Elgregoe to visit Invercargill schools next week

Elgregoe to visit Invercargill schools next week

Kiwi magician Elgregoe is once again hitting the dusty trail throughout the country, rearing to get his live show off the road and into Invercargill and Southland schools this week.

The celebrated performer – almost an educator in his own right - has a new live magic show for 2016 and children from five to 12-year-olds at Windsor North, Drummond Primary, Heddon Bush, James Hargest Junior and Makarewa Schools are in for more action-packed tricks than ever before. From Elgregoe’s sidekicks Zazu, Ecce and Ruby the talking parrots, to the Floating Man trick, to an unbelievable show of ventriloquism, there is plenty to entertain.

But Elgregoe, (known off-stage as Greg Britt), is more than just an entertainer. Years ago, he was immersed in conversation with a friend. The friend, a school principal, professed frustration at the phenomenon of school-yard bullying. At a loss, he jokingly challenged Elgregoe to make bullying disappear with his magic.

Jokes aside, it’s a task Britt has continued to face year after year with his popular blend of humour, magical illusions and behavioural education. More than 850,000 Kiwi kids have been treated to his show, and this year thousands more will learn about how they can become part of the solution to bullying in schools. Britt hopes to see students having fun at the show, while still engaging with the messages around the seriousness of bullying, and key elements needed to make it disappear.

"Every time I step onto a school stage I say to myself: ‘this one is for them’. I want to take them on a journey, to give them that sense of wonder I felt when I first saw a magician and, more importantly, to remember the messages,” Britt said.

“I want school to be a positive experience for them and give them the skills to have a bully free day because that's the real magic!”

This year’s show theme, Traffic Lights, fits into the 2016 curriculum for primary and intermediate schools, with an emphasis on healthy relationships at home, in class or on the playground. Britt and his show assistant and wife, Sue, engage students with the fun of the show to help “stop bullying, slow down to consider their actions, and go be that student who makes a positive change.”

ENDS

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