Montreal: Alfredo Marchese (Magic Alan) lecture

From Montreal Magic Jam:

Wed Sept 27 at 7pm

Argentinian magician Alfredo Marchese (known simply as Magic Alan) has been a professional for over 35 years, working all kinds of environments and traveling all over the world.

A student of the maestro Juan Tamariz, he performs in most of Tamariz’s theatre shows performing a wide variety of material from the spirit cabinet to the Chinese linking rings.

His lecture for us will focus on what he calls “Vertical Card Magic” that can be close-up, in parlour and on the stage, including other visual props and a wide variety of effects (not just your standard pick-a-card tricks).

Of course all this with a combination of clever modern methods. And of course as a student of Tamariz, it wouldn’t be complete with explanations of the psychology behind the tricks and magic performance in general based on his personal experience and of course the work of Tamariz and Ascanio, with am emphasis on these main points
-EFFECT
-EMOTION
-SURPRISE
-SITUATIONAL COMEDY
-VARIETY

Perhaps a relative unknown in our part of the world, he is well-respected throughout Spain and his native South America . Roberto Giobbi, Dani DaOrtiz and Juan Tamariz all sing his praises, and that’s enough to make any magician sit up and pay attention to what he has to say.

Read more and buy tickets.

Matt Johnson's UK tour

From Matt Johnson'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.

Montreal: Jörg Alexander lecture

From the Montreal Magic Jam:

Tuesday Sept 5th

Jörg Alexander is one of Germany’s busiest magicians, and a member of the world famous Flicking Fingers. As a full-time professional since 1994, he has performed and lectured in Germany, England, Spain, Argentina, USA, France, Finland, Austria and Switzerland.

As a FISM competitor he won awards for his performances in the categories of close-up card magic, and mentalism.

He is the creator of Sympathetic Ten and Fantastic Aces, both commercially available, best-selling items from his working repertoire.

His lecture covers both parlor and close-up magic, and also delves into performance theory, discussing the topics of direction of attention, intrinsic actions, and routine construction and development.

Read more and buy tickets.

Rounding the Western rings in September 2017

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)	- TBA.
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)	- Third Monday Magic.
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- TBA.
Vancouver, BC	SAM 95  (Carl Hemeon Assembly)	- TBA.
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- TBA.

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

Rounding the Central rings in September 2017

Updated September 11th to add:

• Ring 17 (Toronto) will host a lecture by Alfredo Marchese in addition to the one by Jörg Alexander

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

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- Stage workers. - Sunday brunch. - Instagram Tuesday
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- Current and past executive perform.
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Easy but good.
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- Ryan Joyce lecture.
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- TBA.
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- Jörg Alexander lecture.
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Jörg Alexander lecture.  (Note location change.) - Alfredo Marchese lecture.

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

Rounding the Eastern rings in September 2017

Does anybody 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)	- Jörg Alexander lecture. - 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.

Owen Sound: Now with Michael Weber

Earlier this summer, we shared the news about a workshop retreat Michael Close is hosting with special guest Jason England.  Those in attendance at "Magic Theory, or Magic Fact? Let's Find Out." earlier this week at the Browser's Den of Magic heard Michael hint that he was hoping to add another special guest to the roster.

It's official!


From Michael Close's Twitter feed:

Michael Weber will be joining us in Owen Sound. Check it out: https://t.co/3J6p6Z0kOt

— Michael Close (@MikeCloseMagic) August 16, 2017

From Michael Close:

You are cordially invited to join Michael Close and Jason England on October 17-20, 2017, for a unique workshop in the beautiful cottage country of northern Ontario (Owen Sound, ON). You’ll be away from the physical and mental noise of the city, but you won’t be roughing it; the accommodations are luxurious.

You’ll fly into Toronto on Monday, October 16, Tuesday morning you'll be bused to beautiful Owen Sound, ON where you will spend most of Tuesday, all day Wednesday, and all day Thursday talking magic and receiving personalized instruction from two of the most knowledgeable magicians on the planet. You'll return to your hotel in Toronto on Friday, and fly home on Saturday.

