Brantford: Caring Entertainers Conference

Saturday, September 15th

From the Caring Entertainers Facebook page:

This year’s conference features a little something for everyone - volunteers, faith community, health care professionals, teachers, therapist or anyone trying to connect in their community.

Therapeutic humour is not only an important part of the healing process, it is also one of the most important prevention strategies going!. The calibre of our presenters this year is quite amazing.

Early bird registrations available until September 1, at the discounted price of

$ 40.00 (plus a bonus gift for the first 50 registrants).

Read more.
 

[h/t: Deborah Fallick]

Toronto: Fifth helping of "A Slice of Magic"

From Facebook:

Monday, 24 September 2012


We Sold out 4 times before and there is sooo much demand that we are doing it again! With all new performers for you to enjoy, and experience different styles and genres of stand-up style magic.


Myself (Chris Westfall) as you host for the evening with the comedy magic of Chris westfall.


James Harrison is a stand up magician and comedy pick pocket for your entertainment pleasures, check out him and his victim for the evening.  

The magic of Ryan Brown is new to my line of performers and im very excited to debut him on this show, very theatrical magic to music that has one him the "BEST MAGICIAN IN THE GTA" competition so come see why he is considered the best of his genre..... ITS AMAZING!    

Read more.

For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.pickanycard.com



[h/t: Deborah Fallick]

Toronto: Al Grose coin seminar

From the Browser's Den Facebook group:

Sunday, October 28
At Browser’s Den of Magic

Dear Fellow Magicians,

We are very pleased to offer you a FREE SEMINAR on coin magic by Al Grose.

Al Grose has won close up competition awards from the International Battle of Magicians (Canton OH), Columbus Magi-Fest (Columbus OH), and the Canadian Association of Magicians (Kitchener ON).

When Al isn't performing or practicing magic, Al is a police officer and has been so for almost twenty three years.

Read more.

Festival de magie de Québec

From FestivaldeMagie.ca:

Du 30 août au 3 septembre prochains, le Festival de magie de Québec promet encore d'enchanter dans le Nouvo St-Roch, avec une programmation réunissant une vingtaine d'artistes, dont dix nouveaux invités, tout en réservant bien des primeurs, dont un gala avec plusieurs magiciens sur scène et deux concours, l'un pour les jeunes apprentis-magiciens et l'autre pour le grand public, soit La grande prédiction. Ainsi, durant ces cinq jours, c'est tout le quartier qui s'animera avec plus d'une quarantaine de spectacles et d'ateliers de magie et de micro-magie, en plus de deux spectacles en salle. C'est un événement attendu qui générera des retombées importantes pour le Nouvo St-Roch et le secteur touristique de Québec.


Read more.
 

 Les magiciens:

• Luc Langevin
• Nicolas Gignac
• Pierre Hamon
• Carol Rondeau
• Jack
• Michel Huot
• Ekaterina D
• Jules Caron
• Danys Hamel
• Richard Tremblay
• Jean Deshaies
• Jean-Pierre du Sault
• Three of Spades
• Marc et Pierre Luc
• Jacques Picard
• Simon Bernard
• Martin Tremblay
• Billy and Manu
• Piere-Alain B. et
• Pierre-Antoine Drouin and Anthony Bernard who won the youth contenst on August 12th!

Do you remember last year's creative advertising billboard for the event?


Have a look at this year's!  Good fun!

Niagara-on-the-Lake: Ragtime

From Sharing Wonder:

David [Ben] had a first-hand glimpse during pre-produciton as he was retained to coach Kelly Wong, the actor who plays “Houdini”, prepare for the role. Jackie Maxwell, director of Ragtime, expanded Houdini’s role for this particular production, and it pays off in spades.


Read more.
 

Ragtime is part of the Shaw Festival and runs from April 10 – October 14.

Guy Camirand update

An update from Evelyn at Perfect Magic's Facebook Page:

You can't keep a good man down! Was it last week or the week before that Guy Camirand had his triple by-pass surgery? Although we did not speak to Guy, we did get an eMail and he is doing fine. He is still in the hospital and did a 15 minute Magic Show for the nurses.

