Toronto: Dani DaOrtiz, Christian Engblom and Miguel Angel Gea

From Eventbrite:

It's time to overindulge with The Fat Brothers...
Or not... It's your life.

April 23 & 24, Dani DaOrtiz, Christian Engblom and Miguel Angel Gea will be coming to Toronto for a weekend  gourmet magic.

The Lecture - Saturday April 23 - 1:00 PM
At the Wychwood Theatre (St. Clair & Christie).

Break for Dinner

The Show - Saturday, April 23 - 8:00 PM
At the Wychwood Theatre (St. Clair & Christie)

The Workshop* - Sunday, April 24 - 1:00 PM
At the Howlett Academy (Bloor & Spadina)


These three larger-than-life performers are recognized around the world for their astonishing magic and zany off-the-wall humour. We invite you to to join us for this remarkable opportunity.

*The workshop has limited seating for an intimate learning experience. The Brothers will be covering previously unpublished material and (time permitting) answer specific questions about their material.

Performances in English... more or less.


Read more and buy tickets.

Allan Slaight Award nominations open for 2016

Almost one year ago, Magicana announced the creation of the Allan Slaight Awards for excellence in magic.

A refresher from Magicana:

Magicana is pleased to announce on behalf of the Slaight Family Foundation the creation of the Allan Slaight Awards to recognize outstanding achievement in the pursuit of the impossible.

Initiated by the Slaight Family Foundation to honour Canadian media mogul and philanthropist Allan Slaight, and his lifelong passion for and contribution to magic, Magicana will distribute, on behalf of the Slaight Family Foundation $250,000 over five years - $50,000 per year - to recognize excellence in magic.

Nominations are now being accepted for works completed in 2015.  A little elf told me that the deadline for nominations is March 31, 2016.

What are you waiting for?  Submit your nominations today!

Now, if we could get Magicana to open up a category for best Canadian Magic blog...

Benevolence of Magic part 3

Dennis Schick's third annual Benevolence of Magic (in the December "Linking Ring" (v95,12)) features two Canadian projects.  From Dennis:

The first is magician Jeff Christensen from Vancouver. Each year he and his wife and daughter produce “A Magical Evening” in honor and memory of their son, Jonah, to raise money for their Celebrate the Child Foundation, which supports numerous worthy causes.


The other is John Kaplan, also from Vancouver, whose Fundraising Magic program raises money for organizations and communities across Canada.

Well done Jeff and John for your hard work to help others.

Thank you Dennis for sending this information my way!  


Previously featured "Benevolence of Magic" Canadian projects:

• Magicana: Sharing Wonder
• Mosquitoes Suck Tour
• Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp

More "Tricks" to be had

From Magicana:

We've been having a wonderful week full of magic with Tricks at Soulpepper in Toronto. In fact, Sunday's matinée is now sold out.

To accommodate the demand, we've added one more performance to the schedule on Saturday, January 2 at 8:00 PM. Tickets just went on sale, so there are some excellent seats still available so you can be right up close to the action. Don't forget, we have special discounted family packs for groups of four or more (with at least one child).

Read more.

Read this review from Toronto Stage:

As a youngster, I remember my father once cautioning me to watch out for people who ask you to share a secret, used car salesmen of any kind and smooth talkers who want to show you a good card trick.

Falling into the latter category, of course, is David Ben.

That’s because he’s the kind of guy who could make a lot of money hanging out at Union Station mingling with stop over travelers with a little extra time on their side. He may not have anything up his sleeve but he’s definitely got something, somewhere.

The return of Tricks, is anti-pomp and pageantry. The stripped down production relies on basic furnishings to accomplish what great all tricksters need to put on a smoking good show.

Read more.

Montreal: 2017 Magic Collectors Weekend

From Magicana:

This is a preliminary announcement that we plan on staging the Magic Collectors Weekend May 25 to 27, 2017 in Montreal, Canada.

This will coincide with the opening of the major exhibition of magic posters from the Allan Slaight Collection at the McCord Museum. The exhibition, for which David Ben is the guest curator, will open that very weekend.

In addition to private tours of the exhibition, we will be working with the McCord on some additional programming and events – including some behind the scene access to elements related to the  exhibition. Given Houdini’s connection to Montreal – and, in fact, the McCord – there will certainly also be some Houdini on the bill.

Read more.

Toronto: Save the date for Magicana

From Magicana:

Mark your calendar for the weekend of April 23-24, 2016. 

Here in Toronto, we’ll be hosting a weekend of magic with three big international guests. There will be a one-night-only performance at the Wychwood Theatre (St. Clair & Christie) as well as a lecture and workshop that you will not not want to miss.  We will release more details in coming weeks. So, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribed to our eList to be the first to know and to sign up!  
Read more.

