In memoriam 2015

Updated 2016-01 to include Paul Bradshaw.

Bradshaw, Paul ( - 2015)

Chervin, Alexander ( - 2015)

Lenz, Eric (1935 - 2015)

Silverman, Larry ( - 2015)

Ward, Joe (1932 - 2015)

Please e-mail additions or corrections to "canadasmagic at gmail dot com"

Thank you for a great 2015!

We couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you to our readers, our fans, our followers, our wonderful guest posters (The Magic Demon and Kidlet), people who have offered up prizes for contests (the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Gwyn Auger, Sheldon Casavant, Marion and Ted Outerbridge, and the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema), those who sent news our way, and last but not least, thank you to all of this year's friends (John Smithman, John Harrison, Richard Lyn, and Joan Caesar) and sponsors (be sure to support them!):

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.

Top 5 posts in December 2015

Here are the most viewed posts at Canada's Magic this month:

5. Murray's escape from being dragged behind a car -- Here's hoping 2015 didn't feel like Murray must have felt doing this.

4. Darcy Oake's TV special -- What did you think of it?

3. Toronto: Save the date for Magicana -- April 2016  is a busy month for magic in Canada.

2. Shriners' Holiday Magic Shows -- A lot of folks looked you up before going to the show!

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1.  Searching for military paramedic Nathan -- Does anyone have leads for finding Pick Pocket James' guardian angel?

Five deadly magic tricks

From Metro (Toronto):

Scott Hammell did the unthinkable. He asked someone to load a gun, point it at him and pull the trigger. He doesn’t have a death wish, he’s a magician and the subject of a new documentary, The Trick with the Gun, that details the planning and performing of the most dangerous illusion ever devised, the Bullet Catch.

Fourteen magicians have died attempting it and the most famous conjurer of all time, Houdini, never even tried it. Hammell says the trick is risky but, “there are safe ways of doing things that are seemingly extremely dangerous.”

He adds, “obviously things can go wrong and that can have a catastrophic chain reaction.”

There is always room for error and sometimes magicians get hurt or even killed on stage.

Hammell gave Metro an exclusive list of the five most dangerous — and potentially fatal — tricks ever performed on stage.

Read more.

Vancouver: Magic Dinner Show Live 2016

From Event Brite:

Fri, 22 Jan 2016

Your MC is the Award Winning Jeff Christensen. Featuring the North American FISM Champions of Stage Magic Trevor & Lorena Watters and their Comedy Magic Variety Act - Steve The Pretty Good! Pre-dinner Close-Up Magic by the Society of American Magicians #95! Fabulous 9 course Delicious Chinese Banquet Dinner!

Read more and buy tickets.

Darcy Oake at London's New Year’s Day Parade

The lucky audience in Winnipeg got to see this stunt performed!

From the Evening Standard:

Escapologist Darcy Oake is set to attempt the “pinnacle of his career” at the New Year’s Day Parade in London.

Oake, 28, will be suspended with a box locked on his head filled with water. With his hands tied and on one gulp of air he will try and pick locks to escape. 

Writing on his Facebook wall, Oake said the stunt, which he performed for the first time at the end of his 2015 tour on December 5, was "Single handedly the most dangerous thing I've ever done in my life".

Read more.

And now for something completely different

Not magic, but magical in its own way.  Sorry.

From JB's YouTube channel:

A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.


[via Shawn Farquhar]

Benevolence of Magic part 3

Dennis Schick's third annual Benevolence of Magic (in the December "Linking Ring" (v95,12)) features two Canadian projects.  From Dennis:

The first is magician Jeff Christensen from Vancouver. Each year he and his wife and daughter produce “A Magical Evening” in honor and memory of their son, Jonah, to raise money for their Celebrate the Child Foundation, which supports numerous worthy causes.


The other is John Kaplan, also from Vancouver, whose Fundraising Magic program raises money for organizations and communities across Canada.

Well done Jeff and John for your hard work to help others.

Thank you Dennis for sending this information my way!  


Previously featured "Benevolence of Magic" Canadian projects:

• Magicana: Sharing Wonder
• Mosquitoes Suck Tour
• Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp

Canadians at Magi-Fest 2016

Who'd I miss?

From the Magi-Fest website:

Magi-Fest 2016 
Jan 28 - 31 2016, Columbus, Ohio

• Shin Lim
• Eric Leclerc 

 Read more and register.

More "Tricks" to be had

From Magicana:

We've been having a wonderful week full of magic with Tricks at Soulpepper in Toronto. In fact, Sunday's matinée is now sold out.

To accommodate the demand, we've added one more performance to the schedule on Saturday, January 2 at 8:00 PM. Tickets just went on sale, so there are some excellent seats still available so you can be right up close to the action. Don't forget, we have special discounted family packs for groups of four or more (with at least one child).

Read more.

Read this review from Toronto Stage:

As a youngster, I remember my father once cautioning me to watch out for people who ask you to share a secret, used car salesmen of any kind and smooth talkers who want to show you a good card trick.

