“Chicago’s Official Magic Man!”
-Chicago Sun Times
Dennis Watkins grew up with magic. His grandfather, Ed Watkins, ran a small storefront magic shop in Dallas, TX for 30 years. From the age of 7, being a magician is the only job he ever wanted.
Today, Dennis is one of those people who is lucky enough to be living his childhood dream.
Dennis moved to Chicago in 2001 to start The House Theatre of Chicago with a handful of his cohorts from Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of The Arts. In the years since, he has partnered with The House to create a slew of magical theatrical experiences, including 8 sold-out runs of the company’s hit show, Death and Harry Houdini. Dennis played the title role in all 8 runs and performed Houdini’s infamous Water Torture Cell Escape live onstage every single night. He won a Joseph Jefferson Award for his work on the show.
Dennis is the creator and star of The Magic Parlour, Chicago’s longest-running magic show. He currently performs 5 shows weekly at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in the heart of downtown Chicago.
Dennis’s work has been seen on ABC, FOX, WGN the A&E Network and the CW. Additionally, he was recently a featured performer on the CW Network’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us.