Toronto: Free magic jam!

From Ben Train's Facebook page:

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That's all she wrote

With the publication of yesterday's piece on Murray SawChuck meeting The Twins, I've officially published that last scrap of new news about Canadian magicians and magic happening in Canada.

Between you and me, I'm surprised we covered it all in just over six short years!  I thought it would have taken longer.

A shout out to 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, The Amazing Corbin, and Michael Close.

Thanks also to all of the blog's official friends, past and present.  That's you:  John Smithman, John Harrison, Richard Lyn, Joan Caesar, and Ted & Marion Outerbridge.

And of course thank you, dear readers, for your company on this fabulous journey!
















I kid!  We've only just seen the tip of the iceburg.

It's Saturday April 1st and I'm spending the day at the 3rd annual Browser's Bash.  Keep your eye on the blog and Twitter for updates on how the day is progressing!

Shane Cobalt on Erdnase

From Shane Cobalt's Facebook page:

I just wrote this as a comment to someone asking "Who's Erdnase" and thought it might be interesting to a wider audience.

Let's pretend this is a real question.

The first answer, which will assume you know about the book and are just looking for the identity, is still a mystery. As it stands, I am of the mindset that Marty Demarest has found the most current convincing candidate with Wilbur Edgarton Sanders. However, everyone is speculating and as Erdnase never actually came to get the books from the printer, I believe we are in a position where we may never truly know with 100% certainty who Erdnase truly was. Unfortunate really.

That being said, let's assume you are asking the greater over arching question that many new to the field ask. What/Who is Erdnase (all about).

A relatively small book was published in 1902 under the name S.W. Erdnase. A pseudonym name we assume of the author.

While there is a lot of mystery and searching going on regarding who he was, let's discuss what the book is, why it's important, and what you can expect from it.

Read more.

Introducing "Magic Convention Bingo"

• Have you ever been at a magic convention and found yourself with 17 seconds where there's nothing to do?
   
• Have you ever searched for a distraction so that you wouldn't have to make eye contact with the humans in your proximity?


• Do you fancy yourself to have Sherlock-esque powers of observation?

We've got just the thing for you!

Canada's Magic is proud to introduce Magic Convention Bingo!

Click here for your Bingo card (or make an Unofficial #BrowsersBash2017 edition) and click refresh until you generate a card you like. Simply print it off and bring it to your next magic convention!

Stay alert and keep an eye open for the items on your card. See how long it takes for you to get your first bingo or even fill your card!

Remember to be respectful and don't shout out "bingo" during presentations or performances. And don't bother the conference organizers with questions about Magic Convention Bingo -- they might not even know it's going on!

Stream "Houdini and Doyle" until 2021

From the Twitter feed of HouDoyle:
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Good news for Canadian cable subscribers. Thanks to @Global_TV you can now stream #HoudiniAndDoyle until 2021! 🎩🖋️https://t.co/yaNBxkXnWx

— HouDoyle (@HouDoyle) February 3, 2017

The Great Boomsky: Truro magician Isaac Willis

From The Chronicle Herald:

In the 1920s, a popular “professor” worked as a porter at the Truro train station. However this porter wasn’t a moonlighting academic.

Under the stage name of Professor Boomsky, he once mystified full houses at the world’s finest theatres. And before that, he worked at the White House.

Isaac Willis was born on Christmas Eve, 1879 in Alexandria, Va. By the age of two, he was living in Washington, D.C., where his father, a former cart driver, was a doorman at the White House. Eventually, Isaac joined his father, working there as a messenger boy.

By a twist of fate, Isaac caught the eye of Alexander Herrmann, a millionaire magician who lived a glamorous lifestyle befitting a modern-day rock star, complete with a yacht, private railcars, and a seaside mansion.

Herrmann, who often gave command performances for presidents and royalty, took notice of the charismatic Willis. In a flash, the White House needed a new messenger boy. The teen had signed on as Herrmann’s apprentice, assuming the role of Boomsky, the magician’s beloved stage assistant.

