Have you ever been awestruck by a magic trick and wondered how it was done? Anthony Stone, a professional illusionist, knows exactly how to create that moment of wonder and bewilderment for his audiences. In this blog post, we will explore how Anthony Stone got started in the world of sleight of hand illusions, what inspired him to become an illusionist, and how he approaches his performances.
As a child, Anthony Stone was always pulling pranks and jokes. He was known as the class clown in school. However, his interest in magic began when he saw magic on TV, which always drew his attention whenever it was on. Back then, magic was a rare thing, but now with the internet, anyone can learn about it. After performing a few tricks he had learned, Anthony realized how much joy he gave people and decided to learn more. He bought books and videos and taught himself from those. He spent countless hours surrounded by mirrors, watching himself, and practicing. He also taught himself how to twist balloons.
Around Halloween of 1992, Anthony dressed as a clown and performed the tricks he had learned to an audience. To his surprise, people loved it, and his career as an illusionist began. He met a magician named Dave Moon who taught him a few things, and he practiced with all his heart. After performing for a few years, he then met Steve Santini, the World's Most Extreme Escape Artist according to Guinness world records and Ripley's Believe it or Not. He was fortunate enough to be granted the knowledge of a few comedy escapes and other special magic effects. A special thank you goes out to Santini for this!
Anthony performs as himself nowadays, but the old clown may come out from time to time. He doesn't focus much on new illusions but tries new routines or new ways to present an old trick. He takes a trick and adds something to it or makes it easier to perform. As the saying goes, "what is old is new again."
Anthony approaches performing for different types of audiences by bringing everything he could possibly ever need in any situation to every performance. That way, if he arrives, and it's not what he expected, he can switch things up to suit the audience on the fly.
His absolute favorite type of illusion to perform is visual magic, the kind that makes your mouth drop and eyes widen and takes you to a moment of wonder and bewilderment. The element of surprise is very important to him. He never says in advance what his effect is or will be. He arrives early and makes sure everything is where it should be. A well-planned effect is a well-executed illusion!
The most challenging illusion for Anthony is the rope escape. There is something he must do correctly, and if it isn't done right, he's left in a real challenge of brute force to do the escape, and it ruins all the comedy.
Anthony balances technical skill with showmanship in his performances by practicing the sleights and moves to an illusion until it becomes second nature. He doesn't have to think about it a whole lot when he's performing. He can then focus on performance and patter (speech).
The dreaded mistakes will and do occur. Usually, the audience doesn't even notice, and he can continue on, but if something obvious happens, he makes a big joke about it and laughs. It's all about having fun!
Next up for Anthony in his career as an illusionist is taking on one of the most challenging venues out there this year, the streets. He's going to try busking all summer. It's unpredictable, uncontrollable, and maybe uneconomical, but he's willing to give it his best shot!
Nova Scotia's Anthony Stone is a professional illusionist who knows how to create moments of wonder.