Read more and register!

Random thoughts from "Magic Theory, or Magic Fact? Let's Find Out."

Updated August 16 to add:

• Michael Weber has been announced as an additional special guest for the October workshop with Jason England.
• Michael posted his thoughts about his lecture.

You may remember that I had the good fortune of spending time with Michael Close at Sorcerers Safari.  (I even snagged a mini-interview with him.)  I was always thoroughly impressed with the wisdom he shared with his advanced card classes. 

When I heard Michael was lecturing locally, I knew I had to make it if I could.


From the Canada's Magic Twitter feed:

Guess where I was last night?@theBrowsersDen pic.twitter.com/q6R8EZYofZ

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) August 14, 2017

Sunday night, the stars aligned and I was able to attend "Magic Theory, or Magic Fact? Let's Find Out."


Also from the Canada's Magic Twitter feed:

It was standing room only for the @MikeCloseMagic lecture @theBrowsersDen pic.twitter.com/ADymaPhGnC

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) August 14, 2017

Among other things, during the lecture Michael discussed:

• theory's place in performance arts (with wonderful music analogies)
• his wonderfully complete definition of magic
• how to find (and cure) trouble spots in performance
• the importance of emotion and intellect
• the importance scripting
• assumptions that laymen make
• control, repose, and chaos
• "The Big Lie"

We got to see some magic too!  Of note, he performed "Red Blue Mama Fooler" and then pointed out The Big Problem and how he fixed it.  I was also delighted with a yet to be published routine from his upcoming eBook "Paradigm Shift."

Attendees were provided a discount code for MichaelClose.com which includes The Workers series, and Closely Guarded Secrets.  We were also tipped to the great sale price of Magic in the Real World.  (And if you didn't already know, there's this little thing called "Magic In Mind" that you can get for free at Vanishing Inc, which includes an essay from Michael as well as 32 other highly regarded professionals.)

If you haven't seen the announcement, Michael is hosting a workshop with Jason England and Michael Weber (and perhaps an additional mystery guest) in October.  Only eight spots remain.

Bottom line, as with Phil Matlin's report from a 2014 lecture by Michael, I was very impressed!

Far out Magic Dude.

Read Michael's thoughts about his lecture.

The last Tweet from Canada's Magic Twitter feed:

"Magic Theory, or Magic Fact? Let's Find Out."

-- @MikeCloseMagic @theBrowsersDen pic.twitter.com/TXs6r6q4lr

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) August 14, 2017

Spain and Chilliwack: Shawn Farquhar in 2018

Take a peek at what Shawn Farquhar's up to in early 2018!

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.



Also from Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Kitchener: Ryan Joyce lecture

From IBM Ring 235:

Wednesday, September 20th, 2017

On this day: Ring 235's very own; Magician, Illusionist & Hypnotist Ryan Joyce, will speak and put on an amazing lecture for all in attendance.

Ryan spends most of his time on the road... well, at sea - performing his amazing Magic and Hypnotist Shows on luxurious cruise ships. He has travelled the world, leaving people in astonishment after seeing his creativeness, uniqueness and originality projected through to his art; Magic!

Ryan is a two-time Entertainer of the Year nominee by the Canadian Events Industry Awards Committee. This prestigious award recognises the accomplishments of the country's greatest entertainers.

Read more and buy tickets.

From Scott Boyd's Facebook page:

Toronto: Michael Close lecture

From the Browser's Den of Magic:

Magic Theory, or Magic Fact? Let's Find Out.
Michael Close Lecture - August 13, 2017

Dear Denizens,

All of us here at Browser's are certain that Mr. Close's brand new Magic Theory Lecture will be a truly inspiring and fun event at our shop. We are convinced that it will have a long lasting effect on your magic journey.

In short...it may be the most important lecture you will ever have an opportunity to see.

Some of the topics that he will be covering in great detail will be...

