Norbert Ferré

Norbert Ferré (born 23 September 1975 in Marseille) is a French magician and artistic director. He specialises in scene manipulation and prestidigitation. Though he no longer competes, Ferré continues to perform at magic conventions, cabarets, festivals and circuses.

Early life Born 23 September 1975 in Marseille to a sales manager father and a nurse mother, Ferré is the youngest of two children. In 1986, when he was 11, he attended a magic show at La Ciotat and became instantly enamored. Over the next several years, he taught himself magic tricks and by age 14 had been accepted into the Magicians Club of Marseille, a local organisation affiliated with the FFAP. He served as the club's president between 1998 and 2001, at age 22 becoming the youngest president of an FFAP club up to that point. He performed under the pseudonym Maginor but dropped it by 1999 in favor of his real name.

Ferré studied business, as well as sociology and psychology, and finished with a master's degree. After graduating, he opted to pursue a career as an illusionist.

Career Ferré's main acts of prestidigitation center on manipulation. In 1989, he won second prize in the Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin magic contest, his first ever competition. There, he met Pierre Brahma, a Marseille native who was the only Frenchman at the time to have won the FISM Grand Prix (1964 and 1976). At the FISM national convention in 1999, Ferré won third prize in manipulation and subsequently submitted his act to the 26th Convention of the Royal Club of Magicians, a IBM-affiliated group, in Belgium. He came third in manipulation. Six months later, he won the same prize at the 22nd FISM convention in Lisbon. In September 2000, he became the first French performer to be invited to the Tenyo International Magic Convention. At this time, he primarily performed at festivals and conventions.

In 2001, he received the Originality Award at the World Magic Seminar in Las Vegas. That December, he was granted membership into the Magic Circle's highest tier, the exclusive Inner Magic Circle, with a gold star. In 2003, at the 23rd FISM convention in The Hague, he won first prize in the handling category and the Grand Prix general in all categories, becoming World Champion of magic. Idem and Magische Welt. On 19 March 2012, he became president of MAGEV - Charity magic, a foundation whose aim is to offer shows, balloon sculpting workshops and more to disadvantaged children and to adults with disabilities. He is mentioned as one of the ten great French magicians in the book La magie pour les nuls (Magic for Dummies).

Signature act Ferré's signature act, One for Two, Two for One, is a parody version of the Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, similar to Jerry Lewis's Dr. Jerry and Mister Love. He can perform this in nine languages: French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.

On a stage with minimal decoration (a table with a box marked "Surprise" and a sign reading "Prediction"). Norbert Ferré plays two characters: the funny and clumsy host, and the serious and skillful magician. The act begins with the host, whose task is to make the time pass pleasantly while waiting for the arrival of the great magician. He makes a few jokes and does some tap dancing, drawing particular attention to his new shoes. The magician then arrives and an excerpt from Fiddler on the Roof plays in the background. This is the 4th song of Act I and kicks off a series of manipulations, flourishes, magical effects and dexterous ball- and card-based tricks. At the end of the routine, Ferré returns to the host character and picks up the "Prediction" sign, which he reveals to the audience. He then performs another set of tricks before opening the "Surprise" box.

Honours and awards Year Award Granting body Event Ref(s) 2001 Membership of the Inner Magic Circle with a gold star The Magic Circle Originality Award World Magic Seminar 2002 Mandrake d’or French Academy of Illusionists 2003 World Champion of Magic FISM Grand Prix 23rd Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques convention Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin Gold Medal Fédération Française des Artistes Prestidigitateurs Aix-les-Bains Congress 2005 Médaille de la Ville de Marseille City of Marseille 2014 Commemorative plaque City of Tamarite de Litera Florences Gili National Magicians Meeting ? Excellence Award Florida State University Magicians' Club Magic on the Beach XIII