Another in an occasional series of sleightly sketchy thoughts.
Previously shared January 14, 2024.
Showing posts with label # CM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label # CM. Show all posts
01 January 2026
30 December 2025
A peek behind the curtain with Frances Morgan from Champions of Magic
We recently reported our random thoughts about "Champions of Magic -- Holiday Spectacular" in Toronto. Frances Morgan, whose official role in the production is "Magic and Props Assistant," kindly agreed to do an interview with us.
Based in Spokane, Frances:
-
performed as a Magician’s Assistant at Silverwood Theme Park in 2022
Read more (click to show | hide)
At the theme park we did grand scale illusions as well as a few smaller illusions and routines. My favorite was our opening act that the magician and I created together (about a week before opening day!) I got hired quite unexpectedly, and had to jump in quickly. I was hired at the end of May and the full season started the first week in June. Before that, I had never been involved in a magic show in any capacity. So it was quite the adventure having to learn everything in such a short amount of time. That lasted a season before I moved on to starting my own show and forming my company, Inland Northwest Magic [INWmagic.com].
- debuted her first show as a magician in 2023,
-
won First Place in the Spokane Magic Club's Close-Up competition,
Read more (click to show | hide)
For my first local competition, I did some simple card routines, but what I have always stood behind is even the most simple magic can be amazing with the right presentation. I had music playing in the background, chose my setup carefully and rehearsed until the last moment to make sure it was ready. It was my first competition and I had just debuted my first solo show a few weeks prior, so that October was a fun and busy month! Some of the card moves in the routine I performed were taught to me by the magicians I met through the magic club
- and competed in the 2024 IBM Stage Competition.
Read more (click to show | hide)
At the annual IBM International Championship, I competed in the Stage Magic category. I had just joined the IBM as I had been elected Vice President of my local magic club and needed to join the IBM in order to do so. When I joined, I saw they had a convention coming a few hours away from me in Washington and knew I had to go. Magic conventions rarely, if ever, come to Washington or Idaho so I took hold of the opportunity and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. When I joined, I saw they also had a competition and figured I had nothing to lose so I sent in a video on the last day available for submissions. I had only been performing as a magician for a short while, so I looked at the show I had, took the routines I got the best reactions from and created a new sequence to make a roughly 8 minute routine. I went to a local park with my friend, we filmed it, went to a restaurant and uploaded it.
I never actually expected to hear anything back, but about a month later, I saw an email in my inbox from IBM. The headline was simple “I.B.M. Contest”; the opening, polite “Thank you for sending your submission for the 2024 Tacoma I.B.M. Convention Competition.” Reading this, I fully expected it to be a polite ‘thanks but try again later’ kind of email, but to my surprise I read and re-read and for good measure read again the next line. “Congratulations, we are pleased to inform you that you have earned a spot in the finals of the Gold Medal Competition and will appear on the International Stage Championship”. I began to jump and run around the house in complete shock and happiness. That competition was my turning point as a magician.
Competing at IBM, I truly felt like I was a magician. This was not just friends and family, this was a panel of judges who looked at my performance and said ‘yes, she can compete at this convention’. It truly is and was an honor to be there.
I did a linking ring routine (which I started to perform at the request of my mom who has always loved the linking rings and which has since become a staple in my shows), a dream bag production, where I make flower boxes appeared; and a torn and transformed paper to kabuki effect.
What is your first memory of magic?
When I was about 3 I went to a theme park and there, I experienced my first
magic show. My favorite routine was when the magician made a table
float on stage and to my astonishment, proceeded to walk down the
stairs into the audience with the table! Ever since then, the
floating table has been one of my favorite illusions to perform.
When I went to my first magic convention, I had the honor to meet
the builder of the illusion, and have been performing it ever
since.
What genre of magic has your focus currently?
Everything! Different circumstances allow for different magic. My love of
magic stems from my love of connecting people and bringing stories
to life. I am working on a Valentine's theme show using both stage
and close-up magic. The theme is a love letter to magic and wonder, and
will be performed in a movie [theatre] that was first owned by a
magician. I have the honor of being the first magician to perform magic there
since him in the past 50 years! A show that gets to play with a history
like that is such a thrill and an honor.
