Raising money for the 91原创 Memorial Hospital Foundation is a perfect use of comedy-magician Wes Barker鈥檚 talents.

鈥淚鈥檝e been in the ER no less than 10 times,鈥� said Barker, who performs at tonights (May 5) sold out Denim & Diamonds gala at the Cascades Casino.

Born and raised in 91原创, Barker was taken to the ER himself for such incidents as having teeth knocked out or needing stitches in childhood.

鈥淚 broke my nose a couple times, when I was in elementary school,鈥� he said.

He鈥檚 also been there for serious family issues, like his father鈥檚 heart attack 16 years ago.

鈥淗e鈥檚 doing great,鈥� Barker noted. In fact, his dad has continued helping Barker build special items for his magic act.

Barker has been performing magic for years, whether at street festivals in the Lower Mainland or on US network television. Barker had a spot on Penn & Teller鈥檚 Fool Us, in which he managed to stump the famous duo of magicians with a trick involving a sword and a torn-up telephone book.

Like many magicians, he鈥檚 frequently honing his act, coming up with new jokes and new tricks and illusions to amaze his audiences.

A new trick can go from the first thought to performance quickly.

鈥淪ometimes, that鈥檚 the same day,鈥� said Barker.

Once you understand and can use the basics of magic, you can use those to build a new idea into practice, said Barker.

鈥淪ometimes a new idea isn鈥檛 all that complicated,鈥� he said.

The tools may be as simple as a deck of cards.

鈥淯sually, I鈥檒l do it at a comedy club, I鈥檒l just drop in,鈥� said Barker. That gives him a chance to test the idea in front of an audience quickly.

Other new parts of his routine may take a lot longer to perfect before they鈥檙e ready to show to an audience.

鈥淭wo years is the longest,鈥� he said. The average is about two to four weeks to develop something new.

Other illusions have been polished over years, and across multiple continents.

Touring has been a constant for Barker in recent years.

鈥淚 have an act now that鈥檚 mostly stuff I can fit in one case,鈥� he said.

So a show at home 鈥� as well as a chance to perform in his home town 鈥� allows him to adapt himself to the space.

鈥淚t really allows me to adapt my show to the room and to the audience,鈥� Barker said.

As for what people attending Saturday鈥檚 Denim & Diamonds can expect, they should be prepared to laugh.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking for the laugh first, and then the awed bit at the end,鈥� Barker said.

People will be able to see more of Barker鈥檚 act later this year even if they can鈥檛 catch him live. He鈥檚 filming an hour-long special in October. He鈥檚 deciding right now what parts of his act will go into the special.