Report: David Ben at The Walrus Talks

From Sharing Wonder:

Specifically, David talked about one area of card table artifice that has plagued the best of card cheats for centuries. Not only did he flag the problem (while entertaining the audience with a sly nod to his sleight-of-hand wizardry), he also shared how he solved this “tricky”  manoeuvre by tipping his famous mantra: “How do you get in to it, and how do you get out of it”.

Read more.

Kitchener: James Alan lecture

James Alan will be lecturing at the Kitchener club on February 21st.

Alex Kazam at Yuk Yuk's

Alex Kazam's first time on a Yuk Yuk's stage, opening for Dave Curran, Canada's Bad Boy of Hypnosis.

Kitchener: Ryan Joyce

From Event Brite:

Saturday, February 9, 2013 

International Grand Illusionist Ryan Joyce is one of the most highly regarded magical entertainers in Canada today. His Vegas style revue show has won critical acclaim from audiences all around the world including New Zealand, India, and the Middle East. He has presented 10 annual national illusion show tours with over 80 live performances from coast to coast. His tours have contributed over 2 million dollars for Canadian Charities.

Read more and buy tickets.

For Ryan's complete tour schedule, visit RyanJoyce.com

Magi-Fest 2013 round-up

Read all about the Magi-Fest 2013 experience!

From Sorcerers Safari:

When Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin heard that Magifest was to be discontinued last year, they decided that just couldn’t be, so they stepped up and Magifest 2013 was reborn. With the help of our very own Steven Kline as Production Manager and Steven Branham, the amazing Dealer Contact/Badge Checker/Bouncer the convention took off.

Read more.

From the Tony Eng Youth Fund:

Congratulations to Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin for staging and producing a successful 83rd MagicFest! From all accounts, it sounds like there was a full house filled with stellar speakers and performances, heaps of magic dealers and of course, magic day and night. What more could any magic enthusiast wish for?!

We also congratulate our  Tong Eng Youth Fund Bursary Recipients – part of the Magi-Fest Youth Scholarship program. Their verdict of the convention?

Read more.

Toronto: Gaffed Coin Seminar with Luiz Castro

February 17, 2013
This is a free event.
Price of Seminar after February 13 2013 $10

From Morrissey Magic:

Everything you every wanted to know about gaffed coins. Over two hours of in-depth instruction on coin magic.  Tips, sleights,  routines and even gaffs you can make yourself. Luiz will take you step-by-step through some of his favorite routines with Gaffed Coins. Split Coins Shells Stack of Coins, boxes and much, much more, do not miss this free event. 

Read more and order tickets.

Edmonton: Abra-kid-abra

From YESS (youth empowerment and support services):

ABRA-KID-ABRA is a family-oriented magic extravaganza presented by Edmonton Magic Club on April 13, 2013 at the Royal Alberta Museum Theatre.

Read more.

[via: Magic Information Canada]

Train and Mayhew: A Series of Unfortunate Effects

From Ben Train's Twitter feed:

For the past year I've been working with @chrismayhew1 on a project we're finally ready to share. Check it out! facebook.com/SeriesOfEffects
— Ben Train (@ErdnaseinTO) February 4, 2013

From the Facebook page of A Series of Unfortunate Effects:

After witnessing an amazing magic trick performed by the world-famous Lee Asher, Chris enlists his friend Ben's help to discover the secret.

They soon discover though that learning the secrets to magic aren't as easy as they once thought. Chris and Ben need to help Lee find something he's looking for before he'll share the secret with them. In order to do that they have to go through magicians Jeff Hinchliffe, Glenn West, and Chris Westfall, while avoiding destruction at the hands of crazed card collector Bill Abbott on a wild adventure filled with laughs and great card tricks.

Coming Spring 2013

David Merry: Blackpool 2013

David Merry will be lecturing and performing at Blackpool 2013, February 22nd to 24th!  For more information, visit the Blackpool Magicians' Club website.

Introducing CAM-JAM 2013. And it's FREE!

Updated April 2nd to change the date of the Summer Event to June 30th, as per Shawn's comment at the CAM website.

