The Delusionist

The crowd hoots with laughter as the man in the tuxedo and oval glasses dances around the stage roasting a marshmallow over the flame of a burning $20 bill.   Seconds later the blond haired 53-year-old man produces a lemon from a small box suspended by a rope from the ceiling.  He cuts the fruit in half and reveals the same $20 bill that was used to roast the s'more.

The crowd erupts with applause and Joey Pipia bows dramatically, drawing another wave of laughter from his audience.

Pipia has been performing magic since he was 16 years old.  He has since trained under a modern sorcerer, shared the stage with Jerry Seinfeld, escaped from a straight jacket while hanging 60-feet above the street and accurately predicted, word-for-word, the ending to "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

On Jan. 29, Pipia will perform "The Magic Chamber," a unique 60-minute show staged in the middle of a 30-person audience at the Cirque Lab in Bellingham.

"It is a very different venue and context for a magician to do his tricks in front of you rather than away on a big stage," said Stefan Freelan, who has performed and traveled alongside Pipia for the past 10 years on the New Old Time Chautauqua tour.

At noon on the 29, Pipia will teach a magic workshop for adults in the community.  "The Magic Chamber" will be at 8 p.m.

"Everything I've seen him do is incredible," said Della Moustachella, who is organizing the show.  "He makes it look like actual magic.  Even if you think you know what he is doing, it still looks impossible.  I'm ready for my mind to be blown."

Pipia's magic isn't what you would expect of a magic show.

"It makes people wonder, which is ultimately what I think magic is about," Pipia said.  "When they wonder, that's when I am doing my job."

He calls himself a Delusionist rather than a Magician.

"There is a coming together of absurd and wonder when I perform," he said.  "After thinking about that, I was led to the conclusion that a traditional name wouldn't work."  

Born and raised near New York City, Pipia said his biggest heroes while growing up were Abbott and Costello.

"I just thought they were the funniest human beings in the world," he said.  "I remember thinking, 'That's really a great way to spend your time.'"

At age 16 he knew two pieces of magic.  When a neighbor asked him to perform for a Cub Scout banquet, he began to explore the magic shops in New York City.  He discovered Tannen's, the world's largest magic distributor at the time.  After he managed to come up with a show for the banquet, he was hooked on magic.

"It drew me in," he said.  "Since then performing and creating magic has been the one constant in my life."

A year later Pipia convinced Tannen's to hire him.  One day, he told the store owner his dream was to learn magic from Slydini, a famous sorcerer and modern master of magic.  He said the store owner immediately dialed the sorcerer.

"I was fortunate enough to learn how [Slydini] created magic and merged what he taught me with other magicians I knew, then added my own style to create a Delusionist," he said.

Pipia studied pre-medicine at New York University.  While there he took an acting class and began performing stand-up comedy and improvisation in the city.  He said he was a good pre-med student but was happier as a performer.  He started training at the HB Acting Studio in New York under several teachers including Oscar-nominee William Hickey.

In 1984 Pipia moved to California to pursue performance as an actor, magician and stand-up comedian.  He met his wife Jenny and attended the Joan Brown Acting Studio.

"[At the studio] I learned how to create a moment of truth on stage and to be fully present, which is one of the things that helps me most with my magic," he said.

After living in California for more than seven years, the Pipias traveled around the country in a motor home and eventually rooted in their current home of Port Townsend, Wash.

Pipia's daughters Phina, 23, and Sophie, 19, now live in New York where they manage their own theater company.  Pipia said he would love to work for them someday.

About 13 years ago, Pipia started "The School for Young Actors" in Port Townsend.  He now owns The Chameleon Theater, where he performs and teaches magic.

"I really like to teach," he said.  "It is one of my favorite things to do."

He began to travel with The New Old Time Chautauqua educational circus 10 summers ago.  Every summer the troupe of performers travels to under-served communities to volunteer, teach and entertain.

Joannie Murayama, who used to organize the Chautauqua tours, said Pipia brought a real professionalism to the tour.

"His magic is mind boggling and exciting," she said.

"The Magic Chamber" started in 2007 as a one-night show presenting the prediction of the Harry Potter book as the finale.  The show sold out and ended up running for a year, making it the longest running show in Port Townsend, Pipia said.

"The challenge for magicians is that the audience gets tired after the 25th trick in a row," said Freelan, who worked with Pipia in the Chautauqua tours.  "What interests me as an audience member is when they are really entertaining or comedic.  Joey does his slights of hand and has nice stage presence, but he also turns his routine into a hilarious comedy show."