Falling into the latter category, of course, is David Ben.

That’s because he’s the kind of guy who could make a lot of money hanging out at Union Station mingling with stop over travelers with a little extra time on their side. He may not have anything up his sleeve but he’s definitely got something, somewhere.

The return of Tricks, is anti-pomp and pageantry. The stripped down production relies on basic furnishings to accomplish what great all tricksters need to put on a smoking good show.

Read more.

Watch Luc Langevin baffle Jean-Marc Généreux

A reminder of Luc's upcoming performance dates in France:

Spectacle "Créateur d'illusions" dès le 10 Février 2016 au CASINO DE PARIS
Réservez vite vos places ici : http://bit.ly/Langevin_CDP2016

Et en tournée à travers la France en Mars 2016 :
08 & 09/03/2016 : RUEIL-MALMAISON (92) Théâtre André Malraux
11/03/2016 : LYON (69) Le Radiant
12/03/2016 : MORGES (CH) Théâtre Beausobre
15/03/2016 : TOULOUSE (31) Théâtre Casino Barrière
16/03/2016 : MERIGNAC (33) Le Pin Galant
17/03/2016 : NANTES (44) Cité des Congrès
18/03/2016 : ROUBAIX (59) Le Colisée

From Luc Langevin's YouTube channel:

Anne-Lovely Etienne and Adrien Fichelle interview Luc Lanagevin

From le journal de Montréal:

Il nous fascine. À la télévision comme sur la scène, sa magie est hypnotisante.

L’illusionniste Luc Langevin, originaire de Québec, considère maintenant Montréal comme son chez soi. Il se rappelle d’ailleurs, comme si c’était hier, sa première fois dans la grande métropole lorsqu’il avait visité une boutique de magie. Il nous dévoile maintenant ses adresses chouchous de la ville.

Le restaurant favori ?

Il y en a plusieurs, mais l’un qui me vient spontanément à l’esprit est le Bistro Lustucru. Il est situé sur l’avenue du Parc. Je suis un amateur de tartares et ils en concoctent de très bons, dont les tartares au cerf ou au canard. En fait, leur spécialité est leur bar à cru. Sinon, j’aime le Geppetto, pour leurs pizzas vraiment délicieuses.

Read more (en français).

From Web Mag TV:

Luc Langevin a reçu l'equipe de WebmagTV dans son hotel pour nous parler de son univers et de ses différentes expériences. Il sera du 10 au 21 février 2016 au Casino de Paris. 

Read more and watch video (en français).

Searching for military paramedic Nathan

On August 23rd at approximately 9:30pm, "Pick Pocket" James Harrison was in a bad car accident driving northbound on the 400, just past Hwy 9.  As he swerved to avoid hitting an out of place construction pylon, his tires caught the shoulder causing his black Mazda 5 to roll over.  Twice.

James experienced the best side of humanity that day.  Several people stopped their car to offer help and make sure James was safe.  One gentleman, Nathan, is a military paramedic.  Nathan asked permission and then entered the back passenger section of the car.  He then talked James through the idea that he was going to hold his hands around James' neck to prevent possible spinal cord injuries.

Nathan kept James company, kept him calm, and kept his neck stable until the paramedics arrived.  During this time James learned that Nathan is stationed at Base Borden, effective August 24th.  From the ambulance stretcher, James had a brief moment to shake Nathan's hand and say thank you.  And then Nathan disappeared before James could get any more information about him.

We're very grateful that James only received minor injuries and is recovering well.

Nathan, if this message gets to you, please contact me or contact James directly through his website (http://www.pickpocketmagic.com/).  James would very much like to give you a proper and well deserved "thank you."

Montreal: 2017 Magic Collectors Weekend

From Magicana:

This is a preliminary announcement that we plan on staging the Magic Collectors Weekend May 25 to 27, 2017 in Montreal, Canada.

This will coincide with the opening of the major exhibition of magic posters from the Allan Slaight Collection at the McCord Museum. The exhibition, for which David Ben is the guest curator, will open that very weekend.

In addition to private tours of the exhibition, we will be working with the McCord on some additional programming and events – including some behind the scene access to elements related to the  exhibition. Given Houdini’s connection to Montreal – and, in fact, the McCord – there will certainly also be some Houdini on the bill.

Read more.

St. Catharines: Greg Frewin performing at the Niagara Falls Jr Canucks game

From the NF Jr Canucks Twitter feed:

Sunday at home vs @StCathFalcons, 2:30pm game!! @FrewinTheatre will be performing after 1st period!! pic.twitter.com/BvZLRmzjRi

— NF Jr Canucks (@NF_Canucks) December 18, 2015

The Michel Cailloux International Magic Contest for 2016

From le Festival de magie de Québec:

Magic Contest - 4000 $ in prize

Concours de magie - 4000 $ en prix

Contest

The Michel Cailloux International Magic Contest is back for a fourth edition. You have until February 19, 2016 to register.

