Long before Marc DeSouza ever opened Glenside’s House of Magic, he surrounded himself with magic. At 5 years old, growing up in Northeast Philadelphia, DeSouza saw a magician do tricks at a party and was mesmerized. He begged his parents to buy him a magic set at a local toy store and practiced constantly. 

By age 8, he was hosting magic shows for neighborhood children. At age 12, he started staging children's parties. He even ordered business cards, charged the other children up to $15, and called his fledgling business Marc D. & Company.

“A friend did the shows with me,” DeSouza told the Local. “We had birds, doves and a parakeet, but the parakeet flew away one day and never came back. He obviously did not want a career in show business.”

DeSouza eventually attended West Chester University for one year, then worked mostly in the Harrisburg area, where his family has a real estate development business. He later earned a degree in marketing and management from Penn State University.

Throughout, he kept performing as a magician. DeSouza has performed and lectured on the history of magic as far away as China and Japan. He has won championships in competitions sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Magicians and the Society of American Magicians. Though he stopped competing in 1997, he continued to perform for private parties, corporate audiences, magic conventions and conferences. He also appeared twice on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” on TV's CW Network. 

His most dangerous trick, he said, is catching - in his mouth - a metal dart that has been shot from an airgun. It’s a deadly feat he’s performed at least 50 times. 

In between, he met and married Willa, a former Mt. Airy resident and retired rehabilitation physician. The couple has two children, Eric, 21, a senior at the University of Pittsburgh, and Theo, 18, who will enter Penn State in the fall.

Still, DeSouza kept nursing a childhood dream of someday owning his own magic theater. That dream finally came true when he opened the House of Magic, the Philadelphia area's only full-time venue for professional magicians. 

The venue’s building at 101 S. Easton Rd. sat vacant for two-and-a-half years. Before that, it was the Glenside Bank and Trust Company. The building also houses three other office spaces within its 12,000+ square-foot structure. 

Construction started on the House of Magic on Sept. 24, 2024, and live shows began April 3, 2025. So far, performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights, with a Saturday afternoon slate of family-oriented shows. The main theater holds 103 comfortable seats; a second much smaller theater in the building has 25 seats for close-up magic. 

In addition to the theaters, the building includes a lounge and the “Vault of Secrets,” the former bank’s secure space for money and valuables where DeSouza plans to host special audience participation events. When all the construction is finished, the lower level will house a magic museum, library, and event spaces.. There will also be educational events and magic classes.

The theater, which opened to the public this year, has been presenting three magic shows every weekend, showcasing some of the profession's most well-known magic acts.

DeSouza recalled the origins of the theater: “Eight years ago, two friends of mine, Marty Martin and Danny Archer, opened Smoke & Mirrors, a magic venue in Huntingdon Valley. They asked me to be part of it, so I helped them. That got me thinking about opening the theater I dreamed of as a child. I have been collecting hundreds of posters of magic acts since I was in my early 20s, and now I have a place to house them.” 

Martin and Archer closed Smoke & Mirrors at the end of last year, and now produce shows and private events at the House of Magic. 

“People looked at me like I was crazy when they realized what I was doing here,” DeSouza said. “But the township has been so supportive, as are nearby business people. They realize we will bring people into the community who may patronize other businesses. For example, we do not sell any food or beverages, so they have to be purchased elsewhere. People can bring their own food and drinks into the lounge, but in the theaters they can only have bottles of water.”

DeSouza said weekend shows at the House of Magic are now booked until the end of this year, and he hopes to add weeknight shows, as well as jugglers, ventriloquists, and stand-up comics to the roster. 

For more information, visit houseofmagicpa.com or call 610-203-0256. Len Lear can be reached at LenLear@chestnuthilllocal.com .