• What is theory?
• Your definition of magic
• The Power of a Real Magician
• Conviction
• Assumptions
• Scripting vs. Not Scripting
• Who (or What) Has the Power?
• Control, Repose, and Chaos
• and much more. (There may even be a trick or two.)

Michael Close has a worldwide reputation in the magic community as an author, a creator, a performer, and a consultant. He has been a student of the conjuring arts for over fifty years, and has been performing professionally since 1978. His specialty is sleight-of-hand, close-up magic, but he also has extensive experience in stand-up magic. He has lectured and performed for audiences around the world.

Read more and buy tickets.

Owen Sound: Michael Close and Jason England workshop

Updated August 16 to add:

• Michael Weber has been announced as an additional special guest for the October workshop with Jason England.

From Michael Close:

You are cordially invited to join Michael Close and Jason England on October 17-20, 2017, for a unique workshop in the beautiful cottage country of northern Ontario (Owen Sound, ON). You’ll be away from the physical and mental noise of the city, but you won’t be roughing it; the accommodations are luxurious.

You’ll fly into Toronto on Monday, October 16, Tuesday morning you'll be bused to beautiful Owen Sound, ON where you will spend most of Tuesday, all day Wednesday, and all day Thursday talking magic and receiving personalized instruction from two of the most knowledgeable magicians on the planet. You'll return to your hotel in Toronto on Friday, and fly home on Saturday.

Read more and register!

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Canadians competing at IBM SAM 2017

A little bird has told me that four Canadians will be competing at the upcoming IBM-SAM Combined Convention.

Keep an eye out for Philippe Theriault, Nicky Circelli, and Nicolas Dutel (stage), and Chris Bruce (close up) who all made the preliminary judges’ selection to compete for IBM and SAM prizes plus a chance to obtain a spot to compete at FISM 2018 in South Korea!

Joan Caesar is  a co-chair of the competition, along with Vinny Grosso, Past President of the SAM.

Break a leg Canada!



[With thanks to Joan Caesar for sending me the information.]

Canadians at IBM SAM 2017

The IBM-SAM Combined Convention is coming up July 12th to 15th!

Canadian roll call please!

So far, I've got:

• Julianna Chen (stage and lecture), 
• Jay Sankey (close-up and lecture), 
• Murray Hatfield and Teresa (stage and lecture), and 
• The Outerbridges (stage and lecture).

Who'd I miss?


From Ted Outerbridge's Facebook page:

Vancouver: Anthony "Magic Tony" Barnhart workshop

From the Vancouver Magic Circle Facebook page:

Special Workshop Alert!

We have a special workshop happening THIS THURSDAY June 22 at our General Meeting titled: The Science of Magic with Doctor Anthony Barnhart.

Anthony "Magic Tony" Barnhart is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Science at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Arizona State University, where he began his graduate career with the intention of being a language researcher. To this end, he has published research examining the processes underlying handwritten word perception, a domain that has been largely ignored by psychologists. However, Tony is also a part-time professional magician with over 20 years of performing experience. His research trajectory changed in 2010 with the publication of the book Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals about our Everyday Deceptions, in which he was featured as a consultant and teacher on the science of stage magic. The scientific interest that the book garnered motivated Tony to shift his focus toward the interface of science and magic. His work on the science of magic has been featured in Science News For Kids as well as in national and international television appearances and documentaries, most recently appearing in the Science Channel’s “Hack My Brain” program. He has also developed a semester-long course on the Psychology of Magic that was featured on the James Randi Educational Foundation's Swift Blog. As a performer, he employs psychological principles to elevate his magic’s impact and increase the audience’s sense of wonder.

Read more.

Anthony Lindan on Penguin Live

From Penguin Magic:

Anthony Lindan LIVE: Sunday Jul 9th @7:00pm Eastern. (Penguin LIVE) Commercial routines used to successfully entertain at thousands of corporate and private events. SUPPORT LIVE MAGIC. RESERVE BEFORE SUNDAY AND SAVE.

