It's hard to believe 2011 is over and 2012 is underway. I hope you had a safe and happy holiday season! Let me get you up to speed on what has been going on...

We recently closed out our 2011 performance season with 4 great back-to-back shows on the east coast.



My team and I flew into NY and made the quick trip across the George Washington Bridge to the Bergen PAC in Englewood, NJ. This was our third year in a row performing there. It's a beautiful performing arts center that hosts a variety of well-known national touring acts. We were honored to once again be part of their season.



We had 2 great shows with some very responsive audiences. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces and catch up with our friends after the shows.

Immediately following our NJ shows we headed back across the GWB to Queens, NY. By the time we arrived we were ready for a late dinner. Our hotel suggested a great restaurant which didn't disappoint. I carbed up and had the lasagna dinner. I was shocked when the plate arrived! I fought a great fight but in the end I wasn't able to finish it all.



Our waitress was a lot of fun and it turned out she was from Wisconsin! She was now living in NY to pursue an acting career. She said she loves WI so much that she got the state tattooed on her neck...she wasn't kidding! I've heard of cheddar pride but this takes the cake or should I say cheese :-)



The next morning we loaded in for our 2 performances at the Queens Theatre in the Park. This was our first time performing at this venue. When we arrived we were greeted by the observatory towers which were featured in the movie, Men in Black. Turns out the theatre in right underneath them! It was really neat to see them in person and take a quick walk around the park.





Set up went really well thanks to Ruben and his crew. We had 2 great shows that both ended with standing ovations! What a great way to cap off our 2011 season! We truly look forward to bringing our show back to Queens in the near future.



Following the show we packed up and grabbed a quick photo in front of the Unisphere.



I would like to thank everyone who came out to our shows this year. We truly appreciate all your support and are grateful for the opportunity to entertain you!

We will start our 2012 season in Vineland, NJ on January 28th at the Landis Theater. If you're in the area come see us!

Here's to 2012!

Bill

Hey everyone! My team and I have been extremely busy over the past few weeks. I wanted to hop on and give a quick update and then I have to get back to the shop. Two of our new illusions are in and we're working hard to get them into the live show!

We've been enjoying a few months of down time to focus on some key aspects of our show. We're finalizing our new stage set and are excited to start fabrication on it! We're also working on a few "special" projects that I can't talk about just yet but as soon as I can I will let you know!

It's a very exciting time for us. We've started slotting in dates for our 2012/13 tour and it's shaping up to be our largest tour to date! We also are closing on our brand new warehouse at the end of next month! This new facility will give us additional room for development, practice and much more! I'll post some pics once we move in.

Well, that's it for now! I'll be in touch!

Bill

Just over a week ago I had the pleasure of being a featured performer at the 74th annual Abbott Magic Get Together in Colon, MI. This town is known as the "Magic Capital of the World" and was home to many famous magicians including the legendary Blackstone family!

My family and I had a great time during the 2 short days we were in town! Met up with a lot of old friends in magic and made some new ones.

(Hanging out with Mike Caveney before the afternoon show)


(James Dimmare and I before the evening show)


We were all sitting around one night and someone asked the question of whether or not there is such a thing as a "new" illusion. What seemed like a simple question created one of the most interesting conversations on magic I've had in a long time.

As we were discussing if "new" illusions really exist one of the illusions in my show was brought up. One of the gentlemen mentioned my "Walking Thru Steel" illusion. He asked, "Bill, is your Walking Thru Steel illusion new?" I joked and said, "No, it's a few years old." In all seriousness, while the design and method are "new" to magic is the illusion itself? Hmmm...well to be honest the answer would have to be no. Magicians have walked thru walls, steel, mirrors, etc. for a number of years.

Take the popular "Walking Thru a Brick Wall" illusion for example...

Harry Houdini first performed a version of this illusion in 1914 after receiving performance rights from a London magician named Sidney Josolyne. In Sidney's version he walked thru a steel wall. Harry Houdini changed out the steel wall for a common brick wall. The rest is history.