I love the theatrics of stage magic and helping the audience get lost in the wonder and story of it. Theatre is my first love, having grown up performing since I was about 3 years old. Close-up magic is a new adventure and for me, the appeal lies in connecting with the audience in an up close manner. Having magic happen in your hands as an audience member is one of the most amazing things you can experience. I also love doing walk-around magic for events. I usually start with just conversing with people. Many people have at least some small connection with magic, and often I can utilize that when I perform magic for them. I get to have fun weaving their stories into the magic to create something personal for them and unique for me.
I love the theatrics of stage magic and helping the audience get lost in the wonder and story of it. Theatre is my first love, having grown up performing since I was about 3 years old. Close-up magic is a new adventure and for me, the appeal lies in connecting with the audience in an up close manner. Having magic happen in your hands as an audience member is one of the most amazing things you can experience. I also love doing walk-around magic for events. I usually start with just conversing with people. Many people have at least some small connection with magic, and often I can utilize that when I perform magic for them. I get to have fun weaving their stories into the magic to create something personal for them and unique for me.
Why did you want to become part of the Champions of Magic behind-the-scenes
family?
I saw Champions for the first time in 2022. It was my first time seeing a
magic show of that magnitude and I absolutely fell in love with it!
My favorite part was the ensemble aspect of it. Magic usually
features the solo magician but growing up in theatre, nearly every show I saw
had an ensemble of actors working together to build a story. The
ensemble aspect of Champions felt more natural and exciting to me.
One of my favorite parts of theatre is getting to play off the other
actors in a scene, and I got to see that same playful creativity with
Champions.
Magic has this amazing ability to bring the audience into its space. Unlike other forms of theatre, magic breaks the 4th wall and gets to incorporate the audience unlike anything else. Magic has all the wonderful qualities that I love about theatre and then some. It is more spontaneous and can connect with an audience in a unique way; Champions shows that in a wonderful and grand display.
Magic has this amazing ability to bring the audience into its space. Unlike other forms of theatre, magic breaks the 4th wall and gets to incorporate the audience unlike anything else. Magic has all the wonderful qualities that I love about theatre and then some. It is more spontaneous and can connect with an audience in a unique way; Champions shows that in a wonderful and grand display.
What are your roles on this tour?
I get to do a little bit of everything! My official title is Magic and Props
Assistant. I work primarily with the props team and between the
three of us we take care of over 200 props in the show, from sunglasses to a
sparkly, metal moon. We build, repair, improve, set, strike and pack all the
props every new show day. I also get the chance to be onstage as an Assistant
for a few of the acts. For one routine, I get to wear the dress I wore as an
Assistant in the theme park, so a fun personal call back, and I also wear a
necklace of a snowflake that my family gave me for Christmas a few years ago.
For me, it is a way to bridge my past experiences with this new
chapter.
What surprised you most about touring with this ensemble of magicians?
This is my first tour and I have an immense amount of respect for the stamina
of this group! Especially the crew and the producer. Every person
works incredibly hard and will jump in to help when needed. If one
of us is sick or injured, or simply let something slip in the rush of
the moment, we all try to pull together to help one another and
give the best experience possible to the audience, while supporting
each other as a team.
Tell us about a highlight from this tour.
One highlight was at one of the shows, we invited a kid onstage and he had
the best time! I got to interact with him and his mom off stage
and his whole face lit up at being a part of the show. Getting to
inspire people of all ages is just spectacular!
What compelling reasons are there to come see "Champions of Magic:
Holiday Spectacular"?
Theatre is magic when seen live, and a live magic show is theatre on another
level. This show has something for everyone of all ages. One of
my favorite aspects is the different genres that come into
play.
Some examples: we have a callback to old Hollywood detective mysteries, a sit-com holiday party, and a tribute to grand scale Las Vegas magic shows. We also get to bring a few people up on stage to witness the magic up close!
