This post was updated Feb. 19 at 7:46 p.m.

Magic is never far from UCLA’s campus.

Over the past few years, a group of magicians has populated Bruin Walk and campus events, eager to present mind-bending illusions or sleight-of-hand to the UCLA community. The work of the Magic and Illusion Student Team at UCLA – the school’s home for experienced magicians and those seeking to learn – will culminate March 6 at their annual Winter Quarter Magic Show.

For the club members, these performances are not solely about demonstrating a skill or manipulating an audience, but instead experiencing the tangible joy of the audience members.

“Being able to actually see joy and excitement on someone’s face when you’re doing a magic trick is the biggest appeal,” said Nathan Chu, the club’s co-president. “Making sure that they are enjoying it just as much as you like performing it – it’s extremely rewarding and satisfying.”

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The third-year mechanical engineering student said that during his time with MIST, the club has become significantly more involved on campus. He said the COVID-19 pandemic’s shift to online activities limited the club, as magic is difficult to perform online. In the years since, MIST has become involved in events spanning the Hill – such as Wednesday’s upcoming Casino Night – campus organizations and private events. They also set up shop on Bruin Walk, showing off tricks to passersby and prospective members.

Electrical engineering graduate student Sudarshan Seshadri, who joined the club this year, said the group has been welcoming and supportive as he picked up the new hobby. He has enjoyed learning tricks from the club’s experienced members but especially enjoys demonstrating his new skills to his friends, who express what he said is a universal appreciation for magic.

“Who doesn’t love magic?” Seshadri said. “I’ve never gone to someone and said, ‘Hey, you want to see a magic trick?’ and gotten the response, ‘No.’”

Nathan Lam, a graduate student in applied statistics and co-president of MIST, added that these positive reactions are what continue to motivate him to study and learn magic, a hobby he has practiced for a decade.

“It’s that reaction, that joy that you give to someone when you perform a trick,” Lam said. “A lot of people describe it as the wonder that you give to people.”

For MIST, its annual winter show is one of its prime opportunities to bring that magic to the UCLA community, Chu said. There are a variety of tricks and magic styles on display throughout the performance – not just card tricks, which Chu said dominated prior years’ shows. He added that the show tries to vary in tone, with an emphasis on comedy in some parts and drama in others, reflecting the theatrical diversity of the magic world.

The show also considers the club’s diversity of skill levels. Chu said that with about half of the club’s members in recent years being new to magic, the show serves as an opportunity to bring them to the forefront, with each member receiving roughly equal stage time despite wide differences in years of experience.

“There’s a heavy emphasis on teaching. We show secrets, and obviously we have a lot of knowledge, and we have a lot of props that we can lend out,” Chu said. “Eventually we get everyone prepared for the big show, which is the culmination of all the efforts throughout the year.”

Seshadri added that the club was eager to help him learn new tricks and involve beginners like him in the March show. He added that his role was relatively low-stakes, given his limited experience with magic, but that he was excited for the March show – and that the rest of campus should look forward to a free magic performance.

The teaching aspects of the club extend beyond revealing magician’s secrets. The club also has a strict ethical policy, Chu said. While he is skilled at tricks involving pickpocketing, gambling and other vices, he said that he uses these tricks as educational tools rather than as a means to scam people.

Lam shared this attitude. He demonstrated with the three card monty, a classic trick used by magic hustlers. He presented a queen and two jokers, then shuffled the cards together, asking where the queen went. Of course, the queen was nowhere to be found – as he showed each card, it became clear that all three cards had become jokers. It was impossible to win.

Lam said that a magician is seeking to entertain, and the audience is watching knowing that they will be fooled. As he talked, he revealed the cards in his hands again – this time, all queens. He said that the distinction is the motive of the performer, as well as the shared understanding between audience and magician.

“It’s a difference of ethics,” Lam said as he continued to manipulate the cards. “They’re trying to scam you. They’re trying to get money out of you – trying to sell you one story but actually doing something else.”

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For Lam, that spark of wonder he sees in audiences when he performs is what drives him to keep practicing. In that way, MIST’s performances across campus – from their appearances at events to their dedicated winter show – is an opportunity to bring a little more magic and wonder to UCLA’s campus.

“Honestly, to a regular person, we don’t really see magical things day-to-day,” Lam said. “Going to a magic show gives the opportunity.”