Broken wand: Kevin George

We were notified by Dennis Schick, the editor of the Broken Wand in the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring, of the passing of Kevin George.

From Legacy:

GEORGE, Kevin William
1946 ~ 2014

GEORGE, Kevin William

GEORGE, Kevin William
1946 ~ 2014 

It is with great sadness that the family of Kevin George announce his passing on May 4, 2014. Leaving behind is his mother Henrietta, son Ryan and his family, brother Kerry and his family.  

Read more.

From the Edmonton Journal:

EDMONTON - Wanda Karstens met Kevin George when she was a mall rat at Bonnie Doon and he, the head of security and the object of Karstens’ teenage crush.
George was a compassionate man, even at age 23, Karstens said: hard on shoplifters and drug dealers, but fair and friendly to mall rats like herself, arranging for an empty store front to become a teen centre.

George remained in the security world, eventually opening his own security firm and training guards, correctional officers and jail riot squads, but also training dogs to track criminals, and to find missing people as part of Alberta’s first Search and Rescue team.

Read more. 

The following will run in the December issue of the Linking Ring:

KEVIN W. GEORGE

Recently the I.B.M. headquarters learned that Kevin William George, 67, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, died May 4, 2014 from a massive stroke, after several heart attacks and problems with diabetes. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1994-2013). He was a member of Ring 28 (Edmonton). He developed a love for dogs and helping other people in his youth, which led to his life’s work. He opened his own security firm, training guards, correctional officers, and jail riot squads, as well as training dogs to track criminals and search and rescue dogs to find missing persons in storm-damaged sites. His animal-training skills even led him to train the elephant at the Edmonton Zoo. He used magic throughout his life, both to teach and to lighten tense situations. In addition to magic, other interests and skills included ju-jitsu (including teaching self-defense classes for women), conga drums (in bands), and rodeo clowning. Survivors include his mother, Henrietta; brother, Kerry; son, Ryan and his family; and granddaughter, Carmen.    

Luc Langevin: spokesperson for la fondation sur les leucodystrophies

Congratulations Luc on the fundraising success!

From Luc Langevin's Twitter feed:

Un immense merci du fond du coeur à la Fondation @sthubert pour son don à la Fondation sur les Leucodystrophies ! pic.twitter.com/Vj4iMjda9R
— Luc Langevin (@LucLangevin) November 12, 2014

Watch the video Luc made with St. Hubert to raise awareness:

Fundraising for Breath is Alive

I know I'm not the only one in this community who has had the pleasure of instruction from David Smukler ....

From Equity Showcase Theatre:

This documentary project chronicles the important work of Canadian theatre artist and master voice practitioner David Smukler. It is intended as a moving archive of the voice and David’s remarkable ability to see into the soul of the artist. The film follows him into the studio where humanity is revealed through the process of voice work, a process to which the audience is rarely privy. Studio scenes are woven together with intimate interviews with David, artists and colleagues from across the country and framed within a natural environment. External shots of trees, water and sky contrast the subjective internal world or the artist with a more objective, natural environment. The natural world fuels David’s practice and reflects the organic process of the work emphasizing David’s connection to earth, breath, heartbeat and light. Too often we allow the contribution of our senior artists in Canada to go undocumented. The directors Laurel Paetz and LJ Nelles, both trained as voice teachers with David and offer this film as a legacy to his enormous and lasting contribution to the artistic community in Canada.

Read more and donate.

Peter Marucci wins second Howard Bamman trophy

Congratulations Peter!  

From the Wellington Advertiser:

FERGUS - Retired Fergus “magicomedian” Peter Marucci has been awarded the Howard Bamman trophy for the second time by the International Brotherhood of Magicians, in recognition of his 28-year contribution to the organization’s magazine The Linking Ring.

The Fergus resident is the only Canadian ever to receive the award and the only magician to receive it twice.

In his Showtime column, Marucci would outline a new illusion every month and give detailed instructions on incorporating “patter” into performances - his trademark.

Read more.

Greg Frewin et al vs the NHL Alumni Stars!

