For over 30 years, Michael Clayton has been putting smiles on the faces of both young and old with his unique style of magic and illusion. From small in-the-hand up-close magic to large-scale stage Illusions Michael has entertained at everything from private parties to Libraries, Schools and Community Organizations. He has performed several fundraising programs to support a variety of efforts. His dinner and show fundraisers have featured some very significant guest stars, including 1989 Miss America Kellye Cash.
So, what drives this desire to entertain? Maybe it starts with the fact that Michael likes entertainment and being entertained. One of his most vivid memories as a child was that each year the elementary school, where he attended always had a magician. “It cost us .25 cents at the time, and we got to see Louie Lourachie, who later became known as Cowboy Louie.” Louie went on to become the official Magician for Country Singer Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Waverly, TN.
“Back in those days, we could have entertainers come to school, just for entertainment. Now, you pretty much have to have an educational program to be invited to perform for a school. Regardless, I’ve never forgotten that experience as a child, and each time I perform for a school program, I want my audience to have that same experience. I’m aware that this may be the first and only experience that these children have to see safe, wholesome, family entertainment. One of the primary reasons I became an entertainer was for the smiles. So, my goal is to put a smile on the faces of the children I meet. To give them a few minutes to stop everything else, forget about other worries and imagine the impossible.”
With each presentation, magic provides a unique medium to involve and interact with the audience. In one routine, you can sit back and watch, and in another, you can help by screaming out a magic word. Michael does his best to get the children involved and in many routines, uses volunteers from the audience. He’s even been known to saw the Principal in two, or three.
There are few entertainers including those in the magic field that can engage and carry an audience for a lengthy period, but this is not a problem for Michael having entertained thousands of children and adults with his classical style of Illusion.
