Paul Sunderland

A Magical Background

As a shy teenager it was a very nervous moment for him. Up until then his tricks had only been shown to friends and family, so it was a big accomplishment to stand in front of a group of youngsters and entertain them. To hide some of his nervousness he asked a friend to dress up as a clown and to help him with his tricks. "I figured that if any of the tricks went wrong then i'd just blame the clown" Paul says. "Luckily nothing did go wrong so the clown was not needed again"

Paul's interest in magic began when he was a pupil at Oakworth Primary School, when a local magician called Uncle Peter used to present his magic show for the school each year. "I remember never being chosen to go up on stage and be the magician's assistant. I was convinced that the child that had been picked did not feel inside the empty bag properly before scarves were being magically produced from it. It was from that moment on that I set my goal to find out how it was possible." Paul added "I occasionally now do the very same trick in my shows and do so with a great sense of achievement"

In 1985 Paul became a member of the Bradford Magic Circle after successfully completing a nerve racking audition. "Doing magic for a complete stranger is one thing but performing in front of your peers is on a totally different level" he says. It was after joining the magic circle that Paul's confidence changed. He was encouraged to participate in the various events that the club held each month and was soon performing for various Churches and charities, offering his services free of charge to helping raise needed funds.

9 years on Paul had one of his proudest moments when he was elected to become President of the Bradford Magic Circle. "it was such an honour to think that fellow magicians had voted me in as their President" said Paul

From then on Paul developed and expanded his magical skills as he turned to close-up magic. Over more recent years he has entertained people at places such as weddings, private parties, product launches and other corporate events, where the interaction with guests and clients have left them bewildered.

When asked which he preferred doing, the children's magic or the close-up, he replied "the children's shows will always be close to my heart as its where it all began for me, but at the same time new close up effects are being developed on a daily basis and these set new challenges for the close-up magician. Performing close-up magic right under people's noses and seeing them react makes me feel like I have done something for them that they will probably have never witnessed before"

Now with over 25yrs experience behind him, Paul is a highly sought after and respected entertainer in his local and surrounding areas. Dont miss out on having him at your next event !!