From the Greg Frewin Theatre Twitter feed:

It'll be a spectacle on ice tonight! Come out and support #HelpAChildSmile and watch #Celebrities vs #NHL alumni. pic.twitter.com/rbkb0eSGw8
— Greg Frewin Theatre (@FrewinTheatre) November 20, 2014

Toronto: "Magic Tonight" with Keith Brown, Jason Palter, and James Alan

  

Receive a 20% discount* at Magic Tonight with coupon code cmagic







From Keith Brown's Twitter feed:

This Sunday I will be opening for Jason Palter at #magictonight ! We have a new location near College & Spadina.... http://t.co/0itXSYq83a
— Keith Brown (@KeithHBrown) November 19, 2014

From the Abracadabaret Twitter feed:

This Sunday on #magictonight @paltergeist & @james_alan Advance tickets online at http://t.co/Y6UJWzgeN3 #toronto
— Abracadabaret (@Abracadabaret) November 17, 2014

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* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

SOULO Theatre: Best small theatre company

Congratulations to James Alan, General Manager of the SOULO Theatre company!

From Reality Based Magic:

SOULO Theatre – where I plot and scheme away, largely behind the scenes as the general manager – has just won Best Small Theatre Company from NOW Magazine’s Best of Toronto Reader’s Choice! Massive credit goes to the team that helped organize the 2014 SOULO Theatre Festival and massive thanks to everyone who voted over the past few months. It’s a tremendous honour. 

Read more.

Winner of Forcing the Ace

The contest to win a copy of "Forcing the Ace" from the Orca Limelights series closed last night at midnight. 

We had some great advice for performing youngsters suggested:  practice, work on one thing at a time when you are just starting out, be willing to take a risk and try, "Prepare. Practice. Perform. Perfect. Repeat." and READ MORE BOOKS!

Here's the list of entrants:

1. Lee Asher
2. Roger Boucher
3. Tara Hutchinson
4. Robert Lamar
5. Jay

Random draw results:

Congratulations to  Tara Hutchinson!

I'll be contacting  you with instructions about how to claim your prize.  I hope you (or a young reader) enjoys the book as much as I did.  (And don't forget to let me know how you like it.)

Thank you all for playing! A special thanks to Amy Collins from Orca Book Publishers for generously making this book available to you!

Murray Sawchuk's at at Planet Hollywood’s Sin City Theater

From the Las Vegas Sun:

In the end, Murray Sawchuck had to be more than a poser. 

Not that it wasn’t a great deal of fun following Sawchuck canvas the valley mugging for photos in front of hotel-casino marquees with such self-written captions as, “Wild Wild West is a nice place!” But it had to come to an end, as Sawchuck sought to resume his stage show at a Las Vegas venue after leaving Laugh Factory at Tropicana on Oct. 30. 

Sawchuck’s new venue is Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood, where he sets up Dec. 20 for what is to be a yearlong run of shows at 2 and 4 p.m. daily (dark Fridays). 

Read more.

[via iTricks]

[Guest post] Watching the Magic Unfold

The following is a guest post from Erin Thomas, author of "Forcing the Ace,"

Erin talks about Sorcerers Safari, early memories of magic, magic at Canada's Wonderland (Paul Pacific or Jeff Pinsky, perhaps?) and more.

Today's the last day to enter to win your copy of Forcing the Ace!

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Having already written a few times about the awesomeness that is Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp in Ontario, and rejoiced in the similarities between magicians and writers (introverts unite!), I think it’s time to try a different tack. Today I want to share some of my memories of watching magic and enjoying it. Because really, that’s what it’s all about.

As it turns out, magic is probably one of the first things I ever saw clearly. I was eight or nine years old when my parents took my brother and I to see David Copperfield in Toronto. We sat up in the balcony, looking down on a big, brightly lit stage. I kept squinting and turning away, complaining that my eyes hurt. Acting on a hunch, Dad handed me his glasses. Wow! Whaddya know… there was a person down on that big stage! And he was doing really cool stuff.

Sadly, I remember the fact of the show more than the details, although there was one memorable moment when he walked through a giant wall onstage. Wikipedia tells me that his Great Wall of China effect was in 1986, a couple years later, so I might be confused, but this is how I remember it. That, and him reaching into a tiny bottle and pulling out a rainbow-coloured scarf that seemed to go on forever.

I do remember the sharp, sudden realization that the world was a place with edges, and that details existed more than an arms’ length away. My world got bigger that night. And if you could pick one thing to be your first sight through corrective lenses, a magic show is a pretty decent option.

I know I saw other magicians over the years. There would have been shows at day camps and birthday parties, magicians on stages at town carnivals, Canada’s Wonderland, the Mediaeval Faire. And I would have watched and clapped, laughed and been astonished. These are all vague impressions, though.

