Local illusionist to appear on CW TV network

An award-winning illusionist and Southeast Missouri native is preparing to bring his entertaining and thought-provoking act to a nationwide television audience.

Morgan Strebler, from Sikeston, Mo., will be in Los Angeles on July 20 to tape his appearance on the magic series "Masters of Illusion," which will air this fall on the CW television network.

"My performance on the show will feature fork bending, bottle bending and some mind bending," Strebler said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "What I do will be aired over several episodes, and the series will also feature 70 other magicians from around the world. I'm excited to get out there."

Strebler also knows how to excite audiences. A 2011 winner of the prestigious Merlin Award for Best Metal-Bending Magician, he has performed for millions of people on five continents in addition to private Las Vegas shows for celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Jude Law and Quentin Tarantino. He recently returned from a performance in Ireland, to which he plans to return at the end of August along with making an appearance in England.

"I've been real busy," Strebler said. "I'm on the road eight months out of the year."

Strebler centers his illusions on psychokinetic magic, described as the ability to physically alter or affect various objects with the power of the mind. In his shows, he uses his "gift" to bend forks, coins and keys, as well as forcing items to move without a logical explanation.

"When I started in Las Vegas, I was just another illusionist," he said. "My agent told me I needed to do something different from the other magicians out there. It took time, but psychokinetic magic became my niche."

When his mother was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, Strebler left Las Vegas and returned to Sikeston with his wife Mikala, who performed with him in Las Vegas, and their two sons. Her cancer is now in remission, but Strebler isn't looking to return to Sin City anytime soon.

"There's things I miss about Las Vegas," he said, "but family is more important. Sikeston is a better place to raise my kids."

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Sikeston, MO