Chilliwack: PCAM/CAM convention, April 20-23, 2017

The December 9th early bird draw offer is coming up fast!


From the Facebook page of Norden the Magician:

BIG announcement! If you have not heard the 2017 PCAM will be a joint convention with CAM. It will be held in Chilliwack, BC on April 20-23, 2017. We will be announcing the talent every Friday for the next 4 weeks. To help us get the registration up we are having some 'early bird deadlines' to give you an incentive.

You can register and buy preferred seating, dealer tables, and t-shirts - all which are very limited.

What we are talking about here are HUGE prizes you can win - check it out:

1 - Register by Dec 9th and you are entered to win a FULL 2018 PCAM registration. Yep - you read that correct. Value: $200-$300

2 - Register by Dec 16th and you are entered to win a FREE HOTEL STAY at PCAM 2018. What?! Value: $300-$400

3 - Register by Dec 23rd and you are entered to win a FVMC Annual Lecture pass for 2017. We can't say whose coming yet (pssst...Ted Outerbridge, Jon Allen, SiIly Billy, Jorg Alexander, Ice McDonald and one more..) Value: $180

4 - Register by Dec 30th and you are entered to win one of 10 tickets to Ted Outerbridge's lecture hosted by the FVMC on Feb 20th. Value: $30

5 - Register by Jan 6th and you are entered to win a pass to Jon Allen's lecture hosted by the FVMC in May. Value: $30

6 - Register by Jan 13th and you are entered to win a limited edition PCAM/CAM 2017 t-shirt. Value: $25
Why wait? Register today and you are entered to win ALL of them!

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Chilliwack: PCAM / CAM 2017 Combined Convention

From the PCAM / CAM 2017 Combined Convention Facebook event:

Norden & Gordon are BACK!

What? PCAM already?? We just had one in August - and last years was November! You mean 3 PCAM's in 17 months? Yep - we like to mess with things!

For 2017 the PCAM will be joining forces with the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM). The CAM convention has only been held ONCE in the West back in 2011 (also a combined convention with PCAM)

Norden is back as President for 2017. Past President (2015) Gord Boyes will be back doing all the work while Norden basks in all the glory that being President brings. 

Right?....

We are also going back to Chilliwack. The hotel, the staff, the people, the theatre, the price - why would be go elsewhere?

We will have Shawn Farquhar's Cabaret on the Friday again. Plus a full evening gala 'Variety' show - with comedians, juggles, ventriloquists, balloon artists, and stunts - plus magic!

Not only are the favorite things coming back like Game Night 2.0, but of course Bag O Tricks, contest (times TWO!) and 7 lectures, workshops, opening night events, improv and just so much more!

 7 lectures
 3 Evening shows
 Improv and Variety
 Flea Market
 Dealers Room
 Game Night
 Bag O Tricks
 Contest
 People's Choice
 and so much more!

 Oh - and did we mention the very FIRST ever:

 CANADIAN CHILDREN'S MAGICIAN OF THE YEAR

 Yes - with $500 in PRIZES to the winner!

 We are limited to 125 people - so please register early. If you register early then we offer the prefered seating for $5 to first 20 people (paid in full)

 If you can't pay in full we offer 6 automatic payments via Paypal!

 What are you waitng for?

 Visit www.PCAM2017.com and get on board!

 Norden & Gordon


Read more.

Quebec: Eric Jones at CAMaraderie 2016

I had the pleasure of meeting Eric at Sorcerers Safari in 2011.  He's a fabulous addition to this year's list of performers!


From the festival de magie:

... our guest, Shin Lim, unfortunately got injured and will not be able to perform magic for a few weeks. He had to cancel his visit to the CAMaraderie in Québec.  We wish him a prompt recovery and hope to have him with us in the next years.

Good news, we will have the chance to have Eric Jones, close up specialist, in Québec city for the CAMaraderie.  He will do a lecture, he will perform in the close-up gala and in the grand gala on the Saturday night.  This will be a great occasion to meet this exceptional magician.

... notre invité Shin Lim s'est malheureusement blessé à la main. Il ne pourra pratiquer la magie pendant quelques semaines. Il a donc dû annuler sa présence à Québec. Nous lui souhaitons un prompt rétablissement et nous espérons que nous pourrons le recevoir dans le futur.