Thank for the update Evelyn!


Take good care of yourself Guy!

Toronto: Browser's Den hosts self-working card seminar

From The Browser's Den:

Sunday, September 23

CHRIS MAYHEW, SHANE COBALT, BEN TRAIN, SHELDON JAFINE, STEPHEN KIRKEGAARD, JAMES FULFORD, JOHN TALBOT & MORE!!

Dear Magic Friend,

We hope that you will join us on that day to learn some truly Self- Working (Easy) but crazy good card tricks with an ordinary deck of cards.

There is no charge for this seminar.

Read more.
 

Wow! This look like something even I could manage!

Toronto: Ryan Joyce at CPAC

Ryan Joyce will be performing at the Chinese Professionals Association of Canada's anniversary dinner on September 28th.

Ray Chance on the Coca-Cola Happiness Plane

Watch Ray Chance share his magic with passengers on Porter Airlines.

Ellusionist interviews Shawn Farquhar at sea

Watch Shawn Farquhar answer questions asked by Ellusionist forum director Adam Wilber.  In it, Shawn answers questions about creativity, how he keeps his chops fresh and exactly what made him decide to go on "Penn & Teller: Fool Us."





[h/t: iTricks]

Perfect Magic's 100th post and Bobo's Canadian connection

Congratulations Evelyn Matlin on her 100th post, over at the Perfect Magic blog.


Did you know Bobo has a Canadian connection?   I didn't.


Go read about it in her post, "What does the name J.B. Bobo mean to you?"

Toronto: David Stone lecture

From Morrissey Magic:

Saturday, September 8th


David Stone is one of the brightest rising stars in magic today, having collected an impressive number of prizes and awards from top competitions. David won the 3rd prize for Micro-Magic at FISM in Stockholm, Sweden in 2006 and was voted in April 2008 the TMW Award for Best Magician. In 2010 the FFFF convention voted David to be Guest of Honor for FFFF in 2012.


Read more.

Canadian card magicians

I received the following e-mail from reader Pepe F:

I'm doing a researching about card magic that involves the evolution and history of card magic in Canada. I'm looking for information about canadian magicians that were / are importants for the card magic worldwide.

The magicians that i'm looking information are: 

Roy Cottee

P. Howard Lyons

Ron Scharf

Mel Stover

Cliff Green

Sid Lorraine 

And any other canadian magicians that are influenced in evolution of card magic. I'm interested in other people, perhaps i don't know.

If you have information about Canadian card magicians you'd to share with Pepe (and us!) please leave a comment, e-mail me or e-mail Pepe directly at "josfemo at gmail dot com" (without the quotes).


Also from Pepe:

Last december, i started a social web related with magic, it's called magicsocial and is like facebook but for magicians, registrations are free, people can share magic videos, photos, or experiences. Is in spanish and english language. You can register and see.

http://www.magicsocial.org

Toronto: There's magic at The Ex!

There's magic at the CNE again this year!

At The Farm, Daniel Steep's is back with , Agri-Magic, an interactive magic show that educates audiences about Canadian Farming.

Majinx is back at Kids' World with Professor Wick's School of Magic and Illusion.

And Ted Outerbridge is at the Variety Stage; just west of Food Building.

This year the Ex runs from August 17th to September 3rd, 2012.  Please check the CNE's website for dates and showtimes.

Shawn Farquhar: The Magic Café Forum special guest of honor

From August 19th through the 25th, Shawn Farquhar will be the special guest of honor at the Magic Café!

The fashion of magic

From The Toronto Standard:

This week photographer Sarah Blais literally stepped on a stage to find out what was up the sleeves of Toronto’s Magicians. From mentalist to escape artist, they all bring their own style to their performance - in this weeks edition of The Uniform Project.

Read more (and see great photos!) of Magic Mike, Bobby Motta  and  Scott Hammell!

