Dennis Watkins (born September 9, 1978) is an American
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
ian,
mentalist
Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include hypnosis, telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precogniti ...
, and
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, based in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Illinois. Watkins specializes in
sleight of hand
Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' ()) refers to fine motor skills when used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card ...
, walking on broken glass, swallowing razor blades, and a card trick known as the Balloon Trick, where he crawls inside a 7-foot wide balloon. He has performed across the United States, and his public show, ''The Magic Parlour'', played at Chicago's
Palmer House Hilton Hotel since New Year's Eve, 2011 until fall 2023, when it relocated to Petterino's on October 5, 2023. https://www.goodmantheatre.org/show/the-magic-parlour/
Biography
Dennis Watkins was born in Dallas, TX. He is the second in a family of four brothers. His grandfather, Ed Watkins, was a local magician who worked as the lead demonstrator at a storefront magic shop called Douglas Magicland in Dallas for 30 years. Around age 7, Watkins began studying sleight-of-hand under the instruction of his grandfather, Ed.
In 2001, Watkins graduated from SMU
Meadows School of the Arts
The Algur H. Meadows School of the Arts is the fine arts unit at Southern Methodist University, located in University Park, Texas, U.S. It is known for its programs in art, art history, arts administration, cinema, performing arts, advertising, jou ...
in Dallas, TX, where he received the Hunt Leadership Scholars Award. He also spent a year training at the
British American Drama Academy
The British American Drama Academy is a drama school in London, in the United Kingdom. It is affiliated with Sarah Lawrence College and Yale University.
Background
The British American Drama Academy (BADA) was founded in 1983 by Tony Branch and ...
.
The House Theatre of Chicago
Dennis Watkins is a Founding Company Member with
The House Theatre of Chicago The House Theatre of Chicago is a non-profit, ensemble theatre company in Chicago, IL. The House was founded in 2001 by a group of friends from the British American Drama Academy and Southern Methodist University with the mission of exploring the id ...
, where he originated the role of
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
in ''Death and Harry Houdini'', a play written and directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen. Portraying Houdini in all 7 sold-out runs of the show, Watkins recreated some of Houdini's feats, including escaping the
Water Torture Cell.
Watkins received a
Joseph Jefferson Award
The Joseph Jefferson Award, more commonly known informally as the Jeff Award, is given for theatre arts produced in the Chicago area. Founded in 1968, the awards are named in tribute to actor Joseph Jefferson, a 19th-century American theater star ...
for his work on the show in 2012. ''Death and Harry Houdini'' returned to The Adrienne Arsht Center in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, Florida in the spring of 2017.
Stage
As Actor
* 2001 - 2017 ''Death and Harry Houdini''
* 2002 ''The Terrible Tragedy of Peter Pan''
* 2004 ''Cave With Man''
* 2005, 2008 ''Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe''
* 2005 ''The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz''
* 2006 ''Hatfield & McCoy''
* 2007 ''The Sparrow''
* 2007, 2013 ''The Magnificents''
As Playwright
* 2007, 2013 ''The Magnificents''
* 2011 - 2017 ''The Magic Parlour''
As Magic Designer
* 2002 ''The Terrible Tragedy of Peter Pan''
* 2005 ''The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz''
* 2007 ''The Sparrow''
* 2007 ''Hope Springs Infernal''
* 2007, 2013 ''The Magnificents''
As Director
* 2004 ''San Valentino and the Melancholy Kid''
* 2005 ''Curse of the Crying Heart''
* 2006 ''Valentine Victorious''
References
External links
*
The House Theatre of Chicago
20th-century American male actors
American magicians
Living people
1978 births
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