Fun at the library can be a magical experience

Thursday, June 5, 2003

Wednesday afternoon, the "Laugh It Up at Your Library" summer reading program took off with a bang as registered members of the program watched professional magicianess Teresa T. do her tricks. Performing to a packed crowd, Teresa Towe kept the audience entertained, enthralled and eager for more as she successfully completed tricks of redirection and slight of hand. Part of the Castlewood Shows & Entertainment Company out of Lebanon, Towe had been performing on stage as a dancer since childhood. After her marriage to magician David Towe, she started practicing her own brand of magic. "I like seeing the audience enjoying the show; bringing laughter to them," Towe explained. Although her performance at the library was designed for the young reader age groups (kindergarten through sixth grade) she also performs for all ages, including company banquets, trade shows, churches, schools and other organizations. Her act was very audience interactive and the children got emotionally involved. Her questions generated shouted responses and the audience rapport grew as the show progressed. She kept the atmosphere light and entertaining, while offering a degree of mystery that the youngest participant eagerly absorbed. Her routine was more one-woman stage show than a traditional magic act. She has been called the Lucille Ball of Magic for her gestures, slap-stick comedy and retelling of her own childhood stories as distractions during her magical antics. Although she and her husband perform on stage with lots of special effects and equipment, Towe enjoys performing for children. "I like the audience being more intimately involved with the act," she explained. "The interaction creates a closer bond with the audience." Working alone or with her husband, Towe performs more than 300 shows a year. "It's a full time job, but I love it," she said. The library room was filled with enchanted children sitting (sometimes bouncing) on the floor. Many of their parents were in the standing-room-only entrance hall, craning their necks for a glimpse of the action. As the show progressed, the hall reverberated time and again with "oooohhhs" and "aaahhhs," and the occasional squeal of surprise quickly followed by group laughter. Towe enjoyed the performance as much as the children did. "I love being in front of an audience," Towe said, "I have a blast." "Laugh It Up at Your Library" activities will continue every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Nevada Public Library.

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