There was that “Circus” in the McQuay family’s backyard—a show put on by the neighbourhood kids for parents lined up in lawn chairs. I remember Piper’s acrobatics, and I think some kind of “lion act” featuring Katie the Airedale. The tightrope was a skipping rope stretched across the grass, and we took turns balancing across it. Of course there was a magic act, courtesy of one of those boxed kids with plastic cup-and-balls pieces and a disappearing chamber as tall as a Barbie doll. None of us ended up pursuing magic as a calling, so I suspect it might have been the sort of act that comes from reading the directions five minutes before the show, but watching, I still thought it was cool. Even the possibility of things disappearing and reappearing was enough for me.

I watched magic shows when I was researching the book. My favourite, of course, was the final performance at Magic Camp. I brought my husband and my daughter along, to see the kids I had talked with earlier in the week perform. I LOVED that. It wasn’t always the most polished magic, but it was sincere.

Unfortunately, my husband and daughter haven’t been bitten by the magic bug the way I was. They don’t always want to go see the shows. But I dragged them along to a Christopher Tracy’s family magic show at a resort in Florida last winter, and we had a great time. My daughter was chosen as the first audience volunteer. He broke the rules in a fun way, instructing her to close her eyes while he made things “disappear” by tossing them behind a counter. He invited the whole audience in on his secret—this isn’t really magic, we’re here to have a good time—so that when he started in on the tricks that baffled us, we enjoyed it even more. We laughed, and my daughter felt special for having been part of the show.

We’re not done with magic, my family and I. I’m not done with it. I have no plans to become a magician (becoming a writer is more than enough work, thanks very much), but I sure do like being in the audience.