Read more.

Canadians nominated for the 2017 Academy of Magical Arts Awards

Congratulations and good luck to The Evasons and to Shawn Farquhar!


From the Facebook page of The Evasons:


From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

2016 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 fabulous talent in our country.

One hundred and eighty five of you voted in this "bragging rights" only contest.  Here are the results of our first ever "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!

Beacons of Inspiration

Murray and Teresa Hatfield

The Hatfields outdid themselves last year with their production "Unbelievable."  Murray also stepped up to the Vice President position of CAM, in anticipation of becoming CAM President later this year.

Thanks for the inspiration Murray and Teresa!


Website: MurrayHatfieldMagic.com

Matt DiSero

In 2016 Matt appeared on season 3 of Penn and Teller's "Fool Us," which I think is inspiring all on it's own.  He also has a knack for keeping things light and making us laugh.

Thanks for the inspiration Matt!

Website: MattDiSero.com

Editor's Choice

Mahdi Gilbert

I found Mahdi's appearance on season 3 of Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" very powerful and inspirational.  I was also impressed that one of my readers from Germany chose to nominate Mahdi.  Apparently he has quite the fan base!

Website: MahdiGilbert.com

Readers' Choice

Steven Lafond

Congratulations to Steven for winning the 2016 Readers' Choice award!

Keep up the great work with 'Magic Mondays' in Ottawa and your ongoing support of the Canadian magic community!


Website: MagicStudioProductions

Voting ends tonight!

Voting ends tonight for the "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!

Who inspired you in 2016?

Allan Slaight Award Nominations are open for work completed in 2016

From Magicana's Facebook page:

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The Mahdi Gilbert Scholarship

From Mahdi Gilbert:

Mahdi Gilbert knows firsthand the value of learning magic. His new sponsorship program will help students of magic progress with their education. Sponsored by Mahdi Gilbert & Before Magic.

Read more and apply.

From Mahdi's Twitter feed:

https://t.co/EbyoJ63kHk pic.twitter.com/fdV9TAFcMd

— Mahdi Gilbert (@mahdigilbert) January 9, 2017

Vote now for the 2016 Readers' Choice award

Updated to add: 

• Voting has closed.  Results will be posted later this week.
• The Evasons have requested that they be withdrawn from consideration for this voting process.  We are unable to remove their names from the ballot at this time and ask that you respect the Evasons' wishes and not vote for them.

The nominations are closed and voting is now open for the 2016 "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!  Voting will close on Sunday, January the 22nd at 11:59pm EST.

To vote, scroll down to the bottom of this post and participate in the poll.  (Unfortunately, the poll does not appear in the mobile version of the site.)

Let's have a look at the nominees (in no particular order):

Matt DiSero

Matt's nominator stated that Matt is "a very sassy act."  In addition, in 2016 Matt also appeared on season 3 of Penn and Teller's "Fool Us."

Website: MattDiSero.com

The Evasons

The Evasons have requested that they be withdrawn from consideration for this voting process.  We are unable to remove their names from the ballot at this time and ask that you respect the Evasons' wishes and not vote for them.

Mahdi Gilbert

Mahdi's nominator submitted the following: "He has inspired so many of us through his amazing sleight of hands without having any hands. The way he transformed his own life through magic is a role model for everyone who's searching for meaning, hope and inspiration."  Mahdi also appeared on season 3 of Penn and Teller's "Fool Us."

Website: MahdiGilbert.com

 

Murray and Teresa Hatfield

The Hatfields were nominated for "starring in and (even more importantly) producing the extraordinary magic and illusions-filled phantasmagoria 'Unbelievable' at this summer's PNE in Vancouver. It was, without a doubt, the most inspirational, most wonderful, most entertaining stadium-scale magical event I have ever witnessed."