Lies, Damn Lies and More Media Coverage

From Mooney on Theatre:

Lies, Damn Lies & Magic Tricks is James Alan’s intimate magic show. It doesn’t make you smarter or share the secret to making money without working.

The show is a magic act, not a play. It is very engaging and entertaining. An hour will fly by before you know it.

Read more.

From Open 'Til Midnight:

During the course of his performance, Alan never loses sight of the notion that magic requires a sort of social contract between prestidigitator and audience member.  I, as the observer, must agree to believe him, even if I know that he doesn’t play fair; he, in turn, makes magic happen that evokes wonder and, ultimately, turns any conclusions I might draw on their heads by the very end.  What we believe and what we refuse to believe is toyed with and pushed to its limits by one feat after another.

Read more.

Amber Waves has also posted a short clip of the show on YouTube:

For show and ticket information, visit the Abracadabaret website.

Ottawa: SuperEx bringing Midway Magic to south Ottawa

From Ottawa East EMC:

Popular hypnotist Fernandez is the star, and will offer his "hypnotic comedy" at 4 and 8 p.m. each day on weekends. Ottawa magician Ian Quick will also offer two shows each day on the weekend, which are "filled with laughs, thrills and jaw-dropping effects," according to the Midway Magic press release.

But it's Quick's understudy, 14-year-old Gabe Roberge, that visitors should watch for.

The young Sandy Hill magician will perform twice a day on weekends at the biggest gig of his short career.

Read more.

David Acer interviewed by Chris Beason

Almost finished the internet? @penguinmagic blogger Chris Beason interviewed me about stuff (and things) here: tinyurl.com/cv46wkx
— David Acer (@David_Acer) August 14, 2012

From Chris Beason's interview of  David Acer over at Penguin Magic:

I only remember a few acts from the first convention that I ever attended. I remember a few really bad acts (you know who you are!) and I remember seeing the funniest act of my life…

…and that hilarious act was David Acer. His performance was equal parts wit, skill and expertly performed magic. Since then, I’ve bought every book, trick and DVD that he’s come out with and used several of his effects in my act. To say that I’m a fan would be an understatement, so I thought it’s about time that I asked him some questions.

Read more.

Toronto: Browser's Den auction

From The Browser's Den of Magic:

MAGIC AUCTION!!
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
At ‘Browser’s Den of Magic’
Cost to Attend: Free!

Read more.

Nico Moretti and Johnny Bryson: OSMAP

From Metro News:

“It beats working in an office,” said Nico Moretti, 22, of London. “I spend the day sitting outside and grilling with my buddy.”

Moretti and Johnny Bryson, 22, also from London, opened their pop-up grilled cheese stand at Dundas and Talbot streets in June. 

With Moretti’s background in business and Bryson’s in hospitality, the business team is a match made in heaven. One cooks while the other keeps customers busy, doing magic tricks and telling jokes while they wait.

Read more.

 I've been told that Nico and Johnny are Sorcerers Safari magic camp alumni.  Very clever idea!

Jay Sankey at The Session

Jay Sankey will be appearing at The Session, the UK's only close-up magic convention, in January 2013.  At that time, Jay will receive their Lifetime Achievement Award!

Congratulations Jay!

The secret to Sorcerers Safari's success

Almost sixteen years ago, armed only with the idea of making magic more accessible to kids who want to learn magic, "Magic Mike" Segal opened the doors to Sorcerers Safari magic camp.  Flash forward to 2011 to see how far Segal's magic camp has come from its humble beginnings.  Sorcerers Safari is Canada's only sleep away magic camp, hosting up to 150 campers a year.

What is the secret to this Canadian magic camp success story?  I spent 24 hours at camp in August 2011 and here's what I discovered.

