David Copperfieldhas been hailed by audiences and critics alike as the greatest magician in the world. He holds 11 Guinness World Records and has sold more tickets than any other solo entertainer in history, with ticket sales in the billions. Copperfield has also appeared on both Television and Broadway and is famous for illusions such as making the Statue of Liberty disappear and Walking Through the Great Wall of China. Copperfield is currently performing at the Hollywood Theatre in the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
The magic man's proudest achievement, however, is his charity Project Magic. Since 1982, Project Magic has been helping patients from all walks of life in a thousand hospitals across 30 countries worldwide. It is a therapy program especially designed by Copperfield to give back to those in need. Teams of magicians and occupational therapists work together to teach magic to physically-challenged patients to aid in their rehabilitation.
The tricks taught in Project Magic functions on several different levels, and were designed to help improve dexterity, coordination, visual perception, spatial relationships and cognitive skills. Another, and perhaps, more important benefit of Project Magic, is that it motivates the patients' therapy and helps them to build self-esteem.
The American Occupational Therapist Association has endorsed this program as being an authentic therapeutic tool and when Copperfield's busy schedule permits, he works directly with the patients and gives seminars to introduce and discuss his form of treatment.
Q: Can you tell us about your charity?
David: I have a program called Project Magic which is in about 1000 hospitals in 30 countries around the world. It uses magic as a form of therapy for people with disabilities.
Q: Why do you choose to support this charity when there are so many other ones out there?
David: Because I invented it!
Q: Have you had any memorable experiences while working with them?
David: A lot of the people that have gone through the program actually teach magic to patients now. So people have come full circle and that’s really very rewarding!
Q: How can people help?
David: Go to Project Magic's website or through my website and you can read all about it. It is pretty cool. It’s been building up for many many years so it’s been good.