Bio
For Calgary magician Richard Rondeau, it all started when he was 12 years old. Up until that point he can't remember ever seeing a magician in Calgary or even magic.
Friend 1
On that fateful day, a friend of 12 year old Richard showed him a few magic tricks and he was amazed. He could not see how what his friend did was possible. Richard nagged his friend until he was finally shown how it was done and as a result Richard was hooked.
The search
Richard sought out magic books in his school library, then the public library, and read as many books as he could get his hands on. He spent hours learning and practicing all the tricks that he could. Then Richard discovered you could buy magic sets from stores like Consumer's Distributing and also found them in the Sears catalogue. One set that he bought had a pamphlet listing other tricks you could order by mail. He used money from his paper route to order tricks. When these packages arrived, it was just like Christmas to him.
The shows
His first performance was for a group of his cousins in the family basement. Then, there was a performance for his classmates and one for the Children's Hospital. Finally, a paid performance for a children's birthday party in a small local town. Richard's mom was a grade one teacher and she brought him in to perform for her students on a couple of occasions. A local tv station was having a 'Job-a-thon' and they had him perform. He also did a couple of tricks on a local children's show and as a result Richard was on his way to becoming a Calgary magician.
Friend 2
Enter your text here...Another childhood friend who was also very interested in magic informed Richard of a magic shop out by the Calgary airport. Though it was quite a distance, he would ride his bike there to purchase various magical items. Eventually, he got a job at the magic shop where he worked part-time for many years and due to this he was able to meet and talk to other Calgary magicians.
And now
Since 1989, Richard has been a full-time Calgary magician averaging 200+ shows per year. Birthdays, seniors' clubs, libraries, preschools, daycares, town festivals, house parties, corporate functions, schools, special events, community shows, company picnics, and holiday shows make up the bulk of his performances.