TrustArts Pressroom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:
Diana Roth, Senior Communications Manager, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
roth@trustarts.org / 412-651-8073 (cell)
Saul Markowitz, President, Markowitz Communications
saul@markowitzcommunications.com / 412-977-8517 (cell)
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YOU WON’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES:
LIBERTY MAGIC REAPPEARS FOR NEW 2022-23 SEASON

Liberty Magic, a project of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, is one of the
country’s only theaters dedicated to presenting world-class magic artists

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 23 2022:  Can you feel it, Pittsburgh? There’s magic in the air. (No, it’s not just football season).

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has just announced the new season for 2022-2023, and you won’t believe your eyes.

At 811 Liberty Avenue in the Cultural District – the same block where Harry Houdini once mesmerized Pittsburghers in 1916 -- Liberty Magic is an intimate, speakeasy-style performance space perfectly designed to showcase magic. Since its surprise opening in 2019, Liberty Magic has become an essential stop for the world’s best magicians, and one of the only venues in America specifically dedicated to the craft of magic.

“Our latest season at Liberty Magic promises awe-inspiring entertainment from an incredibly diverse, award-winning lineup of magicians who have performed around the globe. We cannot wait to open our doors for long-time subscribers and first-time visitors alike as we continue the venue’s mission of elevating the art of magic in Pittsburgh,” said Scott Shiller, Senior Vice President of Artistic Planning and Venues for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Subscription tickets can be purchased at TrustArts.org/MAGIC or by calling 412-456-1390. Group tickets for 10 or more are available at 412-471-6930. Pricing structure for the six-show subscription series is:

Interviews with artists and creative team available upon request.

Full performance details available on following pages and download link above.

ABOUT THE SHOWS

2022-2023 Subscription Shows:

November 2-December 4, 2022:  Henry Evans in “The Enchanted Cards of Buenos Aires”
No one is faster or more skilled with a deck of cards than Henry Evans. Nicknamed ‘Argentina’s merry magician’ Henry is a FISM (the Olympics of Magic) European Champion. A performer, lecturer and creator of innovative card effects, Henry has become famous around the globe for his original and self-choreographed card routines. Recognized for excellence in over 40 countries, he holds more international championship wins than any other living performer. Henry has appeared on hit television shows worldwide, including Argentina, Chile, Spain, Lisbon, Japan, China, and Korea. Audiences around the globe revel in the grace, precision, and humor of Henry’s performance style. The best part of any Henry Evans show is that almost all of the magic happens in the audience’s hands.

Never before seen on U.S. soil, “The Enchanted Cards of Buenos Aires” brings one of Henry’s most popular performances to Pittsburgh as an American premiere. Part of Liberty Magic’s “Focus on Argentina” Series, “The Enchanted Cards of Buenos Aires” demonstrates why Henry Evans is regarded as the best card magician in the world. Every audience member in the theater has a perfect seat to witness over 52 mini-miracles each and every night. Deck after deck after deck, cards transform, suits change, and aces fly. With a whisper and a chuckle, Henry speaks to the cards and they bend to his will while resting in the hands of Liberty Magic’s guests. Don’t miss the show’s finale when a dozen strangers take the stage to reconstruct a magical feat only attempted once before in American history.

December 7, 2022-January 1, 2023:  Ran’D Shine in “Evidence of Things Unseen”                                                               
In the time that it takes you to read this sentence, Ran’D Shine has already determined which card you will pluck from the deck a week from now. For over a decade, the Philadelphia native has been presenting “real magic for real people” to audiences in hundreds of American cities and over 25 countries worldwide.

A highly sought performer, Ran’D has been featured at the South African Arts Festival, Presidential Inauguration in Washington, DC, and Guantanamo Military Base. He has also made television appearances on the CW Network’s “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” as well as B.E.T. Network’s “Man on the Street”. Additionally, Ran’D  has been voted College Magician of the Year three times. In addition to his passion for live performance, Ran’D has also served as producer for “The Heart and Soul of Magic”, a magic show featuring an entirely African American cast of magicians. Ran’D is also the co-founder and past president of the International Association of Black Magical Artists, an organization dedicated to the history, cultural legacy, and fostering community among magicians of color.