Sometime soon, maybe I’ll see you there.

~~~~

Thank you Erin, for guest posting at Canada's Magic!  Today's the last day to enter to win your copy of Forcing the Ace!

Appreciating the Certificate of Appreciation

I had the good fortune of attending the Browser's Den 39th anniversary party yesterday.  Unfortunately, I arrived late in the day and missed much of the merriment.  Bernice Cooper was there which is always wonderful.  I did enjoy a very lively trivia quiz, some lovely refreshments, catching up with good friends, making new acquaintances, and of course adding to my magic inventory!

Congratulations to Ryan Brown, this year's recipient of the Len Cooper Memorial Award.  Ryan received a full set of eight Tarbell Course in Magic books in Len's memory.  (You may recall that Ryan won the Best Magician Contest in 2012).

The highlight of the day, for me, was receiving this Certificate of Appreciation from Jeff.




The fine print:




It means a tremendous amount to me that Jeff, who does so much good for the magic community at large, thinks that I am enriching the community as well.

Thank you Jeff!

Vancouver: Hidden camera magic show

There's a hidden camera magic show being filmed in Vancouver.

From Eric Leclerc's Facebook page:

Post by Eric Leclerc.

Calgary: Magical Beauty and the Beast

Visit the Loose Moose website for the complete schedule or to buy tickets.

From Gwyn Auger's Twitter feed:

@canadasmagic awesome!!! Did you get the info on Beauty and The Beast at @LooseMooser there's magic there too!
— Gwyn Auger (@magicassistant) November 5, 2014

From Michael Roik's Twitter feed:

@magicassistant @canadasmagic @LooseMooser Saturdays at 1:00, Sundays at 1:00 and 3:00 until November 23. See you there!
— MichaelRoik (@MichaelRoik) November 5, 2014

Markham: David Merry at STEVO fundraiser

What Facebook says about STEVO:

The STEVO Foundation is a registered charity in the Province of Ontario whose sole mission is to offer Comfort and Hope to families and individuals that have been affected by cancer.

From David Merry's Twitter feed:

"Performing for STEVO Foundation fundraiser Nov 15 @ 10pm in Markham, for tickets call 289-923-7614"
— David Merry (@davidmerry) November 14, 2014

Niagara Falls: Mega Magic

From Mike D'Urzo's Facebook page:

Super excited to announce that Mega Magic will be returning to Falls Avenue Resort in Casino Niagara from December 21- January 3 with shows at 8:00 pm nightly! Can't wait! 

Read more.

Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries

From Ted Outerbridge's websiste:

UPCOMING TOUR DATES 

November 14, 2014   Lawrence O'Brien Arts Centre, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL
November 16, 2014   Labrador West Arts and Culture Centre, Labrador City, NL
February 3, 2015       Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YT
February 4, 2015       Yukon Arts Centre, Whitehorse, YT
February 7, 2015       North Peace Cultural Centre, Fort St. John, BC
February 15, 2015     Lester Centre of the Arts, Prince Rupert, BC
February 21, 2015     The Port Theatre, Nanaimo, BC
February 25, 2015     Roxy Theatre, Neepawa, MB
February 28, 2015     Griffin Park Theatre, Brooks, AB

Randi in the NY Times

A reminder that Randi is scheduled to appear at the Calgary Undergraound Film Festival later this month.

From the New York Times:

The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi 

A few minutes before 8 o’clock one Sunday evening last July, around 600 people crowded into the main conference hall of the South Point casino in Las Vegas. After taking their seats on red-velvet upholstered chairs, they chattered noisily as they awaited the start of the Million Dollar Challenge. When Fei Wang, a 32-year-old Chinese salesman, stepped onto the stage, they fell silent. Wang had a shaved head and steel-framed glasses. He wore a polo shirt, denim shorts and socks. He claimed to have a peculiar talent: from his right hand, he could transmit a mysterious force a distance of three feet, unhindered by wood, metal, plastic or cardboard. The energy, he said, could be felt by others as heat, pressure, magnetism or simply “an indescribable change.” Tonight, if he could demonstrate the existence of his ability under scientific test conditions, he stood to win $1 million.

Read more.

A Q&A with Erin Thomas

Author Erin Thomas kindly agreed to a brief Q&A about her latest book for the 11-14 set, "Forcing the Ace."  Read what Erin has to say about The Den, Magic Mike, Justin Flom, Sorcerers Safari and more!


1. Your book portrays magic very authentically.  How much time did you spend researching the magic community? 


First of all, thank you for the compliment! Of all the books I’ve written, this is probably the one I enjoyed researching the most. That’s lucky, because I had originally pitched a few different ideas to Sarah Harvey, the editor of the Limelights series at Orca. Most of them were for areas of the performing arts where I had at least a little bit of knowledge or experience. And then there was the magic idea. When that one turned out to be her favourite, I knew I was going to be doing a lot of research.

I spent months learning about magic. Many months. I initially met with a friend’s son, who happens to be a magician. He sent me to Browser’s Den magic shop in Toronto, and suggested that I get in touch with “Magic” Mike Segal, who runs a week-long summer camp for young magicians. Both of those turned out to be incredible leads.

I read instructional books about magic and watched a ton of videos and television specials, including those “magic’s secrets revealed” types of shows. I learned how a lot of magic effects are created, but I don’t kid myself that it’s the same thing as being able to actually create the effects—that would take hours upon hours upon hours of practice. I did fumble around with cards a little bit… enough to gain a healthy respect for how hard it is. I also attended a workshop that Justin Flom presented at Browser’s Den and met some of the magicians there.

The best research opportunity was the visit to camp when you and I met, Nicole. It was incredible to have the opportunity to speak to so many young magicians in person and learn what they feel is most important about the art. That was relatively late in my writing timeline, and I remember wishing I could re-imagine the whole book after that. I made some adjustments to the storyline I had, and decided that I’m probably not done writing about magicians—there are so many more stories to tell.

2. How does the performance art of magic differ from any of the other performance arts that you know about?  How is it the same?


