Toronto: Magic at The Toronto Fringe [Jun 30 - Jul 12]

The Toronto Fringe (June 30 - July 12) is fast approaching!    

 

  Tickets:   

• James Alan's Mysteries and Lies:  
  https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/mysteries-and-lies
  
  
• Keith Brown's 110% Wizard:
  https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/110-wizard

 

 

Here's what we know about the shows: 

• James Alan's Mysteries and Lies 
  
  • Watch James' June 3rd appearance on CP 24 
    
    
  • Listen to David Peck interview James in the June 19th podcast "Truth, Technology & the Art of Deception" episode 634 of Face2Face, where "They talk about creativity, philosophical issues surrounding truth, illusion and lived experience and explore the intersection of magic, AI, and technology and how their performance challenges perceptions of reality."
    
    
  • From the June 3rd post "Fringe Five 2026" from Stage Door Dialogues: 
    There are forty-five seats per performance. And we decided to take advantage of that intimacy to get up close and personal with the audience. Inspired by magicians from Spain and Argentina, we have members of the audience on stage the entire show. They make the magic happen as much as I do. We’re giving up a lot of control and a lot of certainty. It also means each show will be different and anything can happen. 
    Read more.
    
    
  • From the June 18th post "Toronto Fringe Festival 2026" by YoungW:
    We’re interested in building work that crosses boundaries: theatre, mystery, storytelling, magic, literature, and old-fashioned showmanship. We want to make live events that feel rare – the kind of thing you had to be there for.
    Read more.
    
    
  • And our interview with James  
  
  

 

• Keith Brown's 110% Wizard  
  •  From the May 18th article "Review: HIGHER THAN RAINBOWS, 110% WIZARD, and YOUNGER US at The Orlando Fringe Festival" by Benoit Teves at Broadway World:
    Fortunately, the cruise ship staff gathered enough miscellaneous items for Brown to cobble together a performance of basic yet dazzling illusions, a few of which still grace the Orlando stage this go-round.
    Read more.
    
    
  • From the May 13th article "Orlando Fringe 2026 review: ‘110% Wizard’" by Seth Kubersky at Orlando Weekly:
    If you have any doubts that Orlando Fringe changes lives, look no further than illusionist Keith Brown. A fixture of the Festival for over a decade, Brown landed an agent as a result of his 2024 show here, and is now an in-demand guest artist aboard Norwegian and Virgin cruise ships. 
    Read more.
    
    
  • From the May 15th article "2026 Orlando Fringe Review: 110% Wizard" by Jimbo Wood at Orlando Shine:
    Brown, a familiar face to Orlando Fringe audiences and a three-time Critic’s Choice winner for Best Magic Show, returns with what he jokingly describes as the “same wizard, now 10% better.” The framing device for this year’s show centers around a cruise ship residency thrown into chaos after an airline loses the costumes and props intended for the run.
    Read more.
    
    
    
  • And our interview with Keith  

 

For more information about the Toronto Fringe, visit FringeToronto.com

 

  Tickets:   

• James Alan's Mysteries and Lies:  
  https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/mysteries-and-lies
  
  
• Keith Brown's 110% Wizard:
  https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/110-wizard

 

 

 

 

 

Checking in with Keith Brown's show 110% Wizard at The Toronto Fringe

The Toronto Fringe (June 30 - July 12) is fast approaching!  

Keith Brown kindly agreed to answer some of our questions ahead of his upcoming show 110% Wizard at The Toronto Fringe.

 

 

  

 

What is your first memory of magic?

My first memory of magic is probably David Blaine's first special. I was 6 years old when it came out. It inspired my brother and me to learn tricks. I can vividly remember my brother making a card appear on the other side of a window in our front room. Not only did I want to know, I needed to know.

 

 

How long have you been performing professionally?

When I was 13, I was offered money to perform in a bar, and I never looked back. 

 

 

Why is now the right time for you to be at the Fringe?

I am working on a new show that's more storytelling based. I focus on my recent experience as a cruise ship magician. I am breaking in new material as well as some very old material. It's interesting to me to revisit a piece that I haven't touched in a decade and breathe new life into it.

I normally compare the fringe circuit to building a house. First you need to lay the foundation, which is what I did in Orlando. We learnt a lot in the first run and now have the opportunity to make bigger changes. We will build the house up and refine the insides all summer. 