Freelan was the stage manager for the Chautauqua tour while Pipia was performing.

"When I think of the people who are a headache to work with and those who are fun, Joey is always one of the fun ones," he said.  "He is easygoing and always willing to help out."

Moustachella said the first time she met Pipia was as an audience member at one of his shows.

"He was hilarious, and it was magical to watch his tricks from so close and still not know how he was doing it," she said.  "He will inspire you and make you laugh."

For more information on Pipia's upcoming shows visit www.joeypipia.com


Written for the Western Front, Jan. 28, 2011 but never published

Volunteering Ventures: Western student “hooked” on giving back to the community; admires everyday heroes

Half a dozen third graders sit in the Science Lecture building on Western's campus as they build mini earthquake-resistant houses out of rubber bands, tape, paper clips and paper.

“Do you need an assistant builder?” Western sophomore Victoria Do said. She smiled as she knelt at a table next to a girl wearing pig tails.

Do, along with other Western students, volunteered at the Odyssey of Science and Arts event held on Feb. 25 for third through fifth graders who were interested in learning about the science of earthquakes. She said she volunteered through the Circle K club, a club that focuses on a variety of volunteer events within the community.

Do said she has been “hooked” on volunteering since middle school, when she first volunteered to plant daffodils for her school.

Through her volunteer work, she has learned that “everyday heroes,” people who perform small acts of kindness, make a huge difference in the lives of those around them, she said.

When Do came to Western she got involved with the Circle K Club. The club participates in senior bingo nights at Alderwood Park Convalescence Center, serves food to the homeless community with Coffee and Sandwiches on

Tuesdays program, and visits children from low-income families at Sterling Meadows neighborhood.

Through volunteering with the homeless community, Do said she has learned not to stereotype people based on their life circumstances.

“Some people get the wrong idea about the homeless population and think they are scary or rude,” she said.  “But the people I’ve worked with are always friendly and kind and appreciate what we do to help.”
After they served a meal one day, she said one of the people being served anonymously left a rose on the table as a way to say “thank you” to the club.

“It’s little gestures like that show us we are making a difference in someone’s life,” she said.

Growing up, she said her family never forced her to volunteer, but they taught her the importance of kindness and helping others through their own volunteer work.

“Every year my uncle would take a group of students to Vietnam to help with much needed dentistry work,” she said.  “That was inspiring for me to see.”

Do grew up in Vancouver, Wash. During her freshman year of high school she joined Key Club, a club that volunteers with a variety of organizations in the community.

She said one of her favorite memories during that time was when the club volunteered with Share, an organization that helps the homeless move from the streets to self-sufficient living.

“It was during Christmas time,” Do said. “I love working with kids and I love to bake, so that event was perfect for me.”

Western sophomore Rachael Balbarona met Do last year when they lived in the same stack in the Fairhaven dorms.  She said she went to Circle K meetings with Do and now they are both officers for the club.
Balbarona said Do is a hard worker as secretary of the club.

“If an officer isn’t able to get a task done, Victoria is always the first one to volunteer to take on the project and make time for it in her schedule,” she said.

Volunteering is important to her because it is a way to help others live a better and happier life, Do said.

“I am most happy when I see other people happy,” she said.

Western senior Lindsey Evans said she knows Do through volunteering at Western.  She said Do is helpful and dedicated to whatever job is given to her.

“During a Girl Scouts event, she was the only volunteer that stayed after to help when the other volunteers had left,” she said.

Do said one of the ways she sees the impact the club is having on the community is through visiting the nursing home.  Some of them don’t have relatives nearby, so having the club visit on a regular basis is a big deal to them, she said.

“Growing up I had a good family and I never had to suffer from anything big,” she said.  “So when I hear about people in my community who are going through difficult events I want to help by giving them the same kind of happiness I experienced growing up.  There are always little things you can do to help make people’s lives better.”

The Western Front 

March 1, 2011

Western student helps children; finds volunteering “a breath of fresh air”

Rather than attending class, 13-year-old Sandra had spent her time working to earn money for her mother’s drug habit.  For years she had been behind in school.  Western junior Kendra Pittman sat in the crowd in Uruapan, Mexico, as she watched Sandra graduate from fifth grade. 

“I wanted to tell her how proud I was of her success,” Pittman said.  “But I literally did not know how to tell her what I was feeling because I didn’t speak Spanish.”

