Magician appeals to sensory challenge audience
Sep. 16—GREENSBURG — Get ready to be amazed! Cody Clark will be performing "sensory friendly magic" starting at 4 p.m. Saturday on the former site of the gazebo on the Greensburg Square.
His performance is just one of many reasons area citizens and visitors from afar will want to attend this weekend's Tree City Fall Festival.
Clark does all the usual sleight-of-hand tricks many of his peers do, but he also has a unique focus.
As a person who is overcoming the obstacles associated with autism, Clark's show is more sensory friendly than most.
"I do a show that I call the 'Sensory-Friendly Spectacular' where I remove the loud noises and bright lights," he said.
Mental health issues can be a large part of the obstacles autistic folks face, but according to Clark it's really about sensory processing.
"Loud noises, bright lights and overly complicated plots don't work for people like me, so my show is simplified in many ways," he said. "But the magic is still strong!"
At the age of 11, Clark was brought on stage at a magic show and was so inspired that he decided to learn the tricks of the trade.
He joined the Louisville Magic Club, studied at the Jeff McBride Magic and Mystery School in Las Vegas, and used his bachelor degree in Marketing and Theatre Arts from the University of Louisville to launch his business.
He creates a unique style of magic by blending his own stories with his passion for theatre, stand-up comedy, classic country music, storytelling, and autism advocacy.
"One reason why I think magic works well for this kind of audience is of how empowering it can be to people who are used to not having power," he said.
Clark has been a full-time magician since he graduated college in 2017 and said he is "living the dream."
"It's all about taking one step at a time," he said. "Fame isn't going to happen all at once, regardless of your challenges."
Contact Bill Rethlake at 812-651-0876 or email bill.rethlake@greensburgdailynews.com
