31 December 2020

In memoriam 2020

Remembering those who have passed this year.  Through your passion and spirit you have helped shape the magic community in Canada and around the world.  Thank you.

 



Please email additions or corrections to "canadasmagic at gmail dot com" 

Top 5 posts in December 2020

There were 30+ posts at Canada's Magic this month.  Here are the 5 most viewed posts in the past 30 days: 

5. Who are the top 10 Canadian magicians of all time? - This is an OLD post.  I wonder if the submissions would be different today?  
4. Shawn Farquhar: Hidden Wonders, Session with, and Cabaret of Wonders! - Shawn's a busy guy! 
3. Mail as Medicine: Request for Katie (The Great) Hunt - I hope Katie and Doug got lots of mail!
2. 2020 Readers' Choice award results - Congratulations everyone!

and the most viewed post this month  ...



1.  Vote now for the 2020 Readers' Choice Award  - Thank you everyone for participating!  Results here.

Thank you for your support in 2020!

We couldn't have done it without you!

Thank you to our readers, our fans, our followers, our wonderful guest posters, Michael Close and The Browser's Den of Magic who offered up prizes for contests, those who sent news our way, and last but not least, thank you to all of this year's friends (John Harrison, Richard Lyn, Joan Caesar, Ian Crawford, Matt DiSero, James Renoire, Gwyn Auger, Jason Maiuri, Doug Hunt, John Smithman, Richard Hough, Robin Dawes, Eric Bedard, Loran, Peter Mennie, and David Johnson and all of our 2020 sponsors (be sure to support them!):





 





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Or you can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.





30 December 2020

A lifetime of achievement: Romaine (Roman Szydlowski)

Prompted by Luiz Castro, we're here to remind you of the contributions of the wonderful talents of Romaine. 

From Luiz:

He has been one of Canada's hidden talent for too long.  He shared stage with the best magicians, has been a mentor to many famous magicians and inspiration to thousands.  If you ever had a chance to sit down with him you know that you always learned something new from him.
 
One of the best Manipulators from Canada. 


In August of 2019, Jeff Pinsky hosted an event at The Browser's Den of Magic  to honour the life and magic of Romaine.  Jeff wrote:

Every once in a while we should remember that we have hidden treasures of magic in our own backyard, and we'd like to remind you of one now.

He performed for 17 years with Canadair (which is the Canadian equivalent of the U.S.O.) and has performed all over the world, including in Spain, France, Switzerland and Belgium. 

He's been featured in movies such as "Agency" (with Robert Mitchum and Lee Major) and he performed at the Bermuda Festival with Victor Borge.

In the world of magic, Romaine was a secret source of knowledge for many of the top acts in the world. Frank Garcia even published some of Romaine's close-up miracles in his (now hard to get) books.

In the April 2005 Genii magazine there was full feature article about Romaine written by David Acer. 

In the article, Acer reminds Romaine of something that took place at the CAM Convention in 2003. Romaine gave the introduction for Jeff McBride's lecture. McBride, who has long been a vocal fan of Romaine, dropped to his knees during the introduction and proclaimed "my guru, my guru!" 


Magicpedia has a wonderful article about Romaine which includes videos of his card and ball manipulation and his impossible card trick, Double Kicker.


Photos of the August 2019 event have been shared on Facebook by A FA Pika:

 

 







29 December 2020

2020 Readers' Choice award results

 Thank you all for participating in the spirit in which the awards were intended:

a fun way to recognize and celebrate all of the wonderful things being done by the fabulous talent in our country.


Over 190 votes were cast in this "bragging rights" only contest.  You all have a lot of devoted fans!

Here are the results of our fifth annual "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!

 

Some general comments were submitted:

  • "Regardless of who wins, I hope they are all considered for Allan Slaight awards."
     
    Excellent observation, I hope that our readers respond accordingly when Allan Slaight Award nominations open in the New Year!
      
  • "They were all Fantastic," "Everyone is great!"
     
  • "Thanks again for doing this... "
     
    You are very welcome!  Thank you for helping spread the word about Canada's wonderful talent!

 

 

Beacons of Inspiration (in alphabetical order by surname)


2020 Beacon of Inspiration: Gwyn Auger
Gwyn Auger (aka The Magic Assistant)

Nominated by Jonathan I. who wrote:
"The bigger the magic, the more important all of the team players are, and when it comes to a magic community, the same definitely applies. For me, personally, when I returned to magic about 10 years ago, Gwyn kindly befriended me (not knowing who I was) and it’s been an important part of my ongoing journey through the art of magic. She’s been quite an ambassador for the art and is one of those glues that holds a community together—which is especially important during a time like this. So, I humbly nominate Gwyn for this recognition."