Houdini might have been the first to walk thru a brick wall but he wasn't the last. Famous illusionist Doug Henning performed a version of this illusion in Dec. of 1977 on his network TV special. 9 years later in 1986 David Copperfield performed his version when he walked thru the Great Wall of China! The illusion then fell off the "magic radar" for a number of years. Most recently a modern version has made its way to the stage. Actually not too far from where Houdini first performed it! French illusionist Jan Rouven performed this modern version on a 2008 french TV special. You can see Jan's performance of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbqOLhPhf1M

It was the first time the illusion had been seen in Europe since Houdini performed it in 1914! As they say...what is old is new again!

This is just one example but the same is true for some of the other popular "walking thru" illusions. In 1981 Doug Henning walked thru a mirror on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Then in 1990, David Copperfield walked thru a mirror. I'm surprised nobody has gotten stuck yet! Oh wait...someone did! In the Broadway musical "Amour" the hero of the musical actually got stuck while passing thru a brick wall!

There are many "walking thru" effects in shows all over the world today. David Copperfield currently performs a really cool "Passing Thru Steel" which for the record is much different than the version I perform ;-) The reality is these style of effects have existed for years. Does creating a new method or look to the props make them new or do people see the same "magic moment" in all of them? I guess that is for the audiences to decide.

In the end my opinion is that "new" illusions don't exist. They're just creative twists on classics of magic and if performed right come off as new. For example, we've all seen magicians levitate their assistants or themselves and we've seen David Copperfield fly. However, have you ever seen someone fly around on stage on a flying skateboard?! Well I do but the root of my Hoverboard illusion is a classic magic levitation but we've twisted it to make it our own and new to audiences.

For me it always comes down to one thing...entertainment. Is my audience entertained by what I do? If the answer is yes then I'm doing things right. Every performer is different and we all have our own styles. Some will claim to be the only ones performing certain illusions but the reality is they're probably not. They even go a step further to state they created the illusions and other performers took their ideas or copied them. Again, not the case. Don't get me wrong, there are illusions out there that performers have created for their shows exclusively. We have a few. For example, my Departed, Hoverboard and Plexi Box illusions were created by me and my team for our show only. You will not see them in any other show. Likewise, you won't see my Thru Steel illusion in any other show (at least for now) but I can't take credit for its creation. That credit goes to renowned magic creator Jim Steinmeyer who creates illusions for many of today's top professionals.

In the end, to me performing illusions is more than just rolling a prop onto the stage. It's about taking the time to develop the piece from start to finish, creating the right jokes, moments, situations and then staging it all to lighting and sound to bring it to life! That to me is where the true "magic" is. As my dad always says, "The trick doesn't do itself. It's up to you to make it something different and special," which is exactly what I strive to do every time I get on stage.

Our spring season closed out with a Friday performance in Wilkes-Barre, PA and a Sunday show at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY. These last two shows were a great way to cap off what has been our best tour yet!

Our PA show was completely SOLD OUT!! It was an awesome audience and I can't even begin to describe the energy in the air during the show! Thank you to the union crew and local staff for all of their hard work!



Prior to our performance in Albany, NBC Channel 13 invited me to come perform on their Morning Show. I gladly agreed and put together something really cool to perform on the show.





I arrived at the NBC 13 studios an hour before the show was set to go live. It was cool walking around the studio and meeting the show hosts and crew. Before we knew it the hour had flown by and it was time to get ready!

(Checking my hair)


Right before the show went live I noticed a mirror hanging above me on the ceiling. I just couldn't resist myself and I had to take this shot!



With that photo op out of the way it was time to bust out some magic for the folks watching at home. The trick went off great and the hosts were floored with what I performed. They even tried to bribe me to tell them how it was done!