January 4-February 12, 2022:  Steve Valentine in “Life & Other Deceptions”
You may have spotted him in NBC’s “Crossing Jordan,” Disney’s “I’m in The Band,” “Major Crimes,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Mike and Molly,” “Hot In Cleveland,” “Anger Management” and over 200 hours of TV and film. Steve Valentine has carved out a unique place for himself in show business. He’s constantly changing and morphing into a myriad of wild, quirky, funny, dangerous, and always unique characters.

However, few know that Steve Valentine is internationally recognized as one of the greatest sleight-of-hand artists in the world, having received four coveted awards from the world-famous Magic Castle alone. He was named Close-up Magician of the Year two years in a row and most recently Lecturer of the Year. Steve has travelled the world, performing in over 25 different countries, and had the honor of entertaining our troops overseas. Pittsburgh audiences may recognize Steve as the scene stealing Conjurer in the Broadway production of “The Illusionists Magic of the Holidays,” which came to Heinz Hall in December 2019. After years of honing his comedic chops on the stage and screen, Steve Valentine has finally merged his two loves -- magic and acting -- to create his autobiographical theater show, “Life & Other Deceptions.” Fusing his well known, wicked, and cheeky sense of humor with incredible magic and masterful storytelling, this hit one-man show takes you on a wild ride through Steve Valentine’s life, featuring fascinating stories, never before seen magic, and incredible sleight-of-hand. Part performance art and part intricate magic act, this show is hilarious, dramatic, touching, intimate, raunchy, and mind-blowing.

March 1-April 9, 2023:  Noah Sonnie in “Trust No One”
Who do you Trust? Your family? Your friends? Yourself? Surely you Don't trust a magician. Luckily, Noah Sonnie isn't your typical magician, which means 'Trust No One' Isn't your typical magic show. Noah Sonie brings his unique perspectives to the stage while effortlessly blending his love for modern Magic and Mind reading with his quick wit and improvisational humor. Noah Blends numerous passions together to create a one-of-a-kind Jaw dropping experience for his audience.  

May 3-June 11, 2023:  Lucy Darling in “Indulgence”
Unbelievably hilarious, devastatingly clever, and powerfully magical, Lucy Darling is a rising star and award-winning entertainer featured in the Guiness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. She is the star of the Super Channel documentary Carisa Hendrix: Girl on Fire, which tells the true story of the struggle to create her Las Vegas magic show. She was voted Stage Magician of the Year at the Magic Castle in 2019.

July 5-August 13, 2023:  Jimmy Ichihana in “In the Cards”
Using little more than a deck of cards, Jimmy Ichihana creates memories of the impossible, with his joy for magic evident in every performance. He’s learned from some of the greatest magicians in the world ⎼ having even spent a year in Madrid to study the card techniques of the masters. Now he’ll use every trick in the book to deceive your senses and create an unbelievable experience. 

Originally from Herkimer, New York, Jimmy currently lives in Orlando, Florida, and has traveled the world to share his talents. He’s performed at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, the Chicago Magic Lounge’s 654 Club, A Taste of Magic in New York City, and the Shanghai Magic Festival. He currently performs as part of the See Magic Live team in Orlando, and has appeared on the TV shows “Penn & Teller: Try This at Home,” “America’s Got Talent,” and twice on the show, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us.” “In the Cards” is a newly written show that combines magic collected from masters of the past and present with original creations and twists – many of which will be shared for the first time with the Liberty Magic audience. Combining sleight-of-hand, misdirection, and other undisclosed trickery, Jimmy’s show, “In the Cards,” is an interactive magical experience to enjoy with family and friends.

2022-2023 Season Specials

October 5-30, 2022:  Peter Samelson in “Devils ‘N Details”
Illusionist, entertainer, and philosopher, Peter Samelson blends simplicity and sophistication while provoking thought and inspiring wonder. Christened the "soft-spoken conceptualist of sorcery" by The New York Times, Samelson has performed atop the Great Wall of China, in the jungles of Bali, and the universities of Tokyo. From Kenya to the Magic Castle, from television to trade shows, college campuses to commercials, the New York stage, night clubs and celebrity events, Samelson has distinguished himself not only as a magician, but as an artist.

