Ryan Hampton joins the Magic Castle
As you turn the corner, you are greeted by a telephone booth with a scary skeleton surprise. The energy of magic and surprise resonates through the rooms. This is the Magic Castle.
Located in Hollywood, this world famous clubhouse serves as the headquarters of the Academy of Magical Arts. As one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, acceptance into the clubhouse is considered extremely prestigious by the community.
On April 7, Ryan Hampton, senior, received a letter revealing his acceptance into the Magic Castle.
“After not being accepted at first, I was upset, but not deterred. After having a really great audition the second time around, I felt more confident in my abilities and I was ecstatic when I got my acceptance letter,” Hampton said.
Hampton was accepted as a Junior member as he is only 18 years old. The Junior Magicians Group has highly limited admittance as well as requiring an audition to apply.
Hampton has practiced magic for ten years. He excels in the art of sleight-of-hand and card magic and his years of practice have finally paid off.
He says his inspiration to do magic comes from “the ability to show someone something that makes them question reality.”
His mentor, Larry Horowitz, has been working with Hampton for 6 months. Over this time, Horowitz has played a key role in Hampton’s transition from student to professional.
“My role as mentor has been to help Ryan learn and understand performance,” Horowitz said. “My experience of thousands of performances is what I impart to Ryan. He understands how and why the audience reacts and it is making him and his Magic a pleasure to watch.”
As advice to any future magicians, Hampton says what is most important is “practice, practice, practice.”
