5. World record holding Canadian magicians - Can you name them all?
4. Pro-tip from Perfect Magic - Good advice to be sure!
3. Ryan Joyce interviews Joan Caesar - An interesting listen!
2. Richmond: Oslen and Will Tsai - Sure to be a great show!
1. Sleightly Sketchy: I AM - Or am I?
March 16, 2018
Settle in for a night of wonder and delight as Shawn Farquhar, the only magician to fool Penn and Teller twice, hosts his eleventh Cabaret of Wonders. This intimate show brings a brilliant collection of magicians to the stage, from world-renowned performers to local talent. This casual cabaret setting is perfect way to experience innovative acts, illusions, and more in a fantastical display of never-before-seen works and magical standards! Whether you’re a magic enthusiast or have dreams of bringing your own illusions to stage, the Cabaret of Wonders is a chance to see magic behind the scenes – and get up close and personal with the most talented performers from British Columbia and beyond.
Shawn Farquhar won’t be the only one demonstrating his unbelievable skills, as The Cabaret of Wonders will also be welcoming the charming James Alan, the delightful John Kaplan, and the enigmatic Henry Tom to share the stage.
Master of sleight of hand and illusions, Toronto’s James Alan will prove that the experience of magic is ideal for creating memories which last a lifetime. His goal is to prove that magic isn’t just for kids, and has created performances that are “thought-provoking, funny, astonishing and thoroughly entertaining.” He has been featured on Summerworks Performance Festival and The Hamilton Fringe Festival, and for the last two years, he has been hosting Magic Tonight.
John Kaplan, also known as the fundraising magician, has been touring Canada for three decades, performing his unique brand of family-friendly magic. His focus on fundraising through his magic shows has led to international recognition. He has shared the stage as an opening act for Jay Leno, the Boomtown Rats, and starred in the Opening Ceremonies for the Labatt National Men’s Curling Briar.
Also joining them is international award-winning Henry Tom, who is a Canadian Association of Magicians’ Close Up Magic Champion and a Vancouver Magic Circle’s Stage Magic Champion. Running a dental practice, Tom has incorporated magic into his dentistry, but has also brought his dentistry into his magic, making for a uniquely charming act!
Read more and buy tickets.
Mar 24, 2018
Live at The Link presents an evening of comedy and magic with Jason Palter. A 19+ licensed event at The Link for only $25 (plus HST).
Magic has never been this hilarious! Enjoy comedy, magic and mentalism together in an explosive, action-packed, interactive show. Incredible sleight-of-hand, astounding mind-reading, and spectacular large-scale tricks and illusions will make for a truly enjoyable night!
Read more and buy tickets.
LECTURE: Sunday March 4th at The Comedy Nest
SHOW: Tuesday March 6th at Theatre Mainline
UPDATE: Paul Vigil is also doing a workshop the evening of Saturday March 3rd.
Paul Vigil is one of the magic’s most accomplished performers. Since becoming a magician at the age of 5, Paul has gone on to become an award winning lecturer, a regular performer at The Magic Castle in LA, and the star of his own show in Las Vegas. Paul has performed all over the world and has also made numerous appearances on television, including most recently Penn and Teller’s “Fool Us!”
Paul Vigil is the author of numerous manuscripts, including his latest book “The Doors of Deception.” His first book “Classic Fantastic” has long sold out, and his new tome contains not just well-thought-out routines from his repertoire but shows how he constructs an act. It may very well sell out before he makes his way to Montreal, but he will share many of the lessons from this book with you on Sunday March 4th.
Paul Vigil’s full evening show “Magic, Mind Reading, and Mystery” is one of the most sought after, and highly reviewed shows in all of Las Vegas. He performed it in Toronto in December to a sell-out crowd and we’re happy to bring it here to Montreal for a one-night-only performance on Tuesday March 6th. The Mainline’s raked seating will ensure everybody will get the best view of the performance.
