Hilbert Geerling is a Dutch magician who specialises in magic for children. As a five-time Dutch Champion of Magic for children, he tells a story in his performances of which the tricks are an inseparable part.
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Magic as a story
Where many magicians string together separate tricks, Geerling opts for a continuous story in which the magic carries the narrative. That innovative combination of magic and theatre became his trademark.
He created countless theatre shows of his own, with titles such as 'De wurm in de ketel', 'Professor D zit in de puree', 'Het allergrootste goochelgeheim', 'Nico met z'n kliko', 'De toverketel van Swiegel Miegel' and 'De geheimzinnige grotten van Grok M'Gar'.
A leader of world stature
Geerling was chairman of the Dutch Magic Union and, from 2000 to 2003, president of the international magic federation FISM (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques).
Under his leadership the World Championships of Magic were organised in July 2003, an event that drew more than two thousand magicians from all over the world.
The highest honour
In 2013 Geerling received the golden NMU pin, the highest distinction in the Dutch magic world. It is awarded to people who have made an important contribution to the art of magic.
He received the pin in particular for the innovative way in which he combines magic and theatre. Since 2025 he has co-presented De Podcast van Joost en Hilbert with his colleague Joost.
Hilbert Geerling proved that magic is at its finest when it tells a story. You will recognise that same conviction — that magic truly touches people only when it draws the audience into an experience — in the work of Sudesh Roman.