If you are fascinated by magic, your opportunity to see a real, live magician … right before your very eyes … happens Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Theatre on the Green. The Spencers: Theatre of Illusion performance, sponsored by the Cheraw Arts Commission, begins at 7:30 p.m.
“These are exceptional performers,” said Lindsay Bennett, executive director for the Cheraw Arts Commission. “Both of their recent shows in Aiken have sold out, at $40 a ticket.”
Tickets for the performance here in Cheraw, said Bennett, are available in advance at just $18 for adults and $12 for children/students at the Cheraw Community Center. Call the Community Center at 843-537-8420 for more information. Tickets at the door will be $20.
The Spencers are a husband and wife team, Kevin and Cindy Spencer, with a “unique fusion of magic and illusion, humor and mystery,” said Michael Jaenicke, an agent for the ensemble. “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.”
But messing with minds is not all of what the Spencers do.
According to Jaenicke, “In 1984, the Spencers founded the Healing of Magic, a program that takes them to hospitals and rehabilitation facilities to teach simple magic tricks to victims of stroke, spinal chord and head injuries, learning disabilities and other maladies.”
“A patient will practice a magic trick hundreds of times a day to learn it,” says Cindy. “With traditional therapy, some patients experience boredom and frustration. Magic wands don’t always belong with black hats and rabbits. Sometimes they belong in hospitals where frail hands learn tricks and magic, the real magic in the healing.”
The show planned for Cheraw’s audience will blend the “theatrical elements of a Broadway-style production with the high energy of a rock concert,” said Jaenicke. Spencer also likes to involve the audience with the performance.
The Healing of Magic program, along with and interactive classroom program called Hocus Focus, have given the Spencers an international reputation; with some of their research being published in scientific journals.
According to Jaenicke, “The Jaycees recognized their endeavors and honored the Spencers with their Outstanding Young Americans Award. In addition, they have received the Harry Chapin Award for Contributions to Humanity, joining Willie Nelson (Farm Aid) and Roslyn and Jimmy Carter (Habitat for Humanity) on the elite list of honorees.”
The Cheraw Arts Commission is sponsored in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
— Staff Writer Karen Kissiah can be reached by calling 843-537-5261, or by email at kkissiah@heartlandpublications.com.
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