Toronto: Luminato - Mind Over Matter

From Sharing Wonder:

For the 2012 Luminato Magic series – Mind Over Matter – we have invited three masters of the impossible – Banachek, Richard Turner and Juan Esteban Varela - to challenge the way we perceive the world and function within it.
Follow us and we will keep you updated on all our shows! For now, see David Ben’s – artistic director for Magicana –  magical video invitation.

The sixth edition of Luminato takes place from June 8–17, 2012.
Read more and find out when tickets will go on sale.

Read more about Luminato at the CBC.

Ring 17 at Morrissey Magic

Photos from Ring 17's recent visit to Morrissey Magic.

From Morrissey Magic:

Sorcerers Safari 2012 season dates announced

From the Sorcerers Safari website:

Sorcerers Safari will run for a week from Tuesday August 28th – Sunday Sept 2nd, 2012.
Read more and register.

I had the privilege of spending 24 hours at Sorcerers Safari magic camp last season.  It was an absolutely fabulous time!  If you have an 8 - 18 year old who is interested in magic at any level, do look into this amazing experience!

Got Talent: Toronto part 2

At the tail end of Canada's Got Talent (Episode 4, Winnipeg) at about the 44 minute mark they show a trailer for episode 5, Toronto Part 2.  It goes by super fast, but to these eyes it looks like this is a magic heavy episode!  I caught a glimpse of a shock of (Sorcerers Safari alumni?) hair doing a suspended straitjacket escape in addition to acts that looked very much like Ryan Joyce, Mike D'Urzo and Neil Croswell.

Can't wait to see how they represent!

Toronto: Best Magician Contest 2012

From Arthur Poon:

"Best Magician Contest 2012"

Hello all Magic Lovers, this is an opportunity to show your skills.

In the evening of April 14th, 2012, “[A1] Chinese Radio” (http://www.facebook.com/l/TAQENPbLxAQGYzpy7GOnuXIOQPuHyXtoBdNq1-gxrYJvfZQ/www.ccue.com/a1_radio/web/) is giving out opportunities to the magic lovers! Bringing along with own incredible skills, the candidates will enter into an exciting competition held on a magical platform in Market Village.

This never hosted magician contest is gathering a large amount of Toronto professionals within the magic scope and the qualified contestants will be challenging among themselves, and then finally compete for the fame of Top Magician in Toronto.

Also, we are honor to have Wayne Houchin, giving an hour performance (exclusively) for the event, which you would not want to miss.

Date: April 14, 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 7:30pm
Contestant: All Ages, All Genders (The show will be hosted in Cantonese. However, English and other language speakers are welcomed.)
Performance: Stage Magic or Close Up Magic. For stage magic, it does not have to be “big stage illusion; any magic that can be performed on stage is fine, such as producing a rabbit from an empty hat etc.)
Venue: Market Village (Steeles & Kennedy)
Audition: We will start with YOUTUBE audition right away. From now till 30th of March, all participants only need to submit a roughly 2-minute video (MAX: 5 minutes) to: starz@classicforce.com. All videos should be titled as “Best Magician Contest 2012 1st Audition: XXXXXX (the title of your performance)”. (P.S. Video editing is permitted; HOWEVER, no editing on the MAGIC PERFORMANCE. Two minutes are including the effect AND all of the editing.)

Notes:
· By submitting your video before March 24th, 2012, the entry fee will be automatically waived. Any video(s) submitted after March 24th, 2012, a $20 entry fee will be applied.
· When submitting the video, please provide us your name and contact, so we can contact you.
· ONE video entry per contestant.

The winner of the competition will be receiving the following:
1. “Best Magician 2012” trophy,
2. Your chance to perform live at CNE on July 1st, 2012 Canada Day.
3. Gift(s) from our main sponsor(s).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you have any question, please contact with the team "Classic Force" : info@classicforce.com
Look forward meeting you guys, See you all at there!!

Thanks for sending Arthur!

Got Talent: Sorcerers Safari

We have it on good authority that magicians that Sorcerers Safari magic camp people will know, will be appearing next Sunday on Canada's Got Talent!

Who will we see?

Ryan Joyce at the 2012 MPI Toronto Chapter Awards Gala

Watch Ryan Joyce and his lovely assistant!

Ben Train interview from The Blue Crown

Watch Ben Train answer questions by The Blue Crown on YouTube.





Don't forget that later today, Ben will be lecturing with Chris Mayhew at The Browser's Den. 

Got Talent: Neil Croswell

 Updated July 2017 to remove links to video that is no longer available.


Neil Croswell peformed for the judges at Canada's Got Talent at the Toronto auditions. 

