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Inspector Magic, Mark Weidhaas, began his professional start on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. While living in North Carolina, Mark was a Lieutenant with a Volunteer Fire Department, where he spent much of his free time. When he relocated to Cape Cod, he discovered that all the fire departments had paid full-time firemen, so Mark had to come up with a new "hobby."
Magic had always interested him as a child, thanks to his brothers and a wonderful Uncle. Hours would be spent trying to decipher how the magic miracles were performed. That curiosity lead him to an education at Penn State and a 19 year career as a Professional Structural Engineer.
Back on Cape Cod, Mark had a shoe box of magic tricks and was asked to perform for his son's friend's birthday. That was such a success, that Mark was asked to perform again for the friend's brother. New material was needed, and fortunately, Mark discovered a magic shop that sold mass quantities of magic secrets. Next thing Mark knew, he was performing at the many area libraries, schools and festivals, even at M.I.T.
Inspector Gadget was a popular cartoon at the time, and Mark choose Inspector Magic for his character. With the knowledge he had as a fireman, he chose to include safety messages with the magic shows. He even performed in his fireman dress uniform to help give extra weight to the messages. The first shows developed were safety with strangers, Halloween safety, bicycle safety, play ground safety, and of course fire safety.
The popularity of Inspector Gadget dropped but not the popularity of Inspector Magic. Annual shows were performed at many fairs and regular summer shows were given for the Cape Cod tourists. The fireman's uniform was changed into a more traditional magician garb, bowties, vests and tails. Inspector Magic was even awarded a grant to help develop and perform a special show about preserving our natural resources by the Massachusetts Bay. Please see the list of festivals Inspector Magic regularly performed at on the Festival Page.
"He is full of energy," said Academy Award winning actress, Julie Harris, upon seeing him perform. Inspector Magic even helped found a magic club for enthusiasts, the Cape Cod Mystics, International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) Ring 309, and was their President for two years and awarded "Magician of the Year" by his peers.
Then he moved to Colorado Springs and joined the Pikes Peak Prestidigitators magic club, Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) Assembly 170 - the same organization Harry Houdini belonged. He was President of this group for three years, 1998--2001, and was appointed as the S.A.M. Regional Deputy for Colorado in 2000-2003. He is also a member of the Mile High Magicians' Society, Denver, and the Southern Colorado Magic Association, Pueblo. He has even performed at several magic conventions in Leadville and in Fort Collins.
To augment his theatrical performance, Inspector Magic has been involved in many theatrical productions, including the Springs Community Theater, "1776," John Hancock; the Highland Harmonizers, "The Pitchpipe Man," Mayor Goodyear; the Woodland Park Players, "The Miracle Worker," Captain Keller and "Fiddler on the Roof," Motel the Tailor; the Colorado Springs Symphony, "Guys and Dolls," Chorus and "The Music Man," Chorus; the Academy of Performing Arts, "My Fair Lady," technical assistance and "1776," Richard Henry Lee and "Peter Pan," technical assistance; the Chatham Drama Guild, "Fiddler on the Roof," Lazar Wolf.
Inspector Magic now strives to be one of the very best magicians in Colorado, constantly working on new updated material. Keeping fresh is achieved through regular attendance to magic conventions and workshops showcasing many of the world's finest magical artists. "Every time we see you, you keep getting better" is often stated by his repeat clients.
Although Birthday parties are his specialty and favorite performing venue, he has been seen at Ruby Tuesdays, Old Chicago's and Texas Roadhouse, performing table-side close-up magic. These venues have been done when the regular magicians at those locations, Professor Higgins and Bruce Black, are unable to perform. This close friendship with his fellow local magicians has been a worthwhile
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