An Interview with Female Magician Magical Katrina

1) How did you become interested in magic?

Growing up I was obsessed with vampires and witches and musical theater. When I was a little girl I always wanted to be magical. I was a witch every year for Halloween for 4 years in a row. But I didn't really know what a magician was specifically. My mother never got me a magic kit. Growing up poor I never saw a magician perform at a birthday party or even on TV. The first magician I ever saw was Gob from Arrested Development at 16. Not exactly a cool or glamorous portrayal of our industry.  

Ten years ago I got my first job as a princess: balloon twisting, face painting, and performing magic at children's parties. I would perform a 30-minute magic show at every single party I did. However, for the first five years of my career if you had asked me what I did for a living I would have told you I was a “professional princess.” Even though most of my job was literally doing a solo magic show… it didn’t seem cool to say. And honestly, I didn’t think there were any female magicians. To me, I was just a magical princess.

That all changed when I moved to Los Angeles to make it as an actress. That’s when I started taking classes at the Magic Castle. That’s when I fell in love with magic as an art form. And that’s when I first saw world class magicians that treated magic as true theatre. The magicians there are some of the best in the world. They use character, as well as compelling storytelling, to give the magic meaning. I realized what I love about theater can be incorporated into magic. That’s when my life really pivoted and I started consuming magic videos and taking it more seriously. I began performing for adults and focusing on it as more than just a way to make a living – an actual career.

2) What was your first professional magic job?

I was a princess at children's parties doing a simple 30-minute kids’ show that involved a dove pan, color changing silks, sponge bunnies, disappearing rose, and that one where the peanut butter and jelly switch places and multiply (kind of like a kid-friendly version of multiplying bottles). My show was actually fairly terrible, but I had to sink or swim, because I was doing it to make a living. I got pretty good at children’s magic pretty fast.

3) What magician influenced you the most?

I am inspired by those who are confident in their character. My favorite magicians are those that have strong viewpoints and who use magic as a tool that supports their character's lens, story, and the universe they have crafted. Some of my favorites who inspire me daily are Rob Zabrecky (who directed my virtual show), Carissa Hendrix, David Kovac, Tina Lenert, Max Maven, Xavier Mortimer, Mac King, and Jeff McBride.

4) How did you learn most of your tricks and illusions?

Books, videos, buying tricks, and learning them with the instructions included with them. Doing the same thing over and over, and learning from failure.

5) What was your biggest challenge when you first started?

Two major challenges:

1. I have ADHD, and my biggest challenge was just sitting down and practicing something. However, as with dancing or circus arts, it could be really, really thrilling and addictive when I would get in the zone and focus. I also was able to overcome my easily-distracted nature by combining magic with multi-tasking. So I’ll often practice and listen to music or a book on Audible while looking in the mirror and doing the moves. 

2. Another thing that was super difficult was learning audience control. Kids are brutally honest and will call you out if you mess something up. Since those were my first audiences I think it really helped me develop a thick skin and calm under pressure or when things go wrong on stage.

6) What’s your favorite style of magic to watch or perform?

I love watching close-up magic, but strolling magic is my favorite to perform. It is so fun to walk up to different groups and jazz with the magic and the jokes, changing it up depending on the audience. It’s hard not to love virtual magic shows though – because I can do them while traveling.

7) How do gauge your success?

By how much money I make yearly. By how many gigs I consistently book per month. And by how much better I get at work life balance (which, to be honest, I’m terrible at!).

7) How do you feel when you see magic in the movies or on TV?

I feel really excited and proud. I feel like magic is now considered (kind of) cool. When I see magic represented in media I feel like our culture finally thinks of us as an art form worthy of recognition. I think magic has often been viewed as silly, and portrayed as a joke on TV (e.g. Arrested Development). So seeing films like Now You See Me or Magic Camp coming out that make magic look awesome, I find a newfound pride in being a magician.

9) Do you experience stage fright? If so, how do you overcome it?

I get super nervous before every performance no matter how big or small. I overcome it by doing self talk and reassuring myself of all of my years of experience and hours of practice. The more prepared I am, the more I am able to comfort myself and feel confident. So I try to overprepare. Especially when performing for other magicians, because that’s what makes me the most nervous. So yes, this convention will be outside of my comfort zone – but outside of your comfort zone is where growth happens, and I know it will be a success.

10) How well do you take constructive criticism towards your act?

I love it. Coming from a musical theater background, I love notes. I don’t know why more magicians don’t hire directors, ask friends for notes, solicit feedback, and gather ideas more often. In theater rehearsals you perform the play, then you immediately grab the script and a pencil, then the entire cast sits down and the director gives you notes. That’s the default when you rehearse. That’s what makes a performance art a performance art – you sculpt a story, and that story is crafted with intention. Art can’t be created in a vacuum. The crucible of other people is what forges true art. 

Before I performed on Penn and Teller’s Fool Us or did my virtual show for the Magic Castle, I rehearsed more than 100 times for friends – and every one of those shows had note sessions afterwards. I love notes. They make me better.

11) How do you create new routines?

Sometimes I fall in love with a classic magic trick, and then I think of a story or song I could set it to. Sometimes the story or song comes first, and then I discover the perfect trick to accompany it. For example I have always loved it when people look like their dogs, and I’m working on a trick involving that…I’ve had the idea for years and done multiple versions with different types of forces and matching-themed tricks….it’s always been the same story, and it’s always about people looking like their dogs. But over the years it’s evolved to incorporate different props and utilize different methods.

12) What are the rules that you follow in Magic?

I practice every trick extremely thoroughly so I don’t ruin the magic for my audience. I also never do the same trick more than once, and I always try to make my volunteers look good and have the opportunity  to play and make choices that empower them when they’re on stage with me.

I make sure to be very honest that it’s all fake, and urge people to question reality and question the magic. We have to keep the secrets, so I’ll never reveal how a trick works when I’m performing – but if a person (usually a child) shouts out a guess, I never shut them down. I encourage them to guess (knowing that I won’t tell them the real answer), because magic is an amazing tool for cultivating critical thinking and creative problem solving. I always recommend  they try learning magic if it inspires them to think. Those vocally-skeptical kids are the ones truly thinking like a magician, and I think that’s beautiful. I don’t reveal secrets, but I would never try to discourage anyone who is inquisitive and curious. I would also never lie or pretend to have real magical powers. I don’t like charlatans.

13) If you were to write your autobiography in just six words, what would that be?

Experience everything. Live bravely. Live extraordinarily.