Jay Sankey: April 1 live party on the new Bending the Real channel

From JaySankey.com:

Starting at 9:00PM EST on Friday April 1 I’m hosting a live party on the new Bending the Real channel on YouTube. This is where we are going to host the $5K ‘Bending the Real Competition’ and we thought we’d start things off with a couple of exclusive videos from the ‘Bending the Real’ project. I’m also going to be giving away 12 FREE ‘Bending the Real’ DVDs and hanging out on the channel to answer questions and share bending tips.

Subscribe to the Bending the Real channel on You Tube to find out more!

Calgary: Card Magic Essentials with Brent Smith

From The Vanishing Rabbit:

When:  3 Saturday Nights - April 2, April 9th, April 16th
Time: 7-9pm
Where: The Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop

Join Award Winning Magician BRENT SMITH for 3 Nights of Essential Card Magic Sleights. Learning card magic is like building a house. Everything starts with a strong foundation of basic building blocks. These won't we your Grampa's Card Tricks.

This 3 night course will start you at the beginning of card magic and take you to a working professional level.

Learn the core skills (the ones that get used over and over again in thousands of tricks) from a well trained Award winning Magician

For more information, contact The Vanishing Rabbit.

[h/t: Gwyn Auger]

Toronto: Ghost Stories at the Panasonic Theatre.

From the Ghost Stories website:

After breaking all box-office records on its opening at Liverpool Playhouse and the Lyric Hammersmith, Ghost Stories burst onto the West End in June 2010 & has been playing to packed houses ever since. Now it makes its North American premiere - with an all-Canadian cast - at the Panasonic Theatre.

Be prepared for 80 minutes of thrills, laughs and scares that you will never forget!
The totally unique West End show comes from the truly talented and dark minds of The League of Gentlemen's master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown's television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance.

Visit the Ghost Stories website if you're brave enough to want more information.

[h/t: @SorcerersSafari]

Edmonton: Sheldon Casavant speaking at LogiCON

From the LogiCON website:

LogiCON is a daylong event bringing members of the scientific and skeptic communities together with the general public to celebrate logic, critical thinking and the scientific method. LogiCON is for everyone: there will be talks from a variety of speakers for both the longtime science enthusiast and the curious beginner alike.

Sheldon Casavant will be speaking about magic and deception.

Visit the LogiCON website for more information.

[h/t: @Sheldon Casavant]

Toronto: Ben Train is special guest at Browser's Den magic club

From The Browser's Den:

This Saturday, April 2 at 'Browser's Den' we have our monthly Magic Club Meeting. The club meets at 2:00pm until about 4:00pm.  

We are very plesed that our SPECIAL GUEST at the club will be BEN TRAIN. All who are interested in improving their magic may attend for FREE.

If this interests you, please confirm details directly with the Browser's Den of Magic.

Rounding the Western rings in April

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)	- Works In Progress - mini-workshop on balloon twisting - Jr. Magic Club - Garden Variety Show
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	- Abra-kid-abra
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- Family Day of Magic
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- Chad Long lecture - Executive Meeting - Gimmicked Card Night - Charles Howard Trophy competition
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- Annual General Meeting

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

Rounding the Ontario rings in April

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

Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- Competition Night
London, ON	London Magician's Guild	- TBD
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- Annual 4F lecturer, TBD
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- Pot-luck Banquet Party - Executive Nominations
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- shop visit: The Browser's Den
Woodstock, ON	CAM 1 (Friendly City Mystics)	- 4F lecturer, TBD

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

Toronto: Luminato Announces 2011 Magic Programs

From the Luminato website:

Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity, today announced the Festival’s 2011 Magic programs. The fifth anniversary edition of Luminato introduces two original magic shows and features world premieres, vaudeville nostalgia, and the interactive, improvisational style of modern magic.

 
About the shows:

Natural Magick: A 90-minute show written by David Ben and Patrick Watson, with music by John Lang.  Ben recreates magic from the repertoire of the world’s master magicians, revisiting feats of wonder in the context of “scenes” realized through the prism of projected imagery and John Lang’s playful score.

Vodavil:  Featuring some of the world’s most gifted variety artists, including comedian-magician Mike Caveney, mime and magician Tina Lenert, physical illusionist Ardan James, magicians and parodists The Great Tomsoni and Company, and Gaetan Bloom, a master of the absurd.

Eric Mead - Toast of the Town: Showcasing Eric and the art of improv 'bar magic.'

From the Sharing Wonder website:

Tickets will go on sale in mid-April. We will be giving an advance purchase option to subscribers, so make sure that you join the Magicana eList to receive word.

Visit the Magicana website for more information.