Editor's note:

Website: Magician.org/member/magicassistant.

 

Comments from Gwyn's fans include:
-
Gwyn Rocks!







2020 Beacon of Inspiration: Ryan Joyce and Graeme Reed

Ryan Joyce and Graeme Reed (aka Graemazing)

Nominated by Ryan P. who wrote:
"They have been producing a ton of stuff, podcasts, tv shows, pizza parties and more all giving an opportunity for other Canadian magicians to perform and connect. The high quality standards of their production are certainly inspiring to me!"

Additionally, Graeme was nominated by Doug H. who wrote:
"He has not let COVID 19 interfere with his ability to present his magic. He has and continues to perform his excellent Magic in awesome creative ways - online. He is not only the most entertaining guy I know, he's Graemazing!"

Editor's note:

 

Website:  RyanJoyce.com and GraemeReedMagic.com.




Comments from Ryan and Graeme's fans include:
-
These guys are amazing. Entertaining and creative.
-
Graeme is great, but that Ryan guy is ...
  [Editor's note:  Ryan, cut that out!]






2020 Beacon of Inspiration: Magicana

Magicana (David Ben and Julie Eng)
Nominated by Ben T. who wrote:
"My nomination this year is Magicana. Not only did they start the year off by helping curate the Art of Illusion exhibit at the AGO - which created all sorts of new magic fans - but they also mobilized quickly to set up the "Allan Slaight Magicians Relief Fund" to help magicians across Canada deal with the pandemic."
"Because of all that they've done for the community this year, I nominate Magicana!"

Editor's note:
  • The Illusions: The Art of Magic exhibit at the AGO featured more than 55 colourful vintage posters from the Allan Slaight Collection, in addition to employing many local magicians.
  • They handled the implementation and administration of the Allan Slaight Relief Fund, which helped to defray cost-of-living expenses incurred by professional Canadian magicians early in The Great Pause.
  • Magicana also runs the annual Allan Slaight Awards which recognize excellence in magic.

 

Website:  Magicana.com



Comments from Magicana's fans include:
-
The work this team puts together is essential to our magic community. They are truly keeping the spirit alive.
-
that AGO thing was awesome for bringing magic to a multitude of muggles





2020 Beacon of Inspiration: Phil Pivnick

Phil Pivnick (aka WonderPhil)
Nominated by Ian C. who wrote:

"Phil is already Toronto’s best family and children’s entertainer (A1 media) and has a 5 star rating on Google and YELP.  But apart from that he is truly a really nice guy. He’s recently started creating magic for sale to the magic community demonstrating his creativity.  He’s really helpful to anyone who asks.  Sitting down for a session with Phil is a roller coaster of ideas.  What if we do this, how about this or that move.  I’ve always been impressed with his business sense and it shows in his marketing and shows."

Editor's note:

Website: MagicInToronto.com






2020 Nominee: Romaine

Romaine (aka Roman Szydlowski)

Nominated by Luiz C. who wrote:
"I nominate Romaine ( Roman Szydlowski).  He has been one of Canada's hidden talent for too long.  He shared stage with the best magicians, has been a mentor to many famous magicians and inspiration to thousands.  If you ever had a chance to sit down with him you know that you always learned something new from him."


Editor's note:



Comments from Romaine's fans include:
-
Best Canadian manipulator of all times.
-
While Romaine is not as active in magic these days, and in poor health, this man deserves credit for his longevity and talent.



Editor's Choice


2020 Editor's Choice: Alex Zander

Alex Zander

Nominated by Shawn F. who wrote:
"I would like to nominate Alex Zander, who during this year has united magicians, not only in Canada but around the world by using the IBM JAM online to bring magic into the homes of all of us at no cost. For the first thirty days of the lock down we had a lecture every single day and now, eight months later the IBM JAM continues on a weekly basis to offer all magicians a way to connect. He gained nothing personally from doing this task and it taxed his free time greatly. It's inspiring to see the selfless acts of another in support of the greater good."

 

Editor's note:
  • Alex, the youngest IBM President, finished his term with tough decisions to make about the IBM Convention.
  • He was part of the organizing committee for this year's virtual PCAM.

