Not many individuals can say that they knew what they wanted to be at the age of 5 and then see that goal through to adulthood. Master Magician and acclaimed illusionist, David Castera is one of those lucky people. Thanks to supportive parents, he was learning magic at the young age of 10. Throughout high school and college he continued to perfect his skills at being good with slight of hand and misdirection. After graduating college he knew that he wanted to be more than just a magician, just someone who was good at magic. He wanted to create something that people would enjoy. And from this, came Haunted Illusions, a Halloween themed magic show. Caserta and his team recently performed their spooky themed show at the Ogle Center Friday, Oct. 2. Many faculty, staff, administrators, students and community members were in attendance to be wowed by various illusions.
Caserta is the creator, designer, producer, editor, and main performer in his show. Thanks to his background in theater he knows all about lighting, sound design, and video production. He uses this information to help design the illusions that audiences see on the stage. His favorite illusion is cutting himself in half, which he did on the Stem Stage and the Ogle Center. His other favorite illusion is walking through a piece of metal. “It took two years to design it, then I worked with the builders, learned the right lighting and music for the act, and now I am performing it on stage,” said Caserta. This was another illusion performed that evening that wowed audience members.
A big part of the show includes audience participation! Megan Schnurbusch, a junior at Floyd Central High School, was asked to come on the stage and lay on a bed of spikes. Those spikes were then driven through Schnurbusch, or were they? “It was nerve wrecking, but I told myself it was going to be fine. I didn’t feel anything and I have no idea how he did it,” said Schnurbusch. Another participant asked to come on stage included Indiana University Southeast Senior and Biology major, Mason Harder. He was asked to examine the steel metal that Caserta walked through. Harder said that the metal felt very solid each time he examined it.
After the show Caserta likes to meet his audiences out in the lobby. He often asks them what illusion they liked the best. “Audiences never said one particular act, they liked different things,” said Caserta. “And at first this bothered me, because it felt like I wasn’t doing anything that stood out, but then realized that it was good they didn’t only like one thing, but a variety of acts meaning the show had a lot to offer.” For Caserta, he wants the audiences to leave feeling entertained, not fooled. Many audiences don’t want to know the secret to the act, because then what do they do with that information. What they want is to be entertained with all of the theatrics. So for Caserta, that means being clever about the magic and taking into account all that is involved.
The Haunted Illusions magic show runs September to November, during the Halloween season. The other nine months Caserta is learning new illusions, perfecting his current show, watching tape and learning what he can do and improve upon. He is training assistance, working with technicians, builders, and other designers to find new ways to keep his audiences entertained.
When asked if the road to his success was easy, Caserta laughed and said, “Every step is a struggle.” The entertainment industry is hard because there are so many people trying to break into it. Caserta explained that first you have to find an agent, then the agent has to sell your brand, in this case, a haunted illusion magic theme show. There are conferences to attend and people to impress. “You have to be unique, you have to be different, there is just so much pressure,” said Caserta.
Regardless of the pressure, Caserta never gave up on his dream when he was 5 years old. That dream and that drive led to his performances on TVs American’s Got Talent and the Penn and Teller: Fool Us. It led him to having his own travelling show, Haunted Illusions.
“It’s important to stick with your dreams,” said Caserta. “I had supportive parents that encouraged me to stay after it. Life is too precious to waste it doing something you do not love.”
