The Magical Legacy of a Third-Generation Magician & Award-Winning Entertainer
Dennis Watkins grew up with magic. His grandfather was a close-up magician who ran a small, storefront magic shop in Dallas, TX for nearly 30 years.
“Your job is not to fool people,” Watkins’ grandad explained to him when he was 7 years old. “Your job is to spark their sense of wonder…to ignite their imagination. Your job, in short, is to help people remember what it felt like to be a kid.”
Over three decades later, Watkins continues his grandfather’s legacy of magic in a show that is three generations in the making.
Since 2009, Dennis has starred in his critically-acclaimed show, Dennis Watkins' The Magic Parlour, performing it nearly 2,500 times for almost 100,000 guests — making it the longest-running magic show in Chicago’s history. In 2023, the show moved into its permanent home at 50 West Randolph in the heart of the city's theatre district, in partnership with The Goodman Theatre and Petterino's.
The Magic Parlour has also found a home outside of Chicago at performing arts centers and entertainment venues from coast to coast. In 2018, Dennis consulted with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust to design and launch its evergreen project, Liberty Magic, a parlour magic theater in the heart of Pittsburgh. The Magic Parlour served as one of the first headlining engagements selling out a 3-week run. Most recently, Dennis appeared at the Adrienne Arsht Center and Maltz Jupiter Theatre.
Dennis's roots in theater and performing arts runs deep. After studying at Meadows School of the Arts and the British American Drama Academy in London, he moved to Chicago and co-founded The House Theatre. As a playwright, actor, director, and designer, he has collaborated on more than 30 World Premiere plays. Among his most celebrated roles was Harry Houdini in The House Theatre's Death and Harry Houdini, an award-winning production that sold out 8 separate runs.
Additionally, Dennis is one of the country's most sought-after corporate speakers and entertainers, helping companies and organizations around the world make their most important events unforgettable. He combines sharp business acumen and a natural gift for engaging audiences with world-class magic, crafting corporate presentations that are strategically entertaining from beginning to end. His client list boasts some of the world’s largest companies, including Apple, General Mills, Microsoft, IBM, General Electric, Accenture, Miller/Coors, Kraft, JP Morgan Chase and many, many more.
His work has been seen on FOX, WGN, ABC, the A&E network, and he was recently featured on The CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us.
Experience Dennis Watkins’ enchanting magical legacy at an upcoming show.
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