Neil Tobin is a magical and psychic entertainer, theatre producer and playwright, and a writer on related subjects. Since his performance material often involves themes of mortality and spirit contact—in addition to demonstrations of telepathy, precognition, magic, and even divination—he often performs as "Neil Tobin, Necromancer."
Live performances
Tobin performed an original, interactive theatre show about mortality as site-specific theatre at the historic Rosehill Cemetery, in the Joseph Lyman Silsbee-designed May Chapel in spring of 2018, then returned in fall 2018. Entitled, Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience,the show previewed at Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival in August 2017, where it received the Audience Choice Award. Tobin plans to bring the show to funeral homes and cemetery chapels in New York and Los Angeles, as well. In November and December 2015, Tobin played the role of Erik Jan Hanussen in the world premiere of his original play, Palace of the Occult. Its first performance was on a Friday the 13th at Chicago's Prop Thtr, and a portion of proceeds benefited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. He periodically appears as narrator with live orchestra, performing his original narration for Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf accompanied by magical effects, entitled Peter and the Werewolf. Starting on Friday the 13th of February 2004, Tobin began performing Supernatural Chicago at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago. He wrote, produced, directed, and was the sole performer of the show. The show, which was "popular with out-of-towners looking for a Chicago experience" and with "fans of theatrical magic", closed February 28, 2014 after a 10-year run. Tobin served as Medium of the Houdini Seance at Excalibur nightclub annually from October 2001 to October 2014. This event was presented on behalf of the Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians during the last week of October to commemorate the late magician's death; Houdini helped found the Chicago Assembly in 1919. For private and corporate engagements, he performs psychic-themed feature-length shows. He also entertains cocktail parties with "Strolling Psychic Sorcery", which includes his abilities as a palmist, tarot reader, and mentalist.
Performances in other media
Tobin has performed on broadcasts for WBEZ-FM, WGN-AM with Jonathon Brandmeier, WCKG-FM, KISS-FM, and WGN-TV. He has appeared on "Forbidden History" on The Science Channel, "Ghost Adventures" and "Haunted Places" on The Travel Channel, and "Dead Famous" on The History Channel. He can also be seen in the documentary feature "Hearing Is Believing" on the DVD release of the film White Noise. His original Halloween-themed narrative for Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, entitled Peter and the Werewolf, appears on a CD with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
Service
Outside his darker performing persona, Tobin helps empower hospitalized children through magical performance as Assistant Director of Magic and Community Development for the nonprofit Open Heart Magic.
Writing
Tobin is writer and photographer of the art bookNear Death Experience: Cemetery Resolutions. He is also co-writer and editor of Unspeakable Acts: Three Lives and Countless Legends of Tom Palmer/Tony Andruzzi/Masklyn ye Mage. For the general public, he wrote "Magical History Tour", a temporary exhibit focused on Chicago's contribution to the world of magical performance for the Elmhurst Historical Museum, which ran June 2010–January 2011; it was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Illinois Museum Association. He was also a consultant for "Magic", a temporary exhibit running June 2012-January 2013 at the Chicago History Museum. For the trade, Tobin has contributed material to several magicians' publications, including Genii, M-U-M, Vibrations, Magicol, and Oracle. He has written three plays : Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience, Palace of the Occult and Supernatural Chicago.
Consulting
Theatre companies have hired Tobin to provide technical assistance, design magical sequences, create specialized props, and teach performance techniques to their actors for productions. These include "Ingmar Bergman's The Magician" for National Pastime Theater; "The Days Are Shorter" for Pride Films and Plays; and two acclaimed productions at Chicago's Mercury Theater: the Jeff Award-nominated production of "Barnum" and the Jeff Award-winning production of The Addams Family.
Affiliations
Neil Tobin is recipient of two Presidential Citations from the Society of American Magicians, and is past president for the Chicago Assembly, where he founded and chaired the Chicago Magic Competition at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, the Chicago History Museum, and a run of five summers at Navy Pier. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors for the Psychic Entertainers Association.
