We did the show in a 40-seat, teeny-weeny black box theater on the north side of Chicago. “It was 2001 and I had just graduated from college. After reading a book about Houdini, Allen selected the subject of his first play. Along with 10 ensemble members who formed the House Theatre of Chicago, the duo created Death and Harry Houdini.Īllen had seen Watkins perform magic tricks and had a really strong interest in magic, himself. Years later while a student at Southern Methodist University, his skills would be put to work on stage when Watkins met writer and director Nathan Allen.
“I was 8 years old the first time (he took me), and it was like going to Disney World for the first time,” recalls Watkins. In fact, Watkins’ grandfather met the infamous magician and regaled his grandson with the tale many times as the two attended annual conventions of the Texas Association of Magicians that would draw as many as 1,200 participants for a week of magic shows, lectures and workshops. “My granddad ran a magic shop for 30 years.
“I’m lucky in that I’m a third generation magician,” the Chicago actor explains. Dennis Watkins was born to play the master illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini.
0 kommentar(er)
