Who are the Magic Oracle authors?

The Magic Oracle is proud of our expert authors. Enjoy learning more about their individual expertise in magic and if you would like to contact any of them, see that mail icon on the bottom right of your screen? You know what to do...

• Roland Sarlot

  

  Roland Sarlot and Susan Eyed are the founders of the Magic Oracle and comprise the magical illusion act Carnival of Illusion. They started performing magic together full-time in 2002 and created Carnival of Illusion in 2009. Carnival of Illusion is best known for intimate stage magic done in a vaudeville-inspired parlour setting. The team of Roland and Susan is unique in that they are both magicians in their own right.

  In 2009, Carnival of Illusion performed at the final gala event at Abbott's Get Together (the oldest American magic convention) in Colon, Michigan where they received the Jack Gwynne Excellence in Magic Award. In August 2010, they performed for the Magicians Association of Eastern States convention in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. Roland and Susan were granted "Featured Performer" status at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, having performed there in 2010 and again in 2013. Carnival of Illusion were "Featured Performers" at the 2012 Society of American Magicians National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. They were performers at the final gala show and lecturers at the Texas Association of Magicians Convention in 2014, in Fort Worth, Texas. Sarlot and Eyed have been featured in the largest conjuring periodicals including Genii, Magic, and MUM.

  In the early days of their careers, Roland and Susan were house entertainers at the internationally famous Canyon Ranch Spa and Miraval Resort. Together, they have logged over 1,000 parlor shows and thousands of performances overall.

  Carnival of Illusion started in 2009 with shows in Tucson, Arizona and quickly expanded to Phoenix, one of the largest cities in the United States. Today, this popular attraction performs in Tucson at the historic Scottish Rite Grand Parlour and at three iconic Phoenix valley locations: the Tempe Center for the Arts, the Mesa Arts Center, and the Arizona Biltmore Resort a Waldorf-Astoria property.

  Roland can be found at Carnival of Illusion, Facebook, or you can email him here.

  Magic Oracle articles written by Roland Sarlot...

  • Best card magicians ever
  • Best card tricks of all time
  • Most famous magicians ever
  
  

  Magic Oracle Podcast interviews by Roland Sarlot...

  • Bob Fitch-5 Things to (Immediately) Improve Your Show
  • Gaetan Bloom-Working at Paris' Most Famous Nightclub
  • Kevin James-Inner-Workings of a Creative Mind
  • Mario Marchese-POW! The Perfect Power of Props
  • Steve Daly-It's Vegas, Baby... Here I Come!
  • Benjamin Barnes-Lessons Learned from an Entertainment Director
  • Will Given-SOS: You NEED a Magic Director!
  • Bryce Kuhlman-Turbocharge Your Website

• Christian Painter

  

  After performing ten years at colleges across America night after night, Christian and his wife Katalina perfected their characters to craft their present weekly Mind Tripping Show downtown Indianapolis. The show is a blend of comedy and mentalism with a psychological twist.

  An author of two books (with two "in the works"), many magical effects, regular contributor to M.U.M. (the magazine of the Society of American Magicians), recipient of the Milbourne Christopher Award for Mentalism, the Annemann Award for Mentalism, and Lou Gallo MVP Award at 4F (Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolics), Christian is the interviewer on the "Magic Business Podcast". With a focus on the "business of magic", he playfully explores business topics of various niches helping to introduce magicians, and possibly pursue, new magical directions.

  More information on Christian can be found on his theater page Mind Tripping Show.

  Magic Oracle Podcast interviews by Christian Painter...

