Chicago · by invitation

Chicago's most mysterious person.

Invite him in.

Nolan in a bowler hat standing in a dark wooden doorway, tintype style
The thresholdChicago, 2026

I'm not a magician. I don't do tricks for applause.

I've spent my life learning things most people never get close to: how a card cheat wins, how a pickpocket chooses, how a stranger can know what you're thinking. I learned them in New Orleans, Guam, Korea, and Malaysia. Now I live in Chicago, and I bring them into homes like yours.

Who is he

The long way to Chicago

I

New Orleans

Where my uncle showed me the first thing I couldn't explain.

II

Guam

Where I learned to read a room because there was nowhere else to look.

III

Korea & Malaysia

Where I learned the rest from people who don't teach it.

IV

Chicago

Where I stopped running and started inviting people in.

The shows

Three ways to let him in

Historic drawing room at Loudoun House, with a chandelier, fireplace, and chairs gathered around a table, photographed in 1903

The Parlor

Starting at $750

An intimate evening. An extraordinary encounter.

An intimate, minimalist performance of magic and mentalism. With a few carefully chosen objects and your guests gathered close, the mystery unfolds in their own hands.

About 60 minutes10 to 30 guests
Inquire About The Parlor
St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square in New Orleans, with the equestrian statue and gardens in the foreground

Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri · CC BY 3.0 · Cropped and sepia toned

The Origin

Starting at $1,500

Every Mystery Has a Beginning.

An Intimate Theatrical Journey, Performed in Your Own Home.

From my beginnings in magic and street performing in New Orleans to becoming Chicago’s Most Mysterious Person, this is the story of the mystery that shaped my life.

Through personal storytelling, magic, and encounters with the unexplained, I invite your guests into that journey. Your home becomes an intimate theater, where each chapter brings them closer to the story—and deeper into the mystery.

About 75 minutes8 to 20 guests
Inquire About The Origin
A black Venetian mask resting on dark red velvet

Photo: Vecteezy

The Stranger

Starting at $2,500

Only you will know he’s coming.

An immersive experience that unfolds over a full evening. I arrive as a mysterious guest, joining the conversation and revealing glimpses of knowledge I shouldn’t possess.

Later, the gathering becomes a performance. Through The Origin, I reveal the story behind the stranger—from the streets of New Orleans to Chicago’s Most Mysterious Person. The person your guests have been wondering about becomes the storyteller who draws them further in.

A full evening8 to 16 guests
Plan an Evening with The Stranger
Close film still of Nolan in a bowler hat, half in shadow
The Stranger

Only you will know he's coming.

At your dinner, your cocktail party, your anniversary, your guests will meet a stranger. He knows things he shouldn't. When they ask who he is, he'll tell them they'll find out soon enough.

Later, the gathering becomes a performance. Through The Origin, I reveal the story behind the stranger—from the streets of New Orleans to Chicago’s Most Mysterious Person. The person your guests have been wondering about becomes the storyteller who draws them further in.

Act oneThe Stranger
The turnLights down
Act twoThe Origin

You provide a seat at your table, a meal, and your silence.

Give someone a stranger for their birthday.

They'll spend the night wondering who invited him. You'll spend it watching them wonder.

Plan a surprise
Which evening is yours?

The Parlor

A private performance of magic and mentalism.

The Origin

A theatrical journey through magic, mystery, and the unexplained.

The Stranger

An immersive full evening with a mysterious guest.

Not sure? Tell me about the night and I'll tell you which fits.

Questions hosts ask

Do my guests know?

No. That's the point. You'll introduce me as a friend, or not introduce me at all.

What if someone recognizes you?

No. Dinner, cocktails, a birthday, an anniversary. If your guests are gathered, I can be among them.

No. Dinner, cocktails, a birthday, an anniversary. If your guests are gathered, I can be among them.

Does it have to be a dinner party?

No. Dinner, cocktails, a birthday, an anniversary. If your guests are gathered, I can be among them.

Is it scary?

No one is frightened. A few are unsettled. They usually enjoy that part most.

How do we plan it?

No one is frightened. A few are unsettled. They usually enjoy that part most.

Book an evening

Tell me about the night you're planning.

Date, guest count, the occasion. I'll reply within a day.

Send
Chicago's most mysterious person Member, Academy of Magical Arts @nolan.d.webster