New Victory Arts Break: Mario the Maker Magician 2.0

New Victory Arts Break videos and activities are designed to have your family ready and raring for showtime before you even leave home. Here’s how to use them! All set? Then let’s get creative together and prep your kid for Mario the Maker Magician 2.0 with the activities below.

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New Victory Arts Break videos are filmed at the New Victory Theater. We acknowledge that New Victory resides on the seized homeland of the Lenape people and the intertribal territory of many First Nations. We celebrate and pay deep respect to all Indigenous peoples, past, present and future, and we encourage you to learn more about these vibrant communities.

Did You Know?

Mario “the Maker Magician” Marchese encourages his young audiences to “do what you love, use what you have and have fun,” all while taking them on a wonderfully chaotic journey full of magic, technology and fine art. Read over a few fun facts about Mario, and then watch the show trailer to get a taste of what you’re in for at Mario the Maker Magician 2.0.

• Mario is a New York-based performer, author and creator. He likes to integrate DIY electronics and robotics into his magic to inspire families to create without limitation.
• Before combining magic with robots, Mario built a series of DIY electronic drawing machines that created images on paper in response to ambient sound!
• Mario discovered magic in his early twenties while living in Michigan when he walked into what he thought was an antique shop. It was actually the Hippity Hop Magic Shop, run by an amazing couple named Jim and Michele Parkes.

Try It Out!

Inspired by the craftiness and magic of Mario the Maker Magician 2.0, practice a few simple tricks—float, vanish and transform!

Siobhan had a blast putting on a show using simple objects and crafted props. Sometimes, a touch of creativity and a few magic words are all you need to wow your audience. Here’s a breakdown of the tricks from the video:

The Floating Cup

1. Grab a paper cup and make a small hole in the back that’s big enough for your thumb to fit through.
2. With your thumb in the hole, grasp the rest of the cup in your hand using as normal a grip as possible. Show your audience that the cup is perfectly normal. Nothing to see here!
3. Say the magic words. Then, keeping your thumb in the hole, release the rest of your fingers, Voilà! A floating cup.

The Vanishing Ball

1. Grab a small ball—small enough to easily conceal in your hand—and a handkerchief. A napkin or hand towel will also do the trick!
2. Hold the ball in one hand and the handkerchief in the other. Drape the handkerchief over the ball and then lift it off, showing your audience that the ball is still there. Do this twice.
3. As you drape the handkerchief a third time, quickly grab the ball inside the handkerchief and lift it away. Ta-da! Where did the ball go?

The Transformative Time Machine

1. Using cardboard boxes and other large-scale DIY materials, design a time machine that’s big enough to climb into or hide behind.
2. Ask a friend or family member to dress identically to you, and have them wait inside or behind your machine.
3. After you say the magic words and step into your machine, your friend or family member can pop out the other side. Whoa! You’ve transformed into a completely different person!

Keep going—let your creativity run wild! What other magic tricks do you know? Can you design props or set pieces to enhance your performance?

Talk About It!

As you make your way to the theater, get your kid in a Mario the Maker Magician 2.0 mindset with some show-themed conversation starters! Ask them:

• What does the word “magic” mean to you? What makes something magical?
• Who influences you to be your best self?
• What do you think it takes to be an awesome magician?
• Do you think technology and magic can go hand in hand? What other art forms or professions can you imagine technology enhancing?

The fun doesn’t have to stop here! Follow along with New Victory Teaching Artists in a few Arts Break videos and activities from the archive that will help you hone your comedy, magic and performance skills!

Make comedy magic and perfect the element of surprise with Sarah Petersiel.

Use household items to craft close-up magic tricks with Liz Bolick.

Razzle-dazzle! Turn any skill into a performance with Ben Johnson.