  • Max Maven-The 7 Deadly Sins of Performers
  • The Evasons-Secrets of Traveling Internationally
  • Kevin Heller-Conquering the Fair & Festival Market
  • The Wilcox-The Real Price of an Illusion Show
  • Trent James-Go For It While You're Young
  • Michael Close-Performing on Penn & Teller's "Fool Us"
  • Harrison Greenbaum-How to Unleash Your Magic Superpowers
  • The Alans-Making Magic with Your Spouse... OMG!!!
  • Marc DeSouza-Getting Booked at a Magic Convention
  • Robin Lang-Why You Should Hire a Coach
  • Michael Trixx-Practical Hacks for Outdoor Chaos
  • Suzanne-The Main Course of Restaurant Performing
  • Erik Tait-Submitting a Magic Trick for Sale
  • Keith Fields-Starting All Over Again... In a New Country!
  • Kozmo-Making it Big on the Streets
  • Christopher Carter-Nailing Virtual Performances
  • Harrison Lampert-Make Yourself a "Commercial" Success
  • Mike Seege-The Art of Restaurant Magic
  • Kayla Drescher-The "Glamorous'" Life of a Touring Magician
  • Harrison Carrol-Secrets from a Trade Show Master
  • Neil Tobin-Creating a Magic Show to Capture a Wider Audience
  • Eric Decamps-Constructing a Theater Show in the Big City
  • David Corsaro-21 Rapid-Fire Marketing Ideas
  • Jason Michaels-How to Get Hired at a Magic Venue

• William Given

  

  Will Given earned his Ph.D. in Theatre from University of California San Diego and in Drama from University of California Irvine. He has been a faculty member at UC San Diego for the past ten years where he teaches writing. His area of specialization is in magic and early film from the belle époque period through the silent film era, with a particular interest in spectator/performer dynamics. His recent publications include a chapter in the 2018 book Horror Literature and Dark Fantasy: Challenging Genres and the chapter "Lindy Hop, Community, and the Isolation of Appropriation" for Oxford University Press. Dr. Given is an active screenwriter and playwright and is a member of prestigious The Dramatists Guild. He currently writes for Netflix and his last stage show was produced at the La Jolla Playhouse. Dr. Given has been a Magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts for over ten years and also holds the rank of AIMC in the Magic Circle in London.

  Magic Director articles written by Dr. Given...

  • Why you need a magic director
  • Understanding audiences
  • When good shows go bad
  • Story structure in magic 101
  • Story structure in magic 102
  
  

  Magic Oracle articles written by Dr. Given...

  • Houdini's greatest escapes
  • Worst magic accidents ever
  • Richest magicians
  • Greatest movies on magic
  • Best TV shows on magic
  • Greatest magic tricks of all time
  • Best magicians of all time
  • Easy card magic tricks to learn
  • David Copperfield's best magic tricks
  • Derren Brown's best magic tricks
  • Penn and Teller's best magic tricks

• Taliesin Coward

  

  Expert close-up and parlour magician, Dr. Taliesin, is one of the few Australian magicians to have been made a member of the Magic Circle in London – one of the oldest, most exclusive and prestigious magic societies is the world.

  Equally at home on stage and with smaller gatherings, Dr. Taliesin has performed for over a decade at private and corporate events, birthday parties and charity fund-raisers, to major events including the Art Gallery of New South Wales.

  In 2018 Dr. Taliesin also became one of the only people in the world to be awarded a PhD for studying magic and magicians. As a magic historian and theorist, he has lectured at the Magic Circle’s London Headquarters, and his writings have appeared in the journal of the Association of International Magic Spectators, and Half Half Man’s scholarly journal, The Quarterly (forthcoming). This year Taliesin's high-end close-up magic show, Classic Conjuring, (inspired by Max Malini and Steve Cohen), launched as a regular feature in the Sydney CBD.

  More information on Dr. Taliesin Coward can be found on his web page Classical Conjuring.

  Magic Oracle articles written by Dr. Coward...

  • Best close-up magicians ever
  • Best coin magic tricks ever

All Magic Oracle articles can be found on our sitemap. Is there any magic history you would like to know more about? Are you a magic expert and would like to write a story on a magic-related topic? Email us!

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