“Everybody was blown away by your show, it was perfect for our event and your talent far exceeded anybody’s highest expectations.”
Hagerman, (pronounced “Hay gurr man”), is the first and last name you need to think of when it comes to professional, original entertainment. Hagerman spent over two decades perfecting his comical talent at theaters, theme parks, and schools all over the country. From bikers, to CEOs, to school children, this polished artist elegantly entertains most anyone, at most any age, at the same time!
Here is a collection of Hagerman’s press articles.
As a magician and science entertainer, David Hagerman tours the country with a van full of equipment. Depending on the show, it could be thousands of dollars worth of props, ranging from a Van de Graaff generator to costumes, gyroscopes, bungee cords, chemicals, and vanishing boxes. But his vehicle has been broken into several times, so being a master of illusion, Hagerman figured out a trick to deceive potential thieves. Now he places a big magnetic sign that says “dead animal removal” over his logo. Voila, no more break-ins. He does get funny looks, however, when he pulls into restaurants or gas stations. But Hagerman, 46 — known as Hagerman the Magician — is all about showmanship and appearances.
Hagerman's Extreme Science Show visits Holcomb School
Posted November 15, 2018By Trina Bell tbell@dddnews.com
Science is something that we experience day in and day out without even realizing it.
Hagerman’s Extreme Science show was invited to come and entertain the students at Holcomb elementary school and middle school and perform his great Extreme Science magic tricks.
Hagerman, who resides in Branson, Mo., has spent more than two decades perfecting his mysterious talent at theaters, theme parks, and schools all over the country. From bikers to CEOs, to school children, this polished artist elegantly entertains most anyone, at most any age, at the same time!
Hagerman travels the country and is truly one of the nation’s best kept secrets.
Hagerman was born and raised in Missouri.
His interest in magic was sparked when his father went to a library, to learn magic to perform at one of his birthday parties. Then one day Hagerman saw an episode of the Brady Bunch where Peter went to a magic shop and became a magician. He was inspired; so he asked his mother to take him to a magic shop for his ninth birthday. The rest is history.
Hagerman interacted with the fourth through eighth grade students at Holcomb, discussing how any time you see magic, you are seeing science being used as well.
The first act performed consisted of pulling a student from the audience, who was given a black ball to bounce onto the gymnasium floor.
“Watch as I bounce this ball and catch it into my pocket,” he said. “Now you try it,” he said, as he handed a black ball to the student. Of course, the student’s ball wouldn’t bounce. It hit the floor and stayed in place.
A short time later, Hagerman reveals he had swapped out the balls, as he began discussing gravity.
Another illustration, Hagerman used a circular object which was spinning on an axis and performed the trick, placing it onto a string as it continued to spin.
But what seemed to be a huge hit with the children was the static electricity. Three students were asked to join Hagerman to demonstarte the power of static electricity. The student touched the round sphere which was fed an elctrical charge and as they touched the sphere, their hairs began to stand upright.
Of course, the students fond that to be extremely funny.
Other things Hagerman discussed was:
• Demonstrating various instruments of fun, Hagerman investigates the science behind many things we take for granted in our everyday lives.
• Using in-line skates, Hagerman learns the laws of motion
• Armed with a giant bungee cord slingshot, the audience witnesses potential and kinetic energy
• Gyroscopes explain a curious balancing act
• Slime oozes from polymers
• Crystals cause water to “vanish”
• See the worlds largest ball made of recycled Styrofoam cups
• Electricity is utilized for a shocking experience
Linked News Article November 15, 2018
‘I like to say that everything I do is 100 percent fake’
Posted August 31, 2018By Cindy Atoji Keene Boston Globe Correspondent
As a magician and science entertainer, David Hagerman tours the country with a van full of equipment. Depending on the show, it could be thousands of dollars worth of props, ranging from a Van de Graaff generator to costumes, gyroscopes, bungee cords, chemicals, and vanishing boxes. But his vehicle has been broken into several times, so being a master of illusion, Hagerman figured out a trick to deceive potential thieves. Now he places a big magnetic sign that says “dead animal removal” over his logo. Voila, no more break-ins. He does get funny looks, however, when he pulls into restaurants or gas stations. But Hagerman, 46 — known as Hagerman the Magician — is all about showmanship and appearances. He performs more than 600 stage shows a year at theme parks, schools, county fairs, and conventions. He’s based out of his home in Branson, Mo., but is often on the road. For nearly a decade, Hagerman has been a fixture at Canobie Lake Park in Salem, N.H.