(Performing live on the air)


Thank you to everyone at NBC 13 Albany for such a great time! I also want to send a special thank you to my friend Rick Wilcox for his help with the routine I performed on the show. With the TV appearance done it was time to get over to the theatre and get ready for the show!



When I got to the theatre my crew was already working away at getting our truck unloaded. We had a tight schedule with the performance taking place at 3PM. The union crew at the Palace was great and had our equipment up and running in no time.

After a quick late lunch showtime was upon us. Hundreds of people were filing into the theater ready to see the show we had in store for them. My crew and I had been looking forward to this show for months now. The audience was just as excited as we were. The show ended with an incredible standing ovation!! Thank you Albany!

After the show, we loaded all of our equipment out of the theater which completed our spring tour.

(The Palace Theater)


Thank you to everyone who came out to see our show this year! Also, a big thank you to all of the venues who included The Magic of Bill Blagg LIVE! on their season and made this tour possible!

Have a great summer everyone...I'm going on vacation!

Bill

No, I'm not listening to Willie Nelson right now. Actually, in a few short hours my team and I will be heading out for our final two shows before summer. This Friday we'll be performing at the FM Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA and then on Friday we cap of our tour with a performance at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY! In a matter of a few short days we'll cover over 2,000 miles and perform for over 2,500 people! I'm excited!!



Prior to our performance at the Palace in Albany, I'll be making an appearance on the NBC Weekend Today Show which airs on Channel 13. If you're in the viewing area tune in to check out a little something I put together for the show!

I'll be taking a lot of pictures from the road and will post more when we get back. Hope everyone is doing well!

-Bill

My team and I have been hard at work reinventing our show over the past few months. We're constantly working on new illusions, staging, etc. but this process has been different. Instead of working on new things for the show we've been spending a lot of time analyzing our current show inside and out. It's been quite the process but amazing at the same time.

I'm very fortunate to have one of the industry's top magic consultants on my team. His name is Don Wayne. Don has invented an endless amount of illusions that have been featured by top professionals all over the world. He's made it possible for people to walk thru the Great Wall of China, Vanish Lear Jets and much more.

(Don Wayne)


Don has been working side by side with me on our show for a number of years now. He and I collaborate on a large number of concepts and ideas, some of which have recently made their way to the stage in our show. It's a very rewarding process watching things go from a random spoken idea, to a sketch on a sheet of paper, to a full complete illusion. It's a process that takes an endless amount of time. One of the new pieces we're working on right now has been in the works for well over 5 years!

As I already mentioned, we have recently gone through our entire show top to bottom. We've discovered and enhanced a lot of key moments in the show. We're always looking to push the envelope further and present new, original, entertaining magic with each season. Our new line-up will debut in September 2011 and will feature some really cool, original magic you won't see anywhere else! I'm really looking forward to bringing it all to the stage!

(Don and I about to enjoy some dinner after a long day of work)


During our show review, we recognized some key areas that we wanted to add more visual elements to. We've tossed a bunch of ideas back and forth and have come up with some really cool concepts. I'm in the process of working with one of the country's top production companies to bring these visual elements to life. We're experimenting with a variety of soft goods (fabric) as well as trussing, lighting, etc. to bring a visual element to our show not seen in the industry today. Very exciting times!

(Don Wayne and Tom McPhillips discussing some ideas while on tour with our show)


Keep an eye out for our new "look" and "feel" that will be coming to a stage near you ;-) We're going to be working very hard in the shop over the next few months before we head back out on the road to finish our season in Wilkes Barre, PA and Albany, NY!

If you want to get an inside look on what we're up to sign up for MOBB Mail at www.billblagg.com!

Till next time!

Bill

2011 is off to an amazing start! We've got our new truck packed up and we're ready for a great season!

(Loading up for the first show of 2011)


On Jan 8th we rolled in to Morristown, NJ for 2 shows at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. The day started early with our first show at 3PM but the crew got everything dialed in with plenty of time to spare.