Bonne nouvelle, nous aurons la chance de recevoir le magicien Eric Jones, spécialiste de magie de proximité, à Québec lors de la CAMaraderie. Il offrira une lecture en plus de performer lors de notre gala de micromagie et du grand gala du samedi soir. C'est une occasion exceptionnelle de le rencontrer.

Read more and buy tickets.

Random thoughts on "Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries"

I recently had the pleasure of seeing Marion and Ted Outerbridge perform their show "Clockwork Mysteries" last month.  They had just completed a 5,500 mile US lecture tour.  I caught them at the Milton Centre for the Arts.

[As an aside, I encourage you to go and see a show at this fabulous 500 seat theatre.  It's approximately 25 minutes west of Toronto's western border.  The facilities are modern and spacious.  On the lower level, it appears that all seats have amazing sight lines.  (I didn't venture up to the balcony.)  The seats are a little bit wider than standard theatre seats, which makes them very comfortable!  They offer amenities like a coat check (by donation) and the ability to pre-order intermission refreshments.  Best of all, parking is free and plentiful.]

Here are some random thoughts that came to mind while watching their amazing time travel themed show:

• A fast paced, extremely entertaining, high-energy show.
• All illusions, big and small, were masterfully performed.
• Greta the Psychic Goose earns her keep.
• There is a nice ratio of grand illusion, intimate magic, and mentalism.
• I really enjoy watching "assistants" do magic in their own right.  Marion owns it!
• Those of you who know me well, know that my opinion of magicians is heavily weighted on how they treat their audience members.  One of my favourite moments in the show, lasted no more than 2 seconds.  Ted walked into the audience to select a volunteer.  He found someone he wanted to bring on stage.  She said, "no."  Instead of cajoling or otherwise pressuring her, he simply moved on and found someone else.  That's how you make the audience feel like you can be trusted to treat them right.  Show people respect from the get go.
• Ted has a knack for picking awesome audience volunteers.  Six year old Archer was a really good sport and owned that stage!
• Nine year olds can't be trusted to count down from 90.
• Ted's disco ball jacket is a thing of sheer beauty!
• I love that audiences in 2016, still enjoy watching someone get sawed in half, into halves, into two pieces.  
• Among other wonderful pieces, we were treated to: "The Psychic is Right,"  "The Time Machine," "Alarm Clock," "Floating Barricade Light," "Outside of the Box," and their elegantly performed "Levitation."
• The biggest mystery of the night for me:  How does Marion manage all of those costume changes?

If you get a chance to see them perform their show "Clockwork Mysteries," go and see it!

(If you're at the upcoming CAM convention, you'll get a taste of their show in the Grand Gala performance at the CAMaraderie Convention/Festival de magie de Québec on April 23, 2016.  They're also scheduled to perform at SAM New York's "2016 Salute to Magic" on May 7th.)

To learn more about this fabulous duo, listen to the Scott Wells' podcast 278: The Inner Secrets of the Outerbridges or visit their website at www.outerbridgemagic.com.

Disclosure:  My family and I were guests at this show. The opinions expressed above are entirely my own. I did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.

New names for CAMaraderie 2016

From Jean-Luc Rivard:

New line up additons:

• Philippe Theriault 
• Marc Trudel
• Michael Dardant
• Montreal Trio

From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page:

Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Saturday, 20 February 2016

Monday musings: Tom Mullica

A Tom Mullica moment from the first CAM convention:

January 2016 Northern Peeks is out!

This issue of the Northern Peeks (v19, #1, Winter 2016) contains columns by:

• Joan Caesar
• Murray Hatfield
• Gerry Frenette
• Renée-Claude Auclair
• Ryan Pilling
• Phil Matlin and
• Ron Keller

From the Canadian Association of Magicians (C.A.M.) Facebook group:

Check your email for the newest edition of Northern Peeks for January 2016. If you didn't get it, please send me (Ryan Pilling) a note with your current email address to update our records.

Lastly, a reminder that the CAMaraderie Convention will be in Quebec City, April 21 – 24th, 2016.

From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page:

En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

The Michel Cailloux International Magic Contest for 2016

From le Festival de magie de Québec:

Magic Contest - 4000 $ in prize

Concours de magie - 4000 $ en prix

Contest

The Michel Cailloux International Magic Contest is back for a fourth edition. You have until February 19, 2016 to register.

In addition, you have the chance to win the prestigious title of 2016 Canadian Champion Magician since the contest will take place during the Canadian Convention of magic (CAMaraderie) in Quebec City from April 21 to 24.

