Abracadabra is BYU’s premier magician’s club — a place where students can go to watch magic, learn magic and enjoy each other’s company. The club, founded in 2014, meets every Tuesday from 7-10 p.m. in the Wilkinson Student Center.
Caleb Summerhays, the club’s president, is an established performing magician. Two years ago, he started working for tips as Brick Oven’s magician and heard about the club through an on-campus billboard. Summerhays and the rest of the club occasionally perform shows at BYU locations like The Wall or the Varsity Theater. He enjoys seeking out new members and spectators for the club.
“I think everyone likes knowing secrets, but there’s a difference between wanting to know how something is done so you know the secret and knowing how something is done so you can do it for others,” Summerhays said. “(People who do tricks for others) are the kind of people that we want to teach.”
Ethan Williams, club vice president, noted that magic has a way of bringing people together. Williams said that during their last club meeting, a group of skeptical girls began to ask questions during his trick. In a normal magic show, this would be considered rude, but Williams helped them understand how the trick worked. They had a discussion, and in the end, the girls were able to figure out the method for themselves.
Williams said this is a common practice for magicians in Abracadabra. They strive to help people understand and learn magic thorough card tricks, coin tricks and mind-reading tricks.
Physics major Jared Coleman is a new member of Abracadabra. Coleman started in magic after being dared by his friends to perform a trick in public. He found that he liked magic and looked online for a magician’s club at BYU, where he found Abracadabra. He said going to the club and practicing has helped him gain stronger performance skills and confidence in performing.
More information about Abracadabra, including performance dates and meeting times, can be found on the club’s Facebook page.