Video of 1987 Dai Vernon roast

From The Magic Newswire:

Thanks to Michael Ammar for sharing this video from the 1987 roast of Dai Vernon at the New York Magic Symposium.. According to Michael :

If you are a magician or if you love magic this is a real treat.  This is the only known footage from the roast of Dai Vernon, the Professor, in 1987 at the New York Magic Symposium.  Tom Mullica is the MC and everyone who speaks is renowned in the world of magic. 

Read more.

Watch the video on YouTube:

Summerworks review of Lies, Damn Lies and Magic Tricks

From Now Toronto:

Affable magician James Alan presents an hour-long show that toys with the theme of art and reality. A comical opening bit grabs attention, and tricks flow together well.

Read more.

Tony Eng Memorial Peoples Choice Award

From The Daily Deception:

The very first Tony Eng Memorial Peoples Choice Award was given out at this years PCAM 2012, and will continue to be given out each PCAM to follow. This award is voted on by the people and features the 1st place winners of the competitions from the convention.

Read more.

Watch the award presentation:

[h/t: @james_alan]

The magic life

From The Magic Newswire:

I love Magic Documentaries. I know.  I'm a magic Nerd. That's ok, because some of my magic friends are involved in a project that I want to bring to your attention.

The Magic Life is a film by Nelson Chang featuring Juliana Chen, Jonathan Levit and Richard Turner.

Read more.

From The Magic Life Film:

An Inside Look at a Very Different Career Path

Three aspiring individuals try to turn their passion into a career. Can they pull off the biggest trick of their lives and become working magicians?

Read more.

Watch the trailer:

The Magic Life - Documentary Trailer from Nelson Cheng on Vimeo.

Mark Beltran living his dream

From ABS-CBN News:

A young Filipino-Canadian is living his dream of doing magic in the streets.

Mark Beltran has been interested in magic since he was a kid. But it was a backpacking trip to Australia where he watched an amazing magic show on the street that did the trick.


Read more.

US politics on this blog?

From The Globe and Mail:

As a teenager growing up in Toronto, Dan Senor used to perform as a magician to earn money. These days, he is attempting a different kind of feat – getting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney elected.

Read more.

A little bit about Edwin Empinado

From Sun Star:

LONG before he became a nurse and a councilor of the municipality of Kitimat in British Columbia in Canada, Edwin Empinado was a magician. He lugged a suitcase that contained the secrets to the vanishing coin, the chick in a hat and other tricks that teased the mind and pleased the eyes.

Read more.

Shawn Farquhar: International Vice-President

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Proud to announce I have been elected the International Vice-President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. The biggest and best magic organization in the world...

Congratulations Shawn!

Wishing Guy Camirand a speedy recovery

Edited on August 28 to include this update from Evelyn at Perfect Magic's Facebook Page:

You can't keep a good man down! Was it last week or the week before that Guy Camirand had his triple by-pass surgery? Although we did not speak to Guy, we did get an eMail and he is doing fine. He is still in the hospital and did a 15 minute Magic Show for the nurses.

According to Evelyn Matlin over at Pefect Magic, Guy Camirand is in a Quebec hospital waiting for triple by-pass surgery.  According to Evelyn, "He’s in good spirits and is being well taken care of."

Read more about Guy's experience at a walk-in-clinic over at Perfect Magic's blog.

Join us in wishing Guy a speedy recovery.

James Biss interviewed by Larry Smith

Watch James Biss be interviewed on Larry Smith's imaginary talk show at the Hamilton Fringe:

We're at the fringe talk show hosted by Larry Smith. @jamesbiss and I are up for a "Larry" Award. Hope we win :)
— James Alan (@james_alan) July 29, 2012

We won a "Larry" award! twitter.com/james_alan/sta…
— James Alan (@james_alan) July 29, 2012

James (and James) just completed the run of "Lies, Damn Lies and Magic Tricks" at the Hamilton Fringe and will be bringing his show to Toronto's Summerworks Festival this month.  For show and ticket information, visit the Abracadabaret website.

Toronto: Rob'd Illusions

From Ticketbud:

Rob'd Illusions LIVE SHOW!
August 23, 2012

Read more.