From Shawn Farquhar's Twitter feed:

My latest side project:An unbelievable FREE event for all members of the Canadian Association of Magicians.... fb.me/28pa6RYQ0
— Shawn Farquhar (@magiChampion) February 4, 2013
 

From MagicianConvention.com:

Spring Event - Niagara Falls, ON on Sunday, April 28th:

The Canadian Association of Magicians is breaking all the rules. Who has ever heard of a FREE convention? Well membership has it privileges… join us and a whole lot of other magicians for the first ever CAM-JAM… the best part of any magic convention is always the JAM sessions, so why not an entire day just filled with lots of jamming plus lectures and close up shows? To top it all off the incredible Greg Frewin will be offering us all discount tickets to attend his newest edition of his show in his spectacular showroom… it just doesn’t get any better than this. Did I mention the CAM-JAM is FREE!

Summer Event - Port Coquitlam, BC on Sunday June 23rd Sunday June 30th, 2013

Read more and register.

Thornhill: Magic and Mentalism with Mike D'Urzo

From the Facebook Page - A Magical Evening with Mike D'Urzo:

10 February 2013
Enjoy an evening of Magic and Mentalism with Mike D'Urzo.  

In support of the Canadian Friends of Dental Volunteers for Israel.
Read more:

Now casting

From the Canadian Association of Magicians:

NOW CASTING:
Magicians with Strong Acting, Improv & Performance Skills

A major television production company is searching for Magicians with a background in acting and performance for an exciting and inventive new non-scripted TV series. We are in search of Male and Female Magicians of all ethnicities between the ages of 18 and 80.

Read more.

Rounding the Western rings in February

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.  

City	Club	Event(s)
Calgary, AB	Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle, Les Brocklesby Ring)	-  n/a - Garden Variety Show
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	-
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- Peter Samelson lecture
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- Peter Samelson lecture - Installation Banquet and Show
Vancouver, BC	SAM 95  (Carl Hemeon Assembly)	- n/a
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- n/a

 
Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Rounding the Ontario rings in February

Updated February 7th to add the James Alan lecture in Kitchener.

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- Brant Clown Alley's 20th Anniversary
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- TBA
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- James Alan lecture
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- Memorial Night/Classic Magic - Charity Show @ Waupoos Farm  Family Show
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- n/a
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Mystery (Canadian) lecture!   "An excellent mix of close up and stage magic presented in a brand new format."

 

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Rounding the Eastern rings in February

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Halifax, NS	Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court)	- n/a
St. John, NB	Magic Circle of St. John	- n/a

Rosemary Reid: Magically Inclined

From the City of Brampton Summer Company Alumni page:

My name is Rosemary Reid and I participated in the program during the summer of 2008. It was the summer before university, and, I was told, time to get a ‘real job’. So I decided to turn my childhood passion into a legitimate business entitled Magically Inclined.
Read more.

Review: Zodiac Arrest

From the Edmonton Journal:

In the course of diverse entertainments, you will see a pert magician (Billy Kidd) in a fedora escape from a straitjacket, while cheerfully baiting her male audience “volunteer.” A rare example of a “lady magician,” Billy Kidd, the onstage persona of Gia Felicitas, is an ironic take on the fast-talking, masculine norm.

Read more.

A mentalist by any other name ...

From iTricks:

They initially called the man a “magician” and not a “mentalist.” According to Deadspin, this lead to Kreskin getting angry with the blog’s editors and refusing to answer more than three of the 200 questions submitted.

Read more.

Edmonton: Billy Kidd in Zodiac Arrest

From Vue Weekly:

Among these voices is UK-based magician Billy Kidd, who is doing double duty as Aries and Capricorn. In a homage to Harry Houdini, who also happened to be have been an Aries, Kidd will undergo an escapist routine, while she personifies the qualities of Capricorn through a mind-reading number—involving a monkey.

Read more.
 

The show runs Thu, Jan 31 to Sat, Feb 10.

Winner of Sorcerers Safari scholarship

Say hi to one of our scholarship recipients for Sorcerers Safari 2013: Nick Popa! He was one of three recipients... fb.me/x6rmiC6N
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) January 28, 2013

Congratulations Nick!  You are going to have the best year ever at camp!


Also from Sorcerers Safari Facebook page:

Two extra scholarships were donated on the weekend after attendees realized how AWESOME a week at camp is!
 

Fabulous news for two more future campers!

Planning on attending Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp this summer?  Apply now!

Camper and CIT registrations are up on the site now.Thanks Marc Hache and Lee Asher!... fb.me/2ackcbDi0
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) January 29, 2013