From Wales to Huntsville, Alabama – The Third Stop on My USA Magic Lecture Tour

There are certain moments when you stop, look around and think, “How did I end up here?”

Standing in Huntsville, Alabama, preparing to deliver the third lecture of my USA magic tour, was definitely one of those moments.

What had started as an idea back home in South Wales was becoming very real. I was thousands of miles from Wales, travelling across America, meeting magicians I had previously only known by name or online, sharing my magic and performing material that I had spent years developing.

After fantastic stops in Pensacola, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia, it was time to continue the journey.

Next stop: Huntsville, Alabama.

Taking Welsh Magic Across America

One of the things I wanted from this tour was for it to be more than simply travelling from one magic club to another and delivering the same lecture.

I wanted to experience the places, meet the people and enjoy everything that comes with taking a lecture on the road in America.

Huntsville continued that perfectly.

From the moment I arrived, I was made to feel incredibly welcome. That has become one of the overriding memories of this entire tour — the generosity and friendliness of the American magic community.

You can travel thousands of miles from home, walk into a room where you barely know anyone, and within minutes feel like you're among friends.

Huntsville was no exception.

An Amazing Venue and an Even Better Audience

The venue for the Huntsville lecture was fantastic and created exactly the right atmosphere for the evening.

But, as any performer knows, a venue is only as good as the people inside it.

The members who came along were brilliant.

They were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, welcoming and, most importantly, ready to have some fun.

For me, that's when a magic lecture really comes alive.

I never want my lectures to feel like somebody standing at the front of a room simply explaining one trick after another. I want them to feel like a show, a conversation and a genuine exchange of ideas.

There was plenty of laughter, plenty of magic and some fantastic reactions throughout the evening.

More Than Just Tricks

A big part of my lecture is explaining the thinking behind the magic.

Yes, I teach methods.

But knowing how something works is only a small part of creating a memorable piece of magic.

Why is a particular moment funny?

Why do we reveal something at a particular time?

Why does one presentation create a stronger reaction than another?

And how can we take a relatively simple idea and turn it into something an audience will actually remember?

These are the questions that fascinate me as a performer.

Throughout the Huntsville lecture I was able to share not only some of my favourite creations, but also the thinking, development and occasional mistakes that eventually shaped them into the routines I perform today.

Some of those ideas have travelled much further than I ever imagined when I first created them back home in Wales.

From South Wales to Alabama

That is probably the part of this journey that still feels slightly surreal.

I'm a magician from South Wales.

I've spent years performing at weddings, corporate events, private parties and magic conventions across the UK. I've released effects into the magic community, lectured at the Blackpool Magic Convention and watched creations such as Sticker Kicker reach magicians around the world.

But actually driving across America and seeing rooms full of magicians turning up to hear my ideas is something completely different.

Pensacola was incredible.

Atlanta continued the adventure.

And now Huntsville had become another part of the story.

Every city was different, every club had its own personality and every audience reacted differently.

That's exactly what made the tour so exciting.

The Magic Community in Huntsville

One thing deserves a special mention: the members themselves.

The welcome I received was genuinely fantastic.

Putting on a magic lecture requires people behind the scenes giving up their own time — organising venues, promoting the event, answering countless messages, arranging logistics and making sure everything works on the night.

It's very easy for the lecturer to arrive, perform and receive the applause.

The people behind the scenes deserve just as much credit.

So to everyone involved in making Huntsville happen, and to every magician who came along, watched, laughed, participated, asked questions or simply came over afterwards for a chat:

Thank you.

You made a Welsh magician feel incredibly welcome in Alabama.

Three Lectures Down… and America Was Just Getting Started

Leaving Huntsville, something had started to change.

The USA tour no longer felt like something I was about to do.

I was doing it.

Three lectures. Three American cities. Hundreds more miles on the road — and plenty more still ahead.

What I didn't fully appreciate at the time was just how many incredible experiences were still waiting for me.

There would be more lectures, more cities, new friendships, unexpected adventures and opportunities to perform at some very special venues.

But that's getting ahead of the story.

For now, Huntsville had given me another fantastic night and another memory from this slightly crazy journey of taking magic from South Wales to the USA.

And it was time to get back on the road.

Next stop: Dayton, Ohio…