To add a twist to the casual night at the Cayman Café, the collaboration of Campus Dining, Campus Activity Board (CAB) and University Housing brought magician Emmett Miller to Southeastern for an entertaining night of tricks. The show took place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20 in the Cayman Café.
“That was black magic!” said freshman physics major, Anthony DeGioia. “Awesome.  I love magic.  It’s amazing. Favorite trick, that ball one was ridiculous. I don’t even know what he did.  There should be more magic.”
Students crowded around Miller, watching with excitement as he performed astounding magic tricks.  Miller interacted with his audience as multiple students came up to watch and even participate in the show.
“We just wanted to come up with something that would be entertaining to the students,” said Todd McElroy, coordinator of campus activities.  “Kind of break up the routine of everything, add a little bit to a normal night in the cafeteria. A magician just seemed fitting because it fits well in the venue.  Just something to try basically.”
McElroy found Miller from a booking agency in New Orleans that he has previously worked with to get entertainers for multiple events.
Miller, also known as Swin D. Lure, has performed in London and Tokyo and specializes in street magic.  Since his first professional performance at age thirteen, Miller has only improved as a talented magician, performing for over thirty years now.
Miller has a background in psychology and was an instructor for the Pennsylvania Academy for Performing Arts where he taught courses relating to magic and showmanship.  Miller eventually gained the success of becoming the Dean of Conjuring.   
“To be honest I’ve always liked magic, so I’ve been looking forward to this for the past few days,” said Ryan Burleigh, an undecided freshman. “I saw a poster in the elevator in my dorm building about it.  There’s not really much I tend to watch, so this is definitely something that I would be interested in seeing again.”
Miller attracted many students, possibly starting a chain of similar events for the future.  Students are encouraged to give their opinion of what kind of entertainment they would like to see.
“We are considering having similar events in the future,” said McElroy.  “We are having people fill out surveys. We are taking suggestions for other types of entertainment people might want to see.  We like to keep things fresh and new so we’re always open for ideas.”
To contact CAB for suggestions or questions about upcoming events email [email protected].