Toronto: Magical March Break at the Bata Shoe Museum

From The Spec:

The Bata Shoe Museum is hosting a Magical March break. They kick off March break at 10 a.m. on March 12th with a special magic show by Toronto’s Magic Guy Phil Pivnick. During the rest of March break, kids can place a wish on their magic lantern, make a magic wand, try on magical shoes and costumes, decorate a spell book and enter a daily draw for a magic kit. There will also be a performance by Wandering Magician, happening daily between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. www.batashoemuseum.ca

Read more.

Morrissey Magic's door crasher

It's never a dull moment in the magic business.  Click through to Dan Morrissey''s Facebook album "door crasher" to see a demo of their new "Car Through Window" effect.  (Effect name lifted from Brian Michaels.)

In all seriousness, we're thankful that no one was hurt and we hope that Dan and Phoebe will be able to get things as good as new in no time.

Ottawa: Daryl lecture

On Monday April 30th, Daryl will be lecturing in Ottawa.  Details can be found at magicinfo.ca.

Wayne Houchin lectures in April

In addition to the April 15th Toronto date, Wayne Houchin will also be lecturing in Montréal on April 18th and Ottawa on April 19th.

I wonder if Wayne and his wife will be performing their double escape in Canada?



Additional details and contact information can be found at magicinfo.ca.

[h/t: magicinfo.ca]

Got Talent: Vladimir the Great!

Congratulations to Vladimir the Great from the Toronto auditions, for being the first magician to make it to the next level on Canada's Got Talent!  After the act, judge Martin Short said, "I think you are actually a wizard." 
 
You can watch the show streamed from CityTV here. Vladimir appears about 35 minutes in.

From the Toronto Star:

And then there was magician and illusionist Volodymyr Martyniuk, 52. At first it looked like Volodymyr might be a figure of fun, with his long grey ponytail, pirate-like jacket with garish gold embellishments and ruffled shirt. Measha complimented him on his “party in the back mullet.”

But Volodymyr astonished everyone by making candles appear from a handkerchief, and a rose and a small table float in mid-air.

Read more.

 
Will there be anyone we recognize from the Calgary auditions on tonight?

Peter Wardell: April lectures

Peter Wardell will be lecturing in Canada this April.

The according to to the X-elent Lecture Series website Peter Wardells' lecture dates are:

• Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle) on April 2nd
• Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle) on April 4th
• The Magic Club of Winnipeg on April 5th
• Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle) on April 6th

He'll be wrapping up the lecture tour with dates in the US (Seattle, Eugene and Portland).

Please confirm details about dates, times and locations by contacting each club directly.

Got Talent?

Who out there is going to be watching Canada's Got Talent which premieres tonight on CityTV? 

I have it on good authority that there will be footage from the Toronto auditions and will include a magician / illusionist.  I wonder who it will be?

Let the games begin!

National Post: Hogwarts in Hogtown with the Potted Potter crew

Updated March 9th, 2018, to add:

• The National post article "On the Town: Hogwarts in Hogtown with the Potted Potter crew" was written by Ben Kaplin and published on March 3rd, 2012.

From the National Post:

The British comedians sit down for a magic show and proceed to have their minds blown. It’s not so much that the magic’s amazing — although the kid magician is oddly cool — it’s more like the entire afternoon has been weird. A publicist picked up Daniel Clarkson, 33, and Jeff Turner, 31, stars of the show Potted Potter, from their temporary quarters at the Pantages Hotel and saw it fit to bring along her small dog. Now, the actors are sitting around a table at Browser’s Den of Magic and trying to pay attention to the card tricks and disappearing loonies, except a man pulls up beside them and proceeds to slurp from a large bowl of soup.
 
Read more (including a nice bit with Jeff Hinchilffe).

Morrissey Magic in Toronto Sun video

From Toronto Sun:

Now that’s dirty. None of this computer silliness — with our leaders falling over themselves to say sorry, until next time.

(If party rat-f---ers are looking for ideas, may I suggest a trick shop. I dropped by Morrissey Magic on Dufferin St., magicstore.ca, to shoot the video for this column.)

Read more and watch video.

Ryan Pilling: Balloons and science

Ryan Pilling guest stars on Simple Fun. Watch Ryan's video on YouTube.

The many talents of Phil Matlin

Did you know that Phil Matlin - owner of Montréal's magic shop Perfect Magic is also a professional ragtime piano player?  He even has his own YouTube channel! Meir Yedid used some of his music for the background of one of his videos. Others use his CD's, Ragtime Daze, or Ragtime Magic, to accompany their act.

Watch Phil playing Carolina in the Morning below.