I started, I got in touch with John Milks, a local magician, who was performing shows in my city. He allowed me to tag along to some of his shows where I began to see how individual tricks could be combined into a show. He introduced me to other magicians that belonged to the local club. I was too young to join, but was allowed to attend some of the lectures by visiting magicians. John was great at showing me how to create and present magic that was more advanced than what I was able to read in books from the library.

Another Ottawa Magician

Another mentor was Ottawa magician, Roy Cottee. He presented magic shows on the weekends because his full-time job was a glass blower at the National Research Council. I saw Roy perform at libraries and at shopping malls. His shows were really well put together and very professional. When I was old enough to join our magic club, Roy was always a great source of information. When I was preparing a new trick, Roy would provide me with the names of books where there was more information about the trick. This advice was invaluable, but also helped to lay the foundation for how to research and study the art of magic.

Vito Lupo

I’d seen Vito Lupo perform on a TV variety show, The Monte Carlo Show. It was hosted by Patrick Wayne, the son of John Wayne. Vito presented his award winning act on the show and I was completely enthralled. When Vito was on the cover of a major magic magazine, I read his bio and some of his thoughts on the presentation of magic. It also mentioned in the article that he had some students that he taught magic.

I was able to track down his number and then arranged to travel to Long Island, New York to study with Vito for a full week. It was a phenomenal learning experience and I returned home with more techniques to improve my performances. This was my first introduction on how to present magic at a higher level. To this day, I still apply the techniques that Vito taught me many years ago.

Bob Fitch

In the photo above, I’m with Bob Fitch. He has been a fantastic mentor and contributed greatly to my success as a performer. Bob, was a singer, actor and dancer on Broadway. His most noteworthy performance on Broadway was one of the principal characters in the original production of Annie.

After Bob retired from his career on Broadway, he with fellow actor, Ed Bordo, created a weeklong workshop for magicians to help them develop acting and performance skills. Bob was an amateur magician and wanted to share his theatre skills with magicians. The workshops were hosted at a resort north of Montreal.

The group of 10 magicians would learn acting in the morning and performance in the afternoon. The evening was reserved for two magicians to present some of their work in progress. After their presentations, Bob, Ed and the group would dissect the illusions and brainstorm ways to make it more powerful.

The acting and performance techniques are a major part of my toolkit and often times problems to certain tricks can be resolved using acting techniques. Polishing a performance takes time. There are no shortcuts, but having a broader knowledge of theatre and acting allows the performance to exist at a higher level.

Standing on the Shoulders of My Magic Mentors

There’s no question that having great mentors accelerates a performer’s progress. I’ve been very fortunate over the years to have had these gentlemen contribute to my quest to become a great magician. I’m so grateful that they took the time to share their knowledge with me. I look forward to sharing my knowledge with the next generation of magicians.

River Cruise Ship Magician

When you think of a cruise ship magician, large cruise ships in the Caribbean come to mind. Since 2014, I’ve been the resident magician aboard the Canadian Empress. It’s home base is Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Each season, from mid-May to mid-October, they have tours that last from 4 to 7 days long. They primarily sail between Kingston and Quebec City on the St. Lawrence and a few cruises each season travel the Ottawa river between Montreal and Ottawa.

Cruise Ship Entertainment

When I was first hired to perform on the Canadian Empress, the owner, Robert Clark, saw a photograph in a local newspaper from when I performed at the annual Christmas party of the local Chamber of Commerce. We worked out a deal and I was set to perform 34 shows at different ports the ship stopped at each evening. I would drive to the port and perform a 90-minute show for the passengers and then drive home. I love performing on the ship because their capacity is 62 passengers. It makes for an intimate gathering and I get to know a few of the passengers. They come from all around the world and the cruises are for adults only.

Magician presents a 90-minute show!

In the entertainment industry “A” material refers to how well created are segments of the show. In a magic show, the tricks that have been refined and polished over many years earn their place in the show and are considered “A” material. Many magicians never even acquire 60 minutes of “A” material. If you’ve seen magicians on America’s Got Talent, they have under 2 minutes to impress the judges. That is what I consider a sprint. Those performers aren’t necessarily great for 60 or 90 minutes. Performers that excel in that format are the marathoners of the entertainment industry. It takes persistence and constant attention to refining the minor details. Not every performer has the patience to do the required work.

