Dan Wood is in charge of the Bigfoot Out Of School Drama Club and Magic Hatter Christmas Parties at the Grand Opera House, York. Now he is adding The Magic Hatter’s School of Wizardry to his portfolio for budding Harry Potters.

The first term will start on Wednesday, January 26, at 4pm and will run until April 6 at a cost of £90, with a week off for half-term.

Lessons are suitable for complete beginners and are aimed at children aged seven to ten. Wands at the ready, they will spend ten hours per term working with Dan, a professional writer, director and children’s magician, who served as the illusion consultant for the Opera House’s 2010-2011 pantomime, Cinderella.

He will focus on everything from the history and performance of magic to writing routines, stage presence, sleight of hand and more besides.

“I started doing magic tricks when I was six with a Paul Daniels magic set and a cardboard top hat. With that in mind, this magic school will be a completely new venture for young magicians, and it’s something I’m incredibly excited about,” says Dan.

“It will take commitment and perseverance, and practice of course, but this school, like the Grand Opera House pantomime, will be simple but effective to begin with and then the children can work on the presentation of the trick rather than just the technical skill involved.”

Each young sorcerer will receive a magic set for practice during lessons and at home and the school will culminate in a magical mini-performance to parents and friends.

“Every participant will graduate with a special certificate and will keep their mini-magic set to continue honing their conjuring skills,” says Dan.

Over the ten weeks, the young wizards will learn magic tricks with cards, wands, coins, ropes and stage props. “Maybe we’ll even have some mind-reading – or ‘mentalism’, as they now call it – which is very popular thanks to Derren Brown,” says Dan.

“The key thing is that many of the tricks will use household objects, which will allow children to perform impromptu tricks at school and home, without the need for special props and equipment for so they can keep practising magic outside the club.”

The school sorcerers will gain in other ways from the course. “They will acquire improved hand-eye coordination and greater self-esteem and confidence on and off stage, and will benefit from social interaction and teamwork skills, as well as increased focus, commitment and self-discipline,” says Dan. “What’s more, this exciting, unusual hobby could make them the talk of the playground.”

To book a place, phone general manager Lizzie Richards on 01904 678701 or via email to LizzieRichards@theambassadors.com. The school is limited to 15 children per term.

“Already the first term is selling well, and the idea is that if this term is successful, the school will continue through the year,” says Dan.

“There seems to be plenty of interest in the magic school, especially as magic is becoming popular again. There’s been the Harry Potter factor, which has been immense, with the last film out next summer, and Britain’s Got Talent has had magicians taking part in it, which is helping with the revival of variety.

“And this year there are two big primetime TV shows: The Magicians, in the style of Strictly Come Dancing with celebrities learning magic tricks from magicians, hosted by Lenny Henry, and a one-off special presented by Jonathan Ross with Penn & Teller. So it should be a big year for.”

Meanwhile, Dan has enjoyed his first involvement in the Grand Opera House pantomime as the illusion consultant for the “appearing ladder” routine for Syd Little’s Baron Hardup in Cinderella, which ended its run last Sunday.

Explaining the illusion, Dan says: “The Ugly Sisters order the Baron to clear the snow off the theatre roof but he doesn’t have a ladder, so a dancer brings on a small bag and he pulls out an eight-foot ladder... and of course it’s not his real ladder, it’s his step-ladder.”

Dan believes illusion is a natural bedfellow for pantomime.

“They go together like Cinderella and Prince Charming, and there’s so much magic in panto already,” he says.

“Every panto has all sorts of magical possibilities, like the flying in Peter Pan and the magic carpet ride and the Genie popping out of the lamp in Aladdin. Abanazar is a dark wizard too, so he can do lots of illusions too.”

• Dan Wood trained in creating theatre for young audiences and now runs a children’s birthday party and events business with his wife. For more information, visit magichatterbirthdays.co.uk