In addition, you have the chance to win the prestigious title of 2016 Canadian Champion Magician since the contest will take place during the Canadian Convention of magic (CAMaraderie) in Quebec City from April 21 to 24.

You will find all the rules and the registration form on the website of Festival de magie de Québec.

This contest is open to professional and amateur magicians of all ages.


Concours

Le Concours International de magie "Michel Cailloux" est de retour pour une 4e édition.  Vous avez jusqu'au 19 février 2016 pour vous inscrire.

De plus courrez la chance de remporter le titre prestigieux de Champion canadien de la magie 2016 dans le cadre de la Convention canadienne de la magie (CAMaraderie) qui se tiendra à Québec du 21 au 24 avril prochain.
 
Vous trouverez tous les règlements et le formulaire d'inscription sur le site du Festival de magie de Québec.
 
Ce concours s'adresse aux magiciens professionnels et amateurs de tous âges.

 
Read more and enter.

A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification. From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

Toronto: Phil Pivnick at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Phil Pivnick








James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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

Dan Morrissey at the Browser's Bash 2016

From the Browser's Den Twitter feed:

Dan Morrissey will join us 😀.The #2016BrowsersMagicBash is all about bringing the #magic community closer together! pic.twitter.com/plZYdc3W5p

— The Browser's Den (@theBrowsersDen) December 15, 2015

Trevor and Lorena Watters in "The Magic Variety Show"

From Trevor and Lorena - Comedy Magic Show Facebook page:
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Happy to announce the 2016 Magic Variety Tour Dates! We are excited to welcome back STEVE "The Pretty Good". More to come soon.... Stay Tuned!
Posted by Trevor & Lorena - Comedy Magic Show on Sunday, 1 November 2015

David Ben on CBC's "q"

From the CBC:

Three decades ago, David Ben left a career in law to pursue his passion: magic. Now he's one of the top sleight-of-hand artists in the world, performing over the years at Shaw Festival and Luminato.

His new show, simply called Tricks, is now playing at Toronto's Soulpepper theatre. Ben talks to Shad about the surprising array of people that inspired the program — from Frank Sinatra to Glenn Gould — and how he straddles several decades with his performance.

Read more, watch videos and listen to the interview.

Toronto: CFIC Winter Solstice Celebration 2015

From the Centre for Inquiry:

Reason’s and Heathen’s Greetings!

December 19, 2015

Join us for a evening of fun, friends and magic as we celebrate a secular holiday season. We will be having dinner at the Crimson Lounge (College Street @ Spadina in Toronto) followed by an amazing evening of magic and comedy with Magic Tonight. James Alan’s Magic Tonight (www.magictonight.ca) is a weekly show downtown which features a wide variety of special guests which proves magic really is for grownups. The show is highly interactive and very entertaining. Proceeds to to support CFI Canada and its projects.

Our main performer for the evening: James Alan (www.JamesAlan.ca) is the host and producer for Magic Tonight (www.MagicTonight.ca). He created two acclaimed one-man shows Lies, Damn Lies & Magic Tricks (2012) and The Uncertainty Project (2014). He is known for creating magic which is “Thought provoking, funny, astonishing and thoroughly entertaining.” The show will be followed by a brief Q&A. You’re welcome to ask how the tricks are done, but we don’t know how far that would get you.

Read more and buy tickets.

Murray's escape from being dragged behind a car

From the series "Extreme Escapes," watch Murray's attempt at escaping from being dragged behind a car while in chains and shackles.

From Murray Sawchuck's YouTube channel:  

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[via iTricks]

CAMaraderie 2016 poster

From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

Toronto: Keith Brown at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Keith Brown








James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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

Phil Matlin's 2015 Ragtime Tour

Phil Matlin - owner of Montréal's magic shop Perfect Magic, will be playing ragtime and touring through Ontario (Kitchener, Waterloo and Guelph) at the end of December.

Sat	Dec 26th	2:00 PM	Victoria Place	290 Queen St. S. Kitchener
Sun	Dec 27th	2:30 PM	Fergus Place	164 Fergus Avenue Kitchener
Mon	Dec 28th	2:00 PM	Parkwood   Mennonite Homes	726 New Hampshire Waterloo
Tues	Dec 29th	2:30 PM	Waterloo Heights    Retirement Apts	170 Erb St. W. Waterloo
Thurs	Dec 31st	2:00 PM	The Westmount	200 David Bergy Drive Kitchener
Thurs	Dec 31st	6:30 PM	Village of Riverside   Glenn.	60 Woodlawn Road East Guelph

If you missed our previous post about the many talents of Phil, have a look at him playing Carolina in the Morning.