Sometimes he works 16-hour days, zigzagging across the states to different school assemblies for his Extreme Science shows. Science and magic go hand-in-hand, said Hagerman, who had a double major in chemistry and physics at the University of Missouri, Columbia, before he dropped out to do magic to help pay student loans. He gave himself three years to try being a magician but knew the odds were against him. He never returned to college, instead discovering that the entertainment route had potential for him. “I realized I was funny and people laughed. I believe magic is a form of humor, or maybe it’s the other way around. Magic makes people laugh, and I believe laughter is universally appealing,” he says.
His mother recently told him that she used to worry her son would never make a decent living, but he’s proved her wrong — Hagerman charges $775 to $1,175 for a show and has earned as much as $200,000 in a year.
He spoke to the Globe about some of the tricks up his sleeve.
“Some people get into magic because it’s a social ice breaker and distracts from any issues they might be having. I had a genuine interest in magic as a kid, but it also served as a diversion during my parents’ divorce. Magic also spurred my interest in science and helped me overcome the geek label – and nowadays, geeks are cool. I would say a magician is a choreographer of information. Everything we do involves presenting information in such a way so the magic happens in the mind of the audience. I like to say that everything I do is 100 percent fake.
“I’ve always embraced the golden age of magic and loved vaudeville. Magicians from the turn of the century, like [Howard] Thurston, [Alexander] Herrmann, and especially Willard the Wizard, captured my attention. Early on in my profession, I had a modern stage presence but later decided that I needed a look that would age well, so I adopted an appearance inspired by those greats from the past. I grew a handlebar mustache, dressed classically, and donned a top hat. Fifteen years later, I still look the same.
“I like my magic to look organic, using common everyday objects. My house is like a large storage unit. I don’t spend much time there, but for a while I had my 9-foot-tall guillotine set up in the living room. Every room has boxes and shelves of exotic apparatus, including antique and vintage storage cases. I like having them around to inspire new ideas.
“Around 80 percent of my magic is original; the rest are classics that I put heavy twists on, including routines I’ve built from the ground up with equipment found in department, hardware, and magic stores. The props I have can cost pennies to thousands of dollars. Though I add extra surprises to my large illusions, a magician can buy any oversized box prop for $2,000 to $10,000 apiece. I’m also having my first two custom-made illusions built at a cost of around $100,000. They should be complete in a year’s time and then the polishing starts, figuring out the stage presentation.
“Other expenses include sound equipment, tools for spot repair jobs, and my full-time assistant, who I found through an ad on Craigslist. She earns about $20,000 a year — her biggest assets are her facial expressions, adding to the physical comedy of my show. I should also mention that I spend around $20,000 a year on advertising.
“Sometimes the best routines are the simplest ones, like Fuzzy the Bear, a bear puppet who comes to life and enchants with his lifelike antics. It’s actually a ventriloquism act, with ventriloquism and magic being very similar. I’ve been doing this one for 20 years or so, and it always gets laughs. When the magic moment happens, people often laugh out loud. This is the most rewarding aspect, putting smiles on people’s faces. I don’t know if I was predestined to do this kind of entertainment, but everything fell into place for me.”
Linked News Article August 31, 2018
Extreme Science, Extreme Fun
Posted 2018Hagerman the Magician shows what looks like magic is actually science, and science can be very entertaining, indeed.
For nearly an hour, Lucerne Valley Elementary School students were shot at with playful puffs of fog, dazzled by a seemingly gravity-defying bicycle wheel, and wowed by colorful balancing beach balls. This literally hair-raising event — courtesy of Hagerman the Magician his assistant — was more than just entertainment, it was an “Extreme Science School Assembly” that proved science is fascinating, curious and fun.
Dressed in a Back to the Future-esque lab coat, the comedic David Hagerman drew in the eager Eagles by blending whimsy and fact. Perhaps alluding to Harry Potter, he explained that wizards actually use science to accomplish seemingly magical acts.
“Magic is not magic. It’s science,” he said. “Wizards use science to perform their wizardry.”
Gingerly mentioned in Hagerman’s presentation were warnings of the importance of using safety precautions such as safety goggles or having a fire extinguisher nearby. The Branson, Mo.-based science educator also demonstrated through comedy the need for following directions exactly. He asked one student volunteer to stand still while he put a hat filled with water on her head. But he had to take the directions out from under the hat because he forgot one step. Magically — remember, it’s all science — when the hat was taken off the girl’s head, not only was her hair not wet, but there was no sign of the water. It turns out, he explained, he had placed a polymer powder in the water, much like one used in baby diapers, which literally sucked up all of the water.