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the readers of Canada’s
Magic?
Happiness is magic. Keep sharing the magic. Join the email
list of Champions of Magic and come follow along on
the adventure!
Thank you Frances, for making the time to answer our questions and congratulations on your recent achievements!Learn more about Frances at her website INWmagic.com and sign-up to her
email list.
28 December 2025
Random thoughts about "Champions of Magic -- Holiday Spectacular" 2025
Catch them in Toronto until January 4. Tickets at Ticketmaster.ca
Yesterday, we made the trek to the Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto.
- Regular readers may remember that Champions of Magic made their Toronto debut at this theatre in 2018.
- It is an intimate theatre with one balcony and a seating capacity of just over 800.
- The show is approximately 2 hours in length, including a 16 minute intermission.
- As always with this show we are genuinely afraid of posting spoilers. The less you know going in, the more you'll enjoy it!
Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts
On with the show...
Note to parents of young children: The music can be very loud at times throughout the show. There are also smoke and fog machines involved. Forewarned is forearmed.
There's a videographer on hand to capture close-up miracles and project them on a big screen so everyone can see!
We're always excited to see
Champions of Magic!
Pre-show vibes
-
There were plenty of families with young children in the audience.
The audience was definitely in the holiday spirit and well primed to be
entertained.
-
Liberty Larsen,
Fernando Velasco,
Richard Young and Sam Strange
all do what they do very well! All of the performers showed us a side
of their characters that we'd not previously seen.
-
This show introduced us to Frances Morgan from Spokane who participates as
crew as well as having her moment in the spotlight. Frances kindly
agreed to do an interview with us that we hope to share with you soon.
-
The show is very different from the ones we've seen previously*. There
are significant changes in both the cast, and the structure of the
production.
*Toronto 2018, Oshawa 2019, Kitchener 2022, Toronto 2023, and Hamilton in 2025.
-
If memory serves, there are only 2-3 bits carried over from 2018, 3-4
repeats from 2023, and maybe 6 duplicates from earlier this year. Which
works out to roughly 75 - 80% of the show being new from its most recent
interation. That's a lot of new magic!
They made some bold choices, that served them well!
-
Every incarnation of the show offers imaginative narrative brought to life
through full ensemble numbers.
-
There are also plenty of moments for each of the acts to shine on their own.
-
There was LOTS audience participation with both children and adults!
By our count, 14 volunteers were involved. Many of the volunteers were
able to do so from the comfort of their seats. A lucky few were
brought on stage for a fully immersive show experience!
-
We were lucky to experience young volunteer Jamie who held the audience in
rapt attention, as well as the tremendously delightful Emmy who
instantaneously won the hearts of those in attendance.
- The lighting design for this show is visually stunning!
Whether you're new to magic or are a professional magician, there's something for everyone!
-
Larsen has a very creative style that delivers personal and refreshing takes
on some classics of magic. As an added bonus for magicians, she spent
a little bit of time talking about her magical family!
-
Velasco pivoted from his signature heart-stopping stunts. Not to
worry, he still performs escapes, albeit at a smaller scale. He
showcased a wider variety of his talents and had the audience eating from
the palm of his hand.
- Young and Strange are always tremendously entertaining! Both individually, and together as a double act, they consistently deliver impressive sleight of hand, laugh out loud comedy, and a truly exhilarating exhibition of grand illusion. They get bonus points for mentioning Canadian born magician Dai Vernon. (And a minor demerit for not mentioning Doug Henning when Doug appears in a video clip.) We're sad to report that Young's homage to David Copperfield Easter egg is no longer in the show.
Larsen and Strange each did a particularly good job of staying in the moment and working with the unique 'gifts' this audience provided.
-
A special shout-out to the videographer, whose quick thinking salvaged an
effect when cards were scattered to the floor!
We highly recommend it!
(Even if you've seen it before.)
Post-show vibes
Disclosure: We were guests at this show. The opinions expressed above are entirely our own. We did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.
With thanks to Champions of Magic for the tickets.
22 December 2025
2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase summary
This concludes the 2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase (ICMS)!