(Getting ready for the show)


Both of the shows were packed and the standing ovations were greatly appreciated! What a way to start off 2011! We'll be heading back out to NJ on Feb. 12th.

After Morristown, NJ we made our way back to WI and rocked Sheboygan, WI on Jan 15th!




We had a special treat for our audience in Sheboygan. After a few trial performances last year we officially introduced our new illusion "Departed" into our line-up at the Sheboygan show! The audience loved it! We're still receiving e-mails asking us where Jim went! Jim was the lucky soul who volunteered that night to assist us on-stage. A few moments before Jim "departed" he told the audience that he was hoping he'd end up in Hawaii. I think Jim's wish came true! To everyone in Sheboygan wondering we did end up finding Jim and returned him to his wife Sue.

(Jim and I following the show)


The show was great and yet another standing ovation! We're on a standing ovation streak...15 in a row! After the show we had a very long line of fans waiting to say hello. It was great meeting with them and hearing about their favorite parts of the show and the great time that they had!

Once we got all the equipment packed up and loaded in the truck we went out for a little bit of fun on the town. Some of my family was in town for the show as well as close family friends as well. We had an amazing time coming back to Sheboygan and can't wait to come back again!

(Group photo while on the town)


We're off for a few weeks and using the time to get our new tech (Mike) up to speed since he'll be running some of the upcoming shows. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in Mahwah, NJ on Feb 12th!

Bill

I've received a lot of e-mails lately asking me where I've been. I'm sorry I've neglected the blog postings since the Soul Train Awards. I'm still alive :-) My team and I have been extremely busy with the first few live performances for 2011 and some very special projects. I can't talk about them yet but I promise to let you know more as soon as I can!

We're off to Sheboygan, WI tomorrow for a show at the Stefanie Weill Center at 7:30PM. If you're in the area come on out and see the show. We will be debuting a few new illusions tomorrow night! We've got a lot of cool new things in store for 2011!

I'll post some pics once we get back!

Stay warm!!!

Bill

Tomorrow night we will be performing in Englewood, NJ, at the Bergen Performing Arts Center at 7pm. When we're in the middle of the second half of the show, our performance on the 2010 Soul Train Music Awards will be airing on BET! Be sure to check your local listings and check it out!

(My stage manager Nate, myself and Taraji Henson locking Terrence Howard into my Plexi Box illusion!)


This morning I received word from back home that there was a nice mention about us performing on the Soul Train Awards in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Here's a link to the article:

http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/t ... 86974.html

My production manager Tim and myself just completed the 15 hour drive from Milwaukee to Englewood. It was a very smooth trip, save for a brief snowstorm when we were coming through PA. Our performance in Englewood tomorrow night will be our final show for 2010. It's been a great season and we'd like to thank everyone who came out to see our show and all the new friends we met on the road this year.

We have a few new illusions in the show tomorrow night so if you find yourself in the Englewood, NJ, area come on out. A few good seats still remain at www.ticketmaster.com.

Once the show wraps I'll be catching a plane out of NY bright and early at 6am on Monday to head back home :-) I'm looking forward to spending the next month at home, decorating for the holidays and spending some much needed time with family and friends.

Don't forget to check out the Soul Train Awards tomorrow night at 8pm (central) on BET!

Have a safe and happy holiday season!!

Bill

What an amazing week! I just flew in from Atlanta where I was the magic consultant for the 2010 Soul Train Music Awards! I had the pleasure of working along side celebrity hosts Taraji Henson and Terrence Howard while we performed a few magic illusions live on the show!

(Terrence and I making Taraji levitate in mid-air!)


In addition to the levitation, we also performed one of my original effects called "The Plexiglass Box". My stage manager Nate and I assisted Taraji on stage while Terrence was brave enough to step inside the box.

(My Plexiglass Box Illusion on set for rehearsal)


I can't tell you what happened so you'll have to tune in to see for yourself! The show will air on November 28th on the BET Network (check your local listings).