Jay Sankey: Interviewed by Dodd Vickers

Dodd Vickers' interview with Jay Sankey was posted on The Magic Newswire today.  From MNW #311:

Among many other topics, we discuss the impending release of his latest project Bending the Real. [snip]

Jay describes 'Bending the Real' as an inspired collection of low sleight deceptions, each designed to mess with human minds from a different sensory or rational angle. Stay tuned to the very end of the broadcast to find out how you can get a FREE copy of Bending the Real!

Click on over to The Magic Newswire and listen to the podcast!

You can also follow @jay_sankey on Twitter as he launches 'Bending the Real' April 1st.

Edmonton: Jeff McBride Super Session SOLD OUT

[Edited May 17th to add: More tickets available, visit the Facebook page: Jeff McBride Super Session for more information.]

Jeff McBride is coming to Edmonton and will be offering his new-format workshop: "The Jeff McBride Super Session".

WHEN: Wednesday, June 1, 2011
WHERE: Kent Wong's Studio of Magic

4 HOURS OF HANDS ON MAGICAL TRAINING! The Jeff McBride Super Session is a unique teaching format that allows all students of magic, regardless of age or skill level, to improve their abilities, develop their character, and learn the inside secrets of the business of magic.

According to the Facebook page, the event sold out fast! 

[h/t: Sheldon Casavant]

Aaron Jones: Pray For Japan

Canadian Aaron Jones (currently living in Japan) has posted photos and video from the Shikoku Magic Friends Club's annual show, which was also a fundraiser for the victims of the quake and tsunami that hit Japan earlier this month.



It looked like an entertaining evening! Thank you Aaron for sharing this with us.

Ways in which Canadians can help the relief efforts overseas can be found in this Toronto Star article.

Links for 25-Mar-2011

• Reminder:  Abracadabaret Friday, March 25 at Chalkers with James Alan, Alex Kazam and Jason Palter
     
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube:
  77. Caribbean Water Card Trick - Day 77 of 365
  78. Torn and Restored Rubber Band - Day 78 of 365
  79. Salt and Pepper Trick - Day 79 of 365
  80. Catching a Bubble - DAY 80 of 365
  81. Close-up illusion - DAY 81 of 365

Ontario: Ryan Joyce

I first had the pleasure of seeing Ryan perform in 2001 at the CAM Stage Competition where he earned himself a silver medal. Ryan's shows have raised over 2 million dollars for various charities nationwide.  Have a peek at his promo reel below, to see him in action.




Ryan's currently touring Ontario.  You can catch him TONIGHT (March 24) in Kitchener and TOMORROW night (March 25) in Niagara Falls / Welland. Both shows will be presented in support of The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada. He also has dates in Oshawa, Georgetown, Owen Sound and Sutton.

Visit his website to purchase tickets or for more details about show times and locations.

Toronto: Piff Paff Poof run extended!

From Sharing Wonder:

We are delighted to announce that our family-friendly magic show, Piff Paff Poof, has been held over at the Lower Ossington Theatre for all weekends in April. Show dates and tickets are now available here.

Read Inside Toronto's write up about Julie and the show.

All-New Jay Sankey Drinking Game

See the new Jay Sankey Drinking Game as demonstrated by Lee Asher!



[h/t: @SorcerersSafari]

Review: The Shadow Cutter

From the Ottawa Citizen:

We see Vernon hungering to learn an elusive sleight of hand known as the centre deal. And we watch as, uninterested in earning money by performing his tricks publicly, he pieces together a living as a shadow cutter, someone paid to cut silhouettes of people from black paper, once a popular art form.

Vernon's life, in other words, was consumed by a deck of cards, something so small you can put it in your pocket but with a reach so vast it can devour those who fall in love with it.

Read more...

Visit Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company website to purchase tickets or for more information.

Greg Frewin's take on a Charlie Sheen Tiger Blood transfusion

A GregFrewinTheatre.com production.
 


[h/t: Owen Anderson]

Japan

Canadian Aaron Jones (currently living in Japan) is featured on a Magic Newswire podcast discussing this week's tragic events.  Aaron has also been blogging about events in Japan as they transpire.  Additionally, within the Japanese magic community there are fundraisers being announced such as the Shikoku Public Magic show and lecture note sales.  I'm sure there will be many more to follow.

Locally, Shawn Farquhar mentioned on Facebook that a fundraiser for Japan Relief (Red Cross) in BC is still looking for acts. 

Other ways in which Canadians can help the relief efforts overseas can be found in this Toronto Star article.

