By Mitch Lehman
San Marino Tribune
Max Bradley has a dream: To perform at the Magic Castle.
The San Marino High School Class of 2019 graduate used to spend a lot of time at his cousin’s house.
“We would do a lot of things to make each other laugh,” Bradley said. “One evening I saw a deck of cards laying around the house and we [did] a lot of spontaneous things to make each other laugh. I thought it would be hilarious if I randomly knew a magic trick so I looked up a simple trick on YouTube and performed it and the reaction I got from my cousin and family was priceless. I then decided to make my senior project learning sleight of hand card magic. I spent almost six to seven hours a night, seven days a week just wanting to be the best, fueled by a love I had never before experienced.
“It was at that point that I knew within myself I wanted to become a member of the Magic Castle. It was also a huge thank you to my mentor, Penny Roberts, who truly showed me how to create magic and make it come true. She has inspired me and pushed me to the level I’m at now.”
Roberts, a member of the Magic Castle, is a teacher at Huntington Middle School and agreed to serve as the mentor on Bradley’s senior project. For their projects, SMHS seniors are allowed to choose a subject and develop skills not offered in the traditional high school curriculum.
Bradley has already taken the Magic Castle’s Academy of Magical Arts classes, levels 1, 2, 3 and 4, which is a performance workshop class that allows purveyors of magic to work on perfecting their routines.
“I’ve also got a degree in Scamology that I earned through a two-day course at the Magic Castle called School for Scoundrels,” Bradley said.
Though he is still waiting to see his name on the marquee at the Magic Castle, Bradley has performed at the Viper Room in Hollywood for a television show.
One of Bradley’s idols is Johnny “Ace” Palmer, who has performed at San Marino High School’s Grad Night for more than 20 years.
“I actually saw him a couple weeks ago,” said Bradley. “His routine is so inspiring. I have been so lucky to see him twice, once at Grad Night and the other time at the famous Magic Castle.”
“He’s absolutely fantastic,” said Bradley. “If I could, I would watch his routine over and over again. As a performer constantly learning and growing too, you take away little things and it’s such a wholesome experience.”
