Travis Bernhardt

In close-up mingling performance I work the room table to table or group to group, usually during the pre-dinner phase of an event, or during the cocktail hour at a wedding. I break the ice, connect people who don't know each other yet, and keep the energy up — you'll know where I am in the room from the explosions of laughter and amazement.

In a stage performance — "stage" can mean anything from a living room or a backyard to a conference room or a thousand seat theatre — I perform magic for 30-60 minutes for everyone at once. The show is fast, funny, and involves people from the audience in ways that aren't embarrassing. The magic is varied, a mixture of sleight of hand and mind reading, occasionally even a touch of hypnosis — anything I think is good!

Travis started out as a street performer in 2008. After a couple of years and hundreds of street shows he felt like he was maybe starting to get the hang of live performance, and in 2010 began a move indoors, touring the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit and doing shows for corporate events.

After a couple of years touring with the great theatre artists on the Fringe, he was inspired to start training in improvisational theatre and clown, and eventually created improv shows for the Fringe as well. He has the distinction of having the only improv show to have won a Pick of the Fringe award in the history of the Vancouver Fringe — and twice, with two different shows!

Travis makes his living performing, but in recent years he's started training other magicians: offering writing, directing and dramaturgical support for magicians at all phases of their careers. With Wes Barker he also wrote a book, Abracadumbass, on Wes's life and magic.