Website: MurrayHatfieldMagic.com

Steven Lafond

Steven's nominators submitted the following, "Steven Lafond, producer and host of 'Magic Mondays' in Ottawa for his continued support of the magic community. Hosting over 30 different magicians from all over Canada in 2016 alone.  (Additional supporting comment: He has done a whole year's worth of monthly magic showcases featuring locals and big names alike. Chris Pilworth, Bill Abbott, Mysterion, Zach & Steve, Jonathan Gold, Eric Leclerc...all opened by local professional and up-and-coming magicians. A real community supporter.)

Website: MagicStudioProductions

Happy 2017!

Wishing you and yours a year filled with awe and wonder!

Introducing the "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award

Updated January 3rd to add the following nominee:

• Matt DiSero - for having a "very sassy act."

 

Updated December 28th to add the following nominees:

•  Steven Lafond, producer and host of "Magic Mondays" in Ottawa for his continued support of the magic community. Hosting over 30 different magicians from all over Canada in 2016 alone.  (Additional supporting comment: He has done a whole year's worth of monthly magic showcases featuring locals and big names alike. Chris Pilworth, Bill Abbott, Mysterion, Zach & Steve, Jonathan Gold, Eric Leclerc...all opened by local professional and up-and-coming magicians. A real community supporter.)
• Murray and Teresa Hatfield for starring in and (even more importantly) producing the extraordinary magic and illusions-filled phantasmagoria "Unbelievable" at this summer's PNE in Vancouver. It was, without a doubt, the most inspirational, most wonderful, most entertaining stadium-scale magical event I have ever witnessed.

Updated December 27th to add official nominees:

• The Evasons for being classy and for being the most original non electronic using mentalists in the world today.
• Mahdi Gilbert - "He has inspired so many of us through his amazing sleight of hands without having any hands. The way he transformed his own life through magic is a role model for everyone who's searching for meaning, hope and inspiration."

Introducing the Canada's Magic "Readers' Choice 2016 Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award.  You may nominate living Canadian Magician(s) of your choosing by leaving their name along with a short note about how they inspired you in 2016, in the comments below.  (Or you may email me your nomination.)

Nominations will be accepted up until 11:59PM on Sunday January the 8th.  The full list of nominations will be published and voting will commence.  (Canada's Magic is not eligible for the award, nor will it be participating in the nomination or voting process.)

This is a "bragging rights" only contest.  There is no cash value for this award.

Here are some ideas for potential nominees (individuals and groups can be nominated):

• The Canadian magicians appearing on US television shows this year:  Shawn Farquhar, Murray SawChuck, Vitaly Beckman, Mahdi Gilbert, Neil Croswell, Ryan Joyce, Matt DiSero, The Evasons, and Greg Frewin.
• The owners of Canada's brick and mortar magic shops.
• The people who nurture the the next generation of magicians at Sorcerers Safari magic camp.
• Brent Kloeble and his team for establishing a magic festival for Regina.

The list of worthy entrants goes on and on ...

I look forward to seeing your nominations!

Quantity vs quality

I have to agree with Evelyn Matlin's observation about the sheer volume of magic effects brought to market these days.  The selection is far greater than I when I first dipped my toe in, *mumble mumble* years ago.  I wonder if the quality of the effects, over all, is higher, the same, or lower than back in the day.


From Perfect Magic:

As a magic dealer, I am overwhelmed by the new magic that comes out on a daily basis. Especially because I do the banners on our home page of Perfect Magic and edit the write-ups for our catalog. There seems to be no end to it.

I remember a time when Albert Goshman (think Sponge Balls – Magic by Gosh) came to Montreal to perform at Magie Montreal when we had our Conventions, back in the 80’s. He stayed in our home and we took him to the Brown Derby in the Van Horne Shopping Centre for dinner one evening. Unfortunately, neither Albert nor the Brown Derby are with us any more.

Read more.

