Behind the magic with Aiden Schofield
After several years of COVID disruptions, Queensland Magician Aiden Schofield is set to make his Fringe World debut this summer, hitting Night Owl Studio from Thursday, February 2 to Friday, February 10 (get more info and tickets here). Set to perform in cities across Australia, New Zealand, North America and the UK, this is Perth’s chance to witness unbelievable magic performed with bubbles, butterflies, Rubik’s cubes, sand and much more. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with Aiden Schofield to find out why he can’t wait to bring his unique brand of magic to our stages.
It’s great to have you in Perth for Fringe 2023, have you been planning to pay us a visit for some time?
Yes. I’ve been planning this visit to Perth for about a year and a half now. This will be my first time so I’m super excited that it’s finally happening. I actually had some shows booked in for last year’s Fringe World but had to cancel them the day tickets went on sale because the Western Australian government banned Queenslanders from entering the state due to a COVID.
When you are finally here, is there anything you are looking forward to most?
In the past I haven’t really had time to check out the cities I’m in because I normally only arrive the day before my show, but I’ll arrive in Perth a week before which gives me plenty of spare time to look around and explore. I love theme parks so I’m looking forward to going to Adventure World, which has Perth’s only roller coaster. I’m also looking forward to catching the ferry to Rottnest Island to see the quokkas. There’s a bunch of stuff I want to do during the Fringe World Festival like meet up with other performers, see shows – not just magic shows. I’m also going to go busking in the city throughout the whole festival, so I’ll be very busy in Perth, but it’ll be super fun.
Most of us recall being amazed by magic tricks when we were young, what was it that made you want to do it yourself?
I first got into magic in 2011. I was 10 years old, and I saw Cosentino on Australia’s Got Talent. I saw him doing big grand illusions and death-defying escapes and thought to myself “you know what I want to do – card tricks.”
And were there any particular artists that shaped your style or direction in the craft?
There are a lot of artists that have shaped my direction in magic – not just magicians. Michael Jackson, Ed Sheeran, Cosentino, just to name a few. I’m like a Frankenstein’s monster of performers I like, I take little pieces of them and mash them together to create myself.
For those that have seen you perform before, how do they describe your shows?
I’ve had a lot of people describe me as quirky. The show itself has had a lot of great feedback from audiences; they liked the tricks, the jokes, even the music selection which was nice.
As someone who does magic, do you still get ’tricked’ by other magicians?
Yes, I get tricked, or fooled, all the time. I don’t know how every single trick works; some magicians keep their secrets just for themselves. You don’t always have to figure out how the magician is doing it, sometimes it’s better to just sit back and enjoy the magic as art rather than a puzzle.
And what has been the most memorable response to a trick you have done?
I remember doing some close-up magic for some people and the person I was doing the trick on dropped to their knees. Another time I was busking during Schoolie’s week in Surfers Paradise and after one of the tricks a group of drunk guys went crazy – cheering and even picked me up and carried me around.
What’s something we’ll see at your Fringe show we won’t see anywhere else?
Me, on stage, being a weirdo. During the creation process of this show, I chose a lot of material I haven’t seen many other magicians perform. In the show you’ll see tricks performed with bubbles, sand, Rubik’s Cubes and even (paper) butterflies. There is not a single card trick.