Houdini - A Journey Into His World of Secrets
Performed by Larry Bounds
Sponsored by Athens Chautauqua Society, in partnership with Athens-Clarke County Library and the generosity of Contributing Sponsors
Please arrive early. Admission is ‘first come, first served.’ Once we reach seating capacity of 152 attendees in the library auditorium the doors will be closed and no one else admitted.
Event Summary
Houdini has been a name to conjure with for over 100 years. Any time people make a miraculous escape from danger or inexplicably disappear they are proclaimed a “Houdini.”
But what is it that made a sideshow magician into an international superstar? What made his name as well recognized today as when he amazed audiences on stage, pioneered aviation in the skies above Australia, produced and starred in early feature films and cliff-hanging serials for global distribution, and laid bare the scams and deceits of conmen who sought to bilk a grieving public following the horrific death tolls of World War I and the Pandemic of 1918-19?
This “historical interpretation” brings Houdini back to center stage for a new generation of audience to be surprised by his magic, amazed by his escapes, and educated and amused by how easily the public can be fooled when they choose to put their trust in conniving knaves. It also gives the audience an opportunity to hear Houdini's amazing life story in his own words and to be able to personally ask him the questions they wish about his life and art.
Houdini reveals, as he often explained, that the real secret of his magic, the key that allowed him to escape chains, locks, and straitjackets was the most powerful key of all - the human mind
FREE EVENT
About Larry Bounds
Larry has presented Houdini for Chautauqua audiences since 2007 in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. He has also presented other Chautauqua programs since 2002 including Churchill, Disney, Cronkite, and Einstein for audiences across the country from Florida to Colorado.
Larry has a bachelor's degree in theatre from The University of Tennessee where he trained with the college's Professional Company and his master's degree in English education. In 1988 he assisted in establishing the first Apple Computer, high school, language arts lab for which he trained the faculty in creating educational programming. He is National Board Certified and has 35 years of classroom teaching experience including many years as an Advanced Placement instructor. He has been honored as his school's Teacher of the Year and in 2019 was named as one of Upstate South Carolina's Most Influential Educators.
In addition to teaching and Chautauqua performing, Larry is an experienced, professional magician. He performed 8 years for Ripley's Believe It or Not! and has presented thousands of magic shows for public, private, and corporate events. Larry is also a member of Mensa, the high IQ society, and serves on the Executive Committee of his regional Mensa chapter.