Unique Cruise Ship Magician

What I really enjoy about being a magician is creating my own tricks and also reinventing classics. There are certain tricks that many magicians perform because it was available online. There are a select few performers that enjoy tailoring their show to their own personality. Those are the performers that stand out from the crowd. They are the ones that aren’t satisfied with “good enough” and go the distance to keep improving. Even though, I’ve been a full-time performer for over 35 years, I haven’t ever become complacent with my show. I continue to learn and evolve. That’s what makes my job fascinating.

End of the Season

As this cruise season is drawing to a close, I’m already imagining and designing new pieces for next year’s launch. It is always great to see the crew members that have been on for many years and also the newbies. And I also look forward to the new audiences and the passengers that return. We always have an amazing time!

Ottawa Holiday Parties in December

Ottawa holiday parties make December, for entertainers, a busy time of year. Usually, corporate parties happen on Friday and Saturday nights prior to Christmas. Family parties happen during the day on Saturday and Sunday. Pricing during those time is generally higher than mid-week as there are typically on three weekends before Christmas. By mid to late October all the prime times are taken.

Cocktails

For the adult parties, often I’ll be asked to present up close magic during the cocktails and or during the dinner. Moving from group to group, or table to table, I create some amazing reactions with magic that happens in my hands. I love this style of magic because it allows me to interact with the guests and have some fun. The magic is interspersed with comedy and acts as a great ice-breaker. Often times, I hear that this type of magic is the talk around the water cooler the next day.

After Dinner Entertainment for Ottawa Holiday Parties

Another type of service is the stage style show that can happen after coffee and desert are served. My favourite type of audience is one that doesn’t exceed 150 guests. That allows me to incorporate several volunteers from the audience and really engage and interact with everyone. On some of the 380 Google reviews, I’ve been described as hilarious and amazing. I love to create unique magic that has never been seen before. That’s part of my popularity for over 30 years as a full-time entertainer.

Family Shows for Ottawa Holiday Parties

Family shows during the day are incredibly fun. I like to have the show happen on several levels, so that the parents aren’t having to put up with a goofy entertainer. They always approach me after the show to express how much they enjoyed the magic and comedy. Combining magic and music and comedy has been my winning formula over the years. The formula has evolved over the years as a result of performing over 8000 shows.

Quality Entertainment for your Holiday Party

If you are considering hiring an entertainer for your party, remember that all performers are not equal. Experience and dedication to the art of entertainment go a long way to ensuring the success of a show. Experienced party planners know that a great entertainer will be remembered long after the meal served is long forgotten.

I really look forward to the holiday season to add some magic to an already magical time of year!

Chris Pilsworth on tour. In March and April, I was on a 3-week tour of China. I presented 10 shows, 6 lectures and 4 workshops in 6 cities. This was my second time in China. The first was in 2017 when I was a consultant on a 12 part TV series called, “The Amazing Magicians.” At that time I was in Nanjing for 17 weeks over 6 months.

The Flight

This time was a shorter duration, but more intense scheduling. It was fabulous to see more of the country. The trip started in Ottawa, my home town. From there I flew to Toronto and then from Toronto to Hong Kong. If you’ve never been on a long-haul flight, it is important to decide how to fill the 14 hours. I always have a book to read. That coupled with a few movies, maybe a documentary and meals helps to pass the time. There is also a bit of time to try to sleep.

Chris Pilsworth on Tour – First Meal

When I arrived in Hong Kong, I had a short layover until my next flight to Guangzhou left. Upon arriving in Guangzhou, I was met at the airport by my tour manager, Li and one of my tour translators, Peter. We got my luggage and then before checking into my hotel, we had a nice dinner on an outdoor patio. Even though it was still cool in Canada, Guangzhou has summer temperatures.

Chris Pilsworth on Tour – Site Seeing

I had a few days to help adjust to the new time. There was a 12 hour difference. I love to explore new cities that I visit and I was able to see some amazing architecture and landmarks within walking distance of my hotel.

First Show

My first show was part of another show with two other Chinese magicians at a magic bar called Magic 101. Jay, the owner, is a great magician and his sister cooked a meal in my honour. About 12 of us gathered at the table outside his bar for an outstanding meal. The first show was fantastic and helped me to learn how to perform with simultaneous translation. It is a bit like a dance with the performer and translator taking turns to convey the dialogue.

The next shows in Guangzhou were at a magic theatre. The seats were sold out for both shows. After the first show, word spread to more cities in China and a few more shows were added to the itinerary. Read the next blog post for Chris Pilsworth on tour.