Coquitlam and Ontario: "An Evening Of Wonders"

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Hey friends in Ontario. Want to see an amazing magic show? My friend, Vitaly Beckman is coming to a theatre near you... and it's worth your time and travel to see his show. Oh and folks close to me, he's at the Evergreen Cultural Center this Friday. http://EveningOfWonders.com

Dec 11 - 8pm
Evergreen Cultural Centre
1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, BC


Dec 28 – 2pm & 7pm
Flato Markham Theatre
171 Town Centre Boulevard, Markham, ON


Dec 29 - 7:30pm
Georgian Theatre
1 Dunlop St W, Barrie, ON


Dec 30 – 7:00pm
The Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts
88 Dalhousie St, Brantford, ON


Dec 31 – 2pm & 7pm
The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts
130 Navy St, Oakville, ON


Jan 2 – 7pm
Nineteen on the park
19 Civic Ave, Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON


Jan 3 – 2pm
Nineteen on the park
19 Civic Ave, Whitchurch-Stouffville, ON

"The Trick with the Gun" on Superchannel

From the Times Colonist:

Chris Gudgeon doesn’t seem like a guy who’s into guns, and not just because he’s a peace-loving poet.

So why did he suddenly find himself at the North Saanich Rod and Gun Club to learn the finer points of marksmanship?

It was for the The Trick With the Gun, director Michael McNamara’s high-calibre documentary that the Victoria-based writer and producer wrote and appears in.

In the 90-minute film premièring tonight at 9 on Superchannel, Gudgeon agrees to pull the trigger for the Bullet Catch, a notoriously dangerous illusion.

Read more.

Toronto: Save the date for Magicana

From Magicana:

Mark your calendar for the weekend of April 23-24, 2016. 

Here in Toronto, we’ll be hosting a weekend of magic with three big international guests. There will be a one-night-only performance at the Wychwood Theatre (St. Clair & Christie) as well as a lecture and workshop that you will not not want to miss.  We will release more details in coming weeks. So, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribed to our eList to be the first to know and to sign up!  
Read more.

Toronto: "Dark Holiday Magic and Mentalism"

From the Revival Bar:

Happy Holidays?

Familiar holiday customs often incorporate earlier pagan traditions that have been appropriated for modern use.

Customs that encourage little children to be good, so as to deserve their Christmas gifts from Father Christmas, often come with a dark side: the punishment you’ll receive from a monster or evil being of some sort if you aren’t good!

Dec 27th Join Mysterion for an evening exploring characters such as Krampus, Hans Trapp, Jolakotturinn, and other Christmas creatures that snatch away children who have been bad all year. A full show of supernatural effects that will leave you wishing you’ve been extra good this year.

Special Guests include Magician James Alan of Toronto’s weekly magic showcase Magic tonight and The Coney Island Corndogs Tricksie and Lucky.

Be good, you’ve been warned.

(This is a magic show and themed to Pagan and European holidays customs that may offend some beliefs).

Read more and buy tickets.

Germany: Shawn Farquhar

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

Ich bin nach Deutschland kommen! Meine erste Vortragsreise im Land. Sorry, ich weiß nicht Greman sprechen. But if you...
Posted by Shawn Farquhar on Friday, 2 October 2015

Darcy Oake's TV special

From Clive Court's Facebook page: [editor's note: emphasis mine]

CBC-TV have scheduled Darcy Oake's ITV special Edge of Reality for 9pm. on December 10. Thanks to everyone who pitched the TV network bosses last year---we have a TV magic special starring a Canadian illusionist (Is the the first since Doug Henning in the mid-70s?)*. Now the important thing is to do whatever we can to get it big ratings (you can't rely on the CBC to do a good promotional job for a magic special because they do not like magic or magicians on TV). So Canadian magicians have to make the most of this opportunity. So my advice to Canadian magicians is contact your friends in print and radio (eg. CBC morning/afternoon radio shows) to do what you can to promote the show. If it gets a poor ratings---they will have the best excuse not to run another TV magic special. This is your chance to make a difference.

* I'm talking about the CBC-TV English Network (The French TV Network enjoys working with Canadian entertainers including magicians like Luc Langevin)

Darcy Oake in the news:

• CBC: Winnipeg's Darcy Oake finishes Canadian tour in hometown at MTS Centre
• Winnipeg Metro: Magic man: Darcy Oake comes home to Winnipeg
• CBC: Canadian illusionist Darcy Oake plays magic trick on CBC's Andrew Chang
• Calgary Herald: Canadian Darcy Oake uses his illusions in making a magical career
• The Guardian: Darcy Oake brings Edge of Reality to the Confederation Centre
• Rocky Mountain Outlook: Can you believe your eyes?
• CBC: Illusionist Darcy Oake holds memorial for friend killed in Paris attacks

The Outerbridges Southern Lecture Tour

From Marion Outerbridge's Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

This is very exciting! For once we won't be driving in blizzard land.
Posted by Marion Outerbridge on Tuesday, 13 October 2015

From the Ted Outerbridge - Touring Secrets Lecture Tour - January 11 through February 14, 2016 Facebook event:

