Young Plumstead magicians fine-tune tricks ahead of show

Young magicians will pull out all tricks as they compete at the Magicana Junior Magic Champs, presented by the College of Magic, at the Homecoming Centre in District Six on Saturday September 28.

The champs consist of two contests, the first at 3.30pm is close-up magic – card magic, sleight of hand, and other up-close tricks. Second is the stage magic contest, which takes place at 7.30pm. These performers will showcase mentalism, illusions and other stage magic performances.

Two contestants in this year’s competition Nathan October, 17, and Justine Williamson, 15, both from Plumstead, have been working hard to dazzle audiences on the night.

Nathan, who attends Bergvliet High School, said he first became interested in magic when he saw British magician Dynamo on TV. Thereafter, he started watching tutorials on how to do magic, and after seeing the “intricacies and wondrous secrets behind all the magic I had only seen on a screen, I was hooked.”

He said his family showed him much support. His mother bought him his first deck of cards, and the rest of the family, including her, would always watch him perform the tricks he’d learnt and give him tips on where to improve.

For Justine, who attends Springfield Convent School in Wynberg, magic was part of her family, as her two older sisters also graduated from College of Magic. “Naturally being surrounded by this incredible art made me even more eager to join the College of Magic.”

Both Nathan and Justine started at the College of Magic five years ago - the first course a gift from Nathan’s mother, while Justine joined as it was almost a tradition in her family.

Justine recalled the first time she learnt magic from her older sister, who had just started at the college at the time. “...She couldn't keep her excitement and secrets to herself and taught me how to do the trick. I was so amazed and thrilled with the new thing she taught me because I never thought I could do it before that day.”

Nathan specialises in children’s magic and will be performing an act that he describes as a mix of science and science fiction - “exploring the crazy and interesting effect of sound and silver” , which he came up with by putting all his magical interests on his bed in front of him, and developing effects bit by bit, tweaking it until he was confident to perform it in front of an audience.

“I believe that my best trick is a coin effect named the shadow matrix, or chink-a-chink,.”

Justine enjoys stage magic and while she is an introvert, she says, she enjoys the free feeling stage magic brings. “My favourite effect is the linking rings, whether performing with ninja rings (close-up rings) or the Chinese linking rings. It is always such for a crowd pleaser.”

She will perform an act conceptualised by one of her previous acts, where she is a magician, and takes audiences through a journey of what being a magician is all about.

The creative director at the College of Magic, Chad Findlay, said they were “incredibly proud of the young talent that will be taking the stage at this year's championships”.

“This event is the culmination of a series of preliminary contests and will be a wonderful opportunity for these aspiring magicians to showcase their hard work and passion for the art. It's going to be a magical experience for participants and audiences alike."

Asked if they believe in magic, Nathan said: “I believe in the power that magic has to take one, spectator or performer, and transport them to a world free from any troubles, school projects, work deadlines, and any other stresses of reality - leaving one in a state of pure and innocent wonder and joy.”

Justine said: “I do indeed believe in magic. I don't think it's the type of magic that matters, but instead the effect of you. Magic, when well performed, is absolutely beautiful and it's a chance to just give the brain a break and enjoy some mind-blowing wonders.”

Tickets for both events cost R120 through Quicket.