You will find all the rules and the registration form on the website of Festival de magie de Québec.

This contest is open to professional and amateur magicians of all ages.


Concours

Le Concours International de magie "Michel Cailloux" est de retour pour une 4e édition.  Vous avez jusqu'au 19 février 2016 pour vous inscrire.

De plus courrez la chance de remporter le titre prestigieux de Champion canadien de la magie 2016 dans le cadre de la Convention canadienne de la magie (CAMaraderie) qui se tiendra à Québec du 21 au 24 avril prochain.
 
Vous trouverez tous les règlements et le formulaire d'inscription sur le site du Festival de magie de Québec.
 
Ce concours s'adresse aux magiciens professionnels et amateurs de tous âges.

 
Read more and enter.

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En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

CAMaraderie 2016 poster

From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

Quebec City: CAMaraderie 2016 update

We've previously mentioned the upcoming CAMaraderie convention and that it is teaming up with the fabulous Festival de Magie.


Here's an update on CAMaraderie 2016 from Jean-Luc Rivard:

TIME TO REGISTER NOW !!!! 
CAMaraderie 2016 in QUEBEC CITY , Canada - April 21 to 24, 2016
www.festivaldemagie.ca  

Hosting : 

• Jeff McBride 
• Harry Allen 
• SHIN LIM  
• CHRISTIAN SCHENCK (the Phoenix deck guy)  
• VINCENT HEDAN  
• SHAWN FARQUHAR  
• MATHIEU BICH 
• Michel Huot  
• Marc Trudel 
• Yannick Lacroix 

A seat will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. The sooner you register, the closer your seat will be to the stage.  

CAMaraderie 2016 in QUEBEC CITY , Canada - April 21 to 24, 2016 . 
From 21 to 24 April 2016, the team of the Quebec Magic Festival is pleased to be holding CAMaraderie 2016 for the first time in Quebec City , CANADA !  

In this new edition of the camaraderie you get access to: 
All lectures and shows associated with CAMaraderie will take place in English, with the exception of the bilingual gala to be held at the Capitole. 

• 10 world-class conferences; 
• 2 magic shows; 
• 1 magic competitions; 
• 1 gala winners; 
• 1 great magic gala; 

and many more. 


Take advantage of special prices if you are members of the CAM or by purchasing your package before January 1. 


You can find information on our Web site 
www.festivaldemagie.ca

From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page:

En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

CAMaraderie and the Festival de Magie in Quebec

We previously mentioned the upcoming CAMaraderie convention.  Did you know it will be in conjunction with the fabulous Festival de Magie?

From the CAM website:

The CAM magic convention, CAMaraderie, is teaming up with the Festival de Magie in Quebec City to bring you another fun-filled magic weekend on April 21 to 24th, 2016. Mark your calendars and get your registration completed while the advance registration lasts. CAM members have until January 1st to register at the best price of $250.

Get more details and register at FestivaldeMagie.ca

The CAMaraderie is Back! C'est le retour de la CAMaraderie!

From the festival de magie de Quebec website:

La CAMaraderie 2016
From 21 to april 24 2016
Du 21 au 24 avril 2016 

Les artistes qui ont confirmé leur présence sont :
Artists who are confirmed include:

• Shin Lim

• Christian Schenk

• Vincent Hedan

• Shawn Farquhar

• Mathieu Bich

Other names to come...
D'autres noms à venir... 

Toutes les conférences et les spectacles de la CAMaraderie seront en anglais, excepté pour le gala qui sera bilingue. 

All lectures and shows associated with CAMaraderie will take place in English, with the exception of the bilingual gala to be held at the Capitole.  

Read more and buy tickets. 

 

 

New CAM contest

Lire cet article en français.

From the Canadian Association of Magicians:

Who is the Best?? 

Your chance to be a Winner. 

CAM is having a new contest. 

It’s easy to enter. 

Just send in a short video of your best routine presentation based on the topic of the month.

Read more and enter.

Welcoming Ron Keller as CAM President

As you may have read in the note attached to the Spring 2015 edition of the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM) publication, "Northern Peeks," Ron Keller has recently taken over the role of President from Scott Hood.

Thank you Scott, for your time and efforts as CAM President!

Welcome Ron and thank you for taking on this important role.


--
For more information about CAM, visit their website at CAMmagic.org .

Jeff Pinsky on the cover of Northern Peeks

Jeff Pinsky, owner of the Browsers Den of Magic, is featured in the most recent issue of Northern Peeks (Vol 17, 1, Summer 2014), the publication of the Canadian Association of Magicians!