Peter Mennie answers the question: "Why are you a magician?

From Abrakidabra:

This night there was only one possible helper nearby so I approached. She was really shy and wouldn’t give me her name. Her sister did and after a bit of conversation I was able to get her up front. She didn’t want to sit on the stool initially but with my help, she got comfortable. She is 4.

As you saw, this routine is a bit animated and sometimes young helpers won’t open up and relax to have fun. this was my worry here because she was REALLY shy.

Read more.

Pacific Contact 2017 Showcase Applications Available

From the BC Touring Council's Facebook page:

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Brainstorming presentation in support of magic as a cultural institution

If you have ideas or feedback for Clive, I encourage you to post them on his Facebook page.  If you don't have a Facebook account, you're welcome to leave a comment on this post.

From Clive Court's Facebook page:

Next year Canada celebrates its 150th Anniversary and the government intends to get us hyped on our own culture with a variety of activities and events. And one of those activities across will be hearings about the future of our cultural institutions including, film, theatre, radio, television, publishing, and the internet . I am interested in putting together a visual presentation (video) for use at various hearings. As I see it at the moment, the video(s) will feature Canada's world champion magicians and others who have appeared on major TV shows around the world. For example, clips of Shawn Farquhar on Penn and Teller, Greg Frewin in The World's Greatest Magic. or Richard Forget on Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde. Each clip would be followed by each magician explaining how he/she is able to make a living in Canada by touring around the world and appearing on international TV specials, etc. Suggestions?

The Department of Canadian Heritage Questionnaire

From the Globe and Mail:

Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly says the main goals of her office’s review of Canadian content rules and regulations, announced Sat., April 22, 2016, are to foster creation of Canadian content and increase the international audience for Canadian creators.

Read more.

From Clive Court's Facebook page:

Attention All Canadian Entertainers! Our new government is asking for YOUR views on how they can change the system to develop more Canadian content they can sell around the world to strengthen our currently weak entertainment infrastructure. This is REAL and they do pay attention to what you say. If you don't respond---they spend more time listening to the lobbyists (who do not always have your interests at heart!). DO NOT IGNORE THIS OPPORTUNITY. (PS> No BS...just give them the real facts and examples about how you make a living in Canada. So they can put the right questions to TV network bosses, and industry lobbyists).

From The Department of Canadian Heritage:

In summer 2016, the Minister of Canadian Heritage will lead public, stakeholder and online consultations on Strengthening Canadian Content Creation, Discovery and Export in a Digital World. We invite you, as Canadians and stakeholders, to help us establish the scope of these consultations by answering the questions below. Your answers will be used to better define the themes and questions that will be used to guide the consultations.
 
The questionnaire will be available until May 20, 2016.
 
The questionnaire will take 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your answers.
 
Participation in this questionnaire is voluntary, the anonymity of respondents will be respected and all responses will be kept strictly confidential. Questions are asked for information gathering purposes only and will not be used to identify respondents. To this end, please avoid directly identifying yourself or your organization in any typed answers. All information collected will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Read more and complete survey.

Monday musings: What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you during a show?

I've seen a lot of strange and unexpected things happen at shows.  I've seen stage platforms give way.  I've seen entire sets fall over actors (thankfully no one was injured), I've seen audience volunteers walk off the stage.  And there was that one time when a smoke machine caused a cape to catch fire...

I haven't performed often enough to experience anything like that.  Best I can do is report a family member who zealously tried to make a fool out of grade-school-me (boy was he surprised when he opened his hands to find an entire family of sponge rabbits!), and the suggestion of "Abracadabra, hey presto!" as a magic "word" by a grade-school student.

I'm sure a number of you have some juicy tales to tell though, and I'd love to hear them!

I'll let James Alan start you off with this video from his Reality Based Magic post, "The weirdest thing to ever happen to me on stage."




And now, over to you. What's the strangest thing that's ever happened to you during a show?