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74th British Ring IBM Convention
22nd - 26th September 2010, Eastbourne
Update 15, July 2010
Bob Hayden, British Ring PRO
One of the country’s most iconic magicians of the past half century is
Wayne Dobson, becoming a household name through his various television
appearances in the late 1980’s. A change in his approach to magic was necessary
when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis but it did not stop him continuing
to perform which he still does today, although to a lesser extent. Being highly
regarded among fellow professionals he has found himself as a lecturer at
societies and conferences. Together with his wife Marianne, who he married in
2005, he runs DTRIK,
a business developing and marketing magic tricks. At Eastbourne we are being
invited to ‘An Audience With Wayne Dobson’.
How did magic come into Wayne’s life? He was just a youngster when he discovered
magic for the first time. He recalls his earliest moment of magic was going to a
children’s party and watching a magician tear some tissue paper turning it into
a bunch of flowers. Like any young boy, he couldn’t get over it. But it was
watching television that increased his passion to get involved. This was
fulfilled when Mum and Dad gave him a David Nixon magic set as a present for
Christmas. He fell in love with it and magic became an obsession, not just a
passing craze that becomes boring. He wanted to find out more and more about the
history of magic and how to perform exciting new tricks.
Years later on a school trip to the British Museum he discovered Davenport’s
Magic Shop and wandered in. It was a treasure trove of magic, everything he
thought a magic shop should be. Behind the counter was Pat Page who soon was
showing him a series of tricks. One that blew him away involved three silver
cups and three balls which turned into fruit and vegetables. Unable at the time
to buy the ‘Cups and Balls’, he bought the book on how to do the trick and
practised at home with teacups. Rigorously saving his pocket money it was the
first prop he bought and the first professional trick he performed. Pat Page
throughout his life was to become Wayne’s great friend and mentor and later
magical advisor to his television programmes.
Through his teens he worked on his magic perfecting his skills and having great
fun performing to friends and family and the occasional show at the local club
in Leicester. He acknowledges it was David Nixon who had the greatest influence
on him, watching his shows sparking off in him a future dream career. His
interest in close-up magic was influenced by Dai Vernon, revered by all modern
day magicians. At just 16 years Wayne was demonstrating a great flair for
originality and started picking up local engagements and club work on a semi
professional basis. Not knowing exactly what he wanted to do with himself he
stayed at school until he was 18, then drifted into work in a sock factory.
Wayne’s magic skills continue to develop and in 1977 was a joint first prize
winner in the Close-up competition at the British Ring Convention. This led to
his TV debut on BBC’s Blue Peter. At 21 he gambled as to what was to be his
future career and became a professional magician. It was a gamble that would pay
off handsomely.
Wayne’s original style of magic with fast talking patter and hilarious split
second one liners achieved him great things on the difficult British Club
circuit. A run of tours with some of the top UK performers ensued, opening for
Freddie Starr, Shirley Bassey and the Shadows. He was picked up by TV companies
and performed on a number of top shows. 1988 saw him on a comprehensive American
tour accompanying Engelbert Humperdinck performing in the likes of Las Vegas,
Lake Tahoe and Hollywood.
In 1989 Wayne was chosen to appear in The Royal Variety Show where his
uproarious routine with Frank Bruno and Harry Carpenter is still remembered
today. Wayne was now in great demand making a weekly guest appearance on the Joe
Longthorne show with a mixture of close-up magic and illusion. Next he was
offered his own TV show Wayne Dobson - A Kind of Magic, a show which was
to enjoy a run of three series.
But there was a black cloud on the horizon. Wayne was diagnosed with Multiple
Sclerosis in 1989. Although he knew this would eventually come to limit his
mobility he was determined to carry on working. Over the next two decades, in a
wheelchair, even with his condition getting gradually worse, this he has
achieved. He talks about his condition straight away at the start of his show
putting people at their ease. Wayne has learnt to adjust his act to suit his
disability. He knows he can’t do certain things physically and will not attempt
them. He says it is a case of finding new methods and adjusting and
re-choreographing the act. If anything, Wayne feels that his illness has made
him more positive. When people say to him you’re so brave his reply is ‘I’m not
really, it’s just the way I am. I want to get on with things. Anyone with a
disability, with the right attitude and the right way of doing things, can
contribute to society. What is important is the feeling you have made a
contribution.’ What an inspiring philosophy.
In An Audience with Wayne Dobson, Wayne will talk about his life, answer
questions and show video clips from his extensive career; many of them having
never been seen before. Make sure you are in the Congress Theatre on Friday
morning for this star event.
Bob Hayden, British Ring PRO, July 2010. www.britishring.org.uk