Vanish Magic Magazine no. 39

Fast forward about 5 years from my first
hypnosis experience to my first magic
teacher, Leroy Goodenough (whose name,
I thought, never did him justice. It should
have been Awesomeenough!).
Leroy was a wonderful, patient, wise
and witty man to whom I am grateful for
pouring my foundation as an entertainer.
Leroy was also a certified hypnotist. Leroy
did not teach me hypnosis, mind you, but
there was something exceptional about
the way he taught, how he approached
practice, visualizing the effect, mental
rehearsal and more.
Perhaps it was Leroy’s training and
experience in hypnosis — eradicating bad
habits, guided visualization, goal setting —
that set him apart. Whatever it was, a lot of
it rubbed off on me.
I stuck with magic to the extent of pursuing
a career in this wonderful mystery art. Like
most of us, I jumped at every performance
opportunity I could get my hands on: my
monthly S.A.M. meetings, birthday parties,
company picnics, carnivals and fairs,
restaurants, talent shows, et al.
Upon graduating from college, along
with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts,
I walked away with my future bride, life
and show partner, Mistia. I was beyond
fortunate and blessed! A partner I didn’t
have to convince or bribe into this
business! Imagine that.
Now that you found your life
and show partner, how did you
combine forces to create a show and
perform?
Mistia and I met in college at Long Beach
State University in California. Both pursuing
our degrees in theatre arts, we were in the
long and grueling course of Theater History
together.
Then, we were both cast in Samuel
Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot”; those who
are familiar with the script know that it is
written with only two characters! Indeed,
we had a lot of time to get to know each
other.
Mistia’s degree emphasis was on
choreography, dance and performance
and mine was on performance, directing
and theater management / marketing.
Knowing all along I was going to use my
learnings to build my magic business,
magic was a top priority in my life and,
thankfully, Mistia fell in love with every bit
of it!
While dating, it was our last year in college
when I was away for many weekends
performing at the once-famed Catalina
Comedy Club on Catalina Island. During
this time, it Mistia who suggested we put
our talents together. Magical adventures
ensued!
Together, for twelve years, we traversed
the world with our own illusion show on
the high seas for cruise ships and landside
events. Our unique footprint we left
is that of being recognized as the first
in the cruise industry to present a show
combining magic and the aerial arts. We
called it “Mastering the Mystery.” In our 20’s
and early 30’s, we were living our dreams!
As every hardworking entertainer will
attest, performing show after show, you
learn an amazing amount. You grow in
your art, and as a person, hundred-fold.
Our own show matured, morphed and
grew into a story we were proud to tell.
One with meaning and a theme.
Ours was to inspire our audience to
live child-like, to let go of needing to
be masters of mastery (as we’re all so
taught to be) once in a while and simply
remembering to live and find joy in the
mysteries of life, hence “Mastering the
Mystery.” This deeper theme to our show
advanced and even as I mature through
life, I commit to always be in awe of the
wonders of life.
On cruise ships, our show was considered
a long-term install. This meant we would
install our show and often reside onboard
92 VANISH Magazine www.VanishMagazine.com