The Man Behind The Curtain

Andrew J. Pinard has been entertaining people throughout New England with both his theatrical and magical performances since 1983.Andrew Pinard has been performing since he was a child. He has traveled extensively as an actor, director, and scenic and lighting designer and has appeared on the stage, as well as on radio and television. He has written and adapted several plays for family audiences. An award-winning educator, he taught theatre for five years at Pembroke Academy in Pembroke, NH.

An astute businessman, Andrew uses his theatrical and magical skills to create custom presentations for corporate events. When he is not on the road, Andrew can be seen performing his special brand of close-up magic and comedy at a number of resorts and restaurants throughout the Northeast including: The Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, NH and almost eleven years for Newick’s Seafood Restaurant in Merrimack, NH. His Alejandro’s Olde Tyme Magik Showe has been seen throughout the Northeast since 1989, including performances for the Tunbridge World’s Fair,Sandwich Fair, the Caledonia County Fair, the Stratham Fair, First Night Wolfeboro and eight years for First Night New Hampshire. Andrew’s sleight-of-hand show, Discovering Magic, has been featured throughout New England and may be seen monthly at Hatbox Theatre in Concord, NH. Often working in character, Andrew also performs as 19th century Boston-based performer Jonathan Harrington, Professor Ignatius Mackenzie Awesome, IV (traveling artiste and curator of Wonder Show: An Exhibition of the Remarkable and Absurd) and others.

A working theatre artist, he has worked as a consultant for many regional theatre companies including: the Winnepesaukee Playhouse, the American Stage Festival, the Hampton Playhouse, the Lakes Region Summer Theatre, The ActorSingers, Northern Stage and The New London Barn Playhouse and Kearsarge Arts Theatre Company. Working with KAT, he was nominated for a NH Theatre Award in 2009 for his lighting design for Godspell. His original theatrical séance—An Evening with the Spirits—premiered in April of 1997 at the Candlelite Inn in Bradford, NH and has been performed since that time for resorts and private audiences including a performance for the Society of American Magicians in Boston, MA and a premiere at the West End Studio Theatre in Portsmouth, NH. His original “magi-musical” Fantasmagoria Cabaret—a fusion of original music, magic, circus, vaudeville, burlesque and side-show premiered in 2008 at the 800-seat Concord City Auditorium in Concord, NH to rave reviews.

In addition to being an accomplished performer, Andrew is also a teacher, writer, and creator of magic. His articles on restaurant and strolling entertainment have been published in several magazines including The Main Event magazine. As co-publisher of The Magic Menu: The Professional Journal for Working Close-up Magicians, Andrew educated other performers through his regular column, “Absolutely Entertaining.” His writings have been featured in a majority of the magic magazines including: Genii, MAGIC, Magicol, M-U-M, and others. His lecture on physical comedy  (Serious Bizness) and theatrical magic (The Shared Experience) have been presented to groups in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and his writings have been used by performers throughout the United States to improve their own acts. He served as a National Deputy of the Society of American Magicians for over a decade. Andrew is currently the editor of The Yankee Magic Collector, a serious magic history journal produced by the New England Magic Collectors Association that is published in even-numbered years.

Andrew Pinard has been a full-time performer and theatre artist for over twenty-five years. He has presented thousands of performances throughout the northeastern United States as well as internationally in Montreal, London, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Andrew has been recognized by his peers as one of the finest close-up performers throughout the Northeast and took the top honors in the 18th Annual New England Magic Competition. Andrew was selected three times as Editors’ Choice for Best Magical Entertainer in “The Very Best of New Hampshire” issues of New Hampshire Magazine with an emphasis on his uncanny sleight-of-hand (“or is it?”) abilities.