He may be young, but with years of practice and hundreds of performances under his belt, local magician William Rader is committed to doing what magicians do best, making the seemingly impossible a reality, by transforming his long-standing passion for the magical arts into a full-time job here in OKC.
Rader’s fascination with magic all began with a card trick that he witnessed as a child.
“I went home and couldn’t sleep that night. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I had witnessed something impossible,” said Rader.
Even at that young age he was fascinated by secrets and driven by a curiosity to understand how things work.
“In grade school I remember constantly asking my teachers questions. Since magic is so secretive, it was my ultimate goal to learn how it worked,” said Rader. “Once I started performing, I saw magic not just as secrets but a way to connect with people.”
That connection and the ability to inject a little wonder into the lives of his friends and family is what kept him interested in magic.
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Rader’s development took a giant leap forward when he got access to the internet at home for the first time.
“I found that I could buy books and DVDs that would teach me the fundamentals of sleight of hand and how to perform,” said Rader.
He also started to make friends with other magicians, one in particular that was kind enough to share knowledge with him. Rader stressed that it is important when you have a passion to reach out to other people with similar interests.
“It will not only help you grow in that passion, but will also allow you to make great friends,” said Rader. We have the Oklahoma City Magic Club that meets the first Monday of every month. We get together and show each other what we are working on and discuss magicians of the past and present,” said Rader.
With the support of his family, Rader devoted even more time to learning and developing his skills as a teenager.
“I even performed during my classes, under the tables and desks, but I still managed to make good grades,” said Rader.
“Magic is a lot like playing the piano. If you practice the piano for a short time you can play songs like ‘Marry Had a Little Lamb,’ but after many years of countless of hours of practice you can play Liszt’s transcendante said Rader.
Unless he’s doing a show, Rader currently devotes about eight hours every day to practice and study magic. With an average of 10 shows a month, that’s a performance to practice ratio of 14 to 1.
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After five years of hard work and practice Rader started performing professionally, but it wasn’t until graduating from college that he decided to finally commit to doing magic as his full-time job.
Rader said that one of his biggest challenges is finding venues that want to hire a magician, which is compounded by OKC being a smaller city where a lot of people aren’t used to seeing magicians perform.
“I’ve been performing in restaurants for over three years, first at T.G.I. Fridays and for the last six months at Abuelo’s in Bricktown, but I’m constantly looking for restaurants, bars, and clubs that can use walk-around magic or a formal stand-up show,” said Rader.
Rader said one of the best parts about performing in restaurants is that people will bring their friends and families back the next week just to see him, generating more business for both him and the restaurants.
Despite the challenges, Rader has accrued an impressive client list that includes Frontier City, JMA Energy Company, KP Supply, Mercy Hospital, OSU-OKC Upward Bound, and many more.
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Rader stays away from big box magic you might see in some stage shows, choosing instead to focus on more intimate effects.
“While I enjoy watching stage magic with large props and lovely assistants, I feel that everyone understands that the illusion is in how the box was designed or how the stage is set up. Instead, I perform with common objects that are familiar to people and thus, beyond suspicion,” said Rader. “This changes the focus from the performer’s props, to the performer which allows me to get closer to my audience and connect with them more deeply.
Rader currently has two acts, the first of which is close-up magic that he performs for groups of 1-20 people using items such as cards, coins, cups, balls, dice, and rings. He said the magic happens directly in front of his audience and often right in their hands. The second act is a stand-up show featuring a mix of magic and mentalism.
“It’s a highly participatory show, so if you see it, be prepared to become part of the show. I perform a range of different effects from having a thought-of card travel from one person’s hands to another, to being able to tell if someone is lying or telling the truth, reading people’s minds, and foreseeing the outcome of a future event.
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“As a ‘regular guy’ I am pretty reserved. I enjoy being alone; I read books, work out, and of course practice new effects,” said Rader. “When it’s time for me to perform, I really break out of my shell; I make sure everyone is having fun.”
“When I interact with people I am always reminded of our uniqueness as individuals. People react to magic in many various ways,” he said.
That variety of reactions has resulted in a few surprises over the years.
“One time I had just come to the climax of a sponge ball routine at T.G.I. Friday’s and everyone was in the moment and one gentleman yelled, ‘What the FUCK?” so loud that the entire restaurant stopped what they were doing and looked at us,” said Rader.
Rader said that after that little incident he didn’t have a problem finding an audience for the rest of the night as literally everyone in the restaurant wanted to see what all of the hubbub was about.
Rader’s goal is to leave people with a sense of astonishment that will hopefully last a lifetime.
“When someone smiles at me and says, ‘that’s impossible,’ I know that I’ve achieved my goal.”
In addition to upcoming private performances Rader will be also be making semi-regular appearances at OKC Improv at the Ghostlight Theatre starting in mid-January. He is also developing his one man show to stage in OKC in early 2010.
For more information about upcoming shows, classes, or booking visit www.williamrader.net or call (405) 642-0922.
By Eric Webb www.facebook.com/ericdwebb
