Close to people | Stories from Bethel
Conjuring is his magical craft
Magic is his passion, astonished spectators his motivation. When the curtain rises and Lutz Ermshaus stands in front of the audience with a broad grin, the wound manager from the Evangelical hospital Bethel (EvKB) in Bielefeld immerses himself in the world of magic. Big eyes and lots of questions from the guests are then pre-programmed in his Cella Magica.
With the Cella Magica, the EvKB employee and semi-professional magician fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2012. The magic room in the basement of his home was even officially recognised as a "Magic Place" by the Magic Circle of Germany. "When we were building, my wife was delighted that I could finally move my magic stuff out of the living room and into the basement. Instead of a storage room, I came up with the idea of a magic room with its own stage," says Lutz Ermshaus, adding with pride: "The Cella Magica is unique in Germany."
However, his passion for magic began at the age of 14 in the "circus club" at his school in Oerlinghausen. Fire-breathing and pantomime were the beginning of a fascination that has never left him. It is important to him that his family supported him right from the start. For more than ten years, 20 to 30 guests have walked down a red carpet into the Cella Magica at Haus Ermshaus about once a month. In addition to various external appearances in theatres or at private events, the chairman of the Bielefeld local circle only performs on his own stage once a year. This is because many of his magician friends from all over Germany want to perform in the unique club atmosphere of the Cella Magica. Two 45-minute shows are then on the programme: "Keeping an audience entertained for that long is quite a challenge," admits the EvKB employee.
Good preparation for table and stage magic with magic cards, rubber bands or fire is therefore very important. The individual tricks have different levels of difficulty and are sometimes not easy to master, even for an experienced magician. "Some I learn very quickly, others take me three years," says the 48-year-old. He likes to compare magic to learning a musical instrument: "You have many opportunities for others to take you further, but you have to practise yourself."
"Magic is created in people's minds."
In order to perfect his magic shows, Lutz Ermshaus had to familiarise himself with areas such as psychology before practising. "You study the art of acting and develop an awareness of how you affect people." When he amazes the audience with successful tricks, the magician always recognises parallels. "There are those who are interested in technology, who ponder and scrutinise my tricks. The others just want to enjoy and be enchanted." The question marks above the heads of the audience, coupled with the positive feedback, still give Lutz Ermshaus goosebumps even after 40 years in the magic business: "I always tell the stories behind the tricks and want to convey emotions. Because magic is created in people's minds."
But sometimes even a master of magic reaches his limits. "I have an invisible pack of cards that I've misplaced and haven't found again yet," admits Lutz Ermshaus and laughs.
Text: Simon Steinberg | Photos: Matthias Cremer
This story simply told
Lutz Ermshaus works as a wound manager at the Evangelical hospital Bethel in Bielefeld. He enjoys performing magic in his spare time. He has set up a magic room in his basement. There, he and other magicians from all over Germany regularly perform their magic tricks in front of an audience.
