Magic News

Kerry Scorah: The Inside Magic Celebrity Interview

Kerry Scorah is one
of the top performing magicians in the world and member of the
prestigious Magic Circle in London.

In fact, she was asked to be one of the performers for the Magic
Circle’s Centenary Celebration and you can see her pictured in this
month’s Magic magazine.

Ms. Scorah is well-respected by her peers on both sides of the
Atlantic. She has appeared at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and has
made numerous appearances in Las Vegas.

Among the many firsts she has accomplished, Ms. Scorah was the first
female magician to win the Simpson Shield for her close-up magic. Her
stage act was awarded the prestigious title, British Magical Champion
of Comedy.

Viewers of UK television have had the good fortune to see Ms. Scorah on many occasions, and most recently as a star in Undercover Magic – a new hidden camera magic series on Sky One.

We were so delighted she agreed to participate in the grueling
process known as the Inside Magic Celebrity Interview. We felt guilty
for not telling her how tedious it would be — we take notes on an Etch-A-Sketch. As regular readers of Inside Magic know, when we’re around beautiful and talented people we shake badly.

There is another interview of Ms. Scorah as part of the publicity surrounding her work on Sky One’s hit Undercover Magic at the UK’s Metro Cafe web site.
We must caution you, however. Even though Americans and English speak
roughly the same language, the differences between the two worlds will
come crashing in an idiomatic maelstrom. We have no idea what was meant
by some of the phrases. Such as, “[t]here are a few who sussed it but
not many.” We assume that is a good thing or a bad thing.

We are honored to have Ms. Scorah agree to be interviewed and wish
her the best of all possible luck with her career. She is an
outstanding representative of our art.

Have you always wanted to be a magician?

When
I was a kid growing up in Yorkshire, I remember watching Paul Daniels
on the telly. We always watched his show as a family and although my
sister always fancied herself as Debbie McGee, I always knew that I
wanted to be the magician!

When did you actually begin to perform?

To
be honest I was a late starter as even though I watched the shows and
wanted to do what he did I didn’t know that women did magic or there
where clubs to join. In fact looking back now it seems odd that there
was once a time in my life when I didn’t know any magicians!!!!

You were a featured performer at the Close-Up Gallery at the Magic Castle. Is Close-Up your favorite magic to perform?

I
really love being on stage but performing close-up sleight of hand
magic is my favourite. It?s so intimate and I think it?s the purest and
oldest form of our art. I?d love to…

Kerry Scorah is one
of the top performing magicians in the world and member of the
prestigious Magic Circle in London.

In fact, she was asked to be one of the performers for the Magic
Circle’s Centenary Celebration and you can see her pictured in this
month’s Magic magazine.

Ms. Scorah is well-respected by her peers on both sides of the
Atlantic. She has appeared at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and has
made numerous appearances in Las Vegas.

Among the many firsts she has accomplished, Ms. Scorah was the first
female magician to win the Simpson Shield for her close-up magic. Her
stage act was awarded the prestigious title, British Magical Champion
of Comedy.

Viewers of UK television have had the good fortune to see Ms. Scorah on many occasions, and most recently as a star in Undercover Magic – a new hidden camera magic series on Sky One.

We were so delighted she agreed to participate in the grueling
process known as the Inside Magic Celebrity Interview. We felt guilty
for not telling her how tedious it would be — we take notes on an Etch-A-Sketch. As regular readers of Inside Magic know, when we’re around beautiful and talented people we shake badly.

There is another interview of Ms. Scorah as part of the publicity surrounding her work on Sky One’s hit Undercover Magic at the UK’s Metro Cafe web site.
We must caution you, however. Even though Americans and English speak
roughly the same language, the differences between the two worlds will
come crashing in an idiomatic maelstrom. We have no idea what was meant
by some of the phrases. Such as, “[t]here are a few who sussed it but
not many.” We assume that is a good thing or a bad thing.

We are honored to have Ms. Scorah agree to be interviewed and wish
her the best of all possible luck with her career. She is an
outstanding representative of our art.

Have you always wanted to be a magician?

When
I was a kid growing up in Yorkshire, I remember watching Paul Daniels
on the telly. We always watched his show as a family and although my
sister always fancied herself as Debbie McGee, I always knew that I
wanted to be the magician!

When did you actually begin to perform?

To
be honest I was a late starter as even though I watched the shows and
wanted to do what he did I didn’t know that women did magic or there
where clubs to join. In fact looking back now it seems odd that there
was once a time in my life when I didn’t know any magicians!!!!

You were a featured performer at the Close-Up Gallery at the Magic Castle. Is Close-Up your favorite magic to perform?

I
really love being on stage but performing close-up sleight of hand
magic is my favourite. It?s so intimate and I think it?s the purest and
oldest form of our art. I?d love to perform a big illusion show one
day, perhaps I could saw all the men in half!

What
was it like to appear in the famous Magic Castle Close-Up Gallery? How
were the audiences compared to those you have had back in the UK?

When I performed in the Magic Castle’s Close-Up Gallery
last year, I loved it. The audiences there are fantastic and people are
so friendly, in fact I’m going back there in February of next year. I’m
not sure if the audiences differ much but The Castle is filled with
people who have all come out to see magic so you know your going to
have a good time with
them.

You have a great reputation in
the UK for your great ability to mix magic and comedy in your
presentation. The great British Actor and Manager, Sir Donald Wolfit
said on his death bed, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.” Does comedy
come naturally to you? What would you advise a young magician hoping to
perform comedy and/or magic?

I think
it’s important to let your natural personality come out and don’t try
to force something that isn’t there, for example I couldn’t do the
graceful stuff it’s just not my nature so you have to go with who you
really are, I think my Northern accent helps too 🙂

Would you suggest they work to perfect one of the two
disciplines first? Should they try to be a comedian who does magic or a
magician who is funny?

I would say to work
hard at your magic and the way you’re going to perform. The latter
should come a bit more naturally. Try different ways to perform until
you find the one you are more comfortable with.

Who are your favorite performers?

Too many to mention but definitely including Britney Spears, Lee Evans and Matt Lucas.

Have you found any resistance to the notion of a female magician on

either side of the Atlantic?

Easy question, NO!!!!

People always ask that question and I can honestly say I have never encountered any problems.

In fact, just the opposite.

Sometimes when I go to a job people will say, “Oh, you’re a girl!”
Just because they assume all magicians are men; but I just laugh and
say, “It’s gonna be hard to fool you tonight…………..”

If you weren’t performing magic, what would you be doing?

Hand on heart. I’ve no idea……………. I couldn’t imagine my life without magic.

What advice would you give to a young magician (either in age or experience) hoping to make magic a profession?

Join a club!!

That was the best thing I ever did. I joined Hull Magicians Circle and I’ve never looked back.

Also keep practising! Start with a few tricks and learn them well.

Perform them in front of family and friends as often as you can and get used to talking to people.

Thank
you very much, Kerry. We appreciate you even considering these
questions and hope we haven’t posed too much of an imposition.

Your very welcome, thank-you for your interest in me.

Our pleasure — sorry about shaking so much.

Check out Ms. Scorah’s incredible web site at http://www.kerryscorah.co.uk. The site is consistent in theme, graphics, and purpose. You can also view her home magic club’s web site at http://www.magician.org.uk/hmc/index.php.

There is even a picture of Ms. Scorah performing in the photo archive.

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.