As soon as I cross the threshold, I find myself immersed in a whimsical world of paintings, games and colours.
It takes a while for me to notice that I am being watched by four pairs of eyes.
Then I spot magician, Anthony De Masi, and his four-legged helpers, who accompany him in his shows: two rabbits and a guinea pig.
The aroma of coffee begins to float across the air and we soon get lost in small talk that tastes of Italy.
“I was born in Melbourne, but my parents come from Vibo Valentia and Catanzaro in Calabria,” Anthony said.
“My parents came here when they were quite young – my father was 16 and my mother was much younger – and they met here.”
The magician explained that growing up in the 1980s in Australia, there weren’t as many extracurricular subjects in school as nowadays.
Everything seemed to revolve around sport, and if you weren’t passionate about sports, there was not much else to do.
A lover of art, De Masi took an interest in one of the most creative sports that exists: dance.
He began attending a dance school and, one semester, he was lucky enough to have a teacher who taught circus arts.
She became his mentor and sparked his passion and curiosity for the world of magic.
She also encouraged him to pursue his dreams.
“Thinking back, it was very difficult for me because it wasn’t popular and a lot of kids at school would make fun of you,” De Masi said.
“It took a lot of courage to be different from the others.”
But De Masi refused to be deterred and he continued to hone his skills.
When he turned 18, he volunteered to perform a show for charity.
It wasn’t long before his talent was noticed and he began his professional career.
After a couple of years working at Bernard’s Magic Shop and making connections in the magic community, De Masi went to university to study architecture.
Throughout his course, he juggled his studies and magic so that he never had to give up his true passion.
“I’d get a phone call while in a lecture and it would be an agent asking if I was free to perform that night,” he said.
“My lecturers were very supportive and would let me take the calls; I think they could see that magic was what I really wanted to do.”
De Masi’s school, The Magic School of Confidence, grew from a seed that was planted at the Melbourne Magic Festival, which at the time took place at the Northcote Town Hall.
“I could see a lot of great young magicians performing and I was seeing that they were doing such an amazing job but they were also making minor mistakes that I used to make and I saw things that could be improved,” De Masi said.
“I’d talk to them and give them some friendly tips.
“I started thinking that maybe Melbourne needed a place where those interested in magic can learn or improve their skills in the art form.
“I took on a couple of students and I could see that they were really developing and enjoying the lessons.
“I eventually set up my magic school here; it took me a long time and it’s something that’s slowly grown.”
De Masi has been teaching magic for around eight years now.
“The thing that is really special to me is that a lot of the young magicians who I took on eight years ago when they were young, are still performing and making magic.”
This year, the Melbourne Magic Festival will be held from Monday, June 28, to Saturday, July 10, at different locations across the city.
Open to people of all ages, the event will host a stellar lineup of local and international names.
On June 29, festival favourite Nick Kay will present an exclusive lecture at The Magic School of Confidence.
De Masi is also organising an “open mic” night, which will take place on July 1 and give aspiring magicians an opportunity to perform in front of a crowd.
He is looking forward to the events, after a year of forced closures due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the restrictions and challenges that came with the health crisis, De Masi tried to stay positive.
“I immediately started advertising that I would do Zoom shows and classes and I tried to do as much as possible,” he said.
“I also started up a young magicians group and we’d meet on Zoom and talk; it was really wonderful because they were very expressive in how they were feeling and they were very supportive of each other.”
De Masi concluded by explaining that magic is much more than performing.
“It’s about the way you think and live your life,” he said.
“You live life with a great imagination, feeling young, trying to be happy and always learning.
“As a magician I get to work for so many different people from so many different walks of life and, as a result, I get an insight into their world.”
