Dennis Watkins

Dennis Watkins (born September 9, 1978) is an American magician,[1] mentalist, and classically trained actor, based in Chicago, Illinois.[2] Watkins is specialized in sleight of hand, walking on broken glass, swallowing razor blades, and a card trick known as the Balloon Trick, where he crawls inside a 7-foot wide balloon in order to complete a card trick. He has performed across the United States, and his public show, The Magic Parlour, has been playing at Chicago's historic Palmer House Hilton Hotel since New Year's Eve, 2011. Watkins appeared on Season 4 of Penn & Teller: Fool Us in September 2017, but did not fool the hosts.

Biography

Dennis Watkins is a magician and stage actor born in Dallas, TX. He is the second in a family of four brothers. His grandfather, Ed Watkins, was a local magician who worked as the lead demonstrator at a storefront magic shop called Douglas Magicland in Dallas for 30 years. Around age 7, Dennis Watkins began studying sleight-of-hand under the instruction of his grandfather, Ed.

In 2001, Watkins graduated from SMU Meadows School of the Arts in Dallas, TX, where he received the Hunt Leadership Scholars Award. There, he met and worked with many of the actors and directors who would go on to found The House Theatre of Chicago. He also spent a year training at BADA, British American Drama Academy.

The House Theatre of Chicago

Dennis Watkins is a Founding Company Member with The House Theatre of Chicago, where he originated the role of Harry Houdini in Death and Harry Houdini written and directed by Artistic Director Nathan Allen. Portraying Houdini in all 7 sold-out runs of the show, Watkins recreates some of Houdini's most well-known feats, including escaping the infamous Water Torture Cell.[3] Watkins received a Joseph Jefferson Award for his work on the show in 2012. Death and Harry Houdini returned to The Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami, FL in the spring of 2017.

The Magic Parlour

On New Year's Eve of 2011, Watkins began performing his one-man-show, The Magic Parlour, featuring close-up magic and mind-reading, in a private suite at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago.[4] He performs most Friday and Saturday evenings, five performances weekly, before a small gathering of just 44 guests.

Stage

As Actor

  • 2001 - 2017 Death and Harry Houdini
  • 2002 The Terrible Tragedy of Peter Pan
  • 2004 Cave With Man
  • 2005, 2008 Dave DaVinci Saves the Universe
  • 2005 The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz
  • 2006 Hatfield & McCoy
  • 2007 The Sparrow
  • 2007, 2013 The Magnificents

As Playwright

  • 2007, 2013 The Magnificents
  • 2011 - 2017 The Magic Parlour

As Magic Designer

  • 2002 The Terrible Tragedy of Peter Pan
  • 2005 The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz
  • 2007 The Sparrow
  • 2007 Hope Springs Infernal
  • 2007, 2013 The Magnificents

As Director

  • 2004 San Valentino and the Melancholy Kid
  • 2005 Curse of the Crying Heart
  • 2006 Valentine Victorious

References
  1. Chicago Tribune (28 March 2016). "Theatre at the Center to host magician Dennis Watkins - Post-Tribune". Post-Tribune. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  2. "Dennis Watkins Returns in 'Death and Harry Houdini'". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  3. Jones, Chris. "THEATER REVIEW: "Death and Harry Houdini" by House Theatre of Chicago at the Chopin Theatre". ChicagoTribune. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. "3411 - Dennis Watkins: Not just a 'Parlour' trick - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive - Windy City Times". Windy City Times. Retrieved 26 April 2016.



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