We hope you enjoyed reading about many of the talented magicians across the
country. Thank you for joining us on the journey.
A huge
shout out to everyone who submitted names and supporting text to us last
month. Thank you for generously making the time to celebrate your peers!
We couldn't have done this without the help of:
- Alex Boyer
- Chanelle Munroe
- Ken McCreedy
- Marc Trudel
- Ryan Michael
- Sean Watson
-
Tabraze Sheikh
- Mystery Magician, and
- Mystery Magician II!
Thank you for the thought and time involved in sending us your
submissions.
Congratulations again to everyone featured. Keep up the
great work!
Be sure to click on the links below to find out what makes each magician
inspirational in their own right. The story isn't just about
who was selected. Of equal, or perhaps greater importance, is
why they were selected!
19 December 2025
Ian Stewart: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Last, but certainly not least in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Ian Stewart!
|
|
| Ian Stewart: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Tabraze Sheikh
Congratulations Ian! Keep up the great work!
Thank you to Tabraze, for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Tabraze Sheikh, follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
18 December 2025
Chris Gowen: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Next in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Chris Gowen!
|
|
| Chris Gowen: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Ryan Michael
Congratulations Chris! Keep up the great work!
Thank you to Ryan, for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Ryan Michael, visit RyanMichaelMagic.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
16 December 2025
Ryan Joyce: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Next in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Ryan Joyce!
|
|
| Ryan Joyce: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Mystery Magician II
Congratulations Ryan! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Ryan Joyce, visit his website at RyanJoyce.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
15 December 2025
Stéphane Bourgoin: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Next in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Stéphane Bourgoin!
|
|
| Stéphane Bourgoin: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Marc Trudel
Congratulations Stéphane! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Stéphane Bourgoin, visit his website at StephaneBourgoin.com or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
Thank you Marc for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Marc Trudel, visit MarcTrudelMagicien.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
10 December 2025
Ed Fernandez: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Fourth in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Ed Fernandez!
|
|
|
Ed Fernandez: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Ken McCreedy
Congratulations Ed! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Ed Fernandez, visit his website at FernandezHypnotist.com or follow him on Facebook.
Thank you Ken for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Ken McCreedy, visit KenMcCreedy.com and follow him on Facebook.
08 December 2025
Alain Choquette: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Fourth in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Alain Choquette!
|
|
| Alain Choquette: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Alex Boyer
Congratulations Alain! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Alain Choquette, visit his website at AlainChoquette.ca or follow him on Facebook.
Thank you Alex for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Alex Boyer, visit his website at AlexBoyer.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
05 December 2025
Connie Boyd: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Third in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Connie Boyd!
|
|
| Connie Boyd: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Chanelle Munroe
Congratulations Connie! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Connie Boyd, visit her website ThePowerOfMagicalWomen.com or follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
Thank you Chanelle for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Chanelle Munroe, visit her website at ChanelleMunroe.com, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
03 December 2025
Dean Gunnarson: Inspirational Canadian Magician
Second in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Dean Gunnarson!
|
|
| Dean Gunnarson: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Sean Watson
Congratulations Dean! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Dean Gunnarson, visit his website AlwaysEscaping.com or follow him on Instagram.
Thank you Sean for your excellent submission!
To learn more about Sean Watson, visit his website at SeanWatsonMagician.com, and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
01 December 2025
Matt DiSero: Inspirational Canadian Magician
First up in this year's Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase, is Matt DiSero!
|
|
|
Matt DiSero: Inspirational Canadian Magician. |
Submitted by Mystery Magician
Congratulations Matt! Keep up the great work!
To learn more about Matt DiSero, visit his website MattDiSero.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase
It's time for our third annual Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase (ICMS)!
Back in 2023, we reached out to magicians across Canada to see who inspired them. And then in 2024 we reached out to the 2023 nominees and asked them to pay it forward by generating a list of their Inspirational Canadian Magicians for 2024.
