Meet David Calamari | Magician and Theater Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Calamari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, is there something you believe many others might not?
That you should have a backup plan. I grew up knowing that working in entertainment was not an easy field, especially being successful in it. I’ve been studying magic since I was very young, and had an interest in designing and building haunted houses. That naturally led me into the theater. I took theater tech classes in high school, and my teacher has been one of the most influential people in my life. I remember the exact moment when I decided that I wanted theater and entertainment to be my life, and it was during a conversation I was having with the technical director of Le Reve at The Wynn Hotel on a class trip to Las Vegas. Later that night, I remember my tech teacher telling me, “Your parents will probably hate that I said this to you if they find out, but if you really love this and it’s what you want to do, don’t have a backup plan. If you have a backup plan, you’re going to fall back on it.” He told me that if this was truly the world I wanted to be in, that I needed to pursue it with everything I’ve got. If you have something to catch you when you fall, as soon as things get difficult, you’re going to resort to that thing.

So I went to school for design and technical production. I didn’t double major. I only focused on theater for four years. After I graduated, I only pursued theater/entertainment related work, and there was about a year where I struggled to find work, and it sucked. I was finding some good jobs and making connections here and there, but it was nothing that I could make a living from doing. I was applying for literally everything I could that was within my skillset, just throwing everything against the wall until something stuck. In April of 2022, I applied for a position building scenery for Broadway, television, you name it, at Hudson Scenic Studio in Yonkers, NY, and I was hired. I don’t know exactly what happened, but once something finally stuck, more and more kept sticking. I started co-producing “An Evening of Magic,” a monthly magic show in NYC where we bring on two world-class magicians every month, with my friend Max Davidson, and then I was offered to take over another magic show with a couple of my friends in the city called “SCAM” shortly after. An offer came in to be on crew for an upcoming off-Broadway show, and I started getting more requests to perform magic at private events. The offers just snowballed to a point where I now have to start being very selective of what I take on.

Rejection is awful. It doesn’t get easier the more that you have to deal with it. But I have a feeling deep in my bones that this is what I was put on the Earth to do, and I can’t imagine myself doing anything different. The key, as cliche as it sounds, is to pick yourself up when you get knocked down, and just keep throwing things against the wall. Something will stick.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a little all over the place in terms of what I do. My interests all revolve around entertainment. I work building scenery for Broadway, television, concert tours, pretty much anything that requires scenery. I also work as a scenic painter, painting scenery for shows. In that same realm, I do a lot of work in the haunted attraction industry, building and painting scenery for haunts. I am hoping to open my own attraction one day. In addition to working behind the scenes, I also work performing magic. I currently produce two shows in New York City with some friends of mine, and also get hired to perform at private events. I like to tell stories and make my performances very theatrical, so that it is about more than just me being clever and fooling the audience. Magic is an incredibly powerful medium for telling stories, and I am still trying to find my way with it.

I definitely wouldn’t say getting to this point was easy. There certainly was a lot of personal struggle and rejection. I’ve been depressed at times. It can be very difficult to get back up and keep jumping back into what got you down in the first place. I would say that is the most difficult part. I also can’t discount the role that luck played in my journey. I was very fortunate in where I grew up and the experiences I was able to have because of it. They trick is to be prepared for the opportunities when they do eventually present themselves, and to be persistent. A rejection doesn’t necessarily mean “no” forever. It means “no” right now. Continuing to work and improve will turn that “no” into a “yes” when you are ready for it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man… I am fairly impulsive when it comes to making plans. I usually just do whatever seems fun and exciting at the moment, so it’s hard to say. I would probably go to Six Flags Great Adventure for a day. I love roller coasters. We would go see a Broadway show or two, see some comedy shows late at night. Over the summer, I would say an early morning open water swim is an incredible way to start a day. There is a fantastic Italian deli near me that I go to all the time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Too many people to count. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the undying support I get from my parents. They have supported me with everything I have ever done, and I would not have been given the opportunities that I was had that not been the case.

My grandparents. Seeing their grandchildren succeed in doing what they love has always been their greatest joy. My grandfather is unfortunately no longer with us, but the smile on his face when he came to see my shows is something I will never forget. When I was very young and had said I wanted to be a magician, I remember him being a little skeptical about it. As I got older and became more serious about it, I think he recognized that. He was also the funniest person that I have ever met. His humor and joy is something that I hope I am able to put more of in the world.

My high school theater tech teacher, Steve Bogardus, is the reason I pursued theater in college and has been a tremendous inspiration in my life.

Mr. Azor, another teacher of mine in high school. He taught math, but that was really just a cover for teaching us about life and the human experience. It’s hard to explain what his class was to someone who wasn’t there, but I learned so much about myself because of him, and he made me feel comfortable in taking the road less traveled.

Tannen’s Magic Camp was incredibly influential in my development as a magician and a person. If it weren’t for Tannen’s, I certainly would not have the friends and connections I have now. Camp will forever be on of the greatest experiences of my life.

Website: davidcalamari.com

Instagram: david_calamari

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-calamari-90423219a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.calamari.3

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOZsokuIhQXdNm4lvurdtQA

Image Credits
Hal Schulman, Ari Isenberg, Justin Swader