I can't even begin to explain what an amazing experience this show was! Nate and I were on location for 4 days. Nate was a huge help and was very instrumental in working with the crew to make sure everything went off without a hitch.

(Nate and I outside the venue prior to filming)


We wrapped taping early this morning around 1:30am with over 2,500 in attendance. Many celebrities were present including Steve Harvey, Anita Baker, R. Kelly, Bruno Mars, Ron Isley, and many more. Steve Harvey and I were talking after the magic portions of the show and he said the illusions blew his mind! I was stoked to hear that!

Overall, the entire show was filled with incredible energy and amazing performances. From the stage set to all of the performances not a single detail was overlooked.

(The stage set for the 2010 Soul Train Awards)


I feel honored to have been a part of this show. Make sure you tune in on Nov. 28th...you won't be disappointed.

Bill

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being part of "Jackie's Magic" which is an annual show that takes place in Gurnee, IL. It was an honor to be invited to close out the evening show! We even debuted one of our newest illusions which the crowd loved.

For 7 years now, Jackie's Magic has raised food to feed the hungry of Lake County, IL. The show is organized by Jim Stanislawski who created the show as a tribute to his daughter Jackie who passed away in a tragic car accident. Admission to the show in non-pershable food or a cash donation to the food pantry. This year was a banner year for donations!

My team and I volunteered our time in addition to our lighting equipment and stage set. Both my production manager Tim and stage manager Nate played an integral part in bringing the whole show together.

It was truly an amazing day watching 8 performers come together to put on a show for a capacity crowd to help feed the hungry. Everyone who is a part of the show volunteers their time for this charitable cause. It's nice seeing everyone come together to share their talents for such a cause.

In addition to the performers, we were also joined by world-renowned magician Marshall Brodien. Marshall is well-known for his role on The Bozo Show as Wizzo the Wizard as well as his ever popular TV Magic Cards.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support this great cause! Also, a big thank you to all of the volunteers who made this show possible and to Jim and his family for their hard work organizing the event.

For those who think magic isn't real...an event like this proves that it is!

-Bill

(Marshall Brodien and me after the show)

Today is a day that I've been working toward for a very long time. A little over 10 years ago I came up with an idea for an original illusion called the Hoverboard. It was based on the flying skateboard called a "Hoverboard" seen in the popular movie Back to the Future. I was in college sitting in my dorm trying to come up with something really cool that had never been done in a magic & illusion show before. All of a sudden BOOM! it hit me....the Hoverboard!

It's been a VERY long road to finally get this thing off the ground (no pun intended). I've been working with a team of builders and consultants to make this crazy idea a reality. Over the years we've gone through numerous concepts just to find out that they wouldn't work. A few years back we came close to having it all figured out then we hit a major snag so it was back to the drawing board. I was about to give up and then someone told me a quote Thomas Edison said when he was trying to invent the lightbulb..."I didn't fail 2,000 times...I just found 2,000 ways it wouldn't work!" That quote became my inspiration to never give up and to keep trying. Let me just say I know a lot of ways the Hoverboard won't work :-)

I'm always pushing myself to bring original material to the stage to create an experience like nothing that's ever been seen before. Specifically original, one-of-a-kind magic combined with my own unique style. I feel audiences deserve to see something new and unique and as a performer it's extremely rewarding to present your own original illusions that can't be purchased from a magic builder. With that said I present to you my latest creation....the Hoverboard!

(Riding my new Hoverboard)


I want to say thank you to my parents Bill & Debbie, Don Wayne, Willie Kennedy, Jim Steinmeyer, Don Horsley, Kristin Miller, Barry Richter, Ryan Reed, Miles Brooks, Jim Brando, Tim Clothier, Tiffany Cincotta, Hallie Meyer, Nate Richter, Tim Cooksy and everyone out there who didn't think I was crazy, believed in the concept and helped make it a reality. THANK YOU!

