Dennis Lee Bush

* MAGIC, ILLUSION AND SPECIAL EFFECTS DESIGNER    * ILLUSION IMAGINEER, DESIGNER AND BUILDER       * WRITER FOR MUSICAL THEATER          * WRITER FOR NETWORK AND STREAMING SERVICES              * SHOW DEVELOPER, DIRECTOR, AND PRODUCER                *  BOOK AUTHOR: “Egosynergistics" and "Life in an AI World"

"I'm a committed magic, illusion and special effects designer ready to bring a creative look to your staged production. I specialize in creating visual effects that will wow your audience.  I love to create new works, whether for the live stage, documentaries, or comedic stories for network or streaming services."

Dennis Lee Bush is an award-winning magic, illusion, and special effects designer, writer, producer, and creative developer whose career has been built on turning imagination into live entertainment. For more than 40 years, he has worked in the magical-musical arts and entertainment industry, creating original productions for stage and screen that combine the songs of popular artists with never-before-seen magic, illusions, and special effects in ways that are visually surprising, emotionally engaging, and deeply theatrical. His collaboration with Stephen Schwartz on Magic in the Music helped shape a signature creative style that later evolved into Magic to Do for Princess Cruises. In addition to developing new musicals, television concepts, and original entertainment properties, Dennis is a member of the Academy of Magical Arts, the Dramatists Guild, and the International Brotherhood of Magicians. His work is driven by a passion for storytelling, wonder, and creating unforgettable audience experiences, and Celebrate continues that signature blend of music, heart, humor, and theatrical illusion in a one-of-a-kind live experience.

    The Making of "Celebrate"

On July 26, 2019, for my birthday, my wife Linda treated me to a Three Dog Night concert at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City. It was a thrill hearing the songs I had grown up listening to. At one point, Linda looked at me and immediately knew my creative mind was up to something. “Hello… Den. Where are you?” she said. She could tell my brain was already cooking. I looked at her and said, “I can make a show out of these songs.”     The next morning, I downloaded every Three Dog Night song and began the same process I had used years earlier when conceiving my Stephen Schwartz show, Magic in the Music. I created three buckets: Bucket A — songs definitely in the show, Bucket B — songs maybe in the show, and Bucket C — songs probably not in the show.     I started with Bucket A, which held about 30 songs, and listened to them over and over for the next three weeks. Eventually, I narrowed the list to 20. As I listened, I began spotting clues in the lyrics — names like Jeremiah, Lady Samantha, and Eli, along with images, places, and ideas that started sparking characters and the beginnings of a storyline. Before long, I had created a two-page pitch document, which I sent to Three Dog Night’s manager, Tom Halpain, in September 2019.     Tom called me and said that Danny Hutton, the band’s founder, was interested in meeting. On September 22, 2019, I met Danny and Tom after their concert at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I gave my pitch, and Danny loved the idea. From there, I was off and running — shaping the story, refining the concept, and sequencing the songs. On November 6, 2019, I traveled to Los Angeles and had dinner with Tom, Danny, and Danny’s wife Laurie. Naturally, the evening would not have been complete without me performing a card trick that fooled everyone.     Then COVID hit, and from 2020 through 2023, Celebrate slowed dramatically. But while much of the world was shut down, I kept writing — draft after draft — and continued testing and refining the story with fellow dramaturgs.     In late 2025, following a table read, I decided to build a larger narrative world around Celebrate by creating the fictitious pop singer Opal Valentine. Her story now serves as the broader arc, with Celebrate becoming the pivotal transformational chapter in her life. I also used the original songs of TDN to inspire new arrangements and orchestrations for each song. 
To learn more about Opal, opalvalentine.com

Acknowledgements:
*** Danny Crowe for his contributions to identifying characters; Olga, April and Madeline. Also, lending his incredible voice to Eli's vocal range. He provided some very important feedback early in the process.
*** Brian McGuire and the students at the Charter Tech School - Somers Point, NJ for their honesty regarding my early concepts.
*** Table read participants: Erin Maegerle, Satya Byers, Nick Efstatos, Mariah Ritchie, Mike Moore, Rosanna Sarto, Mark Sarto, Kate Reed,Mike Palmreuter, Ethan Forman, Pattye Herron. And especially Paul Herron for his wisdom and great directorial advice.
*** Tom Halpen - manager for Three Dog Night. He was my first contact with Danny Hutton and continues to support my efforts in bringing this production to life. 
*** Danny Hutton - of course - who is still the strong supporter for this production and the one who loves my dove magic the most.