Gamma Kappa Omega to host magician next month

The ladies of Gamma Kappa Omega are hosting magician Robby Bennett at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in the SFA Grand Ballroom. Tickets can be purchased at the door or from any member of Gamma Kappa Omega for $10, or $15 for seats closer to the stage.

Vice President of GKO, Houston senior Stacy Butler, has known Bennett since elementary school and asked him to premiere his new magic show, The Million Dollar Charity Challenge Tour, at SFA. "Robby and I have known each other since elementary school, and I watched him develop as a magician," Butler said. "He is very talented and is taking this show to different universities and cities all over the country." All the proceeds from the show will go to children's hospitals around the country.

Bennett started doing magic when he was 5 years old after he got a magic kit from Disney World for his birthday. "I started seriously doing magic when I was 9, because I was sick for a couple of years, and it gave me something to do when I was bored at home," Bennett said. "After I got back to school I started doing shows professionally, and by the time I was 13 or 14 I began performing on Broadway, in Las Vegas and in Lubbock as well."

The Million Dollar Charity Challenge Tour will begin nationwide next February, but SFA is getting to see the show first. "Stacy was really avid about doing this for the charity, and all the faculty and administration at SFA have been very helpful," Bennett said. In order to prepare for the show, Bennett spends time promoting advertisements and picking out the right music, as well as rehearsing over 16 hours a day for the two weeks leading up to the show. The Million Dollar Charity Challenge Tour will have a darker and more intellectual appeal as opposed to other magic shows, according to Bennett. "You can expect more of the metaphorical and story-telling aspects of magic," he said. "It seems like a lot of magicians take advantage of and insult their audiences,, so I did not want to do that."