In it, Joan Caesar has a wonderful interview with Jeff.

From the interview, Jeff says:

However, a magic shop is a specialty retail store and as such has some unique factors that come into play.  Its most unique feature is that the person operating the shop is more central to its relations with the patrons.

Too true Jeff.  And we're lucky to have you operating Browser's!


Lee Asher agrees:

With many brick and mortar magic shops closing down and going out of business theses days, Jeff Pinsky works hard to ensure the Ontario magic community continues to thrive.  Running The Browser's Den of Magic seven days a week is a small testament to his immense dedication and passion for the art of magic.  Thank you Mr. Pinsky.  Thank you!

What Lee said!

I've said this before and feel the need to say it again.  I urge everyone to support our remaining brick and mortar magic shops. It's the first place many kids get bitten by the magic bug. It's a place they can go for encouragement and coaching, by people in the know. A nurturing community is formed in a local shop, which can't be duplicated through the internet.

Don't have brick and mortar shop in your area? Consider supporting one through their online shops. (I direct your attention to two of the wonderful sponsors of this blog, Perfect Magic and of course, The Browser's Den of Magic!)

Wanted: young Canadian street magicians

From the CAM website:

We’re developing a TV series that will focus on a few young Canadian street magicians and are currently looking for potential cast. I thought I would reach out to you to see if you could recommend any hot “up and coming” magicians or illusionists who specialize in guerrilla type street magic. We’re interested in younger magicians who have a bit of an “edge” or cool factor. The best current example would Dynamo in the UK.

Read more.

Port Coquitlam: CAM JAM Summer edition

From the CAM JAM 2013 Facebook page:

Location for the Summer CAM JAM will be the Second Storey Theatre in Port Coquitlam. This is also an offical venue of the MAGIC Festival which takes place the entire week leading up to the CAM JAM. Visit www.themagicfestival.com for more details on those events...

The acts for the Summer Edition of the CAM JAM have been confirmed. We are proud to announce the appearances of both ICE McDonald and Paul Romhany! Two amazing lectures, a parlour show, one handed cut a thon and more... visit the website to register today. www.magicianconvention.com The venue only seats 54 people so it is VERY limited!!!!

Read more.

Random thoughts about CAM-JAM 2013 Spring edition

• Whenever I drive to Greg's theatre, it always rains on at least one leg of the trip.
• I've been a CAM member for a long, long time.
• One-handed cut-a-thons are a young man's game.
• Evelyn and Phil Matlin from Perfect Magic are warm and terrific people!
• I thought that I'd learned my last mind-blowing Linking Ring move from Tina Lenert earlier in the month.  Oscar Muñoz proved me wrong.  Twice.
• Vincent Hedan tells me you can buy strawberry flavoured toothpaste.
• Michael Dardant packs his hat very efficiently.
• Thanks to Shawn Farquhar for coming up with idea and to Greg Frewin who generously offered us a meeting space and discounted tickets to his amazing show!

The CAM website has a nice write-up about this year's Magician of the Year, Mike Segal!  Congratulations Mike!

Go to the Perfect Magic blog to read Evelyn Matlin's thoughts on the weekend.

It was wonderful to meet up with so many of you!  If CAM-JAM Summer is anything like the Spring edition, it's sure to be a fantastic time!

Port Coquitlam: Festival of Magic

From The Magic Festival:

June 23rd until June 29th

Shawn Farquhar, founder of the Festival of Magic, announced today the city chosen to host the week long event. ”I could think of no better choice, considering the community spirit of the people of Port Coquitlam” he said when asked by the media. Port Coquitlam is celebrating it’s 100th anniversary and an entire week of magic will join into the fun. Magic organizations like the Vancouver Magic Circle, the Society of American Magicians and the Canadian Association of Magicians will be hosting events, shows and workshops during the Festival. Additionally lots of professional and amateur magicians will be offering shows in local venues including such places as the Terry Fox Theatre, Second Storey Theatre, local pubs and restaurants.

Read more.
 

Reminder that the summer edition of CAM-JAM 2013 will take place on June 30th!

Canadian Magician of the Year for 2013

Magic Mike Segal being awared Canadian Magician of the Year! #congratulations #HesOurMagicianOfTheYearEveryYear RT twitter.com/SorcerersSafar…
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) April 28, 2013