Magic? No, science!
Two Extreme Science School Assembly events were presented on February 26. Grades 4-6 were the first followed by bedazzled K-3 students in Goulding Hall.
To learn more about the Extreme Science presentations and related services by Hagerman the Magician, visit http://hagermania.com/
Linked 2018 Article
Where’s There’s Smoke, There’s Fun
Posted December 16, 2017
By the Gatesville Messenger
Magician and performer David Hagerman entertained students at Gatesville Junior High School recently. The assembly, titled “Extreme Science 2.0,” was an educational, interactive experience that included scientific experiments, audience participation and plenty of jokes.
Extreme Science at the Robert W. Carbonaro Elementary School in Valley Stream NY
Posted October 19, 2016
By Nick Ciccone
Students at the Robert W. Carbonaro Elementary School attended a comedy science performance on Oct. 11 by Hagerman the Magician.
The two-man show included music and several science experiments. Magician David Hagerman, of Extreme Science, used a 700,000 volt Van de Graaff generator in the performance, which creates 10-15 inch lightning bolts and enough static to raise students’ hair.
Students also witnessed “vortex cannons,” created by manipulating the air into flying rings of fog and floating beach balls.
Linked News Article October 2016
‘Extreme Science’ set to excite students at G-P
By Pike Press, March 25, 2015Students at the Griggsville-Perry elementary school will be excited to learn that David Hagerman, nationally-renowned science entertainer, will be performing Extreme Science at Griggsville-Perry elementary school Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m.
Extreme Science is a 45-minute show that uses comedy and amazing science demonstrations to attract students to science. Hagerman gives students the opportunity to see experiments that most elementary school teachers would be unable to perform. “My goal is to create an interest in science that may not be there for a lot of students,” says David Hagerman.
The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), an international assessment of the mathematics and science knowledge, ranked the United States 11th, lagging behind Asian and European nations. Francis Eberle, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association, says “Essentially, it says that science hasn’t been part of the agenda. Science has had very little attention.”
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) suggests that having a science related activity once every few weeks was enough to show a five point increase in science proficiency.
“Not only are the students seeing the science in action, I am entertaining them as well,” say Hagerman. “Anytime a child finds something entertaining, it captures their attention and they start asking questions.”
David Hagerman has been performing educational programs at schools since 1995. He currently resides in Branson, Mo. and travels to schools all over the country. www.hagermania.com.
Scientist-Magician Enthralls Wareham Middle School Students
By Chris Shott / cshott@wickedlocal.comPosted Oct 15, 2015 at 3:38 PM
WAREHAM – Is there a better way to introduce school students to the wonders and quirks of science than through a magician who doubles as a comedian?
Probably not, at least in the estimation of most students at Wareham Middle School.
Nationally acclaimed “Hageran the Magician” (his real name is David Hagerman) has entertained hundreds of thousands of school students from coast to coast during the past two years and brought his magical science show to Wareham on Wednesday morning. One grade at a time – from 5 through 8 – he dazzled students with magical tricks and illusions during a one-hour program titled “Exciting Science,” which more than lived up to its billing.
Interspersing jokes and one-liners with serious revelations, Hagerman explored the world of science, providing students with an amusing diversion from their daily routines and also teaching them about the foundations of the discipline. Attired in a laboratory coat (“It’s not a dress,” he stressed) and donning roller blades and knee pads, the self-proclaimed “Science Wizard” engrossed students with his grasp of scientific principles and adept teaching style.
Introducing himself to Grade 6 students in his first session of the day, Hagerman adroitly summarized the rationale for his appearance. “Science is everywhere,” he said. “You just have to look for it.”
Or show it, in Hagerman’s case. Using props and students as assistants, he demonstrated various scientific concepts, including motion, energy, inertia, balance, fire, electricity and others, conducting experiments while simultaneously eliciting laughs and giggles from the gatherings in the school’s auditorium.
Among the highlights of his programs Thursday in Wareham, Hagerman turned a bicycle wheel into a gyroscope, created a human sling shot from a bungee cord, turned a piece of cloth into fire-resistant material and changed solids into liquids.
Hagerman also emphasized the benefits of respect, responsibility and safety in all facets of life and drew clear comparisons between science and magic (very fitting, since he is widely recognized as a comedy magician).