Links for 2011-Mar-18

• Apply for a scholarship for Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp from the Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund
   
•  BrowsersDen.ca link round up:
  - Ellusionist and Theory 11 items for sale
  - Aaron Fisher on Sunday, March 20
  - Roy Kueppers on  March 27
  - Auction on April 10
   
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube:
  69. Impaled Card Trick - Day 69 of 365
  70. The Flying Subway Wrapper - Day 70 of 365
  71. The Deck Vanish - Day 71 of 365
  72. The Teleporting Match - Day 72 of 365
  73. Livestrong In Dominican - Day 73 of 365
  74. Self Opening Cigarette Pack - DAY 74 of 365
  75. Taking Off Your Finger - Day 75 of 365
  76. The Hovering Pour - Day 76 of 365  

Happy 14th birthday CAM!

The Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM) was founded on March 15, 1997 by Joan Caesar.  The creation of CAM as our national magic representative allowed us to apply for membership to FISM.  In the year 2000, CAM was accepted as a FISM member and Canadian magicians could, for the first time compete under the Canadian banner at FISM's World Championship of Magic.

CAM also hosts CAMaraderie, a now yearly national magic convention.  This year's CAMaraderie will run from July 28th to 31st in Vancouver, BC and will be held in conjuntion with the annual convention of the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM) under the guidance of the Vancouver Magic Circle (Ring 92).

Thank you Joan, for creating this wonderful national association 14 years ago!

For more information about the organization please visit the CAM website or the CAM Wikipedia entry.  Please visit magicianconvention.com for details about the joint CAM/P-CAM convention.

Links for 2011-Mar-11

• Caleb Wiles blogs about his lectures in:
  - Toronto (mentions of Ben Train, Simon Lovell,  Greg Frewin, Lee Asher, David Acer, Jay Sankey,  and videos of Jeff Hinchliffe, Chris Westfall, Glenn West and Mahdi Gilbert)
  - Ottawa (video with Eric Leclerc and Ben Train)
  - Montreal (mentions of  Derrick Chung, Grant McSorley, Yves Tourigny, Ekaterina)
  - New York (video of Ben Train)
   
• Piff Paff Poof!
  - reviews
  - another contest to win tickets and prize pack
  - ticket deals
   
• Rocky the tiger takes a well deserved snack break during his visit with Greg Frewin on Real Life! [h/t: @LeeAsherMagic]
   
• @magicassistant raising money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters
   
• The Flight of Time by David Ben
       
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube:
  62. Beginner Lego Magic Trick - Day 62 of 365
  63. The Charlie Sheen Magic Trick - Day 63 of 365
  64. Julie the Magnificent - Day 64 of 365
  65. This one time... at Magic Camp... - 65 of 365
  66. Pizza Man Mentalism - DAY 66 of 365
  67. Magic Trick While Getting Chest Waxed - DAY 67 of 365
  68. 4 Phase Colour Change - Day 68 of 365

Book launch: "The Lives of a Showman"

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending a book launch party for “The Lives of a Showman” by Mark Lewis. (I live tweeted the event with the tag #TLOAS though I missed tagging a few tweets here and there.)

Upon entering Browser’s Den of Magic, I was instructed to direct my attention upward. Hanging from the ceiling were more than a dozen cheerful Lee Asher sign creations containing “Markisms” such as “If they were all the nine of hearts it would look like this” and “You're quite slow, do you work for the post office?” The mood was set!

It was clear that Mark has a tremendous amount of support in the local magic community! I found myself shoulder-to-shoulder with Jeff Pinsky, Jeff Hinchliffe, Ariel Fralich, Mia Ngueyn and Adam Harmes who had all made contributions to, or were mentioned in, the book. Other notables present include*: Gordon Precious, Owen Anderson, Paul Pacific, Chris Westfall, John Pellatt, Richard Lyn, John Michalson, Shawna Ross-York, Dan McLean, Steve Shrott, Joe Schwarcz and young Daniel (one of Mark’s students).

While reading from his book, we were regaled with stories of Mark’s experiences with The Worst Audience Ever at The Blue Angel and his early days of (not so) psychic readings in Ireland with Adam Harmes. Mark also read a piece written about him by Mai Nguyen, winner of the Jerry Gladman Memorial Scholarship in Journalism.

To round out the evening we were treated to James Alan’s rendition of Mark’s “Pig Trick” and then we all laughed ourselves silly through Jeff Hinchliffe’s impersonation of Mark doing his Svengali deck hustle.

It is always a delightful experience to hear an author read his own words. If the rest of the book is even half as entertaining as the launch party, it should be a good read indeed!

To purchase “The Lives of a Showman” visit Mark's website, Browser’s Den of Magic or contact your local magic dealer.


