Last night I attended a lecture presented by Wayne Houchin. I've seen quite a few lecturers over the years, and Wayne is definitely one of the best I've seen.
For starters, something I really enjoyed was that Wayne actually performed his effects. He went through his full presentations as if he was on stage performing for laymen. And while the lecture wasn't centered around performance, but more on the actual magic, there was a lot to be gleaned from watching Wayne perform. The guy has one of the best speaking voices I've ever heard in magic. Great timing with his humor and drama as well. Just all-around a really good performer.
As far as the magic goes, Wayne performed and taught a few of the more popular effects he is known for--Sinful, Thread, and Stigmata. He also taught two commercially unpublished effects as well, both of which were top notch. One was an effect called "Houdini's Influence" that used pictures of "Houdini's deck of cards he used in his last performance." Like most of Wayne's magic, the effect itself is very simple yet also very clever in method. The presentation Wayne put together for the effect is where the strength of the routine really lies. One of the best, most well thought-out presentations I've seen attached to a card effect in a very, very long time.
The other unfamiliar piece was Wayne's torn and restored card effect, "Counterfeit Hollingworth." This was something I had heard about for a long time, and was excited to finally see. It absolutely lived up to the expectation I had for it too. In fact, it exceeded it. Although I'm just starting to practice it, I feel I've looked at enough torn and restored card plots to feel comfortable saying this is probably the best all-around I've ever seen. Good angles, practical method, good tearing sequence, and the restorations are beautiful. Especially the second one. Man, watching that second restoration is one of the most magical moments I've had in quite a while.
Wayne ended by performing his version of the Needle & Thread Mystery. This is an effect I've been in love with ever since I was a kid and am currently closing my stand-up shows with. I've been using Steve Spill's version of the effect ever since he released it, and have been very happy with it. It's the best on the market, hands down. But that's because Wayne's version isn't on the market. The needles he used were big, and he did about 40 with a piece of thread that had to be about 11-12 feet long. Excellent presentation, and a very convincing method. Best performance of the needles I've ever seen. When and if Wayne ever decides to release his work on this I'll be first in line.
Afterwards, Wayne had some products to sell. Looked like he had pretty much everything he has on the market at his lecture, plus the two lecture-only products, Houdini's Influence, and Counterfeit Hollingworth. He had some seriously good deals going. I bought some stuff and made sure to get the two unreleased effects as I know I'll definitely be using both of them.
If Wayne Houchin comes to your town, or even close, it's definitely worth going.
Great lecture!
For starters, something I really enjoyed was that Wayne actually performed his effects. He went through his full presentations as if he was on stage performing for laymen. And while the lecture wasn't centered around performance, but more on the actual magic, there was a lot to be gleaned from watching Wayne perform. The guy has one of the best speaking voices I've ever heard in magic. Great timing with his humor and drama as well. Just all-around a really good performer.
As far as the magic goes, Wayne performed and taught a few of the more popular effects he is known for--Sinful, Thread, and Stigmata. He also taught two commercially unpublished effects as well, both of which were top notch. One was an effect called "Houdini's Influence" that used pictures of "Houdini's deck of cards he used in his last performance." Like most of Wayne's magic, the effect itself is very simple yet also very clever in method. The presentation Wayne put together for the effect is where the strength of the routine really lies. One of the best, most well thought-out presentations I've seen attached to a card effect in a very, very long time.
The other unfamiliar piece was Wayne's torn and restored card effect, "Counterfeit Hollingworth." This was something I had heard about for a long time, and was excited to finally see. It absolutely lived up to the expectation I had for it too. In fact, it exceeded it. Although I'm just starting to practice it, I feel I've looked at enough torn and restored card plots to feel comfortable saying this is probably the best all-around I've ever seen. Good angles, practical method, good tearing sequence, and the restorations are beautiful. Especially the second one. Man, watching that second restoration is one of the most magical moments I've had in quite a while.
Wayne ended by performing his version of the Needle & Thread Mystery. This is an effect I've been in love with ever since I was a kid and am currently closing my stand-up shows with. I've been using Steve Spill's version of the effect ever since he released it, and have been very happy with it. It's the best on the market, hands down. But that's because Wayne's version isn't on the market. The needles he used were big, and he did about 40 with a piece of thread that had to be about 11-12 feet long. Excellent presentation, and a very convincing method. Best performance of the needles I've ever seen. When and if Wayne ever decides to release his work on this I'll be first in line.
Afterwards, Wayne had some products to sell. Looked like he had pretty much everything he has on the market at his lecture, plus the two lecture-only products, Houdini's Influence, and Counterfeit Hollingworth. He had some seriously good deals going. I bought some stuff and made sure to get the two unreleased effects as I know I'll definitely be using both of them.
If Wayne Houchin comes to your town, or even close, it's definitely worth going.
Great lecture!