Yet another Bermuda Magic production gets underway this evening.

The theme for this year?s show, ?Faces of Magic?, is comedy and there will be both overseas and local performers taking part in the three-day, five-show magical weekend at the City Hall Theatre.

The entertainers will be Mark Robinson from the US, Danny Hamill from Canada, Vanishing Acts from Bermuda and juggling sensation Nels Cremean from the US.

The master of ceremonies will be Bermuda?s master magician Mike Bishop.

The Vanishing Acts comprises Dylan Moulder, Astoria Smith, Nicole Pimentell, Kourtney Roberts, Blake Sonnenfeld, Ashton Stephans and LLewellyn Simons. spoke to two of the performers, Blake Sonnefeld and Llewellyn Simons, about their history with the magic and what the audience can expect from them during the show.

Saltus Grammar student Blake Sonnenfeld began with Bermuda Magic after attending one of its shows. He thought that it was really amazing that people like himself were performing magic and he wanted to do it too. So the then pre-teen asked his mother if he could do it and she signed him up for one of the annual summer magic camps at the Youth Library.

From there he joined Vanishing Acts and hasn?t looked back since.

When asked what he planned to specialise in, the 13-year-old, who is also a debate champion, stated that this year he would be riding his unicycle ?and everyone can look out for that.?

?This year there are a lot of great acts, it is just so amazing and it is really going to be a good show,? he said.

?Also the theme this year is comedy so, come expecting to have a few laughs.

?Gary Robinson is another one to look out for this year and to watch. He is really funny. Last year he was the one that did a lot of rope tricks.?

But when asked what his favourite trick was called, he said: ?When I think about it, I can?t really say that I have a favourite because each trick is performed differently, and it has a different effect.

?But I like working with silks a lot and I?m doing one silk trick in my routine this year. They are just colourful and I think that people have a good reaction to them.

?There is a lot of other good stuff that people can do out there. There is a trick called the Zombie and that is nice too, although I haven?t personally done it, but it is where the magician has the cloth and they make the ball float on it.?

So does this young magician spend every other waking hour practising his tricks? Well, the answer is no, because he is involved in numerous clubs and maintains and ?A? average.

He aims for at least an hour a day, but sometimes he doesn?t get much time in so he said: ?I do a half hour a day.

?The main thing for me at the moment is the mastery of riding the unicycle on the stage and in a small space. Basically it is to make all the tricks look smooth. Once you figure out how to do the trick, it is good to practise it in front of a mirror to make sure that it looks smooth and natural when you are performing it.?

Mr. Sonnenfeld also loves researching magic and did so before he joined Bermuda Magic.

?I like looking up stuff and before I even started at the camp, I would personally go on the Internet and look up card tricks just to do on my own.

?I do tricks on my own now and I buy props to work with and to see what I can do with them.?

When asked if magic was hard to learn, the teenager said: ?Well as far as stage magic goes it is kind of hard and they make it very clear from the beginning that you can?t leak anything.

?For people that just want to take it up for fun, there are gimmicks and gizmos that you can buy and they are extremely easy where the trick is built in and basically done for you.

?I am not sure if they will be sold at the show this year, but in the past they have sold stuff like that.

?But magic is not as hard as some people think it is, but I am not going to tell you that it is easy either.?

So, has he made anything disappear?

He said: ?Well, my mom?s funny one is that I haven?t made myself disappear yet. She is waiting for that to happen.

?I am making something appear during this show, but I can?t leak that so you have to come and see it.?

So is his future magical?

?I don?t know if I want to go into magic as a performer, but I know I want to be a performer because I like to act as well,? he said.

?That is another thing that is in consideration for the future, but magic will definitely be one of my main hobbies because I like it and it is fun.?

Mr. Sonnenfeld also likes watching the audience get baffled when he performs.

?It is kind of funny in a way, because you know how it is done and they don?t,? he said.

On the subject of who was his favourite magician, he mused: ?I like Ken McCready. He has been in the summer camps in past years and he is very entertaining.

?Richard Forget was the main act that came in last year and I found him really interesting as well. But there is just so much out there and I haven?t really been to any of the conventions so I haven?t really seen what is out there, but from what I have seen those are at the top of the list.?

So what is special about magic for Mr. Sonnenfeld? ?Well I guess that it is magical. But also I think that it is really amazing that people find it amazing and that someone can produce something or do something out of something ? I guess it has a magical quality to it.?

Llewellyn Simons has been with Bermuda Magic for five years, but said he has been doing magic for about eight years.

It started out with just genuine interest and he would go to local magic shows, or pick up a few tricks from magic shops. ?It was just a hobby,? said Mr. Simons.

?I went to one show that was put on by Bermuda Magic, and I realised the guy who was in charge also worked at my job. So I approached him told him I was interested. They had a show coming up and I worked as a stagehand during the performance, then during intermission, I did some magic in the lobby.

?I attended the Magic Camp over the summer that year, and the following show I performed on stage.?

He said his top three musicians were Harry Houdini, David Blaine, and Criss Angel.

During this year?s performance, he plans to have an assistant. What can the audience expect?

?Ultimately my best, I have grown with Bermuda Magic over the years, and have learned so much, not just about magic, but on performing as a whole.

?This year I have put together a routine that is full of comedy and illusion.?

Out of all the tricks or illusions that he does, he said the most exciting thing for him to do is street magic, although he also enjoys stage magic.

?I prefer close up or street magic, where I am one on one with the individual,? Mr. Simons said.

?I think magic has more of an effect on someone when you take and everyday object or personal belonging from them, and then do something that just blows their mind.

?They are right there with you, no stage, no lights, mirrors or smoke. Just me, them, and the $50 bill I made disappear.?

When asked if he saw magic in his future, he said: ?I would like to go further, but for now I enjoy performing locally. The good thing about Bermuda being so small for me is it keeps me versatile. In Las Vegas, magicians probably perform the same routine over and over for years, but here I have to come up with something different every year. So to answer the question, ?Do I want to take it further?? I do every year.?

And are there any tricks that he has wanted to do but has not?

?That?s a good question. For this year?s show I have put together some illusions that I have been practising.

?It took me a while to master some of the stuff, but I am ready to perform. I don?t think what I am doing has been done locally, but I could be wrong. I won?t let the cat out of the bag on what I am doing, but I will give you a hint. I am bringing street magic to the stage.?

Has his life changed since he began studying magic?

?I won?t say it has changed my life. I am not rich yet.

?But, I do believe that life and magic have a great deal in common they enrich the soul, delight the heart, and they both take practice. Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen. How else can you pull a rabbit out of a hat??