Sunday, January 10, 2016 Lexington, KY - CONFIRMED Monday, January 11, 2016 Charleston, SC
Tuesday, January 12, 2016 open, no lecture Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Atlanta, GA Thursday, January 14, 2016 Nashville or Murfreesboro, TN Friday, January 15, 2016 Memphis or Knoxville, TN Saturday, January 16, 2016 Louisville, KY or Evansville, IN Sunday, January 17, 2016 open, no lecture Monday, January 18, 2016 Pewaukee, WI - CONFIRMED Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Chicago, IL Wednesday, January 20, 2016 Springfield, IL Thursday, January 21, 2016 St. Louis, MO Friday, January 22, 2016 Springfield, MO Saturday, January 23, 2016 Branson, MO Sunday, January 24, 2016 open, no lecture Monday, January 25, 2016 Little Rock, AR Tuesday, January 26, 2016 Kansas City, MO - CONFIRMED Wednesday, January 27, 2016 Tulsa, OK Thursday, January 28, 2016 Oklahoma City, OK Friday, January 29, 2016 open, no lecture Saturday, January 30, 2016 open, no lecture Sunday, January 31, 2016 Dallas, TX Monday, February 1, 2016 Lake Charles, LA
Tuesday, February 2, 2016 Houston Wednesday, February 3, 2016 San Antonio Thursday, February 4, 2016 Austin Friday, February 5, 2016 McAllen, TX Saturday, February 6, 2016 open, no lecture Sunday, February 7, 2016 Lubbock, TX Monday, February 8, 2016 open, no lecture Tuesday, February 9, 2016 open, no lecture Wednesday, February 10, 2016 Phoenix, AZ Thursday, February 11, 2016 Las Vegas, NV Friday, February 12, 2016 Long Beach, CA Saturday, February 13, 2016 Vista, CA - 3 Generations of Magic Sunday, February 14, 2016 The Magic Castle

Visit page to see the most up to date confirmations. 

Montreal: The Outerbridges, Richard Sanders, and Marc Trudel

From the Comedy Nest:

Spectacular Sunday – Sunday December 6th

A hilarious and mind-boggling spectacle featuring world-class magicians breaking so many laws of physics, Stephen Hawking might show up and give them a ticket! Catch the mind-bending miracles of TED OUTERBRIDGE (YTV’s Mystery Hunters), the comedy magic of RICHARD SANDERS (Just For Laughs), the sleight-of-hand of MARC TRUDEL, culinary phenom ANGELO THE AMAZING FOOD MAGICIAN and so much more! Buy your tickets now!

Read more and buy tickets.

Edmonton: An Evening of Magic with Shawn Farquhar

From the Edmonton Christmas Party's Facebook page:

Thank you to Hypnotist Wayne Lee who put on another mesmerizing show on Friday evening and to Comedian Rocky LaPorte who kept the audience laughing on Saturday night! 

Next up, we have World Magic Champion Shawn Farquhar this Friday, Dec. 4 Comedian Rob Pue on Saturday, Dec. 5, Comedian Angelo Tsarouchas on Friday, Dec. 11, Sound Effects Comedian Herb Dixon on Saturday, Dec. 12 and Colin Mochrie & Debra McGrath on Dec. 18 & 19. 

We also have the Dinner & Dance option available for Dec. 5 and Dec. 11.Information is at info@tnlec.com.

Toronto: Free magic club

From the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook group:

Hi Denizens! 

This Saturday at Browser's Den we have our free Magic Club from 2:30pm until about 5:30pm. All interested in talking magic are always welcome. 

And the SHOOT OGAWA LECTURE is also this Saturday, December 5 at 7pm. The lecture takes place at Browser's Den. There is still space available. You can pay at the door ($20.00) or if you visit our homepage you can buy your ticket online. 

Thank you for your continued support-Jeff & The Browser's Den Team

Toronto: Jason Palter at "Magic Tonight"

Two weeks in a row, the initials of the special guests are J.P.   Hrm.....



Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Jason Palter








James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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

Thank you to our December 2015 Friends!

Thank you to John Smithman, John Harrison, Richard Lyn and Joan Caesar for being Friends of Canada's Magic!

It's good to have friends like you.

You too can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.

Thank you to our December 2015 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 - The Fun-da-Mentalist,
• Evelyn & Phil Matlin, owners of Perfect Magic and
• Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic

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

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.

Top 5 posts in November 2015

Here are the most viewed posts at Canada's Magic this month:

5. Montreal: Twice-As-Nice Tour Featuring Ben Train and Steve Reynolds -- Don't forget Michael Weber is coming to town soon.

4. Review: Glenn Ottaway benefit -- A night to remember.

3. Owen Wong: Recipient of the 2015 Young Entrepreneurs Award -- Congratulations again Owen!

2. Toronto: Win tickets to see Scott Hammell in "The Trick with the Gun" -- Thanks again to the folks at the Bloor Cinema for making this possible! 