Read more and buy tickets.
| City | Club | Event(s) |
| Calgary, AB | Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle, Les Brocklesby Ring) | - Michael Ammar lecture - Make Magic |
| Edmonton, AB | Edmonton Magic Club | - Michael Ammar lecture. |
| Winnipeg, MB | The Magic Club of Winnipeg | - Michael Ammar lecture. - SYM close-up contest, mini-wands, top hats. |
| Fraser Valley, BC | IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle, Celeste Evans Ring) | - Michael Ammar lecture. - Third Monday Magic. |
| Vancouver, BC | Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle) | - "Love, Magic and Dinner" starring Chris Funk |
| Vancouver, BC | SAM 95 (Carl Hemeon Assembly) | - TBA |
| Victoria, BC | Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle) | - Michael Ammar lecture. - Wacky Wednesday (featuring Scott Ward, Jason Verners, Dave Attwood, Murray Hatfield) |
| Montreal, QC | Ring 62 (20th Century Ring) | - Free form first Fridaze - Saturday night special - Meetup Mensuel - Sunday brunch - Instagram Tuesday |
| Hamilton, ON | Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club) | - TBA. |
| London, ON | Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild) | - TBA. |
| Kitchener, ON | Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle) | - Dealer demo at Kind of Magic. |
| Ottawa, ON | Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians) | - Paul Vigil lecture. |
| Ottawa, ON | Ottawa / Gatineau magicians | - TBA |
| Toronto, ON | Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club) | - Paul Vigil lecture. |
| Halifax, NS | Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court) | - Visit their Facebook page. |
| St. John, NB | Magic Circle of St. John | - TBA |
This month’s headliner Chris Westfall has to be seen to be believed. You can expect mind blowing magic, hilarious comedy and a guaranteed good time! Chris combines his incredible illusions with his unique humor that you DO NOT want to miss!
Opening the show is the sleight of hand artist James Alan. His one man shows, Lies, Damn Lies & Magic Tricks and The Uncertainty Project have been featured at the Summerworks Performance Festival (Toronto), The Hamilton Fringe Festival and The Wychwood Theatre. NOW magazine said he's "Truly Entertaining", I bet you'll say the same.
And hosting the show is TMC co-founder Jonah Babins. Jonah is one of Toronto's brightest magic stars and he's going to freak you out with his high energy magical style. He has over seventeen years of experience in entertainment making audiences gasp in astonishment, and you will too!
Read more and buy tickets.
This photograph taken by L.B. Foote on February 21, 1923, to me, perfectly illustrates the Winnipeg we are striving to become once again. Suspended 30 feet above the Winnipeg Free Press building on Carlton Street, Harry Houdini, arguably the biggest name in entertainment at the time, wriggled his way out of a straitjacket in front of what was reported to be four or five thousand awestruck onlookers. This publicity stunt was intended to generate interest for his week-long show at the Orpheum Theatre. Houdini’s opening act at the show was a young comedian named Jack Benny. It was not uncommon for performers of this calibre to make regular appearances in Winnipeg during this time.
Read more.
Look up, look wayyy UP and you would've seen THE Harry Houdini hanging above the street in Winnipeg on this day, 1923. Jack Benny was here too?! --> https://t.co/ScJSEaFWiy -Scott (Tom & Kerri) #winnipeg #manitoba #Canada #history #retro #magic #escape #classic #HarryHoudini pic.twitter.com/YW4Wif4Eax— 94-3 The Drive (@943TheDrive) February 21, 2018
FATE 2: THE DANCE AND ILLUSIONS OF OSLEN - APRIL 8
Building on success from previous shows, FATE is proud to present another magic show to raise money for the Surrey Memorial’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This exciting event will be held on April 8th, 2018 at River Rock Show Theatre in Richmond, BC.
***Donations benefit the Surrey Hospital & Outpatient Centre***
This year’s performers include:
Canada’s Got Talent: Oslen
America’s Got Talent: Will Tsai
TD Canadian Talent Showdown: Fate
Read more and buy tickets.