--
* If I’ve missed listing anyone who was there please send me an e-mail or leave a comment below! Thank you to John Pellatt, Ariel Fralich and James Alan for providing attendee intel on the parts of the room I didn’t make it to.

Edmonton: Abra-Kid-Abra

From Sahida [pdf]:

Family Magic Show: ABRA-KID-ABRA -- DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?

Then don’t miss Abra-Kid-Abra on Saturday, April 2nd 2011. The  Edmonton Magic Club and Al Shamal Shrine Clowns are proud to present a magic extravaganza for the senses. Two hours of incredible magic! From close up magicians to strolling performers and balloon twisters, the magic will overwhelm you from the moment you walk in the door. Then the curtains open with a full stage show featuring some of the best magicians Edmonton has to offer. We’re even going to take a boy or girl from the audience ... and make him or her float in the air. That’s right, FLOAT!

If you enjoy magic – if you enjoy being amazed – if you enjoy laughing and having fun, you need to be at Abra-Kid-Abra! This is a show for all age groups, grand parents to grand children. Tickets are limited, so get yours today! Tickets will be available shortly through unit heads and the Shrine Office.

[h/t: Gwyn Auger]

Ottawa: The Shadow Cutter

"The Shadow Cutter"  is a play about Dai Vernon staged in his city of birth, by Ottawa's Great Canadian Theatre Company.
From their website:

Step into the seductive world of magic, where secrets are currency and illusion rules supreme. In The Shadow Cutter, two actors take us on a dramatic journey through the remarkable life of Dai Vernon, the Ottawa-born magician who earned his international reputation as the only man ever to fool Houdini. Pierre Brault’s newest play conjures up Dai’s lifelong, obsessive quest for the ultimate card trick, and the unexpected cost of mastering it.

Visit their website to purchase tickets or for more information.


[h/t: The Magic Newswire]

Calgary: A Brush With Death

"A Brush With Death" is Calgary’s first nightclub magic act exclusively for adults.  Self-described as "an intimage evening of morbid comedy and macabre magic" it is hosted by Yeats Wong, features Curtis Brown (The Rolling Magician), headlines Brent Smith and has a special appearance by Gwyn Auger.

Visit BrushWithDeath.ca for more information or to purchase tickets.

Links for 2011-Mar-4

• Andrew Musgrave names Jay Sankey as Favourite Creator
• Piff Paff Poof Theatre Contest
  (Enter for your chance to WIN one of three prize packs for the March 17th show).
   
• Lecleric Show episodes on YouTube:
  55.  Girl of My Dreams - Eric Vanier (Day 55 of 365)
  56.  Cigarette Snorting - Day 56 of 365 
  57.  iPhone Magic Trick - Day 57 of 365
  58.  Live Mentalism - DAY 58 of 365
  59.  Disappearing Card Trick - Day 59 of 365
  60.  Snow Day - DAY 60 of 365
  61.  Rubik's Cube Dilema - Day 61 of 365
    

Windsor: Keith Brown and the Kama Sutra Improv fundraiser

Keith Brown will be entertaining as part of the Kama Sutra Improv dinner theatre fundraiser at Escape Cafe On The River

Keith's set will run from 5:30-6pm.

All proceeds from the show go to sending orphaned and disabled children to a school run by the Project India foundation.

Visit the Facebook page for more details.

Shawn Farquhar: Cover Boy

Shawn Farquhar is the cover boy for Issue 21 of Reelmagic Magazine.  Visit their website to view previous editions or to subscribe.

[h/t: @magiChampion]

Broken wand: Walter Earl Hopkins

Found at ConjurersCourt.ca:

HOPKINS, Walter Earl, QC – On February 22, 2011 we said goodbye to Walter Earl Hopkins (1933-2011); husband of 44 years to Dorothy (Fleming); dad to Susan and Glenn; Hoppy to friends and family; and Grandpa to Sam, Savannah and Siena. Walter practiced law for over 40 years in the Halifax area. Before completing his law degree at Dalhousie (1966) he spent 7 years in the Air Force and right into his 70's he still loved to go to the Officer's Mess on Friday evenings. Most of all he loved performing, practicing, and dreaming about magic and being a magician. His first show was as a young boy, his last as a 75 year old man. Sam (6) described his Grandpa as gone to another world like Luke Skywalker, and Savvy (4) and Siena (3) waved goodbye to him in the sky while enjoying one of his favourite things – cookies. So as a family that is how we all choose to say goodbye and remember him. Thank you to the many wonderful family and friends who have supported us through this difficult time. We will honour Walter's wishes for a small farewell with family from the home he loved very much and never really wanted to ever leave.

Visit the online guestbook at legacy.com