Reviews: "The Experts at the Card Table"

From Magicana:

The reviews are starting trickle in on our latest publication, The Experts at the Card Table: 

"This book is a pleasure to page through, and is an important and welcome addition to Erdnasiana." / John Lovick  

"David has made the once-daunting material more accessible than ever. For my first time, I read the text cover to cover, and it all made sense." / Steve Bryant  

"...if you have some card technique under your belt and if you’ve wanted to plunge into the Erdnase pond, this is a great way to experience the material…" / Michael Close

Read more.

Toronto: David Ben's "Tricks"

From Magicana's website: 

Shamans, ravens, jesters, jugglers, conjurors, and magicians come in all shapes and sizes. In Tricks, David Ben - Soulpepper's resident trickster - presents a concert of magic inspired by an eclectic range of people and events: Frank Sinatra and Telford Fenton; Glenn Gould and Charles Bertram; Harold Lloyd and Harry Houdini; Tom Waits and Erik Satie; Hammer Studio Films and Southern Baptist preachers; and Dai Vernon and the cherry blossoms in Japan.

Ben, recognized as one of the top sleight-of-hand artists in the world, will showcase some of the most challenging and seldom-seen pieces of magic, all completely different than last year’s The Conjuror. There is no timeline or plot - just great tricks - comical and mysterious, beautiful and visceral - performed with twists and turns.

Read more and buy tickets using their promo code.

Toronto: "Trick of the Eye and Sleight of Hand"

From David Ben's Twitter feed:

Looking forward to "Trick of the Eye and Sleight of Hand" w/ visual artist Alexander Pilis, Aug 30 @kofflerarts @2PM http://t.co/xP3RYVgAHq

— David Ben (@theconjuror) August 24, 2015

Summer magic

Julie Eng does tremendous things with Magicana's My Magic Hands programme.

From Sharing Wonder:

Today's Big Show at Holland Bloorview wraps up the last of three simultaneous sessions we had been running at the hospital. We worked in partnership with Hands2Hands and Helping Hands; and hosted a full session of My Magic Hands. We had 27 clients participate with nearly 1:1 magic coach support! Needless to say these kids blossomed beautifully with such encouragement. We are so fortunate to work with such dedicated staff and volunteers at Holland Bloorview.

Even though each program and client had a wide range of goals, we were pleased to see so many kids not only achieve their goals but to also discover new skills they didn’t realize they even possessed! There is power inside that kind of self-confidence and self-esteem - and we find it simply inspiring.

Read more.

Relaunching "Everything Erndase"

From Julie Eng's Facebook page:

Super excited to announce the relaunch of "Everything Erndase" www.everythingerdnase.com Had a lot of fun revisiting...
Posted by Julie Eng on Monday, 3 August 2015

Review: Michael Close reviews "The Experts"

Read Michael Close's thoughts on "The Experts" from the July issue of MUM Magazine.

From Sharing Wonder:

Mark Twain said a classic is a book that people praise and don’t read, a definition that certainly applies to The Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase. Dai Vernon was the primary champion of the book; his approach to card handling, shaped by Erdnase’s philosophy and techniques, astonished everyone. Vernon shared his insights to the members of the New York inner circle, and years later even offered personal lessons on the techniques (a project abandoned because of too few interested parties). Charlie Miller and Ross Bertram (in Canada) were also exponents of Erdnase.

Read more.

Congratulations to the 2015 Canadian Rising Star

The winners of the Allan Slaight awards were announced last Saturday.  Special congratulations to Mahdi Gilbert for winning the Canadian Rising Star award!


From Magicana:

Congratulations to the first-ever Allan Slaight Award winners, recognizing outstanding achievement in the pursuit of the impossible! 

 Lifetime Achievement Award ($15,000)  JOHNNY THOMPSON  

Sharing Wonder Award ($15,000)  PENN & TELLER 

Sharing Secrets Award ($10,000)  MIKE CAVENEY  

International Rising Star ($5,000)  HENRY VARGAS  

Canadian Rising Star ($5,000)  MAHDI GILBERT  

Read more.

The oldest trick in the book: The Story of The Cups and Balls

From a recent Magicana mailing:

Magicana is pleased to present a new, interactive exhibition on the story of the cups and balls. It features the trick's history, timelines, video performances, commentary - and much more!

If you have ever wondered what made this famous trick so memorable, or how it came to be, or who has performed it, come and visit our latest digital offering at:

www.magicana.com/cups

Breaking news: $250,000 For Excellence in Magic

I hope there's an award for best Canadian Magic Blog!  *fingers crossed*

From Magicana:

Magicana is pleased to announce on behalf of the Slaight Family Foundation the creation of the Allan Slaight Awards to recognize oustanding achievement in the pursuit of the impossible.

Initiated by the Slaight Family Foundation to honour Canadian media mogul and philanthropist Allan Slaight, and his lifelong passion for and contribution to magic, Magicana will distribute, on behalf of the Slaight Family Foundation, $250,000 over five years to recognize excellence in magic.

Read more.