I think one thing that makes magic special is that it rewards a certain kind of suspension of disbelief. When you see a play or a ballet, you know that you are watching a show unfold… you’re conscious of the artifice. With magic, that’s still the case—we all know that chairs can’t float and cards don’t change colour—but I think there’s a tiny voice inside saying, “Maybe.” The magician and the viewer agree together to pretend that the laws of physics can be suspended, just for a little while. At least, that’s how I prefer to watch magic performed.

Another thing that makes magic special is that it can be enjoyed on so many levels. There’s the element of wonder and the feeling that the world might have possibilities in it beyond the everyday—that’s the first level. On the second level, it’s a puzzle to be solved, if you enjoy that sort of thing. I don’t think I’d want to try too hard to solve it, but sometimes that can be fun. And even when you know how an effect is performed, the third level of enjoyment kicks in, which is just the pure pleasure of watching someone do something well.

Of course, all the performance arts have some things in common. What strikes me most is the extreme amount of dedication and focus required. Even a short performance requires countless hours of learning and practice, whether you’re playing the piano or making one disappear.

3. What were the three biggest surprises to you, about the magic community?


I was most surprised by how welcoming and forthcoming everyone was. There were magicians I reached out to via email, and some I met in person. Nearly without fail, they were all warm, polite, supportive and extremely helpful. Seriously, falling-over-backwards helpful. I wasn’t kidding about wanting to write more about magicians; there just wasn’t room in one small book to use all the story possibilities that people opened up for me, or to do credit to the amount of help they offered. Maybe because of the secrecy associated with the craft, I had expected to meet with more resistance, but that wasn’t the case at all.

One thing I found interesting was the overlap between magic and other crafts. I hadn’t thought of it, but a magician needs to master stagecraft the way an actor does—voice projection, bearing, even character creation. It’s funny, but I never thought about a magician putting on a “persona” for an act. To me as an audience member, they simply were the way they were. It’s silly in retrospect. And then, of course, there’s the storytelling aspect—a performance can be like a short story, in a lot of ways. Some of the best short stories show a character in a moment of change, and create that change for the reader. A magician creates that change moment in the audience. That takes planning, and a rigorous editing process. I got a glimpse at that editing process when I sat in on a performance workshop at the Sorcerers Safari camp.

The third surprise reveals more about my ignorance going into this, I think. I really had no idea that some of the people I met were “big deals” in the magic community until after the fact. They didn’t act like it—they were just these lovely, friendly, down-to-earth people, happy to talk about magic. It was kind of like meeting Margaret Atwood in a bookstore and asking her for reading recommendations without having any idea who she is. I hope I didn’t annoy anybody too much.

4. How did you learn about magic being used for physical rehabilitation?  Did you know there's a Toronto based organization, Magicana, that runs a program like that at a children's rehabilitation hospital?


Oh, yikes. I don’t remember who told me about that initially, and I don’t see it in my project notebook right now. I do remember that as soon as I heard about magic being used this way, I loved the idea, and wanted to include it in the book somehow—I thought it was absolutely the perfect thing for someone struggling to re-learn motor skills. I’ve known some people involved in terrible accidents, and so I know how long the road back can be. This just struck me as a wonderful, positive aspect of the magic community, and I wanted to make it part of the story.

I didn’t know about Magicana, but I researched other organizations that run similar programs. It’s wonderful that there’s one right in Toronto.

5. Currently, magic is strongly male dominated.  I was surprised to see so many magical females represented in your book.  Was that a conscious decision?  If so, why?

It was a conscious decision. I wanted to admit in the book that magic is male dominated, but still present some female magicians as characters, to show that to readers as a possibility. I didn’t have room for a huge cast, so the balance probably comes out more female because of that. Partly, it was in response to the fact that Zoe’s backstory, the way she comes to magic, is a bit tragic and atypical. Because of that, I didn’t want hers to be the only ‘female’ story in the book. I gave Donna a more conventional magic backstory—her father was a magician. “Magic families” were something else I learned about by talking to magicians, and I love the idea of the craft being something shared between a parent and a child. Jack and Donna end up on rocky ground later in life, but magic remains their connection point.

6. Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know?  (About you, your research, your books, the limelight series, as examples.)

Mostly just that I enjoyed learning more about the magical community, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped, especially the Sorcerers Safari group. Magicians are a fascinating bunch.

Overall, I think the Limelights books do a great job of providing a behind-the-scenes look at the different arts, so I’d recommend them to anyone who’s curious about what goes on backstage. 

Thank you Erin for your candid insight into the writing process!



A reminder to enter today to win your copy of Forcing the Ace!

Greg Frewin went Over the Edge!

From Niagara This Week:

Two Niagara-based organizations are taking fundraising to new heights with the upcoming Over the Edge event.

Set to take place Oct. 17, prominent community members — including Niagara Falls mayor Jim Diodati, former Olympian Mike Strange and CKTB host Kevin Jack — will rappel 23 storeys down the side of the Marriott Gateway on the Falls.                        

Read more.

From Greg Frewin's Facebook page:

Post by Greg Frewin Theatre.

An Honest Liar at CUFF

From the Calgary Undergraound Film Festival:

November 21

A biopic of renowned magician James “The Amazing” Randi, AN HONEST LIAR chronicles the magician’s 50-year career, from performing jaw-dropping feats to exposing the simple tricks that have been co-opted by con artists. Featuring interviews with Penn Jillette, Bill Nye, Allice Cooper, “Mythbuster” Adam Savage and more, AN HONEST LIAR reveals Randi’s classic debunkings and explores his rivalry with Uri Geller, famed spoon-bender and psychic.

James “The Amazing” Randi in attendance!

Read more and buy tickets.

[via Gwyn Auger]