Adam Trent has wowed Broadway with his magical presence as part of The Illusionists, but now he's headed to Texarkana for a one-man show at the Perot Theatre.
A young magician on a mission to make magic entertaining and memorable for all ages, Trent was part of that that hit Broadway show and has also appeared on the Travel Channel, Disney Channel, "The Today Show" and on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."
For Texarkana on Saturday, Jan. 20, at 7:30 p.m., the self-taught Trent brings a magic variety show to the Perot stage with comedy, sleight-of-hand, illusions, modern technology, music, dance and more. He's touted as "the next generation of magic," high praise for a guy who got started at age 9 after watching David Copperfield.
"Whether it's your first magic show or last magic show, there will be new things for everybody," Trent said about expecting something fresh and different at his show.
Originally, Trent wanted to be a musician, but he found that in magic he was able to incorporate several different art forms he was interested in pursuing, so it stuck. He flashed magic talent early. At age 10, he performed at birthday parties and by 14 he performed for corporate events.
After college, a year of street performing gave him a broader understanding of the art of magic, particularly as it pertained to entertaining people who might want to walk past him.
As a street performer, he knew people could move on if they became bored, so he had to capture and keep their attention, a great education.
In Trent, a new sort of magic is celebrated. He's fresh and youthful, saying that if you see his posters you might not think it's for a magic show at first.
"I think that first and foremost, it's with the marketing," Trent said. He starts his performance with a video that explains how he'd like the audience to see magic. It's less about figuring out how this or that trick happened, more about having fun for a couple of hours, he says.
In Trent's show, things move quickly and change all the time. "I think it's essential," he said about his aim to keep magic fresh and new for the audience. For him, engaging the audience is key.
"I at no point in the show do I want it to feel like there is any separation," Trent said. So, expect him to come out into the audience and bring audience members to the stage. About the line between him and the audience, he says, "I try to make it as minimal as possible." He wants to make a connection.
Every Trent show is different. Volunteers from the audience take it in new directions each time. "One of the things that I've been more comfortable with over the years is allowing that to happen," he said.
As a young performer, he's inspired by stand-up comedy, as much as anything, and performers like Louis C.K., Aziz Ansari and even Justin Timberlake. They're the kind of performers he looks up to and emulates, he says.
Trent's show runs about an-hour-and-a-half, and during intermission he'll give the audience a few social media objectives to accomplish.
He strives to make his magic show exciting, touching, funny and even emotional. "People coming to the show are going to kind of run a gamut of emotions during it," said Trent, who's forever on the road, it seems, touring about 200 days a year.
That's a lot of work away from home, but Trent enjoys what the touring gives him.
"Seeing new places, meeting new people and seeing how the things I create play in Portland versus Texas," Trent said about what he likes.
Trent's performance is the next show in the Perot Theatre Series presented by the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council. Next up after Trent is the Neil Simon play "Barefoot in the Park" on Feb. 25.
(Tickets: $46, $38 and $26 with half-priced student discounts available. For tickets and more information, contact the Perot Theatre box office at 903-792-4992.)