by Allison Roberts

Staff writer

Dustin Curry, a junior double majoring in theatre management and acting/directing, is bringing his magic show to Southeastern this April. Performing as Mister Gremory with a completely new script and set of tricks up his sleeve, Curry will be taking the stage during Dramapalooza with a show he described as influenced by carnival sideshows and séances.

Opening April 18 and running through the 20 in the New Theatre Building, “Mister Gremory’s Caravan of Curiosities” will begin once all other Dramapalooza events have ended each night, Curry said.

A mix of sideshow stunts such as shoving a nail up his nose and paranormal magic involving voodoo dolls and other illusions will permeate throughout his upcoming show, he said.

In 2011 at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, Curry performed a show titled “Mister Gremory’s Cabinet of Curiosities.” This show, influenced by Victorian era séances and spook shows, was described by Curry as “very dark and ghostly.”

His magic has not always been on the dark side, however.

Curry’s individual performances used to be focused on comedy. Until junior high, he had performed as a comedian and mime in talent shows and at festivals.

In early high school, “adding magic to the repertoire just seemed like a natural upgrade,” Curry said.

Inspired by the two acts The Amazing Jonathan and Pen and Teller, Curry became interested in doing comedic magic shows that did not conform to typical production styles.

Curry said, “Penn and Teller have influenced me in that they reveal magic tricks in order to help the audience see what con artists or ‘high and mighty magicians’ do to deceive them.”

He also explained that The Amazing Jonathan placed less emphasis on the impressiveness of illusions and more on the comedic value of a performance. For instance, tricks would sometimes dismantle in front of an audience or have a surprise outcome to inspire laughter.

Having performed as a magician for five years now, Curry said he started out with “the kind of tricks the magic dealers sell little kids to get them out of their shops before they break anything.”

Eventually, he began collecting larger illusions to contribute to the magic show he was then interested in creating.

It was then that Dustin the Dubious was born as a brand. It is this comedic brand, however, from which Curry has made efforts to distance his much darker “Mister Gremory” shows, though they are still the Dubious brand’s intellectual property.

Curry rewrote and found so much new inspiration for the show that the title was changed. Now “Mister Gremory’s Caravan of Curiosities,” the show will have an added carnivalesque touch to the underlying paranormal themes.

One of the inspirations for the rewrite was a séance show titled “Play Dead” performed by Todd Robbins and directed by Teller of Pen and Teller. Curry said the shows have similar structures and are within the same genre.

Further, he was inspired by magician Eugene Burger, the father of “bizarre magic.” Curry explained that this genre “relies on storytelling and paranormal themes as opposed to flashy illusions and showgirls.” Curry shared that he used Burger’s book “Spirit Theatre” as a handbook to develop his new show.

In Curry’s upcoming performance, the character Mister Gremory, a traveling sideshow performer, is “haunted by the ghosts of his past.” Curry explained that deception and reality are two subjects the show will address and that audience members will be challenged to evaluate their beliefs.

A self-described skeptic of many issues, Curry said, “It’s fun to see how far an audience can go when they get into a dark room and are told that ghosts are moving amongst them.”