Rising Stars: Meet Matt Felten of Valley Village

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Felten

Hi Matt, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up on the east coast and had a typical suburban childhood. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a performer in some way shape or form but didn’t exactly know what I wanted to do. In high school I was cast in my first play and from then on I was hooked. I had to make a living on stage no matter what. I moved to Atlanta, GA in 2003 after graduating college with a degree in Theatre Arts and began working as an apprentice with the Atlanta Shakespeare Company. After eight months I was hired on full time as an Artistic Associate and began my career as an actor.

It was a dream come true. The ASC was a repertory theater so we did a different play every month, sometimes remounting 3 productions and running them back to back for one month at the start of a new season. I performed in 110 productions and played over 120 different characters over the course of 12 years. It was during that time that I started teaching myself magic. I didn’t know it then but magic was something that was about to be a big part of my life.

Throughout my time with the ASC I continued to seek out and learn as much about magic as I could. I bought more books and DVDs on magic and what started out as a hobby became an obsession. Soon I wouldn’t leave my apartment without having a deck of playing cards in my pocket. One evening in 2013 I was out with some friends and one of them introduced me to the artistic director of one of the many great theaters in Atlanta and asked if I would show him a couple tricks. It just so happened that his theater company had been contracted to put together a group of performers to entertain visitors at the World of Coca-Cola Museum during the summer months and they were looking for a magician to be part of the group. I jumped at the opportunity and subsequently started my journey away from Shakespeare and into magic.

In 2017 I made the difficult decision to leave everything I knew behind and move to Los Angeles to start my life over and pursue magic full time. In August of that year I auditioned to become a member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and got in. Since then, I have performed for corporate and private clients all across Los Angeles, headlined at the Magic Castle, and currently host my own monthly magic show called Valley Magic Mondays in Sherman Oaks. I also have the privilege of teaching two classes at USC School of Dramatic Arts. One on performing Shakespeare and another on performing Magic, the latter of which was recently featured on the Today Show on NBC.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road all the time. I’ve sacrificed friendships and relationships to be where I am today and made plenty of mistakes along the way. I basically started my life over at 37 and moved across the country with barely any money and bringing only what I could fit into my car. There have been times where I’ve had to sell things I own just to make rent and pay bills. But it’s in the hard times that I realize what’s really important to me in my life. I just want to perform and teach and as long as I can do those things, I’ll be happy.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am currently a Magician, Actor, Clown, and Adjunct Professor. I’m definitely proud of many of the rolls I’ve performed at various theaters but out of all of my accomplishments, I’d have to say headlining at the Magic Castle and teaching Magic and Shakespeare at USC are the things I’m most proud of.

As for what sets me apart from others, I’m not sure how to answer that question. I’ve been told that I look at home and comfortable on stage and that I make the audience feel comfortable too and I know that’s not an easy thing to do. I think having a clown mentality allows me to enjoy and play with whatever happens during a performance whether it’s going great or crashing down around me.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Oh boy, that’s a tough question. I was fortunate to have a pretty good childhood. My parents would take my brother and I to the circus whenever it would come to town. I loved the circus and everything about it. The smells, the colors, the different acts and performers… all of it was like being in a different world where anything was possible. After all it was billed as the “Greatest Show on Earth” and to a kid like me it certainly was.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mattfeltenmagic.com
• Instagram: @valleymagicmondays

Image Credits
Billy Baque
Taylor Wong
Jeff Watkins