Chicago Magicians John and Gary Fabjance
How father and son and fellow Chicago magicians John and Gary
Fabjance got into the magic business is almost as surprising as their
magical performances.
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| John Fabjance |
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John Fabjance - During his freshman year at Southern Illinois
University in Edwardsville, Illinois, the magicians' magician, The
Great Blackstone was performing one week in St. Louis, only 20 miles
away.
John
saved his money to see every show he could and hung outside the stage
door in hopes of meeting Blackstone. After the last performance in St.
Louis, John followed Blackstone and his crew to a restaurant and sat at
a nearby table. The producer recognized him from hanging around the
stage doors and offered to pay his bill. John, who had been performing
as an amateur magician since high school, told the producer that if
Blackstone ever needed a magician's assistant to call him.
Two days later, the producer called John and said Blackstone's
assistant had broken his arm and asked him to join them for the Kansas
City shows. "I walked into the theater and there was no time to
rehearse," he recalls. "They told me, 'You saw it all week. You know it
well enough.' And I did. I started to tour with them all over. "
Eventually,
John left the Blackstone tour to complete his degree in education.
Along the way, John continued performing as a part-time magician to
provide extra income while in college and even appeared on many local
and national television programs including The Jackie Gleason Show,
Circus, Circus and the very popular ABC program You Asked For It!,
television's original reality/request show. Viewers from around the
country would send in requests for the type of program they wanted to
see. John performed some of his own magical creations--miniature
magicians illusions he designed and constructed especially for the
performance.)
After college, John taught english, speech, theater and stage-craft
classes to grade school, junior high, high school and college students,
while continuing to perform and invent magic tricks in his spare-time.
He designed and constructed special magician's props and illusions for
Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, The Ice Capades, Six
Flags, Knotts Berry Farm and Disneyland. One of John's most famous
magical creations is the Airbourne Glass in which a magician pours
liquid from a bottle into a glass that is magically suspended mid-air.
This illusion has been performed by professional magicians nationwide,
including Lance Burton, and appeared both on television and in film.
Later, John would move the Chicago area to develop magicians' props
used for national advertising campaigns for such Chicago-based
companies as Standard Brands, makers of Baby Ruth and Butterfinger
candies, Hershey Chocolate, Leaf Confections, Willy Wonka Candies,
Ralston Purina and Planters Peanuts, Hoyle Playing Card Company and
American Playing Card Company. John is also the author of two magic
books with hundreds of magic tricks for beginners offered as
promotional items in conjunction with these campaigns.
It was while living in the Chicago area that John would eventually
leave the teaching profession to perform as a full-time professional
magician.
Today, his magical showmanship, tasteful humor and crowd-pleasing
personality have brought him to national and international attention.
A versatile communicator with a unique perspective, John is also a
consummate entertainer, making him a favorite among magic fans. He is
constantly in motion, walking through audiences and passing his energy
and enthusiasm on to them wherever he performs. In all, his combination
of world-class magic, sharp wit, powerful message and high-energy stage
presence make John Fabjance a magician to watch.
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| Gary Fabjance |
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Gary Fabjance - Gary grew up surrounded by magicians. In
addition to being a magician himself, his father, John Fabjance, owned
an operated a magic shop while Gary was growing up. Gary spent much of
his time in his father's magic shop in the company of professional
magicians learning the tricks of the trade.
Gary's mother, Stephanie, would join his father and other magicians on
stage, from time to time, to assist in the larger illusion shows. Gary
himself made his first stage appearance as a child, pretending to be
"hypnotized" then levitated in a "kiddie car".
Eventually, Gary would study acting and theater at Columbia College in
Chicago and improvisation at the famous Second City Training Center,
Chicago.
Today, Gary lives in the Chicago area and works as a full-time
professional magician. His lifetime of experience as magician, actor
and improvisational comedian adds entertainment value to his magic
shows, which are packed full of comedy and audience interaction that
gets everyone involved and keeps them laughing.
Gary's extensive performance résumé includes countless corporate events
in as well as hundreds of private parties in the Chicago area. His
clients include Motorola, The Chicago Park District, The Art Institute
of Chicago, Gap Kids, The Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier,
Harris Bank, and many more.
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