When Joe Gold set out to make a movie about magicians, it was crucial to seamlessly weave the story and the magic together. But the issue of how women are treated in magic spoke out to him — so much so that he made it a central plot point in his latest movie.

“When you go to a play, and there’s five people in a play… everybody gets a bow at the end, everybody is in the program, everybody is treated as a performer, as an actor in that play. That’s not usually the case with a magic show. You go to see a big illusion show, and there may be a lot of assistants running around. If you are an onstage performer, you deserve a bow, you deserve to be treated like you’re part of the show.”

“Desperate Acts of Magic,” directed and produced by Gold and Tammy Caplan, was inspired by Gold’s experience as a professional magician. He performed more than 500 kids’ birthday parties and entered a slew of magic contests. The movie features Jason, a magician competing in an international magic contest, preparing to compete head-to-head with Stacy, a woman and street magician he fell in love with.

The movie took almost two years of filming to produce, and dealt with challenges from finding the time to shoot scenes to finding a replacement for a wrecked car. Gold talked to us about the movie, including some of the magicians who served as stars and consultants, how Valerie Dillman tackled the message and magic of playing Stacy and why it’s really hard to get work done when hanging out with Jonathan Levit.

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The movie opens up this weekend in New York City, next week in North Hollywood and can be requested for your area at Tugg.com.

Mario Marchese had no idea that a hitchhiking trip would lead to a career in magic. He had all the essentials for himself and his dog packed in a guitar case — the ability to pack that way became an art form. On that trip, he went to all the places that were supposed to inspire creativity.

But nothing inspired him like his home, New York City. And nothing inspired his magic like that trip.

Now, Mario the Magician is performing a unique colorful show that fits inside a suitcase. A whiz with electronics, Mario has handcrafted all his props, including a suitcase that turns his act into a Buster Keaton-like flurry of activity.

And for the first time in seven years, he finally feels like he has some comfort with his creations.

Mario will perform live in the Metropolitan Room over the next few Saturdays. Before his first Saturday show, he talked with us about exactly how rigged his coat is, his unique path to magic (spoiler: he didn’t get a magic kit as a kid) and what some of the experts taught him about the basics.

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Everyone on staff at Ellusionist loves performing for people.

Adam Wilber is on a higher level.

During our recent summit meeting, Adam didn’t hesitate to perform for anyone we encountered. A hotel clerk. Two package store employees. Diners at a trendy San Francisco restaurant. And he left them all speechless and applauding. He cemented his reputation of being a bold, fearless performer ready to deal with unknown people and turn them into fans.

But Adam doesn’t think of himself as a guy with something to prove, or somebody with more of a burn to perform than anybody else. He just loves performing magic, and it’s part of who he is.

“I don’t see myself at a ‘higher level’ by any means. I have always had an outgoing attitude and was never a shy person. I love people and I love social interactions. I don’t think people should force themselves to perform as much as I do unless that’s the goal they set for themselves. It goes without saying the more you perform for strangers, the more comfortable you become at it and in turn the better performer you become.”

One night, the crew dined at The Slanted Door, an upscale Vietnamese restaurant that serves family-style entrees. The restaurant was filled with San Fran’s finest, from tourists to regulars, and the meal included incredible rib-eye steak, lamb and fish entrees.

The restaurant was packed. Every table was filled, including the one seating Brad Christian, Daniel Madison, Peter McKinnon and other staff members. As magicians usually do, we all had cards out. We showed each other routines, sleights and other secrets. At one point, Adam did an outstanding linking card routine for a guest of Brad’s at the table.

After that performance, he heard something a few tables over: He caught an “all-around good vibe” from a table with about 15 people, mostly women and a few men at the end.

Of course he performed for them.

“I look for any and every opportunity I can to share my magic with people. It still amazes me the feeling you get when you give a complete stranger a memory they will keep for a lifetime. Not many people or artists can say they have that ability, but as magicians it’s something I think a lot of us take for granted.”

