Illusion is magic built for the back of the room: the levitation, the vanish, the escape that draws a gasp from 400 people at once. It is the right act when an event needs a genuine showpiece, a gala dinner, an awards night, a product launch, a room that wants to see something happen on a stage. It is the wrong act for a cocktail party, and we will say so.
We have booked illusionists into Sydney rooms since 2003, from a twelve minute feature spot between courses to a full production with crew. Tell us the room and the moment, and we will match the scale of the show to it.
Need magic for a standing crowd instead? Close-up and roving magicians work the room without a stage.
See the magicians →What illusionists do, and what the room needs
An illusionist works large. Where a magician borrows a ring and makes it vanish in someone's hand, an illusionist makes a person vanish, or escapes from a tank of water in front of a room that can see every side of it. That scale is the point, and it comes with requirements: a stage or clear performance area with sightlines from the whole room, sound, lighting if the venue has it, and time to bump props in before guests arrive. We confirm all of this with the venue before anything is locked.
- Grand stage illusion: appearances, vanishes, levitations and transpositions with purpose built props. The headline format for a gala or awards night.
- Escape acts: straitjackets, chains and a water tank finale that has a room on the edge of its seats. A single escape is often the strongest ten minutes of an entire program.
- Comedy illusion: the same scale with the laughs out front, which is what a mixed corporate crowd usually wants after dinner.
- Illusion plus close-up: most of our illusionists are magicians first. One performer can rove during drinks and take the stage after dinner, which is better value than two acts.
- Mentalism: for a stage spot that does not need props at all, see the mentalists.
Where illusionists get booked
- Gala dinners and awards nights: a feature illusion between courses or straight after the last award, when the room is ready for a showpiece and the stage is already lit. Never during the presentations.
- Product launches and conferences: an illusion built around the reveal, or a short set that resets a room between sessions. Illusionists are used to working with a client's AV team and run sheet.
- Christmas and EOFY parties: for the big end of year function in a hotel ballroom with a proper stage. Smaller Christmas parties are usually better served by a roving magician.
- Theatres, clubs and public events: several acts on the roster tour full length shows with their own production.
Illusionists we book
Sydney has the deepest bench. Sam Powers is a master illusionist who has performed on television and live in more than twenty countries, and brings a full production to a large room. The Rock Star Illusionist stages theatrical, grand scale illusion with television credits behind it. Brendan Mon Tanner has collected fourteen live entertainment awards across comedy magic and illusion and also works close-up, and Adam Dean pairs illusion with sharp comedy for a corporate crowd. For an escape finale, Illusion: Thrilling Illusion and Escape builds to a water tank escape, and The Invisible Man brings a gymnast's physicality to the stage. Jason Gray rounds out the Sydney illusion roster. Interstate, Josh Norbido in Brisbane was the magic consultant on the film Poker Face and a semi finalist on Australia's Got Talent; Richard Vegas and Ben cover Melbourne; Blaze and Chris Riches cover the Gold Coast; and Pierre Ulric, an award winning magician and mentalist, covers Perth.
How booking works
- Tell us the event. Use the finder or contact us with the date, venue, guest numbers, budget and where in the program the show would sit. For illusion, the venue's stage and AV matter as much as the guest count.
- We shortlist and check the room. You get a small number of matched illusionists with real video, and we check the stage, sightlines and bump-in with the venue before you commit to anything.
- One confirmation, one invoice. The act is briefed on your run sheet, technical requirements go to the venue, insurance is sorted, and it all runs through one invoice, including any roving act or MC booked alongside.
Why book an illusionist through an agency
- Illusion is the format with the most moving parts. We have seen every act on the roster perform and we know which shows fit which rooms, which a reel cannot tell you.
- Technical riders, bump-in times and venue sign off are handled as part of the booking rather than discovered on the day.
- Insurance certificates are supplied to the venue in advance, which matters more for an act with props and an escape tank than for anything else we book.
- If the show cannot work in your room, we will say so before you book it, and suggest the act that will.
Illusionists on the roster
Booking an illusionist: FAQs
What is the difference between an illusionist and a magician?
Scale, mostly. A magician works close up or on a small stage with cards, coins and borrowed objects. An illusionist works large: people appearing, vanishing and levitating, escapes, props that need a stage, lighting and often a crew. Most illusionists on the roster are magicians first and carry both formats, so if you are not sure which you need, describe the room and we will tell you.
What does an illusion show need from the venue?
A stage or clear performance area with sightlines from the whole room, a sound system, stage lighting if the venue has it, and time to bump props in before guests arrive. Large illusions also need wing space or a backstage area. We confirm all of this with the venue before the booking is locked, and we will tell you if the room cannot physically hold the show you have in mind.
How long is a stage illusion show?
Anything from a twelve minute feature spot between courses at a gala to a 45 minute headline set. For most corporate events the shorter spot does more: one or two big illusions at the right moment in the program, rather than a long show competing with the bar.
How much does it cost to book an illusionist?
More than a close-up magician, because the props, crew and bump-in are part of the price, and it varies a great deal with the scale of the show, the date and travel. Tell us the event and the budget, which stays with us, and the shortlist we send back comes with quotes attached.
Can an illusionist also do roving magic at the same event?
Often, yes. Several illusionists on the roster are close-up magicians as well, so one performer can work the drinks hour table to table and then take the stage after dinner. That is usually better value than two acts and gives the night a through line.
Do you book illusionists outside Sydney?
Yes. The roster includes illusionists in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Perth, and larger shows tour with their own production. Where a local act suits the brief we use them; otherwise we bring the right performer in and quote travel and freight up front.
Further reading
Not sure who's right?
Take the finder or tell us about your event - we'll shortlist the right acts and check availability.
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