From levitating tables to vanishing bird cages, The Morgan auditorium had it all on November 12th as The New London Society of Magicians took the stage with tricks up their sleeves for the friends and families of Morgan.
Behind the Curtains: Organization of the Event
The Friends of Morgan (FOMM), a parent booster organization that fundraises for the Morgan chorus and band programs, organized this show to fundraise for future band expenses such as trips and scholarships. Vidal Orduz and Leila Mustakos, the band and chorus instructors, hoped to have a trip organized for this coming March to Virginia Beach, but due to the lack of numbers being able to afford it financially in a short period of time, were forced to call it off.
Bob Hale, a Connecticut based magician, introduced himself to Orduz at a retirement party for former chorus instructor John Lampe, and offered to host a magic show at Morgan. Hale had been a previous band instructor at The Morgan School before pursuing magic full-time, so he was extremely familiar with the town. Both the FOMM and Hale knew it would be a hit for families in Clinton, while at the same time benefiting Morgan’s music programs.
Enchanting the Audience
At the show, six magicians from the New London Society were invited to each perform an act. Bob Hale, Jim Spinnato, Pete Haddad, Wayne Gigniac, Mark Thomas, and David Garrity all brought fun and unique parts to the show, encouraging audience participation.
The opener of the show, Bob Hale, had shared his love for magic through various tricks and interactions with his hometown. Starting the show-off with a bang, Hale stated, “The three tricks I’m doing tonight are more of a creative approach to magic, like the handkerchief trick.” He performed the handkerchief trick with multiple volunteers, in which over ten colored handkerchiefs magically turned into one rainbow ribbon, after being put into a rolled up tube of paper.
The biggest act of the night, that left the entire audience perplexed, was during David Garrity’s act; the table levitation. A young girl volunteered during Garrity’s performance to showcase this trick. He had held two sides of a tablecloth on top of it while she held the other two, the table began to magically levitate, effortlessly. Garrity even brought the table out into the crowd, which caught many by surprise. Volunteering is a big aspect of many of Garrity’s acts. “I like anything that uses a volunteer from the audience. You never know what they’re going to do, so it keeps it fun for me, and it really creates an x factor,” Garrity said.
All of these acts brought to The Morgan School were extraordinary and left students, children, and even parents stunned. Senior Meredith O’Brien shared, “I thought the magic show was so much fun. I loved getting to go support Morgan music while also seeing a really cool show. I’d never been to a magic show before, and it exceeded my expectations. Getting to meet all the magicians beforehand was cool, and I enjoyed hearing their stories about how they got into magic.”
Lives Behind the Tricks
Getting into the world of magic is an extremely unique experience for three of these magicians, in which they shared their stories of their own upbringing in this art.
The one thing in common among the magicians is that they all started young, but what’s special is how they got to where they are today. Hale, the opening act, recalled, “I had a friend of the family who knew a couple of tricks that he taught to me. He knew a magician, and hooked me up with him, and it never really stopped from there. I did it all through high school and college, then ended up owning a magic shop for 30 years.” Not only was he fascinated with magic, but he was able to bring it alive and influence any kid or adult who attended his shows.
Garrity, the final act, was ten years old and on a vacation with his family in the sunshine state when he first learned about magic. “There was a dinner show, and that night it happened to be magic. The magician was making doves appear. As soon as I came back from the trip, I went to the library and found a magic book. It was a hobby that turned into a part-time job during high school, and then when I graduated, it became a full-time job. It’s been that way for about 30 years now.”
Mark Thomas, whose favorite new trick is the dancing cane trick, had a heartwarming upbringing through magic, having had his family’s help and support throughout. “I walked into a department store, and they had a 25 cent magic trick. I begged someone to buy it for me, and from that moment on I had support from family to bring me to magic shops and shows. My family had a theater background doing shows, plays, musicals, sound, tech and lighting, so that was already in my family, so they supported it along the way.”
For many of these magicians, the world of magic has seemingly always been a passion for them. Thomas said, “By the time I was 12 or 13 I was already doing shows, so I had to drive around all my props. By 18 I was doing shows all around the state.” These magicians are now able to share their art, and their dreams from when they were young, all the way to being able to share that love with the world, including the Morgan family.