- March 6, 2018 Sainte-Thérèse, QC Theatre Lionel-Groulx
- March 7, 2018 Sainte-Thérèse, QC Theatre Lionel-Groulx
- March 10, 2018 Gatineau, QC Salle Odyssée
- March 20, 2018 Trois-Rivières, QC Salle J.-Antonio Thompson
- March 21, 2018 Trois-Rivières, QC Salle J.-Antonio Thompson
- April 12, 2018 Quebec, QC Salle Albert Rousseau
- April 13, 2018 Quebec, QC Salle Albert Rousseau
- April 14, 2018 Quebec, QC Salle Albert Rousseau
- April 18, 2018 Montreal, QC Théâtre Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts
- April 19, 2018 Montreal, QC Théâtre Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts
« Mon premier spectacle m’avait permis de partager avec le public mon passé; comment j’étais devenu l’illusionniste que je suis. Avec ce deuxième spectacle, on se retrouve MAINTENANT et on regarde vers DEMAIN. Après le succès que j’ai connu ces dernières années, je me suis demandé "Qu’est-ce qu’on fait lorsqu’on a réalisé son rêve d’enfance et qu’on a encore la vie devant soi ? Maintenant qu’on a tout ce qu’on a toujours désiré, qu’est-ce qu’on fait demain ? » Dans le spectacle Maintenant Demain, à travers de nouvelles illusions qui mystifient, font rires et émerveillent plus que jamais, j’ai décidé de raconter ma réponse au public ".
- LUC LANGEVIN
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The other day I got a call from an old customer, a good magician I’m told by those who have seen him perform, and he wanted a certain electronic device. We had it in stock. He took a long drive to get to our shop as he wanted it right away and he’s from out of town.
I got a call from him today asking if we had another one in stock. I said yes. He asked if we would try it out to see if it worked. We did and it did. He said his didn’t.
“Strange,” I said. “Did you put a battery in?”
“Of course,” he replied.
Read more.
Vitaly Beckman will perform Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts.
Vitaly Beckman easily remembers his first attempt at creating magical illusion.
Seven years old and living in the Soviet Union, he tried to imitate a magician he saw on television. The entertainer made a card castle appear under a handkerchief.
In a friend’s house at the time, Beckman noticed alphabet cubes and asked for a handkerchief. He put the cubes on his hand, assembled them like a castle and covered the pieces with a handkerchief just before his friend’s grandmother came into the room.
As soon as the woman appeared, Beckman pretended he didn’t see her and removed the handkerchief as if he made the cubes appear.
“She asked me how I did that,” Beckman recalls. “In reality, she probably played along, and I said that I created magic. I didn’t know why I said that, but many years later, I turned it into a career. For some reason, it seems like a prophesy.”
Read more and buy tickets.
Coming up in March, mentalist Lior Suchard and Canadian card-flipper extraordinaire Shin Lim will be appearing at Roy Thomson Hall.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto
Tickets at www.chaievent.ca
Read more.
Magic Monday celebrates its two year anniversary this month!
Join us for an extra special edition of Magic Monday headlined by the legendary Scott McClelland, creator of Carnival Diablo and The Paranormal Show!
Joining him on stage is the amazing Tyler Rourke and returning to host the show, the man who started it all, Mr. Steven Lafond!
March 14
Presented by FirstOntario Arts Centre Milton
Outerbridge: Clockwork Mysteries takes audiences on a magical journey through time from the first breathtaking illusion to the spectacular finale.
Read more and buy tickets.
When developing your magic business marketing plan there are two potential strategies: shotgun or darts. In my experience, most magicians use the shotgun approach which targets a broad base of potential clients with little to no focus.
I prefer the second strategy called D.A.R.T. which stands for Directed At Responsive Targets.
Guns are loud, fired from far away and hurt or kill their prey. Darts are tossed at their targets from 10 feet away and everyone drinks when you hit the bulls-eye.
Let me explain.
Read more.
Bubble Tech 2.0 with Carisa Hendrix
Learn the benefits of bubble shows and how you can incorporate them into your current routine!
What are those benefits you ask? Take a look:
Universal appeal: Equally impressive and enjoyable for a wide rage of ages, cultures and genders.