If you want to catch the Hoverboard in action it can only be seen in our show! It'll be one of the featured illusions in our upcoming tour (select cities)! I hope you get a chance to see it live!

Stay Tuned!

-Bill

My team and I have been adding many new illusions to our show over the past few months. Some of these effects have been in the works for many years.

It's very rewarding seeing these illusions finally hit the stage to be performed in front of live audiences. You can only practice in the shop for so long before you have to put it in front of the people and see how it goes. It's an exciting/scary process but it's the only way to truly grow as an artist and stand out from the other shows out there.

As some of the illusions make their way to the stage others are leaving the shop(s) where we have them fabricated. For example, right now I have a project being built in N. Hollywood at a company called EDF. They are known in the industry for building some of the most cutting-edge magic seen today. My consultant Don Wayne and I actually discussed this original effect over 12 years ago! Recently, Don and I started talking about it again and decided we should go for it and finally make it happen.

Here are a couple of pictures from EDF of it being built. It should be done and on its way to Milwaukee in the next couple of weeks.



I'd love to tell you more about what it is exactly but I'd rather you see it for yourself in our live show! I have a feeling this one is going to be a serious jaw-dropper!

If you're in the Chicagoland area come out and see us this Saturday at 7:30PM at the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights, IL! We're debuting more new illusions so come check them out.

After the show this Sat. we're going to take some time off to overhaul the show before our tour starts again in Oct.

I hope you're having a great summer.

Bill

We finished our final show of the season this past Friday night at the Capital Theatre at the Overture Center in Madison, WI. It was one heck of a way to send this banner season out in style! I honestly feel it was the best performance we've ever done! Thank you to everyone who came out and made the show a grand success. There's no better way to close out the season than with a packed house and a standing ovation!

(Getting ready to walk thru steel)


We had some amazing moments on stage with my audience volunteer Doug during my Walking Thru Steel illusion. It's always great when the audience yells out random things that end up bringing the house down! It was such an awesome moment as I was starting to pass thru the steel plate and I could hear the massive "WOAH!" sound sweep across the crowd...it gave me chills!

In addition to an awesome night, my consultant Don and I were working very hard to put the finishing touches on some very large projects we have going on. We were able to complete all of our necessary onsite work and I'll be heading out to Hollywood in the coming weeks to start putting all of the data together.

(Don working backstage)


This year was by far our best year ever! My team and I have worked VERY hard to create and present a show unlike any other show out there today. It's been so rewarding seeing more and more venues take notice at our original production. Thank you to all the local crews, presenters and fans who made this tour possible!

I'm taking this week off! Woo Hoo!

Stay tuned for lots of exciting news to come ;-)

Bill

Wow....it's been awhile. I hope everyone one out there is doing well. My team and I have had our hands full with our show schedule and new illusions/projects we've been working on.

This past weekend was a huge milestone for our show. We performed 3 shows, in 3 nights in 3 cities and received 3 standing ovations! Holla! We performed at some amazing venues! Thank you to the local crews and the presenters who made this past weekend possible. In addition, we also successfully tested 3 brand-new illusions! Video and photos are coming soon so stay tuned!

My consultant Don Wayne was onsite with us for the past 5 days. We have a few large projects we're working on and it was great to have him onsite. His insight and knowledge in magic is unparalleled in the industry today and it's an honor to be working with him!

(Don and I chatting backstage)


In addition to staging our new illusions and projects we also had Tom McPhillips onsite with us Friday night. Tom is world renowned in the entertainment industry for his work with acts such as Ricky Martin, Martina McBride, Michael Jackson, Michael Buble', MTV and many more. Tom and I are in the initial stages of a very important project with our show!

(Tom and I going over some concepts backstage)


We have so many exciting things going on right now! Wooooo!! Stay tuned and keep your eye out for many of these great things coming soon!

Up next is Madison, WI, on April 30th! If you're in the area come out and see us!

-Bill