history

The Parent Assembly # 1 of the Society of American Magicians’ is thrilled to announce that the 101st Salute to Magic is scheduled for May 1, 2010. We stepped away from our conventional show format and are trying something new for us. This year’s Salute to Magic will feature Paul Gertner’s highly acclaimed show, Ten Fingers – A Play of Magic.

Ten Fingers: A Play of Magic, is a one-man performance told through the eyes and hands of three-time world champion sleight-of-hand artist Paul Gertner. Paul takes you into the world of a ten year old from Pittsburgh who, growing up in a blue-collar steelworker family is exposed to the art of magic and illusion through books in the local library.

Audience members become part of the show as they join Paul on his journey from practicing card tricks on his parent’s kitchen table, to his guest appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, to his First Place finish at the Olympics of Magic in Madrid, Spain. The audience is left to wonder what is behind the magic and Paul’s drive to perform it. The latter is revealed during the show with a magical tribute to the steelworker father who, without realizing it, creatively set the magic in motion. The story will inspire and the magic will astound! The production has received rave reviews across the country and this is Mr. Gertner’s inaugural public performance of his play in New York City. The show will take place at the Axis Theatre (1 Sheridan Square) located in the heart of New York City’s Greenwich Village.

Due to the intimate nature of the show, seating is very limited. However, to help accommodate guests, there will be two showings on Saturday May 1, 2010, a 3:00pm matinee and a 7:00pm evening performance.

Paul Gertner has performed for more than 500 corporations in more than 20 different countries, has lectured at MIT and has been featured twice on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Paul has been a frequent guest on The Tonight Show, appeared on NBC’s The World’s Greatest Magic, HBO and ABC’s That’s Incredible! Recognized by his peers as one of the finest sleight-of-hand magicians in the world today, his first place awards in international competitions in Las Vegas, Madrid and Miami confirms this status. Even David Copperfield has called upon Paul to consult on his TV specials.