 

 

How, if at all, does this show differ from your previous shows?

This show is more story based. In the past, I would be doing a magic show and then it would be story time. The story almost always leads into a trick and then I go back to doing magic. This show is more thematic, has a through line and more stories woven into the show from start to finish. It feels better crafted than some of my previous shows.



 

 

When did you start writing and preparing for this show?

In January I worked my first ever cruise contract. I wanted to use my time on the ship to develop a new show, but I didn't really have the opportunity given the circumstances. Fringe snuck up on me. They say to write about what you know, so I wrote about my experiences working the ships.

It's always scary putting new material in front of an audience, whether it's a trick or a story. You never know how they're going to respond to it, or if it's any good until you put it in front of people. After performing it in Orlando, the stories really resonated with the audience. It's also very rewarding to discover the moments when presenting it for the first time. I have a pretty good road map of how to get from A to B, but I never truly know what moments and opportunities the audience will serve me during a performance. It's my job to listen and respond accordingly. It's their input that always makes the show better than what I could have made by myself.
 



 

Will you tease an effect or two for us?

The first card trick in the show is something I am revisiting after 8+ years. When I first started performing it, many magicians came up to me after the show and told me it fooled them. I never considered it a "magician fooler" per se, but I realized it's because they think it's a trick they've seen before until it isn't. 

 

 

 

 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Canada’s Magic?

For the last year and half, I have been working with Brendan Hong to design my very own deck of playing cards. The first run was printed with Shuffled Ink and I got my hands on them in May. For now, the cards are available exclusively at my shows. I am super proud of the cards and it's a really great feeling to be able to perform with them every night. 



 

Thank you Keith, for making the time to answer our questions!
 

For more information about the Toronto Fringe, visit FringeToronto.com

 

  110% Wizard  

• Tickets:  
  https://fringetoronto.com/fringe/show/110-wizard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edmonton: Edmonton International StreetFest 2026 [Jul 3 - 14]

For more information visit https://edmontonstreetfest.com/ 

 

Magic acts include Ron Pearson and Jay Flair.

 

Found at the June 23 Instagram post by Edmonton Street Fest. 

 

 

 

Calgary: Wit and Wizardry [Jun 26]

For tickets and more information visit MagicTickets.ca/manager/events/wit-and-wizardry 

 

Found at the June 23 Instagram post by Ryan Pilling. 

 

 

 

 

 

Montreal: Alain Choquette [Nov 27]

For tickets and more information visit TicketPro.ca

 

From the June 12th Facebook post by Billets.ca:

Alain Choquette in Montreal!
Don't miss his show on November 27, 2026 at Salle Pierre-Mercure! 

Read more. 

  

Found at the June 16th Facebook post by Alain Choquette. 

Windsor: Capitaine Loran at the Fête nationale du Québec Windsor [Jun 24]

For more information about Fête nationale du Québec Windsor visit val-ouest.com/fete-nationale-du-quebec-windsor-la-celebre/

For more information about Capitaine Loran, visit CapitaineLoran.com 

 

 

From the June 19th Facebook post by Loran: 

Captain Loran will dock his ship in Windsor on June 24th in celebration of the National Quebec Day.  It's a date at 5pm for his stage show "A Pirate Like No Other!"

Read more. 

 

Previously shared on Facebook June 19. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Videos of John Giordmaine thanks to our friends at Magicana!

New videos of John Giordmaine are now available to watch thanks to our friends at Magicana!  With thanks to James Alan for letting us know.

 

From the June 17th post "John Giordmaine - Cardistry Before There Was Cardistry" at Magicana:

This footage was captured and edited by Sid Lorraine in 1931 in Lima, OH, courtsey of the David Ben Collection 

John Giordmaine was a prominent Toronto magician. He was celebrated as a family entertainer but probably best known for his decades-long work demonstrating magic in the toy department of Eaton’s. 

Read more and watch video. 

 

 

From the June 17th post "John Giordmaine - Chicago 1940" at Magicana:

This clip was recorded at the SAM Conference in Chicago in 1940.

The performer who appears beforehand for just a brief few frames is Al Baker performing his celebrated “Cake in the Hat”.  

Read more and watch video.