Would you like some magic potion this weekend? From Long Beach in California comes a tall and sturdy magician to trick you this Saturday.
Wes Mattison, a member of Magic Castle in Hollywood, will perform white magic at Adishakti Laboratory for Arts and Research in Edayanchavadi Road on Saturday evening.
One of the youngest members of Magic Castle to have performed in all of the main showrooms, he has entertained the guests of the Getty House for the Mayor of Los Angeles, worked with Regal Cinemas to promote the new film Now You See Me 2, and travelled across the U.S. with his parlour act to amaze the people of Chicago on the legendary Stage 773.
An autodidact, Mr. Mattison started trying out magic tricks as a hobby at home when he was just 12 years old. He learnt magic reading books and watching DVDs, “along the way, I found people who helped me,” he says. Now in his early 20s, Mr. Mattison has done innumerable shows in his hometown. “I performed my first show at a birthday party in Long Beach when I was 19 years old. My elder brother’s boss had invited me to perform at the party. My car was not working so I had to ride my bike and I just went in sweating I had no idea what I was doing. I did it but obviously I got better since then,” said the young magician.
He says: “After that, I did not get any opportunity for a long time. People are little hesitant to invite young magicians. They think young magicians are not good. This motivated me to work harder and set my goal. I wanted to disprove them and I did it. But now, I have shows every week.”
What sets him apart from other magicians is his ability to blend theatre and magic in his performance.
“I found that by studying theatre, I have been able to make the show more engaging rather than just using tricks. It makes the show more entertaining. Theatre teaches you on how to interact with the audience and keep them engaged; how to have a proper stage presence and to improvise. This makes magic more interesting,” he says.
Competition drives him to work harder. “There are a lot of magicians and a lot of entertainers; This makes it this small field more competitive. However, with fierce competition also comes a greater desire to improve, get work, build contacts and also find opportunities to collaborate with others,” says the magician.
Mr. Mattison who is attending a theatre workshop at Adishakti Laboratory for Arts and Research as part of his academic work, wants to make his first visit to India a magical one.
