Published: July 26, 2008 12:13 am         

Students to learn legerdemain

As a child growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, Steve Vaught saw a magic show at school and became fascinated.

He went straight home and told his mother he wanted to learn how to do it himself, and they went to the local magic shop. There, they found a magician who offered to give Vaught lessons, which they accepted.

Vaught spent a year visiting the magician at his Victorian-style home, entering through a beaded curtain into a room that contained a large round table and innumerable books and props, learning the art of illusion.

Now 37, Vaught teaches magic camps in Goshen, South Bend and Fort Wayne, runs his own family entertainment company named Idea Inc. and performs for diners at Ryan’s Family Steakhouse in Elkhart, Michigan City and Mishawaka.

“Magic is most powerful with the campers,” Vaught said. “I try to teach the children tricks with mostly ordinary objects. That way if they’re at their grandparents’ house, on vacation, with their friends, they’re an instant magician. It really empowers them.”

Vaught got out of magic as a teenager, but came back to it at 19 after seeing a trick in a store. He bought it and later began taking regular trips to the library to read up on other magic tricks.

“You have to be proactive. You have to fuel your own desire and passion to learn this kind of thing. You have to seek it out on your own,” he said.

Throughout his 20s, Vaught continued learning and developing his skills, starting a business around it in 1996. He has only been teaching summer camps for four years, and only teaches children.

“I don’t teach adults, but it’s sort of in the works right now. I could possibly use a college classroom to teach an adult class,” he said. “I’d also like to do more theater shows for adults. It would shift some of the focus from the aspects of magic on the more cutesy and clownish side to more thoughtful, elegant and intellectual tricks.”

According to Vaught, the foundation of his business is restaurant performance. When he first started it, he performed for diners seven nights a week.

“I love the spontaneity of it. From one table to the next, you don’t know at what level they’re going to enjoy the magic. They may think you’re amusing or great or that you have supernatural powers,” he said, adding that his favorite aspect was the opportunity to communicate with people one on one.

“We enjoy having him here,” a representative from Ryan’s Family Steakhouse in Elkhart said. “The kids love him and he’s great for business. Plenty of people come back almost exclusively to see Steve.”

Tanya Heyde of the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department hired Vaught to teach a beginner’s magic camp in 2007 after discovering him through his South Bend camp.

“I think he’s fantastic,” Heyde said. “He’s very energetic and lively with the kids. They get so excited by it.”

Due to the popularity of the program, an advanced magic class was added to the 2008 summer schedule for those who have already taken the beginner class or another magic camp. This year, eight children participated in the beginner level and four have already signed up for the advanced class. According to Heyde, the department plans on retaining his services each summer so long as they have the resources.

“There’s a whole other world of magic available as well,” Vaught said. “Birthday parties, schools, retirement homes, company picnics or banquets, weddings, grand openings, festivals and day cares. Selling services to events is creating business for a lot of magicians.”

Vaught has performed for local television stations WSBT, WNDU, WNIT and Fox, as well as performing at Magic Chicago, a once-per-month magic event, and has been invited back to perform in 2009.