Inspiration, Gratitude, and Accomplishment - Truth Lies In Magic
Saturday night marked the premiere of Truth Lies In Magic. The show was a collaboration of ideas between fellow Los Angeles magician, Tad "Mad Tad" Nyland, and myself. We also had the amazing support of a very talented crew of people. My girlfriend, stage assistant, and business partner, Dee Clark, along with Tad's stage assistants, Kat Noel and Diana Lee, and our stage hands consisting of Mitchell Roche and Jeff Wiegley, all worked together to create a one-night extravaganza of fun, humor, and magic.
Producing a 90-minute magic show in a beautiful 99-seat theater takes much more work than one would initially imagine. When we first entered the theater, we were looking at a big black box of a stage. Tad came up with a set design, and he and Jeff spent countless hours constructing the entire set. The design was simple and classy, but as with most simple ideas, transforming ideas into reality takes much effort.
Troubleshooting problems that would invariably pop up throughout the rehearsal process, and coordinating sound, video, and lighting cues was another time consuming but very necessary process.
On the day of the show, the theater was filled to capacity, and we had a crew of four cameramen video recording all the action on super high def cameras.
The show started with a video set to music that was produced and edited by Mad Tad (by the way, Tad is an Emmy Award winning editor). This video set the tone and the expectations for the rest of the show, and with that we were off and running!
The following 90 minutes was a blur. Magic, music, dancing, fire eating, mind reading, appearing girls, transpositions, floating tables, levitating boxes, and a good dose of comedy were all part of the show. The entire cast and crew stepped up their game to create an incredibly successful show. The audience honored us with a standing ovation, and before we knew it, the show had come to an end.
As I look back, I'm inspired by the creativity and resourcefulness of the people with whom I surround myself. I'm grateful for my family, friends, clients, and fans who through their support allow me to do what I love for a living. And the sense of accomplishment that I feel from putting in so much effort to bring an idea to fruition is a bit overwhelming.
This show was much bigger than anything I could have accomplished on my own. In my office there is a note that reads, "I'll never be bigger than myself if I insist on working alone." It's a wonderful reminder to surround myself with creative, resourceful, and good-hearted people, and this show was a perfect example of those words put to acton.
If you are reading this, I'm also grateful for you, because in some small way you enable me to continue on my journey.
Thank you for reading.
Lou Serrano