Montreal: The McCord Museum magic acquisition

From the Montreal Gazette:

The McCord Museum has acquired a $3-million collection of 600 posters, 200 rare books and 200 documents relating to the golden age of magic – from the 19th to early 20th centuries. 

Included are objects linked to Harry Houdini, including personal correspondence and scrapbooks. Houdini performed in Montreal four times, including the event in 1926 where a McGill student punched Houdini in the stomach before he was prepared for it, rupturing his appendix. Houdini died a week later.

“It’s the second-largest collection of Houdini material held in a public institution,” said David Ben, artistic director of Magicana, an organization dedicated to the study of magic. Ben served as an adviser to the museum and was there on Monday as journalists were invited into the museum vaults to view some of the artifacts.  The Library of Congress in the U.S. has the largest such collection, making this the most extensive in Canada. “The collection is significant,” Ben said.

Read more.

From Julie Eng's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

More media links:

La magie entre au musée - La Presse+ http://t.co/Wl9al8mkMr via @lp_lapresse
— Julie Eng (@anjusan) February 10, 2015

Thrilled to be present at @museemccord announcement of its new magic collection. See video and hear interview here: http://t.co/TQgWdXrC3Q
— David Ben (@theconjuror) February 10, 2015

Acquisition majeure pour le Musée! RT @LeDevoir: #Houdini surgit au @MuseeMcCord http://t.co/rE0k1UazT3 pic.twitter.com/B3f0evCpMt
— Musée McCord Museum (@MuseeMcCord) February 10, 2015

Montreal’s McCord Museum gifted largest cache of magic-related memorabilia in Canada - The Globe and Mail http://t.co/LXMmbexcvl
— Magicana (@sharingwonder) February 10, 2015

Toronto: The Conjuror

Updated at 7:20am to include (at the bottom of the post) a link to the Michael Coren interview as well as a link to a new short film. 

More details about the Conjuror!

From Julie Eng's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

Also from Julie Eng's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

More from Julie Eng's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

Even more from Julie's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

Interview link from Julie's Facebook page:

Post by Julie Eng.

From Magicana's Twitter feed:

http://t.co/rRF2dWQerq Merry Xmas! A present from Magicana. @theconjuror @dzuckerbrot present a new film! See it now pic.twitter.com/IoMSxrxVQA
— Magicana (@sharingwonder) December 24, 2014

Luminato round-up

From The Star:

At a magic show, audiences wonder if they can trust their eyes. But are the conjurers themselves believable? As part of the Luminato Festival, we ask some magicians if they can be trusted.

Read more.

From The Globe and Mail:

Sitting at a table covered with a red felt cloth in his Toronto studio, magic producer David Ben demonstrates how a magician shuffles cards.

To the spectator sitting across from him, it looks innocuous enough, but lean up beside him and he’ll show you that he can see the face of every card as he fans through the pack with his fingers. Oh, there’s a queen. He stops and cuts the deck, placing the queen on the bottom.

Read more.

David Ben on CP 24.


Magicana blog posts in reverse chronological order:

• CTA -Now or Never
• CTA – On Stage
• CTA – Sense and Sensibility
• CTA – Connect the Dots
• CTA – Going Global
• CTA – A Subtle Shift
• CTA – A Lousy Magician
• CTA – An Erdnasian Allusion

Take On Me with Rob Zabrecky

From Magicana:

Magicana is pleased to announce that one of our guest artists, Rob Zabrecky – the opening act for Card Table Artifice – will be a participant in Luminato’s Take On Me visual arts programme.

Take on Me is a partnership between the Luminato Festival and PATTISON Onestop as part of their ongoing Art in Transit program. Artists from outside Toronto (such as Rob Zabrecky from Los Angeles) are asked to create short videos that represent their work. In turn, artists from Toronto are asked to create a “response”. The video dialogues will be presented on platform screen across the TTC subway station platform screens before and during the Luminato Festival.

And when Rob Zabrecky is involved, you can be sure it will  be something worth watching!

Read more.

Toronto: Transgressive Magic at Luminato 2014

From Magicana:

Transgressive Magic: Magic that violates a law, command or moral code. Card Table Artifice and Bullet Catch do just that.

Card Table Artifice – puts the con into concert, combining techniques employed by professional card cheats with a sumptuous musical score. It is a window into the world of advantage players, and the machinations they employ when they place their livelihood, and sometimes their life, into their own hands.

Bullet Catch blurs the lines between conventional plays and magic shows, addressing an act that violates both civil and moral codes – the asking of a member of the audience to point a gun and pull the trigger that sends a bullet towards a performer quite confident he can defy death, all under the guise of entertainment.

Both productions challenge form and function, and place magic and the audience outside the traditionalist’s comfort zone of top hats, bunny rabbits and family-friendly fare.

Read more and buy tickets.

Card Table Artifice and Rob Zabrecky’s  TURN ON THE DARK!
WORLD PREMIERE: June 13 and June 14

Bullet Catch
CANADIAN PREMIERE: June 14 and June 15