Approaching the men first, he did a short set and left them applauding. He came back to another round of applause from all of us. Then someone from the table came over and offered to buy him a drink. Apparently, Adam had refused a tip from them, but they insisted on rewarding him for his work.

Adam is a worker, in addition to his role as Ellusionist’s project manager. With more than 24 years of experience, he has performed for clients in New Orleans, Vermont and around the country. The creator of Earbuds works children’s shows, private parties and corporate engagements, and has built an impressive resume of testimonials. All that experience has honed his senses and gut instinct of who is ready to be blown away. But he doesn’t go looking for suckers, for people to fool.

“I believe the most important thing to remember is you shouldn’t be walking up to a group with the sole intention of fooling them, impressing them or getting something from them. That is more of your ego performing, instead of your personality. When performing magic for a stranger you have to keep in mind you are giving this person a very special gift, a genuine piece of yourself. If you approach people with the mindset of being casual and having fun, it makes it very hard for them to not be receptive to your magic.”

The way he was in San Francisco is the way he always is. He has no problem taking time out of his day to perform and share his art. The secret, he said, is to remember that it’s not about him. It’s about how he affects his spectators.

“The magic MUST be all about my audience and providing them with a entertaining interaction that allows them to think like a child again and forget about the worries of world around them, even if only for a moment. It sounds corny, I know. But once you learn to approach people with this mindset your performances will go from mediocre to inspiring and meaningful. You will also see the reaction of your audience change and become more sincere.”

Most of our customers first saw Nate Staniforth in Crash Course 2. Near the end, he did a performance of an ambitious card routine that turned out to be a highlight of the video, for a lot of reasons. His routine structure was brilliant, he got crazy reactions and his hands were shaking like crazy.

Nate doesn’t shake much anymore. But he still gets a thrill from performing. He has performed in hundreds of shows across the country and world, and is known for one of the most subtle, stripped, bare bones magic shows in the business. You’ve probably heard his opener about how he uses no smoke machines, laser beams or dance numbers. But there’s not even a spotlight, background music or stage decoration. Just him, a handful of pocket-sized props and a few chairs.

He’s one of the most sought-after magicians in the college circuit, by the way.

Yet Staniforth didn’t start out so streamlined. At one point, he was stage magic to the max: flowy shirt, tight leather pants, motorcycle on stage.

What made him change his style? A simple music concert.

We caught up with Staniforth after a recent show in Nevada, Mo. We talked to him about that concert and why it was so influential, how he reads audience members, a future YouTube project he’s working on, why he couldn’t stop a show for an injury and how he keeps astonishment alive for his spectators, and himself.

Staniforth will perform in Hartford, Conn. and Portland, Ore., in November. Keep an eye on his tour schedule, and don’t miss him when he comes to your town. Or find a copy of “Magician,” his performance video.

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Daniel Martin did it all last Thursday.

Because he gave his production assistant the week off, he set up all his gear by himself for a show at Missouri Southern State University — everything from speakers and mics to a DVD player and screen. That setup came after the university shifted his performance location from an auditorium to a ballroom.

He rolled with the changes: Because he was performing on a flat ballroom floor instead of a stage, he stood on a chair for several routines, including his silent card trick, so that everyone could see. He handled a crowd of about 300 like it was a group of friends — high energy, on his toes and handling seven-year-old hecklers brilliantly. He handled his own props, sound and video like a master, but was always a top-notch performer.

His performance went over incredibly — a long line of audience members waited after the show to get an autograph and shake his hand.

He did it all like a pro, and it went over big.

In a way, the MSSU show proved what he told us after the show in an interview: College magic is hard. The presence of kids, the lack of a stage, the loss of an assistant yet the power of the performance happened only because he’s been working on his performance for more than 18 years.

Martin also does full theatrical shows and corporate appearances. He’s appeared on NBC, CBS, VH-1 and ESPN. He took some time to talk to us after Thursday’s show about how he got started, how many shows he does a year and exactly why college magic is the toughest field out there.

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