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Performer keeping magic close to home

High country residents will have a rare opportunity to watch one of their own showcase his magic skills this week.
Black Diamond magician Malcolm Russell is performing a magic show at Oilfields High School Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.
Black Diamond magician Malcolm Russell is performing a magic show at Oilfields High School Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

High country residents will have a rare opportunity to watch one of their own showcase his magic skills this week.

Much of magician Malcolm Russell’s career is spent performing at corporate events across Alberta, but he has a few tricks up his sleeve for a home magic show at Oilfields High School in Black Diamond on Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.

“This is very rare,” said Russell. “I haven’t done much locally and I have a lot of friends here who say, ‘We would love to see you perform here and we would love to see your show.’ Most of my shows are privately booked.”

Russell’s wife Nadine is the librarian at Oilfields High School and the couple had discussed hosting a magic show at the school. Russell said it was time to follow through with the idea.

The Black Diamond resident performs sleight of hand, mind reading and predictions.

“The show is like a conversation,” he said. “It’s not glitz and glamour. It’s not me on the pedestal. What sets me apart is I try to be the most enjoyable and most watchable performance that I can be.”

Russell’s show also offers opportunities for audience involvement.

“When I bring them on stage they are there to share in the magic,” he said. “They are not just a prop. They are there to share the experience with the audience through their reactions. Anybody who comes on stage is guaranteed to have a good time.”

The love of performing began for Russell in his teens after watching a juggling act in a movie.

“I thought, I’m going to teach myself how to do that,” he said. “It makes me smile when I watch a performance and I wanted to be able to be on the other side of that.”

After teaching himself and getting some help from professional jugglers, Russell soon went on to street performing in university.

It wasn’t until his mid-20s that he began exploring magic.

“It was mostly the fact that I enjoyed watching it so much,” he said. “I would see tricks or performances – magic, juggling, whatever kind of performance that made me go wow, that was fantastic. It just appealed to me to learn how to do these things so that I could be on the other side of it to be able to perform for people.”

Russell attended a four-day magic workshop, but shortly after he and Nadine moved overseas.

During their 12 years abroad, Russell spent more time teaching English in Poland and Japan, working as a tour guide and operator, shepherding and building cabinets than performing magic.

That all changed when they returned to Canada and settled in Black Diamond eight years ago.

For seven of those years Russell has been working as a full time magician, mostly performing across Alberta.

“It is a lot of fun and it is hard work,” he said. “I’m working far more than 40 hours a week. Even when I’m not performing I’m practicing new techniques, I’m working on new tricks, I’m designing new tricks, building props, planning tours. From the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed it’s almost all got something to do with the long term success of the business.”

Some foothills residents may have seen Russell perform table magic at Earls Restaurants in Calgary, on stage at Calaway Park during the summer or on YouTube.

He hopes these gigs are all stepping stones to a bigger dream of performing in Las Vegas.

“In some ways it’s kind of the Holy Grail,” he said. “It’s something to aspire to. Even if I never get there I would be working on putting together shows and acts and entertainment that is worthy of being in a setting like that.”

Oilfields High School vice-principal Mark Fredriksen hopes Russell’s magic show will raise as much as $2,000 to offset the costs of the travel club’s upcoming trip to Italy this spring.

Students selling tickets and refreshments at the show will receive the funds raised at the show and is one of many fundraising events students take part in to help cover the travel costs.

“We do so much fundraising so we can offer it to all students in the school depending on their willingness to fundraise,” said Fredriksen. “Often $1,000 to $1,500 is raised toward their trip through fundraising opportunities offered through the school.”

Fredriksen said 30 students signed up to attend the trip to Italy.

“The reason why we have travel club is to expose our students to culture that they wouldn’t normally be able to experience,” he said, adding students will try such activities as olive oil making and cooking classes. “We make sure they’re not just walking through museums all day. There’s lots of interactive activities as well.”

Tickets to see Malcolm Russell perform cost $15 each and can be purchased at the door on Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. The performance begins at 7 p.m. Seating is limited to 150.

Magician Malcolm Russell

When: Oct. 2, 7 p.m.Where: Oilfields High SchoolCost: $15 at the door
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