2008 Woodie Awards
Webster welcomes return of illusionist
Wayne Hoffman slays students with pulse-stopping magic tricks as part of university's annual Welcome Week
By: Lee Rice
Issue date: 8/30/07 Section: Lifestyle
For his grand finale, he predicted the names of every randomly-picked student that had appeared on stage that night.
Kelsey Schwantes, one of the students invited on stage for a mind reading segment, was adamant that she had never met with Hoffman before.
"It was absolutely amazing," she said, "There was no way he could have known what he knew."
Hoffman, a professional illusionist and mentalist, grew up in Redding, Penn. He said the story of why he chose magic as a career is a simple one.
"When I was seven, I got a magic set for Christmas, Hoffman said. "I loved the way people reacted to it when I used the tricks in school."
From then on, Hoffman used the kit at every opportunity. When other friends of his started to show up at school with magic tricks of their own, Hoffman learned there was a magic shop in his hometown. He became a regular, frequenting the shop so often that the owner finally offered him a job.
For those interested in following in Hoffman's footsteps as a professional magician, or in pursuing magic as a hobby, he has some advice.
"Little tricks like the ones I had in my first magic kit are easy, but after that, it gets very difficult," he said. "Most people give up once things start getting too hard, but I never gave up. In magic, experience makes all the difference."
Although his performance at Webster may have been flawless, Hoffman has made a few mistakes in the past.
"At my junior prom, I was doing a toast to everyone on stage. The idea was to use a thread to make a glass levitate while I filled it," Hoffman said. "The weight of the drink must have been too much though, since the line snapped. The glass fell, hit the stage, and sprayed everyone standing close to the stage. Later on, people asked me if I meant to do that, so I was able to pass it off like it was on purpose. Other than that, I haven't had any mishaps other than cutting my fingers once or twice with the razor blades."
Kelsey Schwantes, one of the students invited on stage for a mind reading segment, was adamant that she had never met with Hoffman before.
"It was absolutely amazing," she said, "There was no way he could have known what he knew."
Hoffman, a professional illusionist and mentalist, grew up in Redding, Penn. He said the story of why he chose magic as a career is a simple one.
"When I was seven, I got a magic set for Christmas, Hoffman said. "I loved the way people reacted to it when I used the tricks in school."
From then on, Hoffman used the kit at every opportunity. When other friends of his started to show up at school with magic tricks of their own, Hoffman learned there was a magic shop in his hometown. He became a regular, frequenting the shop so often that the owner finally offered him a job.
For those interested in following in Hoffman's footsteps as a professional magician, or in pursuing magic as a hobby, he has some advice.
"Little tricks like the ones I had in my first magic kit are easy, but after that, it gets very difficult," he said. "Most people give up once things start getting too hard, but I never gave up. In magic, experience makes all the difference."
Although his performance at Webster may have been flawless, Hoffman has made a few mistakes in the past.
"At my junior prom, I was doing a toast to everyone on stage. The idea was to use a thread to make a glass levitate while I filled it," Hoffman said. "The weight of the drink must have been too much though, since the line snapped. The glass fell, hit the stage, and sprayed everyone standing close to the stage. Later on, people asked me if I meant to do that, so I was able to pass it off like it was on purpose. Other than that, I haven't had any mishaps other than cutting my fingers once or twice with the razor blades."
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