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Magic his passion and his business Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Kathleen Ganster wrote the entire article from “my” point of view. March 15, 1998 Tom Interval of Franklin Park took his childhood love of magic and turned it into a business. Interval, 31, began practicing magic at age 6. The youngest of seven children would use his parents and siblings as the audience to try out his new tricks. While growing up, Interval tried his hand at various types of magic, including large stage illusions such as those that David Copperfield has made famous, to the sleight-of-hand magic that is now Interval’s specialty. He also spent a year as a professional magician at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va. Interval performs at weddings, parties, proms, store openings, and other social events, and he also teaches magic for groups and in private lessons. Don’t bother trying to get professional secrets out of Interval, though—when asked how a certain trick works, he will reply, “Very well, thank you.” A 1996 graduate of La Roche College with a degree in professional writing, Interval works as a technical writer for Fisher Scientific when he isn’t making things disappear. He talked with correspondent Kathleen Ganster about his magic business called “An Interval Of Magic.” My parents bought me my first magic kit when I was 6. Like most kids that age, I wasn’t too great at reading yet, but I was able to follow along with the book. Also about that time, I would see a well-known magician advertise magic cards on television. He would show the faces of what appeared to be normal cards, then tap the deck and they appeared to have changed into all aces. To an adult, this probably seemed a neat puzzle, but to a kid, it was a miracle. I was stunned beyond belief. These two things were the roots of my love of magic. Most of my magic tricks, I have learned from books. I devoured books on magic, and now have more than 350 books. Some are the types that would be popular for the general public, whereas others are more specific to certain types of tricks for magicians. Harry Houdini was my idol-he was so great. I read and watched everything about Houdini that I could find when I was growing up. Of course, I never missed any TV special on magic. When I was 10 or 11, I often would practice magic four to eight hours a day. I would stay up late at night, practicing my tricks. I performed magic in talent shows at school. My first paid magic show was when I was 12 and performed at a children’s party. It was so much fun to be paid for doing magic. Before that, it seemed I always was performing for my family. My parents were often my captive audience. When I was 16, my parents allowed me to go to Louis Tannen’s Magic Camp in Long Island, N.Y. Tannen’s Magic Shop is very well known in the magic circles. It was fantastic—it was like being a kid in a candy shop. Magic camp participants performed for the other students and the teachers, which gave us good experience and feedback from the professionals. The teachers would take notes during our performances and give us guidance. It was a good place to get constructive criticism. A couple of years later, my Dad bought me a piece of large stage illusion equipment for the mismade lady trick—a lady steps into the box, the magician closes the door, cuts up the box, moves the pieces of her around, then puts her back together. But when you open the door, her pieces are in the wrong places. So then you move them around again, and voila! She is back together. It is fun, but the equipment is hard to move around, and I really preferred the sleight-of-hand tricks. With sleight of hand, a magician easily can entertain 30 to 50 people. It works well close-up, which some tricks do not. I do a lot of effects with cards. You really can do magic with just about anything you find in the house—coins, cards, eggs, rubber bands, paper clips, whatever. Magic is one of the oldest hobbies known to man. There are literally thousands of books out about magic. I like to read an idea, then come up with my own handling of the trick. Sometimes, I will come up with my own tricks. In 1985, I won a Pittsburgh Magician of the Year contest sponsored by the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. It was a real boost to my ego to win this award. When I was 21, I worked at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg for a year. I dressed as a medieval magician with an English accent and walked around the park, performing magic for people. I would also do smaller shows. It was the best way to perfect my magic—you really get your effects down when you perform three to seven shows a day. Also, I would do public relations for Busch by going to a couple of small talk shows, hospitals, things like that. This was my first job where I really supported myself with my magic. I also taught magic to the sales people in the magic shop at the park. That job was a blast. Not only is magic fun to perform, but it has other benefits for children who learn magic. It may inspire a child to read to learn more tricks, it helps them in writing when they come up with their own ideas and tricks, it helps them to think critically and understand that things aren’t always as they appear. They learn about math, about history by studying the magic greats, and communication and presentation skills. Magic is a wonderful hobby. I’m hoping to combine my magic and writing by writing a book about magic. Currently, I am writing down the tricks that I perform and methods that I use. Teaching magic also is great fun. I stared to teach magic at the Community College of Allegheny County, and I also have taught through the YMCA in the North Hills, the Jewish Community Center and Hampton Community Library. I still teach in the library, and I do private lessons. It is fun to teach children because they enjoy it so much. A good age to start children with magic is around 7 or 8. I teach easy stuff like some basic card tricks they can learn, yet they are still impressive. Another trick is the “Paddle Move” in which the magician has a little white paddle that looks like a coffee stir with a yellow dot on the top. The trick is to make the dot disappear. Again, it is easy for them to learn, but an adult can be fooled by this trick. I usually practice magic every day. Many magicians perform until their deathbed—it is fun and you can do it almost forever. I hope that I can always perform. I think magic helps preserve the childlike wonder and helps people realize there is magic in everyday life. To learn more, contact Tom now. Back to Top