February 14-26, 2023:  Mr. Messado in “Ringistry”
What is “Ringistry”--? It’s the artistry of the linking rings. A standard of magic performed in a way you’ve never seen before. A modern interpretation of an ancient craft that highlights the cool in the classics, the suave in sleight of hand and the inspiration inherent in witnessing the impossible. Mr. Messado’s story begins on the TV screen of his grandmothers Philadelphia living room where global stars like Michael Jackson and David Copperfield ignited a love for entertainment and storytelling. In this deeply personal, hilarious, and engaging performance, revived for a second run by popular demand, you’ll get to know the mister behind the magic, the rabble-rousing raconteur behind the rings, you’ll get to know the magic of Mr. Messado.

April 12-30, 2023:  Jon Tai in “Road Signs”
Jon Tai is a critically acclaimed magician and storyteller whose mission is to foster connections between people through shared moments of astonishment. He is best known for having co-created and starred in “Missed Connections” at off-Broadway’s Drama Desk Award-winning 59E59 Theaters in New York City, following a sold-out run at Chicago’s MacArthur and multi-Jeff Award-winning A Red Orchid Theatre Company. Chris Jones, Chief Theater Critic of the Chicago Tribune, writes that Tai “proves magic’s power” while Catey Sullivan of the Sun-Times calls him “beguiling" and “simply astonishing.”

Jon is a proud Pittsburgher who lives with his wife Kate and tiny dog Nina in Troy Hill. Whereas “Missed Connections” took audience members on a cosmic mission across the multiverse, Jon is thrilled to come home to Liberty Magic with Road Signs – his earthly exploration of the quintessential American road trip and the various magical encounters one faces along the way.

June 14-July 2, 2023:  Eric Jones in “The Immaculate Deception”
In December of 1972 something magical happened at Three Rivers Stadium. To this day spectators are unsure just how it transpired. Through some combination of skill, chance and miracle Steelers fullback, Franco Harris, recovered a fumbled ball and pulled the team from the depths of sure defeat, scoring a game winning touchdown with 30 seconds on the clock. One of the greatest plays of all time -- The Immaculate Reception. Back by popular demand, Eric Jones, Liberty Magic’s Inaugural Magician and Artistic Advisor, revives the original production that draws inspiration from our city’s history of miraculous moments! Featuring perplexing prestidigitation created with Pittsburgh in mind, this premier production is sure to amaze and inspire. Don’t take your eye off the ball… or the card… or the coin… You just might catch “The Immaculate Deception.”

Hailing from Philadelphia, Eric has been astounding audiences world wide for nearly 20 years. He has appeared on Comedy Central, on The CW’s Masters of Illusion, successfully fooled Penn and Teller on the hit show “Fool Us” and was among the final 12 contestants on season 12 of “America’s Got Talent”. An award-winning performer, Eric Jones’s magic has been showcased at the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood and Monday Night Magic, NYC’s longest-running Off- Broadway magic show. He has appeared on television in 19 countries spanning 5 continents and has wowed dozens of A-List celebrities all over the globe. Eric was a contestant on Season 2 of Penn & Teller: Fool Us where he successfully fooled the duo. Eric was top 12 semi-finalist on Season 12 of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

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Liberty Magic is a space dedicated to elevating the art of magic. Located at 811 Liberty, on the same block where Harry Houdini mesmerized Pittsburgh crowds in 1916, Liberty Magic is an intimate, speakeasy performance space dedicated to the art of sleight of hand and prestidigitation. With less than 70 seats in four rows, the magicians and performers who appear at Liberty Magic offer you a one-of-a-kind experience that is easy to access and hard to forget. TrustArts.org/Magic

About the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has overseen one of Pittsburgh’s most historic transformations: turning a seedy red-light district into a magnet destination for arts lovers, residents, visitors, and business owners. Founded in 1984, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is the cultural and economic revitalization of a 14-block arts and entertainment/residential neighborhood called the Cultural District. The District is one of the country’s largest land masses “curated” by a single nonprofit arts organization. A major catalytic force in the city, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is a unique model of how public-private partnerships can reinvent a city with authenticity, innovation and creativity. Using the arts as an economic catalyst, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust has holistically created a world-renowned Cultural District that is revitalizing the city, improving the regional economy, and enhancing Pittsburgh’s quality of life. Thanks to the support of foundations, corporations, government agencies, and thousands of private citizens, the Trust stands as a national model of urban redevelopment through the arts.

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