Eugene Burger

After starring in every installment of the Theory and Art of Magic program, Eugene Burger is the Grand Master of the program.

Eugene has achieved this distinction at Muhlenberg College through his outstanding magic, wise teachings, and amazing presence. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine the Program without him.
This extraordinary regard for Eugene Burger is shared by all who know him. As an internationally famous performer, he has delighted audiences from Las Vegas to Tokyo. He has appeared on television numerous times in Great Britain, Canada, Belgium, Finland, Japan, and in the United States on such highly acclaimed shows as The Art of Magic (PBS) and Mysteries of Magic (TLC). He has been profiled twice on CNN. In 2003 he was named “Best Magician in Chicago” in Chicago Magazine.

In 1998 and 1999 Eugene was named “Close-up Magician of the Year” by the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. Also in 1998 he was the star of “Hauntings:  A Shakespearean Séance” produced by the Shakespeare Festival of Los Angeles.  Since 1999 Eugene has starred with Jeff McBride in the full-evening show, “McBride Magic: The Secret Art.”  The show opened to rave reviews in Los Angeles, had an extended run at the Claridge Casino in Atlantic City, and has toured Europe. (This show was presented as the Finalé for the 2002 The Theory and Art of Magic program.)  In the last two years Eugene has also starred (with Max Maven and Tina Lenert) in “The Nocturnal Trio”—a highly acclaimed evening show that was a featured performance at the 2003 World Championship of Magic (FISM) in The Netherlands.

Along with these achievements on the stage, Eugene is widely celebrated as one of the great inspirational teachers of the magical arts.  He has written fifteen best-selling books for magicians, including The Experience of Magic, The Performance of Close-up Magic, Mastering the Art of Magic, Spirit Theater, and Magic and Meaning (with Robert E. Neale).  He has starred in over ten instructional videos and DVDs, and has lectured extensively to magicians’ groups in over a dozen countries.  In recent years he has partnered with Jeff McBride in creating The Magic School in Las Vegas—a place where magicians from all over the world come to learn magic from world-leading teachers.

During the past several years, Eugene has been a featured speaker for top executives of such major companies as Coca-Cola, Williams-Sonoma, Unisys and Pottery Barn, as well as top business schools including Wharton, and the graduate schools of business at the Universities of Chicago and Maryland. His talk, "How Magicians Think," applies his special understanding of deception and perception to the corporate world.

Given this remarkable resume, it is easy to understand why MAGIC magazine named Eugene one of the “One Hundred Most Influential Magicians of the Twentieth Century.”

Eugene Burger will be a Keynote Performer and Presenter at the Second Theory and Art of Magic Conference on March 19-21, 2009.  He will be honored during the screening of Michael Caplan’s film, A Magical Vision, which spotlights Eugene’s work and influence.  He will also be the star of the evening show after the Conference’s Banquet on Saturday, March 21.

Max Howard

Max Howard has enjoyed a remarkable career as a professional magician, theatre actor, television personality, and keynote speaker.

Max is America’s only Emmy Award-winning magician as the star and co-creator of the international award-winning, nationally syndicated television series for young audiences, Max B. Nimble.  In addition to a total of six Emmy Awards, the program also received the Chicago Film Festival’s Silver Shield Award and the Action for Children’s Television Award of Excellence for Children’s Programming.

Max is also the star and co-creator of the unique play-with-magic, The War Wizard, which celebrates the astonishing career and adventurous life of the legendary American magician, Civil War soldier and inventor, Professor Gus Rich.  The War Wizard has been presented at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, at New York’s Lincoln Center, at the world renowned Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina, and in theatres, colleges, and universities across the United States.

One of America’s most successful dramatic actors, Max has appeared with such leading theatre companies as the Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, Washington’s Arena Stage, the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, the John Fernald Company of the Meadowbrook Theatre in Detroit, and the famed Asolo Theatre in Sarasota, Florida.  Twice nominated by the Chicago Press Club for the prestigious Joseph Jefferson Award for performances in plays by Harold Pinter and Robert Shaw, he is also the winner of the American Variety Club’s Distinguished Actor Award for his portrayal of King Henry VIII in A Man For All Seasons.

As a keynote speaker, creative consultant, and spokesperson in support of sales, marketing, and public relations projects, his clients include the Kroger Co., Haggar Apparel, Matell Toys, Courtyard by Marriott, the American Cancer Society, Disney/Arvida, and General Motors.

Max’s unique entertainment and communication skills create in audiences a level of heightened awareness and focused attention in which powerful concepts and great ideas can empower, inform, and inspire.

Max Howard will be a Keynote Performer and Presenter at the Second Theory and Art of Magic Conference on March 19-21, 2009.  On Thursday night, March 19 he will perform his celebrated evening show, “The War Wizard Starring Max Howard as Prof. Gus Rich, ‘The War Wizard,’ with Diane Bray as Mr. Jim Bailey, ‘The Wizard's Apprentice.’  On Wednesday night, March 18, Max will also be giving a special lecture for magicians, “Effective Presentations:  How Tricks Become Magic.”