Pittman spent the summer of 2010 volunteering in Uruapan at the Mount of Olives Children’s Village.  She said she first visited the orphanage during spring break of her sophomore year when a group of students from Western’s Campus Christian Fellowship traveled there to help with construction and spend time with the children.

Pittman said she was inspired by the Mexican culture. She said the people there tend to focus on family values, community building and relationships rather than seeking after material wealth, power and status like she sees in America.

Pittman lived at the orphanage with 15 children and the married couple who cares for them.  She said she helped the children get ready for school, played with them, taught them to read and write, cleaned, cooked and mentored them.

Pittman said the hardest part about volunteering with children is witnessing the hardships they have to face in their lives due to broken families, drugs and abuse.  While working one-on-one with children, she said it is sometimes hard to not get too emotionally involved.

“If you get too emotionally involved and then bad things happen to the people you are working with, you will get burnt out,” she said.  “In my major we learn not to get too emotionally involved, but for me, it is almost impossible not to put my whole heart into it.”

The first week was crazy, she said.  She only knew a few Spanish words, so communication was hard and disciplining was impossible.  But she said she wasn’t nervous because the children made her feel welcome and she bonded with them right away.

“Kendra took a genuine interest in every child she talked to,” said Michael Hernandez, team leader and coordinator for Missions Network International, the organization that runs the children’s home.  Hernandez was the leader on the first trip Pittman took to Mexico and he visited during her summer stay.

“I know everything there is to know about these kids through their paperwork,” he said.  “But she has taught me the importance of really getting to know the kids and developing relationships with them.”

He said Pittman was a strong example for the children while she was there.  One day, a young girl went to Pittman and confided in her that she had a crush on an older boy at the orphanage, he said.  He said the girl had grown up in a home where her mother always had different men coming into her house.

“Kendra was able to talk with her and teach her what a healthy relationship should look like and about respecting herself,” he said.

He said many children in the orphanage didn’t grow up with a strong adult example, so it was important to have someone like Pittman to help set boundaries in their lives.

Pittman said she was also able to help the children improve their reading and writing during the summer.  One 8-year-old boy was behind in school and didn’t want to put the effort into improving, so she said she made him work on it every day.

“He taught me patience and persistence,” she said.  “By the end of the summer, his work was so much better, and he made me believe all children have the potential to succeed if they are shown love and attention where it is needed.”

Pittman grew up in Spokane, Wash., where she first volunteered at a homeless shelter for a couple of years during high school.
That volunteer work inspired her to be a human services major when she came to Western, she said.  Through the major, she has become involved in many volunteer organizations through internships and volunteer work in Bellingham.

“I volunteer because I feel like in a world that is so materialistic and money and power driven, volunteering is a breath of fresh air,” she said.  “It is genuine because it is not driven by those motives but is about building relationships.”

Her freshman year she became a “Big Sister” through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.  Her “Little Sister,” Samantha Longley said she looks up to Pittman because she helps people.  She wants to help people in the same way when she grows up, she said.

Pittman has also volunteered at the Womencare Shelter in the children advocacy program since her sophomore year, and she also recently started volunteering at Child Protective Services this quarter.

She said she feels it is especially important to volunteer with children because they need loving relationships to know they have value and worth.  She said she believes developing a relationship with a child impacts their success in life.

“I can tell she is passionate about kids by the way she listens to them and respects them,” said Lizzie Ward, children’s support .

coordinator at the Womencare Shelter.  “She is always supportive and validating of their feelings.”

Ward said Pittman volunteers at the shelter on the weekends in addition to her busy college schedule.

“I think that really shows where her passion lies,” Ward said.

During fall quarter, a family at the Womencare Shelter received permanent housing, and the shelter gave the children teddy bears as a goodbye gift.  The children named their bears after Pittman and wrote her thank you notes before they left, she said.

“It made me realize I had made a difference in their lives,” she said.  “That is the best part about volunteering.”
This summer, Pittman said she will complete her Spanish minor while studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador.  She has planned to take fall quarter off to volunteer by teaching English at an orphanage there, she said.

After Pittman graduates in 2012, she said she wants to join the Peace Corps and live in Latin America to work with youth development or victims of domestic violence.

“There are so many injustices and upsetting things in the world, and it puts me more at peace to know I’m at least trying to make a difference,” she said.  “I know I can’t save the world, but I can help make people’s lives better.”

The Western Front 

March 8, 2011