Liberty Magic Photo and Video Assets
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Announces
LIBERTY MAGIC SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES FOR THE 2019-2020 SEASON
Pittsburgh audiences can experience magic every Wednesday through Sunday at the intimate 811 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA – The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is committed to elevating the art of magic. Since opening in February of this year, Liberty Magic has hosted months of sold-out shows from the world’s best magicians. Now, the Trust is pleased to announce the continued growth of Liberty Magic through a subscription series. As one of the only venues dedicated to magic in the entire country, Liberty Magic offers audiences a one-of-a-kind experience that is easy to access and hard to forget.
Liberty Magic’s 66 seats have been filling quickly since its grand opening, and subscribers receive first access as new acts come to town, along with other benefits such as flexible dates, the lowest prices, dining discounts, and more.
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:
|
Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday |
Friday, Saturday |
Skeleton Key VIP |
$330 |
$390 |
General Admission |
$210 |
$240 |
Interviews with artists and creative team available upon request.
2019-2020 LIBERTY MAGIC SUBSCRIPTION SERIES
Dennis Watkins in The Magic Parlour
September 11 – September 29, 2019
Dennis Watkins Assets
"The Magic Parlour is a simple entertainment in the Ricky Jay Mold: Old-fashioned trickery performed very well in an ideal setting by Dennis Watkins, a man with a heart and a story." -The Chicago Tribune
Award-winning, third-generation magician Dennis Watkins brings an evening of sophisticated tomfoolery to Liberty Magic, direct from Chicago! His headlining show, The Magic Parlour is the longest running resident magic experience in the Windy City- having hosted more than 30,000 guests and over 1,000 performances over eight years in the historic Palmer House Hilton hotel. This intimate magic show, rarely seen outside the Chicago city limits, is inspired by the great parlour magicians of the 1900s, and is replete with 90 minutes of mind-blowing magic, otherworldly cardistry and mentalism performed in an elegant, turn of the century style.
Hailed as "Chicago's Official Magic Man!" by The Chicago Sun-Times, Dennis Watkins travels the country creating unforgettable feats of storytelling. Dennis is a company member with the famed theater company The House Theatre of Chicago, where he has written, acted, directed, and performed in over 21 world-premiere productions. He has reprised his role as one of America’s greatest magicians in The House’s production of Death & Harry Houdini, including the death-defying nightly performance of the Water Torture Cell, in over 150 performances in both Chicago and Miami. Dennis serves as Artistic Advisor to Liberty Magic where his replica of Houdini's Water Torture Cell is on display in the lobby of the theater.
"This magic show is exactly what it should be: funny, lively, intimate and utterly baffling.” -Chicago Reader
Lee Terbosic in The Life and Death of Harry Houdini
October 23 – November 3, 2019
Harry Houdini died on Halloween night in 1926. Join Lee Terbosic, widely considered one of the foremost magical experts on Houdini, as he explores the mysteries surrounding Houdini's astonishing life and death.
It seems quite appropriate that the world's most famous magician should pass away on the year's most "magical" day. Even more intriguing, Houdini was 52 years old when he died, the exact number of playing cards in a deck. Further, he was born 26 years before the start of the new century and died 26 years into the next one – as if his "life's deck" had been deftly cut in half by Fate, the ultimate magician. For a full ten years after Houdini's death, his wife Bess conducted a séance on October 31. These séances were always attended by the top names in magic, as well as personal friends of the great magician. Houdini had told Bess that if it were possible, he would send a message to her "from beyond" in secret code.
Lee Terbosic is an internationally-touring magician, comedian, actor, daredevil, and entertainer from Pittsburgh, PA who is proving that anything is possible. Lee is the co-star of Discovery Science Channel’s recent smash Houdini’s Last Secrets, a four-part TV docuseries that uncovers incredible secrets about Harry Houdini’s life, family, magic and science behind some of his biggest stunts and escapes. In this special LIMITED ENGAGEMENT event, Lee will lead audiences through an exploration of some of Houdini's most magical moments. The 75-minute part lecture, part Q&A, part demo, and all magic performance will leave you wondering if there was something more sinister afoot on the night of Houdini's passing 93 years ago.
