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Brandon Wagster co-founded The Wagsters Magic Theatre with his wife, Hannah. Photo by Corey Miller.
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Photo by Corey Miller.
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Photo by Corey Miller.
Big theatrics, sleight-of-hand tricks and mind-bending illusions all woven together with song and storytelling make The Wagsters Magic Theatre in Williamsburg an entertaining escape for adults and children.
“It’s like entering Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. You’re leaving the real world and you’re coming into a world of pure imagination,” says Brandon Wagster, who co-founded The Wagsters Magic Theatre with his wife, Hannah.
The couple performs more than 200 75-minute shows per year from their Williamsburg theatre, located behind the Williamsburg Premium Outlets. And while performing is what they live for, connecting with their audience during and after the show is why the Wagsters live for performing.
“We like for our audience to feel like they got to know us after the show…I mean, that’s the most important part,” Hannah says.
The Making of a Magician
Brandon embarked on a life of magic performance at 6 years old when he received a magic kit for Christmas. “I took it very seriously,” he says. From that point, he performed in his garage, at birthday parties, at civic organizations and at corporate parties—anywhere he could gain an audience. He competed in regional competitions as a teen, eventually winning Junior Magician of the Year in 2004 in Columbia, South Carolina, where he grew up.
“I still have my little trophy for that,” he laughs.
Brandon impressed judges when he took his act nationally against established and well-known young magicians on the circuit, taking third place at The World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas back in 2011.
“Most of the kids his age were going around the country winning first and second place and were being seen by other magicians regularly at these conventions. Brandon came out of nowhere and placed third out of 40 kids from around the world. It was insane,” Hannah says.
By 2012, Brandon, now joined by his soon-to-be wife, Hannah, established their show in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, entertainment scene, where they were voted Magicians of the Year seven years in a row.
“There [are] a lot of magicians in Myrtle Beach. And we were voted best entertainment one year. But our big one was in 2020,” Hannah says.
The big one being the prestigious Merlin Award bestowed by the International Magicians Society for “Best Theatrical Magic Production.”
“It is equivalent to the Oscar or the Tony or the Emmy,” Brandon says.
No Sorcerer’s Apprentice
In most traditional magic shows, the female lead is the magician’s assistant. This is not true of Hannah. She’s not a stagehand, but an equal partner and a trained magician.
Hannah grew up studying music and dance while being active in cheerleading and soccer. A master of multiple instruments, she intended to pursue teaching as a career.
“I planned to be a band teacher,” Hannah says. “I just wanted to inspire other kids to get into music.”
All of that changed when her best friend dragged her to one of Brandon’s shows. “It was very different from other magic shows I’d seen,” Hannah remembers.
At that time, Brandon was building a name for himself regionally. Hannah, who hated magic, found herself smitten by the young illusionist—the cute magician, as she thought of him. She seized an opportunity to get to know Brandon when personality differences caused two of Brandon’s assistants to venture out on their own. That’s when Hannah stepped in as a willing replacement. She convinced him she could be a co-performer and not just an assistant—an idea he initially balked at—and sought to overcome the learning curve to prove it.
“I had to catch up with the amount of performance time that he had over me. At one point, we decided to split the show down the middle…and it was awful,” Hannah says. “It turned into a competition; the audience hated me.”
Hannah eventually found her footing, marrying her performance abilities as a former dancer and cheerleader into her showmanship, leading to the couple’s confidently rebranding to the name their venue goes by today—The Wagsters Magic Theatre.
“We’re rare in magic,” Brandon says. “It’s very rare that you have both partners being magicians in the show because Hannah does solo magic on stage, which I have grown to thoroughly love.”
From the Beach to the Burg
In the 10 years they’ve been married, the Wagsters built a reputation for their magic in Myrtle Beach, growing from an audience of 19 to performing in a 1,600-seat theatre up until 2020.
After being unable to perform during the pandemic, the couple was eager to get back to the stage. But after a leasing agreement didn’t align, a visiting friend from Lynchburg, Virginia, suggested the couple look at Williamsburg.
“We came up here and fell in love with the town on Valentine’s (Day) weekend last year. We found this building on February 15, drove back to South Carolina and then we moved back here with everything we owned 29 days later,” Brandon says.
One challenge they didn’t anticipate in making the move to Williamsburg was housing. A lack of local rental history meant the couple had to endure some interesting living situations. “We even for about three months had to get a membership at the YMCA to have access to showers. It was a humbling experience…but it’s rewarding now,” Hannah says.
Experiencing Wagsters Magic Theatre
For those wanting to experience the fun and enchantment of these award-winning magicians, The Wagsters Magic Theatre is open year-round with peak seasons in early spring, throughout the summer and late fall. The theatre is handicap-accessible and accommodates 67 guests. While the shows are family friendly, they’re not recommended for children under the age of 3.
For more information, go to williamsburgmagic.com.