Sarah Straney

Sarah Straney, SC’s only female professional magician, will be featured in Magic Theatre , a one hour TV special on SC ETV’s SC Channel, broadcast statewide Halloween weekend. Broadcast dates are Friday, October 29, 7 pm; Sunday, October 31, 6 am, 2 pm, 10 pm; Monday, November 1, 2 am, 12 pm. Check your local cable TV listings, or visit http://www.myetv.org/television/sc_channel/index.cfm.

The family friendly show was taped live at the Sumter Opera House in Sumter, SC in September. Straney delights audiences with her warm and humorous children’s shows, which she performs as Lady Sarah. In the competitive world of children’s entertainment, she works hard to keep her shows fresh and colorful as the face painting that she loves to do.

“Certainly as a woman in a male–dominated field of magic I might be critiqued more strenuously,” Straney says, “but because I specialize in performing for children, being a woman is actually a big asset. Women’s groups (like the Girl Scouts), educators, and moms in general are more comfortable with me. They feel safe that I will present a good role model that kids can actually relate to.”

The show was produced by Columbia magician John Tudor who says, “Sarah isn’t in this show because she’s female but because she presents an extremely smart, literate approach to her work. I’m delighted we have her unique point of view.”

Tudor is Straney’s current mentor, though she began her official training as a children’s entertainer three years ago in Atlanta, studying with Tone Lane, a former trainer at Walt Disney World. Straney studied at Rose Hill College and at the USC. She enjoys teaching elementary theater classes and workshops in after–school programs and special events.

The show is sponsored by a grant from the SC Arts Commission (which receives funding from the National Endowment for the Arts) and the Coastal Community Foundation of SC.