Robert Ramirez is The Musical Theater Magician
November 27, 2019 – January 5, 2020
Robert Ramirez is wearing tap shoes… and playing the piano…and singing while playing a ukulele. No, this isn't an audition, it’s the newest song and dance and magic phenomenon at Liberty Magic. A professional magician and musical theater actor, Robert Ramirez starred in the national tour of In the Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and has performed in theaters all over the country, including Pittsburgh's own Heinz Hall. As a magician, Robert has appeared on Penn and Teller: FOOL US and National Geographic's Brain Games. He took first place in 'Close Up' at the Texas Association of Magic in 2017 and second place in Strolling Olympics at the Magic Castle 2018, an unprecedented feat by a first-time competitor. Robert has performed his illusions for the Super Bowl, Special Olympics, on television and film, and on many stages throughout the world. Robert is considered one of the most exciting young original magicians to emerge in recent years. His original magic routines, many involving iPhone magic, are performed by some the nation's best-known magical artists.
In this brand-new production created exclusively for Liberty Magic, Robert provides a mash-up of magic and musical theater, unlike anything you’ve ever seen in Pittsburgh. His 70-minute tour-de-force promises costume changes, song & dance routines, humor and maybe even a disappearing piano. Be amazed by Robert's sleight-of-hand and fancy footwork.
Derek Hughes is The Stand Up Magician
January 8 – February 16, 2020
Quintessential funnyman Derek Hughes has been lauded by audiences and critics alike, with the New York Times calling him “thoroughly entertaining.” Awarded first place in Stage Magic by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Derek has performed his magic on MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, and the CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Derek is also a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He is a consulting producer on TRUtv’s hit magic series The Carbonaro Effect, and was a finalist on season 10 of NBC’s America’s Got Talent, where he gained notoriety for his provocative materializations.
In his newest show The Stand Up Magician, Derek has built on his astonishing reputation and devotion to the prestidigitation craft; bringing comedy and gravitas to each and every magical effect he performs. Rarely know to speak in public, Teller (of Penn & Teller) has remarkably broken his silence to compliment Hughes, calling him "Engaging, artful and smart.” The Stand Up Magician combines Derek's witty sense of humor with his unique take on the art of conjuring.
Anna DeGuzman is The Queen of Cardistry
February 19 – March 29, 2020
What Anna DeGuzman can do with a deck of 52 cards will make your head spin! Manipulating cards into impossible 3-D configurations, she cuts, flings, flips, rotates, juggles, and shuffles playing cards in the middle of the street, along train tracks, and in close-up shows at the most prestigious magic venues in the world. Her hands are a blur. There is a name for this art: cardistry ("card artistry"), and Anna DeGuzman is one of the world's best. A YouTube and Instagram star, Anna is considered one of the most influential social media magicians in the country. If you missed her jaw-dropping appearance on 2019's Penn & Teller: Fool Us, now's your chance to see this rising star in the world of magic, live on stage.
Harry Houdini performed arm spreads and card fans that amazed audiences, but Anna DeGuzman takes the art form to new levels in her first-ever stage show. Be amazed as Anna brings the cards to life with double arm spreads, turnovers, tosses, and catches. Welcome to the world of The Queen of Cardistry, where you become part of a subculture of magic, making its leap from the streets to the seats of Liberty Magic.
Zabrecky in A Little Something Different
April 1 – May 10, 2020
Looking for a show a little outside-of-the-box? Zabrecky is a two-time ‘Stage Magician of The Year’ award winner who has been voted ‘Parlor Magician of the Year’ twice by the Academy of Magical Arts. Zabrecky combines irreverent dark humor, mentalism, wizardry, and amazing feats with magical storytelling. On the strengths of his fresh approach, Zabrecky has made a name for himself with television appearances including Criminal Minds, CSI NY, Comedy Bang Bang, Glow, Strange Angel, and The Next Great Magician. On Penn & Teller: Fool Us, Penn Jillette awarded Zabrecky the incredible compliment, "Sincerely funny and sincerely good!"
Like film director David Lynch, Zabrecky sets the stage for everyday life in his newest show A Little Something Different, then sets it on fire. Mysterious, hilarious, and always unexpected, Zabrecky's unique performance character combined with jaw-dropping magic and laugh-out-loud comedy makes his show one you will never forget!
“Highly entertaining and distinctly unique!" - LA TIMES
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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
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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