Talk:Wikinews interviews magician and illusion builder Bruce Chadwick for National Magic Week

Notes

As (mostly) a hobby, I have been involved in magic for many years. I am a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. I know that October is national magic month in the US. However, it has recently pivoted to be national magic week (the last week of October). I've read no less than one article written by Bruce, published in the magazine The Linking Ring. I've known Bruce for many years. I thought he'd be a great interview for this topic. Interview notes to follow.--Bddpaux (talk) 16:12, 20 October 2025 (UTC)

First email to Bruce: October 16, 2025 Hey Bruce:

So, as I'd mentioned, I have been involved for many years at wikinews.org

This being national Magic Month in the U.S., I thought you'd be a great person to interview!!

I will write a very short intro re: you (of course) and then the article will just be a Q & A from there...

So, to the questions........

Q: When did you first become interested in magic?

Q: Did any particular performer influence you?

Q: I know you attended Baylor University -- did you perform much during those years?

Q: I know you build illusions. How did you learn to design and construct such things?

Q: I know you've been involved in many large magic conventions. Any special memories come to mind from those?

Q: Along those lines, can you explain for our readers what a magic convention actually consists of?

Q: If you feel comfortable answering, have you built any props or illusions for any noted performers?

Q: In terms of retail sales, I know there aren't many magic dealers left in Texas -- how long have you been involved in retail pertaining to magic?

Q: Any fun memories you might share from a performance?

Q: As a performing art form, what are your thoughts about the future of magic?

---

also, do you have a headshot I can include in the article?

And: how about a shot of an illusion or maybe your workshop (or what-have-you?)...

Looking forward to hearing from you!

PB

Answers sent via email

Interested in magic: "A couple of weeks before my 8th birthday, my dad ordered some simple magic tricks from the Johnson Smith Company. When the tricks arrived, my dad demonstrated the Ball and Vase trick. I was shocked, awed, and literally flabbergasted. On my birthday, dad reached up and grabbed the small box of tricks from on top of the refrigerator and gave them to me as an additional part of my birthday presents. It was one of the greatest moments of my life."
Influence you: "In my early teen years, Charles W. Dodson and his wife Gwen opened Dodson’s Fun’n Party Shop in Midland, Texas. Located way out on the outskirts of the town, the facility was a house with a storefront. Charlie was a magician himself and gradually took me under wing and guided me somewhat in magic. Later I saw the large touring illusion shows of Fred and Ann Story, Vince Carmen, and they helped instill the love of stage magic and illusions."
University: "I attended Odessa Junior College for my freshman and sophomore years of college. I took many hours of theatre and transferred to Baylor as a Junior. I earned my BA degree in Religion and my MA degree in Theatre Arts at Baylor. I performed heavily throughout my college years and basically paid my way through college."
Design and construct: "Both my father and grandfather were adept at woodworking and other industrial arts, and both had backyard workshop buildings. I learned a lot through those interactions. In school I took shop in 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. From about sixth grade onward, I built a lot of my own magic tricks because I couldn’t afford to buy them. I fell in love with stage illusions while seeing the shows of Story and Carmen as referenced above. After Baylor, I moved from Waco to Fort Worth where I attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned my Master of Divinity degree. During that time I built a workshop in the backyard of my home and began to build stage illusions for myself. That blossomed in 1985 when I finished my second master’s degree. With the drive to take care of a wife and baby boy, I began building custom illusions for other magicians. Most of my training building stage illusions has come from reading books, buying illusion plans, and a lot of trial and error."
Memories: "I was stage manager for the SAM national magic conventions for many years. I have also stage managed many TAOM and several IBM conventions. There are a hundreds of stories. Of all the conventions, I have always tried to attend the TAOM conventions and have only missed three conventions since the age of 14. I even became the president of the Texas Association of Magicians in 1988 and was instrumental in planning and executing the convention that year. That was a memorable experience."
Along those lines, can you explain for our readers what a magic convention actually consists of?
A magic convention is a gathering of magicians who usually meet for several consecutive days, usually at a hotel. There are lectures, performance contests, shows, and usually a large dealer’s room where magic distributors offer their wares for sale.
have you built any props or illusions for any noted performers? My work has made its way into the repertoires of many different magicians including Doug Henning, David Copperfield, John Calvert, Jeff McBride, and others. I have also worked for Warner Brothers Germany as a special effect consultant and designer.
how long have you been involved in retail pertaining to magic?
I purchased the 4000 square foot Illusion Warehouse building in south Fort worth in 1996. The facility is dedicated to magic with a retail store front, a party room for magic performances, my so-called “museum room” that houses my magic collection and offices, and of course workshop facilities.
Any fun memories you might share from a performance? After performing magic now for almost 60 years, I have hundreds of stories both good and bad. I have had the opportunity to entertain many different extremely wealthy people, huge audiences, and even do some television work. I have traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia with my performances. I have engaged witch doctors in Africa, performed street magic on “Walking Street” in Pattaya, Thailand, and entertained thousands on the 50 yard line of football stadiums. I have had a lot of many good shows and a few not so good shows. Unfortunately on three different occasions, individuals have even passed away during my shows. I guess you have to say, “I was knocking them dead.”
As a performing art form, what are your thoughts about the future of magic? Like all art forms, magic continues to evolve. The performers who are innovative, trained in the theatre arts, and know how to market themselves are the most prosperous. Many magicians continually fail to realize that magic props are nothing more than that, theatrical props. Owning magic tricks does not make one a magician. The future of magic rests upon the individuals who can take magic props, entertain audiences, and carry them away into the land of make believe and magic.

