Meet Sher’ril & Samantha: Escape Artsists Extraordinaire | Magicians & Escape Artsists

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sher’ril & Samantha: Escape Artsists Extraordinaire and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sher’ril & Samantha:, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
That’s a great question! On the surface, there’s not much that the art of magic can do to really impact the world. But, that’s only on the surface. Beneath that surface, magic can do just as much good as any art form. It can tell meaningful stories, inspire people, bring them together, and spread happiness and wonder. It’s because of the impact of the magicians before us that we were inspired to become Sher’ril & Samantha: Escape Artists Extraordinaire. A lot of what we’ve just described, we’ve been able to see first hand from the stage and after our various performances. There are several occasions that can illustrate what we’ve just described, but our favorite happened while we were at a church camp. It was during a break between the official activities and Sher’ril walked into the big hang out area where everyone was just laying around, scrolling on their phones. It was weird to be at this camp where there were a ton of opportunities for fun things to do, and plenty of things to talk about and games to play, but no one was doing anything or talking to each other. It was eerily quiet, like a library, but it didn’t have to be.
Sher’ril had brought a deck of cards with her, and she walked up to a group of three girls and introduced herself. She pulled out her deck of cards and did one magic trick. Suddenly, it wasn’t quiet anymore. The three girls excitedly called their friends over to watch as Sher’ril did another magic trick and another, and another. Their friends called their friends over and their friends called their friends over and by the time Sher’ril had exhausted every card trick she knew of, the group of three quiet girls in a room of phone addicted teens had turned into a crowd of about thirty, laughing, shouting, chatting teenagers.
Real conversations were had, people were introduced to each other, and the bored, scrolling expressions had changed to smiles of wonder and joy. Is that a huge impact? No. But we think it did some good that day. And any amount of good that can be done, should be done, even if it’s small.
Right now, we’re trying to make an impact of a different kind. Dec. 9th, tornadoes swept through the cities of Clarksville, Hendersonville, Murfreesboro, Springfield, and other communities, leaving devastation in its wake. Homes, businesses, lives—gone. There are a lot of people hurting terribly from these tornadoes and we want to do something to help. We can only imagine what it can be like to lose everything so quickly and how devastating that can be.
Currently, we’re preparing for a new show in March, and from now until Christmas Day, we’ve decided to give 50% of our sponsorship funds to the aid of those affected by the tornadoes. Whether our sponsors are bronze, silver, or gold level, half of it’s going to help with tornado cleanup and relief. We realize that no amount of money can bring back what’s been lost, but if there’s any way we can ease the survivors’ financial burdens, so they can focus on each other and healing, we’re committed to doing it.
And our sponsors have been wonderful in helping us make this impact as well. They’ve been so kind and we’re incredibly grateful for their support, not only their support of our upcoming show, but especially their support of our neighbors in the affected areas.
If any readers would like to become sponsors and help with this endeavor, more information about how to sponsor can be found on our website at https://sherrilandsamantha.wixsite.com/escape-artists

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Our story began as two sisters, aged 14 and 10, who had loved magic for as long as we could remember. Despite never actually seeing a magic show in person, we were inspired by old recordings of David Copperfield’s TV specials and a book about Harry Houdini. It was the life of Harry Houdini that inspired us the most. We loved how he came from humble beginnings and led an extraordinary life that, today, still inspires others and continues to be shrouded in mystery. Our first performance was the first magic show we had ever seen, and it occurred on Oct. 31st, 2012, exactly 86 years since Houdini’s death. Now, we’re preparing for a new show, “Shadow of Houdini,” to honor his 150th birthday! We’re super excited to bring together everything that we’ve learned in our magical journey to make this show an unforgettable experience!
We’ve always loved having shows that combine classic magic with new, original illusions and escapes, presented with plenty of humor and suspense. We also love being able to use story telling in our shows, moving smoothly from one routine to another, linking them together with a theme and scripting. And it’s something that’s not always done in the realm of magic.
For many magicians, especially new magicians, it’s hard to resist the temptation to move quickly and choppily from one trick (rather than routine) to the next. All performers like to show off, at least a little, and it can be difficult to actually think a routine through to see if it flows, makes sense, is believable enough, and whether or not it really suits your stage persona.
There have been several routines we’ve thought about and invented that often don’t fit our image as performers or the particular show we’re involved in planning. Sometimes there’s a way to work around that, and come up with a new routine that suits us and our audiences, sometimes there isn’t.
Sometimes, your performance style needs to change a little to make things work. In our first show, Samantha discovered that she gets terrible stage fright when having to speak onstage. That was when we decided to change our performance style to suit her better, making her a cute and sweet silent magician, which came more naturally to her than our original plan! Her face is very expressive and she’s extremely good at communicating without the use of words, adding an element of cuteness and extra humor throughout our shows. For our comedy routines, her skill as a silent performer is invaluable.
In every challenge, whether related to performing or the business side of things, there’s usually a way to solve the problems. If not, there’s always something to be learned from them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s a lot of great places and events in the Nashville area! We particularly love visiting The Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Resort, The Nashville Zoo, The TN State Museum, Rainforest Cafe in the Opry Mills Mall, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and the home of the delicious Goo Goo Cluster, the Goo Goo Chocolate Co! Also, if there’s anything good showing, we might also recommend seeing a show at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. A few years ago, we saw their production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” and it was one of the best shows we’ve ever seen! Our faces hurt from smiling and laughing so much!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Honestly, there are so many people who deserve credit in our story because they’ve helped us and supported us through the 11 years we’ve been performing. We really can’t name them all. Our parents have always been supportive and helpful in directing, costuming, building props, and being there for us in my way that we need. Some of our extended family have also been a huge support, helping us set up before our shows, recording our performances, assisting with ticket taking, etc. Several of our friends have also assisted in performances and gotten us gigs in various venues.
And, of course, we can’t leave out our fans, who’s enthusiasm has always been infectious and who’s kindness, loyalty, and support has always been greatly appreciated.

Website: https://sherrilandsamantha.wixsite.com/escape-artists

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Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sherrilandsamantha-escapea3446?si=ipR0Wcg_toh9DSUn