 
Website: GottaBeMagic.com

Comments from Alex's fans include:
-
Hope he wins! He’s worked so hard this whole year and has had many sleepless nights from working out all the tech issues and he deserves this!
-
I have attended many of the IBM JAMs (lectured at one too) so I know the great value they've been in keeping the magic community connected when we can't connect in person. Alex even took time to virtually attend my magic club's first digital meeting back in April. He is a tireless worker for the greater good of magicians everywhere and I can't think of a more worthy recipient of the 2020 "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!
-
He’s a kind a generous guy...helped me (a total stranger) get tix to the Magic Castle for my 50th for my best friend, mom and husband. It was so special. Thank you Alex!
-
Amazing leadership at such a young age!
-
A huge thank you for Alex organizing all the IBM JAMs!! Loved them, a great distraction from all the craziness.


 

Readers' Choice

2020 Readers' Choice: Carisa Hendrix, Miranda Allen, and Richard Lee


Carisa Hendrix, Miranda Allen, and Richard Lee (aka Team Lucy Darling, The Star Ship Quarantine)
 
Nominated by Anonymous.

Congratulations to Carisa, Miranda, and Richard for winning the 2020 "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!

Keep up the great work!

Website: CarisaHendrix.com, MirandaAllen.ca, and NorthernLightTheatre.com/richard-lee-hsi/.

 

Comments from Carisa, Miranda, and Richard's fans include:
-
To go from regularly performing all over the world to a consistent string of high quality online shows (with some runs lasting for months) is a phenomenal effort in these unprecedented times.
- They are absolutely wonderful!!!!
-
I am beyond inspired by how these three built an amazing remote show while quarantined together, including building pieces of their set. I'm grateful for their existence!
-
Sparkle and joy were in short supply till Lucy did her online show
-
All nominees sound outstanding, but the level of professionalism, innovation, dedication, and prestidigitation that Team Lucy Darling puts into their performances is outstanding to say the least. They are the clear winners of this competition and I'd award it to them, not just for the great country of Canada, but arguably for the world as well.

 

 

  

 

 














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28 December 2020

Inspirational Canadian preschooler(s) of 2020

A first this year.  We've opened up a "preschool category."  No voting.  Just a post featuring enchanting progeny doing their thing!  

Thank you Brooklyn Westfall for being so adorably inspiring!

 

 

 

- Brooklyn Westfall's dad has accepted her nomination from Gwyn A. who wrote:
"I would like to nominate Brooklyn Westfall - she's bringing a fresh young perspective to magic, and showing magicians and people everywhere that magic has no limits. She's inspiring, and breaking down barriers of age, gender and language. She's been an absolute delight to watch which is such a fun treat during these crazy times. Way to go Brooklyn."

27 December 2020

Raman Sharma in the Toronto Star

From the December 26th article "Caledon magician pursues Guinness Record for most tricks in a minute" by Aparita Bhandari in the Toronto Star:

Back in Toronto, Sharma started to seek out magicians to learn tricks from. But he quickly found out they usually kept their tricks up their own sleeves. They did point him towards Browser’s Den of Magic, which also offered magic lessons. Sharma managed to convince Jeff Hinchliffe, one of the store’s employees, to stay an hour after closing time to teach him. One of the best card magicians that Sharma’s met, Hinchliffe taught him the basics of the art of magic up close.

Read more.


25 December 2020

The Guelph Christmas Music Project 2020

From the December 23rd article "Made In Guelph: Local musicians spread holiday cheer with Christmas playlist" by Ariel Deutschmann in Guelph Today:

Dan McLean Jr. is the organizer of a 35 music video playlist of original Christmas songs and covers of the classics.

Five weeks ago, McLean created a private Facebook group and invited 50 musicians from Guelph, asking them if they would like to participate in The Guelph Christmas Music Project 2020.

“If a bunch of us do this, we can put together a playlist in which we can get together and give a Christmas gift to ourselves, to each other, to our families and to our community,” he says.

The playlist can be found here.

For someone who has taught self-care programs for the Canadian Mental Health Association for 15 years, McLean says organizing a community-building event was in his character.

Read more.

 

 


24 December 2020

Luc Langevin: “Interconnected”

Tickets for Interconnected are currently available from December 27th through to the end of March 2021.

 

From Luc Lagnevin's website (as translated by Google):

Each performance of the show takes place live and is therefore unique. The spectators are an integral part of it. A ticket purchase is equivalent to a unique viewing link. It is therefore not possible to share it. If everyone you'll be watching the show with is doing it on the same device, you only need one ticket (one ticket per device).

Premium ticket holders
23 participants (and other residents of their household) will have the privilege of personally interacting with Luc during the show and will appear on screen throughout the performance ($ 68 + tax or € 45). They must connect to the show 30 minutes in advance

Regular ticket holders
Other spectators will be able to attend the show live and participate in the collective acts without appearing on the screen ($ 25 + taxes or € 20).

