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My name is Gary Zidek. Welcome to The Arts Section. Tune into the radio program every Sunday morning on WDCB 90.9 & 90.7 FM or listen to it online here. I'll be showcasing a variety of arts & entertainment stories.

Abracadabra! The Show Goes On (Virtually)

Abracadabra! The Show Goes On (Virtually)

WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with third generation magician & mind-reader Dennis Watkins.

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WDCB's Gary Zidek catches up with third generation magician & mind-reader Dennis Watkins.

“There was a day when I did a show in Dubai, a show in Singapore, a show in the U.K. and a show in Chicago, all in one day! Four different shows, in four different countries, and that is not possible outside of the virtual world.” - Magician Dennis Watkins talking about the pros of performing virtually.

Behind-the-scenes of Dennis Watkins’ The Magic Parlour at Home set-up

Behind-the-scenes of Dennis Watkins’ The Magic Parlour at Home set-up

Before the pandemic, if you were looking for third generation magician Dennis Watkins on any given day, chances are you would him on stage somewhere performing. The Chicago-based magician and mind-reader estimates he performed around 400 times a year pre-pandemic. Of course everything changed when COVID-19 began to spread in the spring of 2020.

Once all in-person events were shut down, Watkins realized the pandemic and restrictions that come along with it, might be around for awhile. So, he started working on a virtual version of his long-running in-person magic show, The Magic Parlour. It took some time to perfect, but Watkins’ new The Magic Parlour at Home is a now a well-oiled interactive show entertaining audiences all over the world. People can log-on and participate in Watkins show similar to the ways they would if they came to The Magic Parlour show at the Palmer House Hilton pre-pandemic.

Magician & mind-reader Dennis Watkins

Magician & mind-reader Dennis Watkins

Watkins hopes to resume performing in front of live audiences again at some point, but he’ll likely continue doing some type of virtual program as well. You can find out more about the The Magic Parlour at Home by visiting themagicparlourchicago.com

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