Minor bits

I am in the home stretch on this article. I'd asked him for a photo, but didn't receive one. So:I just grabbed a top hat from Commons! Also: I took the liberty of tossing in first names of the professional magicians he referenced (couldn't get the whole bracket thing to work).--Bddpaux (talk) 21:53, 28 October 2025 (UTC)

And, before anyone asks -- this is not the noted American Historian, Bruce Chadwick.--Bddpaux (talk) 21:56, 28 October 2025 (UTC)

It's a very interesting read. Readers will enjoy it. Nice work! ~ Sheminghui.WU (talk) 22:30, 30 October 2025 (UTC)

@Bddpaux This article seems to be nearing its seven-day deadline. Can you find any other reviewers to help? Sheminghui.WU (talk) 11:38, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Wikinews conducted interviews with public figures but did not publish the articles, which reflects poorly. Original content is also very important. Perhaps reviewers should prioritise reviewing these articles. ~ Sheminghui.WU (talk) 11:40, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

I've tried to find someone to review this article in the Telegram group, but I'm not hopeful. ~ Sheminghui.WU (talk) 11:44, 9 November 2025 (UTC)

Review of revision 4925426 [Passed]

Revision 4925426 of this article has been reviewed by Michael.C.Wright (talk · contribs) and has passed its review at 17:28, 10 November 2025 (UTC). Copyright: Passed Newsworthiness: Passed Verifiability: Passed NPOV: Passed Style: Passed Comments by reviewer: Two notes: The lede describes Chadwick in present tense. Although our style guide favors past tense, changing it might imply he has passed away. It can be revisited within the 24-hour post-publication window if others feel strongly that we should comply with the style guide. I removed the external link to Illusion Warehouse to avoid possible promotion. No objection if others prefer to restore it during the 24-hour window. Great interview questions! The reviewed revision should automatically have been edited by removing {{Review}} and adding {{Publish}} at the bottom, and the edit sighted; if this did not happen, it may be done manually by a reviewer.

Revision 4925426 of this article has been reviewed by Michael.C.Wright (talk · contribs) and has passed its review at 17:28, 10 November 2025 (UTC). Copyright: Passed Newsworthiness: Passed Verifiability: Passed NPOV: Passed Style: Passed Comments by reviewer: Two notes: The lede describes Chadwick in present tense. Although our style guide favors past tense, changing it might imply he has passed away. It can be revisited within the 24-hour post-publication window if others feel strongly that we should comply with the style guide. I removed the external link to Illusion Warehouse to avoid possible promotion. No objection if others prefer to restore it during the 24-hour window. Great interview questions! The reviewed revision should automatically have been edited by removing {{Review}} and adding {{Publish}} at the bottom, and the edit sighted; if this did not happen, it may be done manually by a reviewer.

1. I don't think there's much risk of readers misunderstanding that he's already passed away, especially since we just interviewed him. ~ Sheminghui.WU (talk) 21:59, 10 November 2025 (UTC)