Kids may participate in magic, comedy show this weekend

The Fairfield Community Arts Center hosts magician and comedian Michael Kent on Saturday as part of its EnterAct Family Series.

Contributed photo The Fairfield Community Arts Center hosts magician and comedian Michael Kent on Saturday as part of its EnterAct Family Series.

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By James Sprague, Contributing Writer 1:12 PM Tuesday, November 1, 2011

FAIRFIELD — A night of irreverent comedy and magic taking place in Fairfield this weekend will bring a smile not only to an adult’s face, but children’s as well.

The Fairfield Community Arts Center hosts magician and comedian Michael Kent on Saturday as part of its EnterAct Family Series.

Kent — who has performed in such locales as Hollywood, Las Vegas and in South Korea for United States Army soldiers, in addition to performances for corporations such as Honda of America, Time Warner and AT&T — is known for his family friendly performances, said Heidi Schiller, manager of the Fairfield Community Arts Center.

Schiller first came into contact with Kent during a showcase he performed at the 2010 Ohio Arts Presenters Network annual convention, she said.

“I saw Michael’s showcase last year and was really taken with how well he connected with the children,” Schiller said. “He was just wonderful with the kids.”

Kent’s ability to connect with children was the basis for the FCAC booking him for the EnterAct Family series, Schiller said.

“He is family-friendly and very sought after all over the country,” Schiller said. “That’s why we chose him.”

This will be the first Fairfield performance for Kent, who is originally from Urbana and lives in Columbus. He said he combines magic and comedy in his routines — often poking fun at himself — and encourages audience participation.

“I’ve always loved to perform for the families,” Kent said. “I’ll have five to seven kids on stage who’ll be part of the show and star in the show. A lot of people will participate from their seats as well.”

Kent got started in magic at the age of six with a magic kit, he said, and his love of magic continued into adulthood.

“For some reason I kept doing it,” Kent said.

Comedy began to interest Kent while in college, which led to him performing during open-mic nights at clubs. It was when Kent combined the two art forms — magic and comedy — that Kent realized he be his own self on stage while performing and be proficient at it.

“That’s when it started working and I began to realize that it could support me and be my career,” Kent said.

Contact this writer at spragoo1977@yahoo.com.