March, 2012 Issue

Adam Trent

Adam Trent is magic RE-INVENTED. Historically, the show for most magicians is all about the trick, but for Adam it is all about the audience.

"I remember seeing a magician when I was in college and there were certain things that clicked and others that didn't. For me it is all about getting the students on stage and talking about topical issues...things that are important to them and being able to weave my show around those things. My show is young, hip and very heavy on comedy. Rather than having students walk away thinking "I couldn't figure out that trick", I want them to have a great time, laugh AND say "that was incredible." For the real magic buffs out there, they will find things they will consider amazing and for those who hate magic and just want to enjoy themselves, they can come away from the show saying they had a really great time. My whole focus is to keep the audience laughing throughout the show and keep the energy high."

There are basically two types of magicians. There are those who develop their show to amaze other magicians. Then there are those who plan their shows exclusively to entertain the audience. Adam admits that he is a combination of the two.

"Obviously my show is built exclusively to entertain a college audience. To do that effectively, you have to give them not only things that will amaze them, but develop a dialog they can relate to. It can't be the typical magic show. On the other hand, I work hard to develop tricks that could bewilder other magicians as well."

Adam spends a lot of his time developing the comedy and music but there are specific tricks that are the cornerstones of magic that he has tweaked to make them relatable for college students. "There are tricks that have been around for hundreds of years that can impress almost any audience. When I do one of these, I try to adapt it so it will catch the attention of a crowd 18-22 years old."

Adam is currently 26 years old. He started doing magic when he was nine but really got involved while in college in Los Angeles performing at comedy clubs. My belief was that if I could keep the audience at a traditional comedy club laughing and involved in the magic I performed that what I did would certainly cross over to college audiences.

"After I graduated I spent a three years performing on some of the largest cruise ships in the world and expanded the show to perform 250 shows in 19 countries each year. Then I decided to step away and devoted myself exclusively to the campus market. I just relate well to that age demographic. It's a very smart crowd, it's a very lively crowd and it's an energic crowd. To me that's exciting. The college audience is as real an audience as you can get...they'll let you know if it's bad or if it's good."

Truth be told, Adam has earned some pretty serious chops as a young performer. While there are a lot of magicians who claim to be Comedy Magicians, not all that many have put their skills to the test before the demanding audiences at west coast comedy clubs... a group that can be brutally honest with their observations.

"I went to comedy clubs because I wanted to see if I could get the same kind of laughs that seasoned comedians could receive. I knew I could get laughs going up against other magicians, that was easy. I just needed to be different and earn the respect from others in the comedy trade."

"And that's what's great about college audiences. They tell it like it is. They don't feel the need to boost your ego if you're not good! Sometimes you can walk into a beautiful 2,000 seat theater and others it is a cafeteria. You have to be good enough to get the students engaged and give the school the show they expect to see."

Even though Adam's history started in comedy clubs, he will be the first to tell you that his show is clean. "I don't do anything that is overtly adult. I was one of the highest rated performers on Disney Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruise Lines and I learned very quickly that I could be clean and funny. I adapted my show very well for campus audiences and the way my show is developed, I have no reason to use profanity.

BOOK IT! To find out more about Adam Trent and how his performance could fit in at your school, contact GP?College Entertainment at (866) 812-8248 or link to their website at CampusActMag.com

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