Read more and buy tickets.

New Westminster: David Groves lecture

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook post:

Wednesday June 14, 2017

My local magic club, celebrating its 75th anniversary is hosting a lecture.


The Vancouver Magic Circle is proud to welcome DAVID GROVES to the 2017 Lecture Series!

Our beautiful raked lecture hall allows for optimal visibility in ANY seat, as well as an individual writing surface. (or TWO if you spread out)

David Groves has lectured in 90 cities around the world, from New York to Las Vegas to Anchorage to Dublin to Sydney to Hong Kong and beyond. He has a broad range of magic to draw from. He will be teaching card, coin, restaurant, mentalism, and of course, street magic tricks.

His 1998 book, Be a Street Magician: A How-To Guide, covered busking, and he has lots of tricks that work great in that venue as well. With outside-the-box thinking (like offbeat index work and advanced psychological ploys) everyone will walk away from the lecture with something valuable.

He has inherited one-of-a-kind work from his great-uncle, a professional gambling cheat in the 1940’s. The highlights of his mentalism are his center tear, his magic square, and his pre-show work.
 He has even developed a sure fire way for tableside workers to DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THEIR TIPS, which is a ploy backed up by scientific research. Much of that work is contained within his massive new 400-page e-book, The View from the Red Spot.

David Regal called his closer “the best ending to a show I’ve seen in years.” and he will be performing this for us at the lecture!

Read more and buy tickets.

Toronto: Marcus Eddie lecture

Don't forget about the Playing Card Collecters' Meet-up on Jun 11!

From the Browser's Den of Magic:

Date & Time: Sunday, June 18, 2017
Location: Browser's Den of Magic
Ticket Price $20.00

1st Place IBM Close Up 1995 * 1st Place T.A.O.M.  Close Up 1996 * 1st Place Stage S.A.M. 2009 * 1st Place Stage T.A.O.M. 2010 * 1st Place Wizard Wars SYFY 2014 and more...

Marcus Eddie from Austin, Texas USA is touring Canada with his lecture. We are so happy that he has decided to give a lecture at Browser's Den and share his brand of cool and inspirational magic.

You may have seen him on 'Penn & Teller's Fool Us'.  You may have seen him headline at the Magic Castle.

If not... well, then you can see him at Browser's Den on Sunday, June 18, 2017.

"Growing up overseas as part of an Air Force family, Marcus did not have access to magic shops or clubs. Using a magic set he received as a gift from his parents and the few magic books he could find in the school library, Marcus began teaching himself the craft when he was just 12 years old. Building his illusions from toy boxes, tape and everyday items, Marcus took his childhood passion and turned it into his career.

Today, he is a 8 time, award-winning magician, including his win on the Syfy Channels magic competition, 'Wizard Wars', he appeared on 'Penn & Teller Fool Us and is the creator of several products on the market and consults for magician's worldwide, including David Blaine on his last special, 'Beyond Magic'. Marcus Eddie's original magic will leave you stunned!"

Read more and buy tickets.

Rounding the Western rings in June 2017

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)	- “Silly Billy” David Kaye Lecture
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	- “Silly Billy” David Kaye Lecture
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- “Silly Billy” David Kaye Lecture
Fraser Valley, BC	IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle, Celeste Evans Ring)	- “Silly Billy” David Kaye Lecture - Third Monday Magic.
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- TBA.
Vancouver, BC	SAM 95  (Carl Hemeon Assembly)	- TBA.
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- Mirth and Magic! - “Silly Billy” David Kaye Lecture

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

Rounding the Central rings in June 2017

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

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- Free Form First Fridaze. - Ring executives meeting. - Second Saturday Night Special. - Special Sunday spring event. - Ring 62 showcase. - End of season BBQ. - Charter night - 69 years! - Sunday SpRing brunch. - Instagram Tuesday
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- TBA.
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Charming Cheat show. (Change in date / time.)
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	-Annual BBQ.
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)	- Year end banquet featuring The Sentimentalists.

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