In October, we touched base with the magicians featured in last year's ICMS and asked them to write two to four sentences about someone in the Canadian magic community who inspired them in 2025. (They were given the caveat that the magicians in last year's showcase were ineligible to be named in this year's showcase.) Not all of last year's nominees were able to contribute to this year's showcase.
Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be hosting a showcase of the submissions, in no particular order.
We hope you enjoy!
|
|
|
2025 Inspirational Canadian Magician Showcase. |
Note: This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the
inspirational things magicians are doing across Canada. Instead, think
of it as the community highlighting a random sample of excellence at a single point in
time.
14 November 2025
Random thoughts about “Explorer 1: Transform Your Magic"
Micheal Close's Explorer 1
Teaching the magic beyond the tricks
Has your magic has plateaued in spite of owning shelves of magic books, a hard
drive full of instructional downloads, and drawers full of magic
effects? Enter “Explorer 1: Transform Your Magic” a 6 week online course
offered by Michael Close.
As you are likely aware, Michael is well known in the magic community for his
excellence as an author, a creator, a performer, and a consultant. For
those unfamiliar with Michael’s work, I encourage you to read Jamy Ian Swiss’
2018 article “The Paradigm Shift – Volume One & Volume Two by Michael
Close” at Magicana.
I participated in the beta testing of these classes, in addition to auditing the first run of the course. The classes methodically cover foundational sleights with both cards and coins. One of the biggest benefits to learning from Michael, a performer with decades of experience under his belt, is that he teaches fundamental material with an awareness as to how the skills will be applied as one advances their ability. In other words, the foundational sleights are taught in a versatile manner, ready for use in more sophisticated situations. This approach results in accelerated learning – you only have to learn a skill once!
Thinking outside the box.
Michael’s approach to teaching magic, mirrors in many respects, The Royal Conservatory of Music's approach to the method and practise of teaching music. (This comes as no surprise given Michael’s Masters Degree in Music Theory and Composition.)
What do I mean by this? A music teacher will introduce their student music theory concepts (such as a key signature, and rhythm), and provide them with a piece of music to practise which incorporates these ideas. As music students practise with the goal of performance in mind, the teacher will discuss musical technique, as well as introduce critical analysis of their student’s efforts.
On the surface, Micheal teaches foundational sleights, along with tricks which incorporate these fundamental skills. While the tricks are logical a vehicle to demonstrate the use of the newfound technical expertise, they more importantly serve as case studies for broader theoretical concepts important to maximizing the entertainment value of magic performance.
Simply put, the tricks are not the lesson. They are the springboards that permit Michael to introduce theory that elevates the performance of magic.
Michael presents his well crafted lessons in a manner which is clear and
easy to follow. Nuggets of wisdom gleaned from years of performance and
consulting pepper every session. The classes are a safe and nurturing
environment that puts the students at ease. In these classes, questions
in search of understanding are always welcome.
Michael provides a manageable amount of assigned and supplemental reading, invoking wisdom from magicians such as Jamy Ian Swiss, Juan Tamariz, Larry Hass, Jon Racherbaumer, and of course Dai Vernon.
As an added bonus, course enrollment includes exclusive, limited-time access
to the Ask Alexander Digital Library, provided
by the Conjuring Arts Research Center.
In keeping with the music class analogy, during the course Michael said this about foundational sleights:
“... one of the good things about developing a toolbox of techniques of sleights that you are competent at, is it makes reading magic books a lot easier. You're almost like musicians when they sight read a piece. If I have all my scales and my arpeggios and all these things under my fingers to a reasonable degree, then as I look at a new piece of music, I can get a sense of what that piece of music is as I sight read.”
Similarly, if you embrace the theoretical concepts, while also developing your analytical and critiquing muscles, you will be able to utilize this knowledge to enhance any magic performance, from close-up to stage.
I
had an overwhelmingly positive experience participating in these
classes. If you’re looking for a way to shore up your sleights, and
elevate your presentation skills, this is the course for you!
To
register, or for more information, visit Micheal's website at MichaelClose.com.
Disclosure: I beta tested and audited the classes as a guest. The opinions expressed above are entirely my own. I did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)