User:Scudiero10

The Begining
One day in early 1989 two grandparents took their grandson to see a show. This was not just any show it was a show that would change the life of one young boy, a show that would ultimatly determine the course of life for this child. They took young Chris to see David Copperfield.

The Inspiration
The show was packed! The grandparents moved through the crowd and found their was to their seats. Chris was excited but still had no idea of what was about to come. As the lights turned off and the curtains opened a big white box moved out on to the stage and a 80's rock song began to play. The box was really big. The four people on stage moved the box around so that the audience could see everything. They even opened the box so the inside could be seen. There was absolutly nothing inside this box. The assistants moved the box to the center of the stage and closed it up. The lights on stage dimmed down and a new light from inside the box began to move around. The sound of a motorcycle reved its engine so loud it hurt Chris' ears. The front of the box fell open and there in the smoke stood David Copperfield. Chris had chills and shock shoot through his body. A feeling like he had never felt before. It was a feeling of euphoria, a feeling that was first given to him by what had just happened on stage. Chris didn't know what this feeling was or maybe didn't care to know. It was like a drug. The show went on and the little hazel eyes watched in amazment as the magician performed the impossible.

As the show ended a new life began. Chris had to do this again. All he knew was that he had to get that feeling back, no matter what. Much had changed in his life that year besides having a new hero. He also became a big brother.

Now to most people, yeah right how can that determine somones life? Well in this case it planted a fire inside this six year old child whom before tonight only wanted to go back home and play with his legos. Instead he would arive at home with a plan. A plan to re-create that feeling he had when he saw that box open. A dream had begun...

Early on
As soon as Chris got home the first thing he did was ask for a magic set. It was a Marshall Brodien kit he had recieved that Christmas. The magic set was a suitcase that assembled into a table for performing. Little tricks like "Toothpic thru quarter" and "Rice Bowls" filled the box. The magic set didn't quite give off the same feeling as the David Copperfield show did, but it was enough to satify him for now. He would nag his entire family to watch him perform the tricks. Even though he couldn't reproduce the same illusions as Copperfield it didn't stop him from dreaming. He would lie awake some nights imagining his own show in front of a large crowd. Every second of every day he dreamed and dreamed of having a big show. If he passed by a field or an open area he would picture a stage on the lawn surrounded by people. He had no idea on how to put together a show; he only knew a few small scale tricks he thought he could he make look bigger tht they really were. He didn't care though. He was very ambitious.

In late 1990 early 1991 some bad things happened that Chris could have never expected to happen. His parents were getting a divorce. Chris seemed to shut himself out from everyone. He wasn't really sure what was going on so he kept quiet and secluded. He and his baby brother Corey moved out with Mom not too far away to Lenexa Kansas. Through all this he developed ADHD witch was left untreated and not officialy diagnosed and his shutting himself out from the world would hold him back a year in the third grade.

In mid 1991 David Copperfield's television special "Fires of Passion" aired. It was the first time in almost two years that he would get an opportunity to see the man whom he now thought of as a hero. You bet Chris recorded it and he never took his eyes away from that T.V. once. It was almost certain anyone could predict what happened next. He watched that tape at least four times a week until he had Copperfield's lines memorized. Now it's ok that Chris was having fun watching the video but one thing would come of it that wasn't nessesarily a great thing. In the future he would run into trouble when trying to write his own material. He litterally believed that mimicing David Cooperfield was the only way to go.

Since Chris' parents were divorced and his father was in a tough spot financially. He had to stay with parents for little while. So every other weekend Chris would visit his Dad at his grandparents' house. Behind their house was an old high school that had a very large field behind it connecting to their backyard. One of his first "mini" shows, he performed in the den of his grandparents house. He performed for his Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparents and infant cousins. Chris did try and be dramatic like Copperfield. He tied up a sheet in a doorway, hooked up a light fixture behind it, and played music for a "Shadow Appearance". The curtain fell right before he came out on stage. He was embarrased. The rest of his first show went on great, but he would now realize that the curtin falling was one of many disasters to come.