Alaskan Kid Magicians Perform ExtravaganzaInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

Robbie Christenson

Young magi part of the famous Alaska Magic Kids club will perform for the sixth straight year at holiday performances in Anchorage. Don Russell began the club about ten years ago to help young people discover the fun and self-confidence that can come from the performance of magic.

The project began as a two week workshop for kids in 1998 and like all great acts, it was held over by popular demand. The workshop morphed into Magic Kids for young boys and girls (7 to 17 years) interested in learning.

The club is supported by the parents and the public. Parents assist in ticket sales, working the sound board and rigging lighting. The public turns out for the shows throughout the year.

Alyson Wardell is a former Magic Kids member and says the program presents a refreshing philosophy. “It’s not scary at all,” Alyson said. “All you’ve got to do is just do it, and if you mess up, you mess up. They don’t know you’re messing up.”

ALASKA MAGIC KIDS will perform its Holiday Magic Extravaganza show starring special guest magician, David Stanley of Dayton, Ohio, at 2 and 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Snow Goose Theatre, 717 W. Third Avenue. Admission is $3, $5 for adults and $10 for a family.

The Alaska Magic Kids website is really inspiring. The site contains information about how the club is organized, the past events and the upcoming meetings and shows. In the notes from the August meeting (there are meetings ? open to the general public; and sessions ? open only to members), there was instruction and practice on the proper use of a…

Robbie Christenson

The club is supported by the parents and the public. Parents assist in ticket sales, working the sound board and rigging lighting. The public turns out for the shows throughout the year.

What a great format for encouraging youngsters to grow in our Art. The magicians learn techniques and effects during the private sessions and present their routines at the open meetings.

We learned how to use a microphone through trial and error over the years. Imagine how helpful it would be to have practical lessons in stagecraft from professionals. Let?s hope this is a program that can be implemented in other areas. The Alaska Magic Kids give great hope for the future of our beloved Art.

You can check out the club?s website here.

Read a preview of the Extravaganza from the Alaska Magic Circle here.

Read a full article on the club in the Anchorage Daily News here.