If he’s travelling overseas and carrying lots of “suspicious looking props” he’ll write his correct title on the immigration card. But if he wants less attention he’ll go with “entertainer”.

Power will be one of 80 performers at Wollongong’s inaugural Anywhere Theatre Festival this August, with a Harry Potter inspired magic show.

“[People’s reactions are] either ‘no way, that’s awesome – show me your tricks’ or they’ll take a step back and cock their heads slightly sideways and look at you funny,” Power said.

“Then it’s often ‘what do your parents think’?”

Happily the 31-year-old’s parents supported his decision to go full-time in 2007 after turning card tricks since his teenage years.

A family friend introduced Power to magic when he was 16, eventually teaching him a trick with rubber bands after he followed him around for days “like a puppy”.

“He performed some amazing slight of hand card tricks and coin tricks. To be honest it blew my mind, it was the best thing I’d ever seen and I was like ‘I need to do that,” he said.

It was then to the library to borrow books on magic and practice the craft on grandma.

While he says the magician community around NSW is quite small, he credits stars like Australia’s Cosentino, David Blaine and Dynamo helping put magic back into mainstream and drawing audiences.

According to Power, most television magicians go live so everything you see on the small screen can be replicated in real life – though he wouldn’t divulge the secret behind the amazing tricks.

The show he’s bringing to Wollongong is aimed at both adults and children, with a theatrical element to it. The theme is Power finds himself at Hogwarts and has to learn magic to pass his classes.

Expect to see slight of hand tricks, mind reading, intricate visual magic and his favourite ever move involving “lots of random occurrences and three chairs”.

Liam Power: A Muggle Goes to Hogwarts, La Petite Grande tent in The Arts Precinct, August 25-27. 

For more information visit www.anywheretheatre.com 

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