A Week in the Life of Champions (of Magic) -- part 1 of 3

An abridged version of this article first appeared in last month's issue of VANISH (May 2026 #142, pgs 48 - 53).  Republished with permission. 

 

A Week in the Life of Champions (of Magic) -- part 1 of 3 

On a cold and grey December day, I met up with the Champions of Magic crew at the Bluma Appel Theatre in downtown Toronto.

My mission: to shadow the company from load-in to load-out, for their 13 day Toronto stay. 

I was unable to attend two of the days and four of the days were statutory holidays. Allow me to take some liberties with the timeline and present to you what I learned spending A Week in the Life of Champions (of Magic). 

Continue reading this password protected article.

Password clue:

• the Canadian magician who appeared on The Muppet Show
  
  Format:  Firstname_Lastname

 

 

Post-script 

In 2026 the Champions team will present their biggest engagement to date, a summer residency at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago. Alex, their producer, said, "Our run in Toronto was something of a test for this longer engagement. Taking away concerns of trucking and travel allows us to add even more magic and production, to deliver the greatest version of the show possible. The Studebaker is an ideal environment to present what we’ve been honing over the last 13 years, as well as some brand new illusions that we’ve been developing which can’t be done on a touring schedule."

Be sure to check out their show if you’re in the Chicago area this summer! 

 

For tickets and more information, visit ChampionsOfMagicTour.com 

 

Read Part 2 in this month's issue of VANISH Magic Magazine (June 2026 #142, pgs 48 - 53)

 

From the May 30th Instagram post by Champions of Magic: 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Champions of Magic (@championsofmagic)

 

 

 

 

Thank you to our June 2026 sponsors!

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support. 

This site would not be possible without their backing.

We're grateful to have the support of:

• Clive Court - Life Member, Canadian Public Relations Society,
• Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic,
• Michael Close, author of the new Paradigm Shift ebooks, the Workers series and others, and
• Toronto's IBM Ring 17, the Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club!

The next time you see them, let them know you saw their sponsorship here!

 

 

 

Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club 

 

 

 

 

For more information about purchasing Sponsored Posts or about our Platinum, Gold, or Silver level sponsorships, please visit our Sponsorship page.

Or you can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.

or 

 

 

 

 

 

Lévis: Michael Demers presents SECRETS - Le Spectacle [Jul 29]

Tickets and more information at lepointdevente.com/billets/hkj260729001.

 

Win tickets to the premiere of SECRETS!  Details at the June 1st Instagram post by Michael Demers.

 

Found at the March 17 Instagram post by Michael Demers. 

 

 

 

 

 

Hollywood: Billy Hsueh at The Magic Castle [Jun 15 - 21]

From the May 27 Instagram post by Billy Hsueh:

I’m excited to be back at @magiccastlehollywood June 15–21!  

Read more. 

 

Previously shared on Facebook May 27. 

 

 

 

 

Toronto: Javi Benitez workshop [Jun 3]

From the May 31st Facebook post by James Alan at the Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club Facebook group: 

We're extending members a last minute invitation to a special workshop with Javi Benitez. (Javi has been on Fool Us twice and did a virtual lecture for the club during the pandemic.)

It's Wednesday, June 3 at 7pm, near Yonge and Eglinton.  

$100 per person.

Read more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top 5 posts in May 2026

There were 22 posts at Canada's Magic this month.  Here are the top 5 posts in the previous 30 days:

        

5.  Shawn Farquhar and Friends at TED2026 in Conjurly- Congratulations to everyone involved in creating a magical TED experience in 2026! 

4.  Winnipeg: Cabinet of Curiosities -- Masquerade [May 7] - Tell us all about it!

3.  Thank you to our personal sponsors for May 2026! - We appreciate each and every one of you!  Thank you!

2.  Regina: Marc Trudel lecture [May 27] - Were you there?  Tell us about your experience!

 

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1.  Ian Stewart's earned three Guinness World Records in 2026! - Well done Ian!  Congratulations!

 

 

 

 

ICYMI: New additions to the Screening Room at Magicana

Three videos have recently been added to the Screening Room at Magicana.

 

From the April 14th article "Back to the Screening Room" by James Alan at Magicana: 

So with these challenges in mind and wanting to adhere to Prof. Edwin Dawes’ motto (“Collect, Collate, Communicate!”) we want to share video from the collection on a regular a basis. Our working title for the series is “The Good, The Bad and the… You Decide”.  

We want to begin with this recording of Lewis Ganson. This is a short excerpt where he performs “The Diminishing Cards.” (Please note this clip has no audio.) 

Read more and watch video. 

 

 

From the May 5th article "Principles, Deceptions and a Phantasy" by James Alan at Magicana: 

Continuing our series of “The Good, The Bad and the… You Decide” we are pleased to share two clips from Arthur Buckley. (If you missed the previous release featuring Lewis Ganson, consider stopping there first.)

Read more and watch video.