A few weeks ago I finalized a two week run of my theater show Please Shuffle The Cards. Getting the show off the ground was not something I was able to do alone. There were lots of people who looked at the script, who looked at the effects, and who gave me technical advice that resulted in the show audiences saw. There are four people I can thank publicly.
Branden Wolf is one of the finest coin magicians I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. That is only exceeded by his vision and skill as a graphic designer. After seeing the original run of the show at The Backstage Bistro, he told me he wanted to do the art if I ever did the show again. I told him what I wanted, and he said, “Nah we’re gonna do something different.” I’m fortunate that he disagreed with me. The artwork he made was universally complimented by everyone who saw it. He also made some excellent notes on my effects, even though he’s allergic to pasteboards.
Jessica Cavendar was my technical director and deserves more credit than I do for making this show happen. Her drive for perfection and willingness to walk into weirdness with me make for a hell of a partnership. She showed up early, stayed late, and made the supremely strange video that opened the show. It is because of her that we were able to mic strangers cell phones. It is because of her that the camera system was able to give my audience a never before seen crystal clear view of a magician working at a card table. I’ve often hear Copperfield has the best technical team in the world, and I really hope he doesn’t steal her from me.
Nickey Winkelman heard my idea for one effect. She said yes to putting it in The Backstage Bistro, and then allowed me the time and space to build a show around the effect that is Please Shuffle The Cards. She stepped in to direct it, giving me notes on scripting, making it funnier, and also giving me the most important thing of all; the eye of the layman. Magicians can often get distracted making things more impressive, more baffling, and usually less magical as a result. Nickey was able to tell me where things belonged and when I was thinking or working to hard. She’s been my creative partner for 3 years, and it’s because of her that I’ve been able to take some pretty serious creative risks knowing I have someone there to catch me when I fall.
Lastly, I have to thank the many who can’t be named. You know who you are and why I can’t thank you.
We are preparing to take Please Shuffle The Cards to some new cities. We are also working on some new ideas. We will see you soon