Neil Tobin

Neil Tobin
Born	July 7, 1966 Chicago, Illinois
Notable works	Near Death Experience; Palace of the Occult; Supernatural Chicago; The Houdini Seance; Magic, Magicians and Detective Fiction; Unspeakable Acts: Three Lives and Countless Legends of Tom Palmer/Tony Andruzzi/Masklyn ye Mage
Known for	Marketed effects: The Xpert; Hands-Off Multiple E.S.P. System; Rider-Waite Readers tarot marking system; Zoom Pendulum e-book; Cut & Color
Awards	Presidential Citation from the Society of American Magicians, Lederman Award for Creativity in Mentalism from the Psychic Entertainers Association

Neil Tobin (b. July 7, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois) is a performer of magical and psychic entertainment, and a writer on related subjects.

Biography

Since his performance material often involves themes of spirit contact—in addition to demonstrations of telepathy, precognition, magic, and even divination—he often performs as "Neil Tobin, Necromancer."

Live Performance

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, and reprised it in fall 2018. Entitled Neil Tobin, Necromancer: Near Death Experience, it previewed at Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival in August 2017, where it received the Audience Choice Award.

In November and December 2015, Tobin played Erik Jan Hanussen in the premiere of his original play Palace of the Occult. Its first performance was on a Friday the 13th at Chicago's Prop Thtr, where a portion of the proceeds benefited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.

He periodically appears as narrator with live orchestra, performing Peter and the Werewolf, his original narration of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf accompanied by magical effects.

Starting on Friday the 13th of February 2004, Tobin began performing Supernatural Chicago at the Excalibur nightclub in Chicago. He was the show's writer, producer, director and sole performer.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 for a dozen years starting in October 2001. 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 a psychic-themed feature-length show called "A Necromantic Evening." He also entertains as a palmist and tarot reader at cocktail parties.

Performance: Other Media

Tobin has performed on broadcasts for WBEZ-FM, WGN-AM with Jonathon Brandmeier, WCKG-FM, KISS-FM, and WGN-TV (opposite Gary Sinise). He has appeared on "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 movie White Noise. He is the author and narrator of a Halloween-themed narrative for Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, entitled Peter and the Werewolf; the work appears on a CD with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

Writing

Tobin contributed two research papers to Magic, Magicians and Detective Fiction: Essays on Intersecting Modes of Mystery edited by Rebecca Josephy and published by McFarland in January 2025, which has been hailed as a "groundbreaking study" and "the first major scholarly work to make an extended and explicit connection between magic and detective fiction" providing "vital contributions to the emerging field of magic studies.” He is co-writer and editor of Unspeakable Acts: Three Lives and Countless Legends of Tom Palmer/Tony Andruzzi/Masklyn ye Mage, which is available directly from the publisher and at magic shops throughout the world. 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-September 2012 at the Chicago History Museum. Tobin has contributed material to several magicians' publications, including Genii (magazine), M-U-M, Vibrations, Magicol, and Oracle.

Marketed Effects and Resources

Original effects created by Tobin and distributed through magic shops around the world include The Xpert; Hands-Off Multiple E.S.P. System; Rider-Waite Readers tarot marking system; Zoom Pendulum e-book; and Cut & Color.

Affiliations

Neil Tobin is the President for the Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians; in this capacity, he has 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 is a member of the Board of Directors for the Psychic Entertainers Association.

Books

• Magic, Magicians and Detective Fiction: Essays on Intersecting Modes of Mystery, edited by Rebecca Josephy (McFarland, 2025)
• Unspeakable Acts: Three Lives and Countless Legends of Tom Palmer/Tony Andruzzi/Masklyn ye Mage (with Jim Magus and Terry Nosek) (2011)

References

• Official Site: Neil Tobin, Necromancer
• Official Site: Supernatural Chicago
• Official Site: Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians
• Official Site: Peter and the Werewolf
• Isn't It Necromantic? from the Wednesday Journal, October 23, 2007
• House Of Historical Horrors from Time Out Chicago, Issue 136, October 4–10, 2007
• Haunting Tales Fill Late-Night Haunt from the Chicago Tribune, October 27, 2005
• Houdini's Halloween from WGN-TV and Red Eye, October 28, 2005
• Show Combines Psychic With Magical from Pioneer Press, October 31, 2007
• Joe Gets Paranormal, a comedy short for Current TV (airing since October 22, 2005)
• Joe Gets Goth, a comedy short for Current TV (airing since November 23, 2007)
• Mind Games from the Chicago Tribune, February 23, 2006
• Table of Contents for Genii (magazine), January 2008
• Rogues Gallery of contributors to Oracle

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