“Magic is actually the application of science in mysterious ways,” Hagerman said. “When performing their tricks, magicians simply eliminate the science of what they are doing. That is called an illusion and all magic tricks are illusions.”
According to his website, http://hagermania.com, Hagerman has been performing his science/comedy routines for the past 17 years, leading students “on a wild journey through different fields, simultaneously “tickling your funny bone and educating.” He appeared in Wareham on Thursday courtesy of a donation from the district’s Parents-Teachers Association.
The Patriot Ledger
Mountain Grove News-Journal, March 4, 2014
Posted: Tuesday, March 4, 2014 1:35 pmNumerical brain teasers and fun application of scientific principles, with a taste of literature and moments of magic mixed in, greeted parents and students at Mountain Grove Middle School on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 20.
This was the school’s first Math and Science Discovery Night, and it drew about 100 people.
Special guest for the day was David Hagerman, the Branson-based “Hagerman the Magician.”
At an assembly during the day, Hagerman’s comic “Extreme Science” show featured tricks that illustrated how everyday chemicals work. One reaction exploded “Bob the Balloon” and another combined polymers to ooze a special “slime.” In the evening, he presented “Math-A-Magic,” mixing sleight of hand and math puzzlers, all with help from students in the audience.
Hagerman’s web site is www.hagermania.com .
Math and Science Discovery Night featured student work -- roller coasters made in 8th grade science teacher Samantha Morgan’s classes and Readers Fair projects produced by 7th graders in language arts teacher Kelly Spies’ classes.
Kim Smotherman, 7th grade science teacher and organizer of the MGMS parental involvement series, said students did a good job of completing their projects on deadline in spite of having missed many days of school because of snow and ice.
“I’m very proud of them,” Smotherman said.
To build the mini-roller coasters, set up in the cafeteria, students used components such as pipe insulation and relied on gravity to send ball bearings and marbles down the twisting chutes.
Colorful and varied Readers Fair displays crowded the school lobby. Each student built a display board for the book he or she read and showed an analysis of its plot, characters, tone and other elements. Books ranged from “Old Yeller” to “The Hunger Games.”
Spies said the students enjoyed the project. “Some of them said this actually is kind of fun.”
Continue reading →
David Hagerman wows fifth-graders with his science antics
By NWI Times Oct 11, 2013
David Hagerman wows fifth-graders with his science antics at Clark Middle School in St. John.
Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, MI
There's magic in science, students learn at showA former magician makes science entertaining at an assembly for West Oakview Elementary students.
By Brian Donovan
The Grand Rapids Press
You might not want to know some of the ways David Hagerman makes science fun for kids.
"You can find science under a rock, you can find science in your friend's shoes, you can find science inside of your nose." Hagerman told student assemblies at Northview's West Oakview Elementary School on Friday.
Hagerman, 30, put on a show called "Extreme Science." Often it has the feel of a magic show, which is not surprising, because that us how he got started in entertaining children.
For one experiment, Hagerman poured some water into a Styrofoam cup and asked third-grader Amanda Havlik to balance it upside down on her head, a laminated card being used to hold the water in the cup. It looked like Amanda would get a wet head when Hagerman "mistakenly" pulled the card out from under the cup.
But no, inside the cup there was no water. It had been soaked up by a chemical called sodium polyacrolyte. So when Amanda reached into the cup, she pulled out a solid that looked like an ice cube.
"It's the same chemical they use to make (disposable) baby diapers," Hagerman said.
Sometime the tricks were simple, as when Hagerman tried to balance a bicycle wheel in his hand, then made it balance easily by spinning it to illustrate the principle of the gyroscope.
Hagerman showed the students how to make "slime," using water, Elmer's glue and Borax. That was a crowd pleaser.
"Like any experiment at home, you do it with Mom and Dad - then they can clean up the mess." he said.
The climax of the show was when Hagerman filled a balloon with hydrogen gas and lowered it with a stick over a candle, creating a loud "boom" and a fireball that instantaneously disappeared.
Hagerman is originally from Branson, Mo. He travels around the country putting on science shows for elementary and middle school students. Making his shows entertaining makes it easier for the kids to learn the science behind the tricks.
"I don't count them, but I've done shows for about a million students." he said.
A science enthusiast in high school, Hagerman later went to the University of Missouri in Columbia.
"When the bills started coming in, I started doing magic shows."
Over time he added more comedy and more science in his approach.
"Magic is just science applied." he said. "I felt guilt about leaving my science behind. It's just a way for me to give back what I was given."