Stand-up magician, Derek Hughes, conjured a crowd for his one-of-a-kind performance on Sept. 11 at an event organized by the Student Activities Board.

Hughes is a magician known for his performances on network television.

Sophomore SAB organizer Preslee Galloway said, “We chose this event just to show students, particularly that it’s okay to have fun and be in school.”

Galloway said it’s important that an event like this comes shortly after the beginning of the school year. 

Even though Welcome Week has passed, Galloway said he wanted to show students that fun isn’t exclusive to the first week of school.

“It’s just a continuation of that [fun] year long to show students that UCA is fun, and we are here to make that happen for them. Our catchphrase is ‘fun lives here,’” Galloway said.

The event held in the Ronnie Williams Student Center began with students shuffling to the ballroom to get a seat before the magic started.

Hughes performed a variety of magic tricks, combining magic and comedy to entertain the audience.

To set the tone of the show, Hughes continuously cut off the background music to explain how he performed the first trick. 

Shortly after, he called a student up on stage to assist with a card trick. The trick involved the student choosing a card without Hughes seeing what card it was. Hughes revealed the student’s card by taking it out of his pocket.

Junior Adam Pageant said, “I was just looking for something to do, looked on the event page, saw that it was this going on — wanted to laugh.”

Hughes asked the audience if there’s anyone who doesn’t believe in his magic. A student in the crowd raised his hand. Hughes called that student up on stage for his final act.

Hughes said he was there to make students laugh. He did this by incorporating the audience into the performance. 

Hughes said being a stand-up magician is a combination for his love of magic and stand-up comedy.

Hughes said he started performing magic at 10 years old after using a magic kit. The love for performing magic stuck with him throughout his life.

“Even though the alchemy wasn’t real, the symbol of it was really powerful for me, and it was an easy to master trick that had a great impact on people,” Hughes said.

Hughes is currently on tour to visit many more campuses across the country.

“Every audience is different,” he said. “I enjoy every show for what it is.”

Hughes said being a parent allows him to see the importance of performing to college students. 

“I want to encourage you guys to believe in yourself and face the challenges,” Hughes said.