Tag: The Spencers

Magician Feature

Kevin & Cindy Spencer Hit the Heartland

The SpencersInside Magic Favorites Kevin and Cindy Spencer will bring their incredible show, “Spencers: Theatre of Illusion” to Elgin, Illinois’ beautiful ECC Arts Center Saturday on April 11.

The Theatre of Illusion is an incredible event with high-tech effects, drama, comedy, romance, and suspense.  Blending the theatrical elements of a Broadway-style production with the energy of a rock concert, Kevin and Cindy Spencer take audiences on a journey to the impossible. The Spencers won the International Magic Society’s “Magician of the Year Award” in 2009, joining the likes of David Copperfield, Criss Angel, and Penn & Teller, and have been described as “modern day Houdinis” by critics.

The Spencers’ production is a unique fusion of magic and illusion, humor and mystery, and persona and personality. With a background in clinical psychology, Kevin likes to say, “I was going to help people’s minds, but now I just mess with them.”

“Theatre of Illusion” stands in stark contrast to the traditional magic show. Kevin Spencer sees it not as a stage full of tricks used to fool people, but as a way to inspire viewers with a sense of wonder. Audience members don’t simply watch the show, but are also invited to participate in the magic. Using magic much like a storyteller uses words, Kevin fuses this family-friendly production with a gamut of emotions. And with the skills of a master showman, he creates a world where nothing is impossible and anything can happen.

Tickets to Spencers: Theatre of Illusion are $20 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC Arts Center box office. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call 847-622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.

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The Spencers: Lovin’ It on the Road

Inside Magic Image of Kevin and Cindy Spencer from their Web Site spencersmagic.comSomeone far brighter than your dedicated authors quipped, “do something you enjoy, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Our maternal uncle (in the full sense of the phrase) is proof of the aphorism’s validity.

He loved kiting checks and defacing public restrooms with childlike images of his broken home life using glitter and Elmer’s glue.  He currently is free of any work responsibilities at nearby Gullwig, Michigan.  While he is denied access to checks, money orders, or craft supplies, he finds a way to occupy his time and hands. He is, in the word of his warden, “happy.”

Further proof that work does not have to be work appears to be evident in the magical act The Spencers.

As reported in The Folsom Telegraph today, Kevin and Cindy Spencer spend most of their time touring and have shows this in Carmel at the Sunset Center on April 2nd, the next day at Three Stages at Folsom Lake College in Folsom, and on April 5th at the Laxton Auditorium in Chico, California before they load the trucks and head to the beautiful Art Deco Ross Ragland Theater in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

“We’re on the road about 10 months of the year,” he said. “We do between four and seven shows per week, 40 to 45 weeks per year. You know, for a guy who has always wanted to do this, it’s pretty neat to wake up in a new town and perform on a new stage every day.

“People ask me if I would I ever want to settle in a Vegas or a Branson,” he said. “I can’t think of anything more boring than to be on the same stage everyday.”

Kevin Spencer describes the show as family friendly with the 18 to 35-year-old demographic in mind.

Continue reading “The Spencers: Lovin’ It on the Road” →

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The Spencers and the Widow’s Mite

Inside Magic Favorites and International Magicians of the Year, Kevin and Cindy Spencer bring their incredible and aptly named show Theatre of Illusions to Lander University's Josephine B. Abney Cultural Center Auditorium on October 19, 2010.

Why do we like the Spencers so effusively; other than they are great performers?

They care and care deeply; and not just about Magic, performing, or publicity. They care genuinely about people.

In fact, Kevin will bring his Healing of Magic curriculum to Lander's students the day before their big stage show. Through the program, healthcare professionals of all levels learn the therapeutic efficacy of Magic in the treatment of patients with cognitive or motor impairment.

This program has proven effective and The Spencers' have proven their commitment. They could have glommed onto any charitable cause, held shows, and contributed a portion from their profits or split ticket revenue. Chances are, they would receive accolades from within and without the Magic Community. News outlets would still cover them and they would feel some satisfaction in "giving back." Moreover, who are we to judge the motivations of any performer willing to do a good deed – even if doing the deed promotes ticket sales and bolsters the ego?

Assuming that time is really the currency of the traveling performer, the Spencers' willingness to give up a day to teach technicians, nurses, and doctors, is giving from their poverty. They have been giving through this program and in other ways around the world for years.

The web-based news provider for the Greenwood, South Carolina had one line that caught our eye. "The Spencers believe in magic on and off the stage. For these efforts, The Spencers were awarded the "Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity."

We thought about the line for almost an hour. We doubt anyone would take the time they take, give the commitment they offer, or steal precious hours from their crammed travel, practice and performance schedules in exchange for such a distinguished award.

We felt embarrassed and maybe properly shamed to wonder whether they felt their work was worthwhile; or if they ever considered a less labor-intensive way of doing good.

Like the widow in Luke 21, they are not giving to be seen but to help.

Check out The Spencers' very cool web site at www.SpencersMagic.com.

Read the full article about their appearance here: International Magicians of the Year to perform at Lander.