Nicole Robinson

Sophomore Ben Seidman sits in class, twirling a half-dollar between his fingers while listening to his professor’s lecture. Seidman said the act often elicits stares from classmates, amazed at how easily the coin seems to move in his hand.

Seidman, who is known to friends as “Magic Ben,” decided he wanted to make a career out of magic two years ago. The 19-year-old began his love affair with the craft at age six, when he received his first magic kit as a birthday gift.

The theatre major said being on stage has always come naturally to him, and that’s one reason he decided to devote his life to performing magic. In addition, Seidman said, his passion is fueled by challenging how people understand the world.

“When we’re all born, we’re sort of born in this infantile state of wonder, everything around us is new,” Seidman said. He added that once people reach a certain age they lose that state and that is the power behind magic.

“What magic does…it takes you back to that infantile state of wonder that’s so hard to achieve in this day and age.”

When he was nine years old, Seidman was performing in a play at the First Stage Children’s Theatre in Milwaukee. There, he said he met a man who would eventually help mold his magical career.

Tim Catlett was working as an assistant stage manager for the play. Having toured as a technician with David Copperfield, Catlett began teaching Seidman what he calls effects.

“I like to call them effects,” Seidman said. “Trick implies a win-or-lose situation, which is not the case at all.”

Eventually, Catlett landed Seidman the job of premiere demonstrator at Theophilus Magic Shop in Milwaukee.

“I had to learn how to demonstrate thousands of magic effects,” Seidman said, adding that the experience further stimulated his desire for a career in the craft.

Catlett said Seidman’s skill today is far beyond what he had anticipated the boy he met ten years ago would achieve.

“He is absolutely tenacious in his love of magic,” Catlett said. “His technical skill is amazing and he just keeps getting better.”

Seidman said a good performance isn’t based exclusively on mastering the technique; showmanship also plays a large role.

“There’s a lot of psychology that goes into magic,” Seidman said. “You’re dealing with deception, but in a good way.”

While purchasing magical effects can be expensive, Seidman said he likes to do magic with ordinary objects including coins and rubber bands. He also said he incorporates humor into his performances, especially when he’s doing a show for children.

Seidman also creates his own effects, which can take anywhere from a couple of months to well over a year.

Catlett said to become a professional magician requires tremendous dedication.

“You have to devote three to four hours a day to practicing,” Catlett said. In addition, he said, marketing requires a large time commitment.

Seidman said most of his shows are booked by word of mouth and he has one to four shows a month. He hopes to have a show in Las Vegas some day, and eventually would like to travel performing at corporate and private parties.

No matter where he ends up, Seidman said entertaining people and instilling in them a sense of wonder is his life’s purpose.

“I don’t change the material world,” he said, “but I change your perception on what can happen.”