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. Shriners' Holiday Magic Shows -- Lots of great talent for a great cause.

Rounding the Western rings in December 2015

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)	- Junior club family show
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	- TBA
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- TBA
Fraser Valley, BC	IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle, Celeste Evans Ring)	- N/A
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- TBA
Vancouver, BC	SAM 95  (Carl Hemeon Assembly)	- N/A
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- Wacky Wednesday

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

Rounding the Central rings in December 2015

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

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- Ring executive meeting - Marcelo Insua lecture - Public open house
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- Christmas Party & Pot Luck
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- TBA
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- TBA
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- TBA
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- TBA
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- TBA

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

Rounding the Eastern rings in December 2015

Does anybody out there have current information to share about the Magic Circle of St. John?



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

Halifax, NS	Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court)	- TBA - Visit their Facebook page.
St. John, NB	Magic Circle of St. John	- TBA

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

The 2015 Len Cooper Memorial Award

Congratulations Ahmed!

From Reality Based Magic:

Every year the Browser’s Den of Magic in Toronto gives out an award commemorating the shop’s founder, Len Cooper. The award is given to a promising young magician and includes a complete set of the Tarbell Course in Magic. This eight-volume set is one of the most expansive magic references sources in English. I've won the award, as have a number of my friends in magic in the city.

Read more.

Montreal: Michael Weber lecture and workshop

It looks like Michael Weber will make his way from Toronto to Montreal!

From the Montreal Magic Jam:

LECTURE
When: Tuesday Dec 15

WORKSHOP
When: Wed Dec 16

Hello everyone,
Our next lecturer is someone we have always wanted to bring to Montreal, so it is our pleasure to announce the Michael Weber will be presenting both a lecture and workshop in Montreal on Dec 15 and 16. Places are limited, so register soon!

Read more and buy tickets.

Quebec City: CAMaraderie 2016 update

We've previously mentioned the upcoming CAMaraderie convention and that it is teaming up with the fabulous Festival de Magie.


Here's an update on CAMaraderie 2016 from Jean-Luc Rivard:

TIME TO REGISTER NOW !!!! 
CAMaraderie 2016 in QUEBEC CITY , Canada - April 21 to 24, 2016
www.festivaldemagie.ca  

Hosting : 

• Jeff McBride 
• Harry Allen 
• SHIN LIM  
• CHRISTIAN SCHENCK (the Phoenix deck guy)  
• VINCENT HEDAN  
• SHAWN FARQUHAR  
• MATHIEU BICH 
• Michel Huot  
• Marc Trudel 
• Yannick Lacroix 

A seat will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. The sooner you register, the closer your seat will be to the stage.  

CAMaraderie 2016 in QUEBEC CITY , Canada - April 21 to 24, 2016 . 
From 21 to 24 April 2016, the team of the Quebec Magic Festival is pleased to be holding CAMaraderie 2016 for the first time in Quebec City , CANADA !  

In this new edition of the camaraderie you get access to: 
All lectures and shows associated with CAMaraderie will take place in English, with the exception of the bilingual gala to be held at the Capitole. 

• 10 world-class conferences; 
• 2 magic shows; 
• 1 magic competitions; 
• 1 gala winners; 
• 1 great magic gala; 

and many more. 


Take advantage of special prices if you are members of the CAM or by purchasing your package before January 1. 


You can find information on our Web site 
www.festivaldemagie.ca

From the Festival de magie de Québec Facebook page:

En résumé...
Posted by Festival de magie de Québec on Monday, 30 November 2015

Toronto: Jenny Parsons at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Jenny Parsons








James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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

PCAM 2015 contest winners

The winners of the 12 contest categories from PCAM 2015 have been posted at PCAM 2015.

Congratulations to the gold medal winners:

• Hannah & Haley Biane
• Theo Chattra
• Elliott Hofferth
• Ben Eskenazi
• Jeff Christensen
• Jim Vines
• Steve Hamilton
• Gwyn Auger
• Christopher Lopez 

Winners of the "Bag O Tricks" competition:

• Joe Turner and Glen Labarre

Winner of the One Hand Cut-A-Thon

• Matthew Jones

Visit PCAM 2015 to see the group photos taken by John Smithman Photography.

Happy fifth blogiversary to me!

Five years ago today, this blog was born!

Thanks to you wonderful people who have supported this project!  More than 2,328 posts have been published, and well over 84,900 page loads have been served (over 390265 by Blogger's count).  One hundred and twenty-four of you have given us your thumbs-up on Facebook, more than 890 of you are following along on Twitter (12,900 tweets and counting!), and approximately 80 of you have subscribed to this site's feed.  The bulk of you are Canadian, and I'm delighted to see visitors from United States, France, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Ireland and the list goes on.

There are so many of you doing such a fabulous job of making magic a priority in this great country!

