BWW interviews: LUKE HOCKING About IMPOSSIBLE OCCURRENCES

Luke Hocking was first caught up in the spell of magic when his father showed him a trick and refused to reveal how it was done. The inner childhood fascination triggered by his father evolved into a career calling that has seen Luke develop his knowledge and appreciaiton of all things magic. There was no looking back after his first professional magic gig - while still in his teens - and any thoughts of careers beyond those involving conjuring quickly disappeared.

The Commerce degree he completed and the insurance work he carried out in years gone by now seem as unlikely as the very name of his show suggests. When you see Luke perform you realise his passion is magic and you can only struggle to picture him doing anything else. He looks quite at home dressed up in the tuxedo playing with a deck of cards. He also shows a genuine deference to the history of the craft. Most importantly, he continuously baffles audience members with his seemingly impossible occurrences. While magic tricks may be stock and standard, it is the delivery and context that makes them memorable. Luke is acutely aware of this, with it reflected in the themes of his show and his choice of a small and intimate venue.

I had the opportunity to speak with Luke after a recent performance of his show. We spoke anout his career path, his various festivals and performances, the impact of technology and spoilers on his craft, some of the ideas that are built into his show, and the influneces that shaped his own style of magic.

IMAGE CREDITS: Images supplied by Diana Wolfe, Wolfe Words PR