Can be done silently: I have a bubble show in English and French and could easily put together one in Spanish with minimal effort because so much of it can be done to music or silently.
Cost Effective: Bubble shows are inexpensive to create, highly portable, and play big.
Fluid Integration: Bubble Tricks can be added to an existing clown, circus or magic show or be a show all on their own.
Read more and order tickets.
Here’s @bradrossmagic talking about @CarisaHendrix’s lecture! Registration is now open for Bubble Tech 2.0 in Los Angeles on March 1st. Space is limited. Don't miss out! https://t.co/IzM65noIUo#magic #magician #losangeles pic.twitter.com/b1i42aewNI— Purple Owl Productions (@PurpleOwlProds) January 31, 2018
Canada’s most coveted mentalist and mind-reader Bobby Motta retruns to Crow's Theatre with his show Cryptic on February 21st and 22nd.
Hailed by the New York Times as “one of the top mentalists on the planet,” Bobby Motta rides the twists and turns of the human psyche in Cryptic. Bobby sets the stage with tricky mind play, manipulating show-goers with deceptively simple psychology, then he goes deeper, pulling audiences into his mysterious world with his ultra-thrilling style and mesmerizing techniques. He grabs hold and blurs the lines between reality and the paranormal realms as he pulls you in.
Bobby Motta is Canada's own master of the unknown who earns props from celbrities here and abroad, astouding stars like Russell Crowe and Nelly Furtado. His incredible ingenuity and stage effects have also made him one of the industry's most sought after consultants behind the scenes, loaning out his secrets and effect to the consulting teams for worls class magicians lke David Blaine and Criss Angel, and consulting on some of stage and TV's biggest productions.
Read more and buy tickets.
Join us for an enchanting evening with one of Canada’s most sought-after performers, magician Sheldon Casavant. With sleight of hand and mind-captivating illusions, Sheldon has wowed audiences of all sizes around the world with his contemporary, awe-inspiring style of magic.
Celebrate an early Valentine’s Day with this fast-paced, interactive, and entrancing show (for you history buffs, there’s even some little known historical facts about the legendary magician Harry Houdini).
So grab your sweetheart or friends and make long-lasting memories together as items vanish, inanimate objects come to life, and impossible feats are overcome – right before your very eyes.
Read more and buy tickets.
Join us for an enchanting evening with one of Canada’s most sought-after performers, magician @SheldonCasavant. Just like some of the illusions in the show, tickets will disappear fast so get yours today! #yeg #yegevents pic.twitter.com/i6E0V2VVLU— Fort Edmonton Park (@FortEdPark) January 26, 2018
This Tuesday check me out at @torontomagiccompany The Newest Trick where I will debut a new piece!— Keith Brown (@KeithHBrown) February 4, 2018
Show at 8:30 PM. Pay what you can.#AbsoluteMagic #kbmagic #torontomagiccompany #torontomagic #toronto #toevents #openmic #magic #magicshow #magician #en… https://t.co/kbzfLxwsUf pic.twitter.com/4eHPc1Yfq0
On April 12th in Rome, Italy in front of a live audience I freaked out when I became a Guinness World Record Holder after successfully holding a flaming torch in my mouth for an incredible 2 minutes and 1 second.Read more.
It begins! #tvshow #mastersofillusion #magic #thewonderist #internationalmanofwonder #lifeontheroad https://t.co/PhU2tghAsK pic.twitter.com/uqEncejwUT— Chris Funk (@chrisfunkmagic) February 2, 2018
Video profile and podcast with Joan Caesar, a retired teacher, magician and internationally recognized influencer in the world of magic.
In the podcast we talk about:
Read more and listen to interview.
- As a judge for the largest magic conventions in the world, Joan shares her perspective on what makes a great magic act.
- We talk about her life as a magician.
- We talk about women in magic and why it’s hard to be a woman in magic.
- Why Joan founded the Canadian Association of Magicians (CAM)
- Which world-famous magician was Joan’s motivation to put Canada on the international stage for FISM (the Olympic’s of Magic)