A special thanks to:

• All of my early supporters.  Special shout outs to Ariel, Doug, James, and John for your continued  encouragement.
• All of you readers, Likers, RTers, submitters, guest posters, contest prize providers and all other manners of promoters of this site.
• All of my sponsors, past and present.  That means you: Magic Information Canada, Ryan Pilling, Clive Court, Perfect Magic, The Browser's Den of Magic, and The Amazing Corbin!
• All of the blog's official friends, past and present.  That's you:  John Smithman, John Harrison, Richard Lyn and Joan Caesar!
• My family for their support of this bloggy experiment.

My continued thanks to all of you!

Montreal: Le Lab Magique

Next show is on Wednesday November the 25th and includes Mario Choinière, Mosh and Loran.

From Le Lab Magique's Facebook page: A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

Posted by Canada's Magic on Thursday, 19 November 2015

Review: Glenn Ottaway benefit

From Fordham PR:

On stage, well-known comedians, magicians and even a pair of mentalists celebrated Glenn’s career and encouraged the audience to dig deep to help Glenn and his depleted bank account. Thanks to comedian/magician Matt Disero, who created the one-night only comedy concert, some of the country’s top headliners volunteered their time and talent, so here’s a brief pictorial account of The Rocky Horror: It’s a Wonderful Life Anyway show.

Read more.

Toronto: Bobby Motta at Klick Muse

From the Klick Health Twitter feed:

NEWS: @Daniel_Kraft to join lineup at #KlickMUSE Toronto Dec 8. Get on the list: https://t.co/XOqNu2O23v #XMed pic.twitter.com/62JUZBV8VG

— Klick Health (@klickhealth) November 12, 2015

CAMaraderie and the Festival de Magie in Quebec

We previously mentioned the upcoming CAMaraderie convention.  Did you know it will be in conjunction with the fabulous Festival de Magie?

From the CAM website:

The CAM magic convention, CAMaraderie, is teaming up with the Festival de Magie in Quebec City to bring you another fun-filled magic weekend on April 21 to 24th, 2016. Mark your calendars and get your registration completed while the advance registration lasts. CAM members have until January 1st to register at the best price of $250.

Get more details and register at FestivaldeMagie.ca

Toronto: Michael Ross at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Michael Ross








James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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

Chilliwack: Shawn Farquhar's "Cabaret of Wonders"

From the Cabaret of Wonders Facebook page:

If you have yet to buy your ticket for this Friday's Cabaret of Wonders (November 20th) you are running out of time. We have less than a dozen tickets available... did I mention we are doing TWO shows instead of one this time! Yes that means we are so popular we added another show and the they are both almost SOLD OUT. So exciting. My guests this month are Master Payne from Seattle and Michael Dardant from New Orleans. It's going to be epic.

Read what the Chilliwack Times had to say about The Cabaret of Wonders:

Shawn Farquhar’s reputation as one of the world’s leading magicians has led him on a global journey of wonder—from his home in Maple Ridge to his current month-long tour of Malaysia; sailing the seas performing on the world’s best luxury cruise liners—and even performing in Bermuda on a formal request by British royalty.

And the only magician in history to have won first place for both Stage and Sleight of Hand at the World Championship of Magic is making The Chilliwack Cultural Centre home for his upcoming series of fantastic shows—Shawn Farquhar’s Cabaret of Wonders! Beginning on Oct. 30, The Cabaret of Wonders will feature four shows throughout The Centre’s 2015/16 presentation season, bringing those for which magic provides their passion, profession, and personality together in celebration and demonstration of this fascinating and entertaining art form.

An unparalleled display of magic performance and entertainment, The Cabaret of Wonders will not only feature Shawn Farquhar’s skills in the intimate setting of The Centre’s Rotary Hall Studio Theatre, but will provide a platform for emerging and aspiring magicians to hone their skills in front of a live audience. Not only will the cabaret format of these shows provide an up-close-and-personal show, with performer and audience being separated only by the wonder being conjured in the room, but also an informal atmosphere that invites you to grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy the unmatched experience of watching magic unfold right before your eyes.

Read more.

Toronto: Shoot Ogawa and Michael Weber lectures

From the Browser's Den Facebook group:

Hi Denizens!

We have two BIG lectures coming up very soon in December for your consideration.

Full details will follow and be put on our homepage next week but tickets are already on sale for....

SHOOT OGAWA LECTURE, Saturday December 5 at 7pm:
Lecture located at Browser's Den.
To buy a ticket and reserve a seat please call 416-783-7022.
(Ninja Rings, Thimbles, Wands, Coins, Rope Magic, Cards)
Tickets are $20.00 each.