Read more and buy tickets
.

 

 

 

 

 



23 December 2020

Happy Holidays from the Darling Estate

Scroll to past the Happy Holidays video to see the details about their one time rebroadcast of their Holiday Show December 24th Time: 7pm EST / 4pm PST. Ticket price $10. 

 

From the December 21st Facebook post by Carisa Hendrix:









Ring in 2021 with Lucy Darling and Shawn Farquhar

From Shawn Farquhar's December 20th Facebook post:

I'm working New Year's Eve... wonders never cease!
Tickets available at:
https://togo.magiccastle.com/.../12-31-20-virtual-magic-show
I think afterwards we might just open up a Zoom Meeting for people to hang out and visit until 2020 ends... what do you all think?

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn Farquhar: Hidden Wonders, Session with, and Cabaret of Wonders!

It seems that calling this period The Great Pause is a huge inaccuracy for a people like Shawn Farquhar!  Here are a few of the places you can catch him in the next month or so:

 

Hidden Wonders [Dec 28]

Tickets at: https://bit.ly/HWSME

 


New Year's Eve

You can find Shawn performing as part of the Magic Castle's New Year's Eve show.


Session with Shawn [Jan 3]



Cabaret of Wonders [Jan 10]





22 December 2020

Michael Kras: Playwright-in-Residence at Essential Collective Theatre

Congratulations Michael!

 

From the December 10th Instagam post by Michael Kras:

So very excited to announce that I will officially be the Playwright-in-Residence at @ectheatre for 2021!

ECT means a lot to me - they programmed and produced the world premiere of my play The Team last year - and I'm beyond excited to spend the next year developing and workshopping a brand new play with them.

Thank you to ECT for having me, and thank you to the @ontarioartscouncil for supporting this residency. I can't wait!


 

 

 

 

 

21 December 2020

Santa's 54 Elves (one of the offers ends 21st Dec 23:59 EET)

From Shawn Farquhar's December 21 repost on Instagram:

All profits donated to water.org , an organization whose mission is to bring accessible and sanitized water to third world countries.

A worldwide collaboration for a good cause. 54 magicians come together in this Christmas Project in order to create something magical and unique, while also helping those who are less fortunate than us.

Luke Jermay, Shawn Farquhar, Justin Miller, Harapan Ong, Simon Black, Jeremy Griffith, Raphael Blin, Jack Paton and many many many more.

From fruit magic to tarot, essays and playing cards. A book great for both beginners and advanced magicians jam-packed with ideas, sleights, routines and philosophies.

Interactive PDF.
89 pages.

 

Visit BizandFriends to purchase the eBook or the limited edition book.


 

 

 

 

Congratulations Eric Leclerc!

From the November 24th Facebook post by Eric Leclerc:

CAN’T BELIEVE I DID IT!! 10 years ago I created a YouTube account and posted 1 video every single day for the entire year. After those 365 videos I had ENOUGH with YouTube so I left it for many years. I started posting again in 2020 and Today YouTube sent me a little something to commemorate my 100k subscribers! I’m blown away! 

 

 

 

20 December 2020

Canada’s Walk of Fame: Allan Slaight

From the December 13th article "Canada's Walk of Fame Honours the 'Impact' of Allan Slaight":

Also announced, in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Allan Slaight Music Impact honour, CWOF inducts Allan Slaight with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame for his contributions in business and philanthropy.

“I congratulate my father Allan on receiving this special award from Canada’s Walk of Fame in recognition of his accomplishments in his business life, his support for Canadian music creators and the arts in Canada and more importantly, his leadership in philanthropy,” Slaight Communications CEO and President Gary Slaight stated with the announcement. “Our family is very proud of the path he set for so many to follow.”

Read more.


19 December 2020

Chris Funk, Matt Gore, and Matt Falk in Holiday Magic!

From the December 10th Instagram Post by Chris Funk:

So excited for this!!!! December 20, join me and two amazing performers, @mattgoremagic and @mattfalkcomedy for a night of laughter and wonder! Tickets are only $15 per house! Don’t miss this! Let’s be honest, there’s no better way to start the Christmas week!!!!

 


18 December 2020

David Acer and the SuperDogs go virtual

From David Acer's December 17th Instagram post:

#Outtake I was supposed to say, "That box might be too big, we need a smaller one" but this is all that came out.

