On the Road Again...with Summer Reading Programs!

Greetings Everyone!
I am typing this while going down the interstate and using the internet on my phone. My niece Kara is my assistant for the first half of the summer and she is handling the driving for me at the moment - which can be a scary thing as she has her learner's permit and is literally learning how to drive!

The new show has received great reviews and is a blast to perform. We just go done with a week of shows down in South Georgia with shows at the public libraries in Brunswick, St. Mary's, Camden County, Folkston, Nahunta, Jesup, Darien, and Ludowici. Along the way Kara and I visited the beach, saw several of my relatives, and went on a late night ghost tour which included a stop inside the St. Simon's lighthouse - the third most haunted lighthouse in the US!

Local shows over the next couple of weeks before once again heading out of town to Rockhill, SC and then Savannah, GA!

See everyone on the road! And if you are a friend on facebook, don't forget to take a look at the wild and crazy Summer Video Journals starring Chad and Kara!

Have a great day!
Chad

Where did you find that music!?!

Greetings everyone! I am constantly being asked by middle and high school students where I get the music that I use in my show. It's spooky and themed around Poe's works - and the CD cover has a secret message that you can only figure out by reading one of Poe's short stories and looking at the clues inside the CD. So, without any further delay - here is the info on the music I use - with the band's permission! The music really helps to set the mood and it goes along great with the routines in my book for middle and high schoolers - "Magic of Mystery and Horror!"

Straitjacket Photos and Tips for Aspiring Escape Artists...

Helpful Tip #1

Always pick strong volunteers.

Helpful Tip #2
Always be polite and kind to the volunteer who tightens the bottom strap.

Helpful Tip #3
Make sure volunteers do not get too dizzy while wrapping chains.

Helpful Tip #4
Make sure that the chain around your neck allows for breathing.

Helpful Tip #5
Get out padlocks BEFORE you are strapped into the straitjacket.

Helpful Tip #6
Always, always, always do at least one Elvis impersonation...always.

Helpful Tip #7
At some point you have to actually try and get out. Look at the vertical leap here - awesomeness.

Helpful Tip #8
Allow for ample applause and fist pumping after a successful escape. FREEEEDOOMMM!!!

Liberty Elementary Media Center: Chad Crews: Magic Man!!

Liberty Elementary Media Center: Chad Crews: Magic Man!!: "Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com. On March 24, 2011 Chad Crews, the magical educator, came to entertain students who met a..."

Awesome Mural by Hull Middle School Students!

I just thought that I would share a mural that was painted by sixth grade students last year (so now they are 7th graders!) at Hull Middle school for my program. It has been on display the last two years and I have been offered it to take home and once I move I am thinking it would go great in my "theater" room on the wall opposite the tv. Yes, I believe that would be lovely. Click on the pic below to see the full size! This was taken with my cell phone, it looks even better in person! See if you can name all the Poe stories that are represented in the painting!

Middle School Photos Galore!

I have several photos from different middle and high schools that I have performed at this school year. Since I don't have much space on the main website, I'll post some more here for everyone to see! Enjoy!

New Look to the Website!!!!

After many, many hours the website has been updated and uploaded. It was a nerve-wracking experience as I went to hit the "publish" button and erase all the old material and replace it with the new stuff.
Thankfully only a few tweaks were needed (so far!) and everything worked the way it should.

Here's a couple of links to some nice articles on the site if you have not seen them yet. Just click on the pictures below to read the whole thing.

While doing all this, I have learned quite a few things about computer stuff in general, including how to take a snapshot of a webpage and then turn it into a picture that can be uploaded. I enjoy working on website design, although the lack of sleep with two kids 3 and under catches up to you after being up all night several nights in a row designing and editing things.

Now everyone go back over to the main website and explore and let me know if you find any strange things that need to be corrected.

Have fun!

Summer Reading 2011 Right Around the Corner!

Greetings Everyone!
The end of the school year is upon us and it's just a few weeks away from the hectic (for me at least!) summer schedule. The new show is coming along nicely and it goes along with the "One World, Many Stories" theme. I'll be pulling out some classics of magic for this program - some of which have been around for thousands and thousands of years. While we are at it, we'll also learn all about their different countries of origin - including ancient Egypt and China.

This year's show will also feature a brand new comedy escape - something in a humorous way connected to my "Almost World Famous" straitjacket escape - you'll have to come to one of my library stops this summer to see it! Either that, or wait until the upcoming school year to witness the hilarity.

Also, I am excited to inform you all that we are possibly going to have a new snake added to the family. Recently one of our snakes laid an egg and we managed to get it into an incubator pretty quickly and are now simply waiting and watching to see if it will hatch. They can take around 60 days to hatch - a fact that my 3 year old does not quite grasp. She asks me every day if the egg has hatched yet. If it does hatch, we shall name the little snake Nemo.

Hope to see everyone this summer!

2011 Begins!

Greetings Everyone!
After a very, very busy first half of the school year it is now time for the second half of the 2010-2011 school year. With over two weeks worth of shows in January, the year is off to a great start. I am most excited about the official debut of my new program "Something Wicked This Way Comes: A Shakespeare Experiment." It has been performed at 3 high schools during 2010 and has now been performed during January of this year and has received great reviews so far! This was designed with high schools in mind but the first folks to book the program this year was actually an 8th Grade Honor's English class at a middle school and it was a blast!

For those who know me, there are also some new pics on the "About Me" page of the website - different family photos that are fun and goofy! I would encourage you to go and take a look - but...I think I'll just post them here as well!