Magic under the microscope

Local-arts point man presents children's show about science and illusions at Newport beach Central Library.

By Tom Titus

You might say Christopher Trela and I go back a long way -- about a quarter of a century at least.

Our paths first crossed in the early 1980s when I was writing a trivia column for the Pilot during my last 15 years as a full-time staffer. I'd pose questions in various categories, readers would respond, and competition would ensue.

Chris, then a student at Newport Harbor High School, was our youngest player. Like myself, he was drawn to writing and the theater, the latter interest having been passed down from his late father, Joe, who performed in a number of local musicals, most notably "The Fantasticks."

Over the past 25 years, Chris has produced an impressive body of original prose, and he founded the New Voices Playwrights Workshop, a group dedicated to new works of theater. He's been the publicity point man for a number of local arts organizations, including, currently, the Balboa Performing Arts Theater.

It's in this last role that he'll present yet another Trela original Saturday at the Newport Beach Public Library. It's a program for children titled "The Science of Magic." The show is an outgrowth of Trela's Science Theater productions, which he created for the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana.

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"Science theater is a growing trend across the country because it teaches basic science principles in a very fun and visual manner," Trela said. "Kids come away having been entertained and educated at the same time."

Trela, who still lives in Newport, has long had a fascination with magic and illusion, and he has created a show that combines science with magic. He made several trips to local magic shops, read books on tricks and consulted with local magicians until he had a better understanding of his subject matter.

"I took some basic science principles and devised ways of using them within the framework of a magic trick," he said. "During the show, we reveal the secrets of some of the tricks we perform, including the science behind them, but a couple of the illusions we do without any explanation just to give a bit of mystery to the show."

His "cast" for the show is one actress, his frequent Trela collaborator Della Lisi, who creates a character named Abby Cadabra, an amateur magician who uses her science knowledge to make her magic effects work.

"The audiences really enjoy the show, and many people come up to me after a performance and ask me to show them how a certain trick is done," Lisi remarks. "Since I've deputized the audience as amateur magicians, I am allowed to reveal the secret of a trick."

"The Science of Magic," a joint production of the library and the Balboa Theater, will be presented in three performances at the library, 1000 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach, at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Saturday. It's all part of a free entertainment program running from noon to 4 p.m. in the library courtyard. More information is available at the library, (949) 644-3211, ext. 2155, or the theater, (949) 673-0895.

The show has been selected by Arts Orange County as an official presentation of the 2006 Imagination Celebration of Orange County, the largest arts festival of its kind in the Western United States. The focus of the festival is to reach young people and their families through the arts and encourage them to use their imaginations.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Independent.