Catch the lines delivered mostly correctly on a very fun SuperDogs virtual holiday show (Happy Pawlidays) premiering on Facebook Saturday December 19th at noon EST (facebook.com/officialsuperdogs)

 

 



 

 

 

17 December 2020

Graemazing Reed and Lucas Wilson at the Norfolk Community holiday party [Dec 20]

From Graemazing Reed's December 16th Facebook post:

FREE SHOW: I am very proud to be helping Norfolk Association for Community Living and local artists bring YOU a FREE Holiday Party! Join us this Sunday for Music, Magic, Comedy and more. There are two showtimes and limited seats. Register now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 December 2020

Toronto: Illusionarium

Back in October, we posted an open call for Jamie Allan's "Magic Maze Live" which has rebranded as "Illusionarium." 

In the same theme as the "Immersive Van Gogh" experience, this exhibit boasts socially distant displays in multiple rooms.  It features 3D projections, immersive room effects, TV studio recreations, and live magicians.

Canadian talent includes: Neil Croswell, Sean Watson, Aaron Matthews (with Caroline Sauve), and Alex Kazam!

Also, involved is Cameron Gibson from the UK.

(We must be missing people ... who else is on board?)


From the Illusionarium website:

This holiday season you and your Magic Circle (of wizards you live with) will explore a labyrinth of mysterious rooms transporting you to different eras of illusion.

Take an immersive journey through the evolution of magic as the world’s most famous illusionists share their deepest secrets…

Using 3D projections, life-like holograms, and live magicians, this is the first time audiences can marvel at the greatest illusions up close – all in a socially-distanced setting.

Conceived by British high-tech magician, Jamie Allan (iMagician), this experiential exhibit blends Jamie’s encyclopedic knowledge on the history of magic with state-of-the-art-technology to bring illusions of the past into the 21st century.

Read more and buy tickets.






15 December 2020

Thank you to our December 2020 friends!

A quick reminder of our earlier Mail as Medicine request for Katie Hunt.  If you have the time, Katie and Doug would both benefit from hearing from their friends!

 --

Thank you to John Harrison, Richard Lyn, Joan Caesar, Ian Crawford, Matt DiSero, Gwyn Auger, Doug Hunt, John Smithman, Richard Hough, Robin Dawes, Eric Bedard, Loran, Peter Mennie, and David Johnson 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.





 

14 December 2020

Darcy Oake: Virtual (Dec 19) and interview with Steve Spade

December 19:  Exclusive UK and North America showtimes.

Go to DarcyOake.com for tickets, more information, and easter eggs!


In addition, Darcy was recently interviewed by Steve Spade on the Deceive Reality podcast.  Have a listen to episode 19:





From Darcy's November 14th Instagram post:




13 December 2020

Toronto Magic Company: Show in the Snow

From the Toronto Magic Company:

On Sunday December 20th at 2pm EST join magicians Ben Train and Jonah Babins for an interactive holiday magic show packed full of laughs and surprises.

And the best part? You can take part from the comfort of your own home!

That’s right! This is a LIVE and TOTALLY VIRTUAL magic show great for the entire family.

Not only do you get to watch incredible magic, but you'll actually follow along at home with parts of the show and the magic will happen in front of your eyes, and even in your own hands.

Shhhhh.... don't tell anyone, but we're even going to teach you a few tricks of your own so you can spread some holiday magic too!

Here's what's included:

1.5 hours of interactive, hilarious, and mind blowing virtual magic.

Tricks that happen in your home and in your hands!

Learn 2 holiday tricks during the show that you can instantly do.

Plus after the show we're going to send you 3 more easy to do holiday tricks that you can do with stuff around the house!

All you need is one ticket and you get admission for the entire family!

Tickets are going fast for this one-time-only event, so grab yours now and let the fun begin!

Read more and buy tickets.






12 December 2020

Shawn Farquhar interviewed by Craig Petty

From the December 1st episode of Craig Petty's Magic TV on YouTube:

This week on the channel we have Shawn Farquar.  Shawn Farquhar is a Canadian magician notable for his title as the "Grand Prix World Champion of Magic" from the International Federation of Magic Societies

His awards include being the only magician in history to win First Place at the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for both Stage and Sleight of Hand, twice Canadian Association of Magicians Magician of the Year, First Place at the Society of American Magicians annual magic convention competition, three Silver (2nd Place) awards, and a First (World Championship) in Card Magic and the Grand Prix World Championship for Close Up at FISM, the "Olympics of Magic". In August 2009, he won his most prestigious prize at the FISM World Championship of Magic in Beijing.

On May 1, 2010, the Canadian Association of Magicians once again named him Canadian Magician of the Year, making him the only two-time recipient of their most prestigious award.

Read more and watch interview.