A magical appearance coming to NTCC

• COURTESY PHOTO

Abracadabra! Alakazam! Lumos? You won’t need these words to see magic if you head to the Whatley Center for Performing Arts on June 14.

The Mirz Tour “Flashes of Magic’’ will be at the Whatley Center at 7 p.m. this Friday. Zak Mirz is a first-generation Texan, who has been touring since he was 18. He’s become renowned for his family-friendly magic show. His current tour is a dedication to his late father, who he lost at a young age. He travels the world, sharing captivating illusions and spreading messages of hope. What’s impressive is not just how young he was when he began touring, but also that he began practicing magic at 8-years-old.

“One day, my grandma was watching one of those TV networks you watch at nighttime,” Mirz said. “We came across this magician and it was actually David Blaine. Me and my family were in awe because it was the first time any of us had seen magic and it was amazing.”

Mirz explained to the Tribune that the first years of travel were some of the hardest. Whenever he wasn’t jumpstarting his magician career, Mirz was studying for an Associates of Arts and Science, then a degree in psychology. He tells us that he’s glad he rose to the challenge, “It was such an amazing experience for me having kind of like that college experience while going on tour, because I learned so much in those four years and it really got me to where I am now.”

Today, Mirz performs in theatres, corporate events, churches, and cruises. He had a chance to meet his idol, David Blaine, and tricked entertainers like Penn & Teller. When talking about why he enjoys performing magic, Mirz said he hopes to bring child-like wonder to his audience, “The theme of the show is reminding ourselves that the greatest magic trick we could ever give to ourselves is seeing the world through the lens of a child, so it’s a family -friendly show. This is gonna be a special one because it’s gonna be Father’s Day weekend as well, so I think it’s gonna be a really really fun, special event for everybody.”

There’s still seating left! Tickets cost $15 $25, depending on what seat you reserve. The show is 7 p.m. and the address of the Whatley Center is 2886 FM 1735 in Mount Pleasant.