MICHAEL WEBER LECTURE, Sunday December 13 at 6pm:
Lecture located at Browser's Den.
To buy a ticket and reserve a seat please call 416-783-7022
(Details to follow)
Tickets are $20.00 each

Thank you all very much for your kind support,
Jeff & The Browser's Den Team

Chilliwack: Stars of Magic - PCAM 2015 Gala Show

From Mike Norden's Facebook page:

A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

Hey everyone! Gord and I are producing this awesome magic show in Chilliwack on Nov 21st. Tickets are just $15 and we...
Posted by Mike Norden on Wednesday, 4 November 2015

From PCAM 2015:

Stars of Magic - PCAM 2015 Gala ShowThe Pacific Coast Association of Magic (PCAM) is pleased to announce that the 'Stars of Magic' are back once again for the PCAM Gala Magic Show on Saturday November 21st at 8pm!

Starring:

Michael Dardant - MC
Cody Fisher
Bill Abbott
Trevor and Lorena
Wes Barker

This event has always sold out in the past and we encourage you to buy your tickets in advance as we might not have them at the door. Every registrant to the PCAM Convention gets a ticket - which means that 120 seats are already sold. We have 50 more public tickets to be sold at the $15 price.

Please pass the word along - and bring your family and friends to this public show if you are attending the convention (you still need to buy them a ticket though! :)

Check out our website at www.PCAM2015.ca or the Facebook page at www.FB.com/pcam2015

We look forward to seeing you at the event at the Chilliwack Coast Hotel!

Read more and buy tickets.

Winners of tickets to see Scott Hammell in "The Trick with the Gun"

The contest to win a pair of tickets to see Scott Hammell in "The Trick with the Gun" closed last night at midnight.  Thank you to everyone who played!

If you didn't win, you can still purchases tickets at the cinema box office,

There were some fabulous books mentioned that I'll have to add to my reading list.

Here's the list of eligible entries:

1	James A	Chatting with him at a black & white party that no one told me was a black and white party.
2	James A	https://twitter.com/james_alan/status/663566744917815297
3	Derek D	Scott Hammel based contests
4	Sammy J	Well, there was this one time when I got a personal message from Canada's Magic to enter a contest...
5	Sammy J	https://twitter.com/Doc_Sammy/status/665332672206647296

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to James, Derek and Sammy!

Thank you again to to Alex from the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema for generously making these tickets available to you!

Toronto: Open Sesame at Hart House

From Ben Train's Facebook page:
A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

I am so pumped to be joining my friends @opensesamemagic, @willzmagic, @magicacematt, and the U of T magic club for a FREE show! See you there!
Posted by Benzi Train on Wednesday, 11 November 2015

Mahdi Gilbert: He's Fond of Cards

From Kevin Ho's YouTube channel:

Keith Brown in "Fresh from the Fringe" and at Dave and Busters

Keith Brown's doing a three show run in Collingwood, called "Fresh from the Fringe" November 13 - 15.

He'll also be at Dave and Busters November 27th and 28th.

Learn more about these events at Keith's website, Absolute Magic.

Darcy Oake in the news

Updated at 13:43 EST to add:

• At tomorrow's show in Toronto, there will be a free pre-show conversation with Magic Mike the 2013/2014 Canadian Magician of the Year! The pre-show is approximately 30 minutes in length and will begin at 6:30PM in the lower lobby. Seating is limited and will be available to the first 250 guests. 

A reminder that there's a coupon code you can use to see Darcy's show tomorrow in Toronto.

From the Toronto Sun:

For Darcy Oake, the magic started early. And by accident.

The Winnipeg-born illusionist who vaulted to fame on Britain’s Got Talent last year says his father — veteran sportscaster Scott Oake — inadvertently set him on his career path with a fluke card trick some two decades ago.

“My dad knows zero magic,” explains the 28-year-old Oake. “But there was a deck of cards sitting there and he was just playing with it. He said, ‘Pick one, look at it and put it back in the pack.’ Then he shuffled the cards, reached into the pack, pulled one out and said, ‘That was your card.’ And it was my card!

“I had no idea how he did it. It drove me crazy — until I found out weeks later it was a total accident. He had a one-in-52 chance of getting it right, but played it like he meant to do it. It captivated me — being fooled like that. That’s where it all started for me. Who knows how things would have turned out if that trick hadn’t worked.”

Read more.

From the Globe and Mail:

He’s a Canadian illusionist who appeared – suddenly, right before our eyes – on the world stage. In advance of the upcoming Ontario dates of his cross-country Edge of Reality tour, we spoke to magic man Darcy Oake.

You were a finalist in the 2014 season of Britain’s Got Talent. How did that come about?

They approached me to do the show. I was doing a spot in a variety show in Paris, and I was working a lot on cruise ships. Artistically, it was unsatisfying. But doing Britain’s Got Talent could have been risky. I didn’t want to get there and get buzzed off and ruin everything I’d built up to that point. But they assured me that my style would fit the show perfectly. I went and did it, and it turned out to be the smartest thing I ever did.

But you’re from Winnipeg. Did you pull a British passport out of a hat or something?

Anyone can do any of those talent shows. It’s open. Their show is the biggest one, though. I thought: if I’m going to do one, it’s going to be that one.

Read more.