Toronto: Harry Houdini

From Beth Tzedec: 

Harry Houdini: Poster Child of the Jewish Immigrant Experience
with a Lecture and Magic Performances
Apr 29 2015

Magician Ben-Zion Train will amaze with feats of grand illusion and Barbara Rusch will entertain with stories of master magician Harry Houdini, the quintessential Jewish immigrant. Artefacts once belonging to Houdini will also be on display.

Read more.

Ben Train, Phil Pivnick and "Sketchy Magic" at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Mississauga (Thurs):  Ben Train

Pickering (Fri):   Phil Pivnick

Toronto (Sun):  [dark] [I can't imagine why]

Toronto (Tues):  Sketchy Magic


James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Mysterion and Ben Train at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Mississauga (Thurs):  Mysterion

Pickering (Fri):   Ben Train

Toronto (Sun):  Ben Train


James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.



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* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Rounding the Central rings in April 2015

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

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- Assistants, auditions and rehearsal. - Stage workers.
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- TBA
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Prop and pocket management.
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- Magic auction.
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- Show and tell. - Executive Nominations. - Martin Cox and Will Gray lecture.
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- TBA
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Ben Train lecture

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

Fun Family Day at Dave and Busters

Ontario's Family Day long weekend was just over a week ago.  (As a bonus for the kids it was an extra long, long weekend because of a school Professional Activities day tacked onto the Friday before.)  Going into the weekend, I had high hopes for a low key, low stress relaxing weekend that would include outdoor activities such as skating and tobogganing.

The Universe had other ideas.  To be fair, there was lots of sleeping in and it was very low key and low stress.  (Thank you to the public library for letting us borrow from your DVD collection.)  The weather outside, however, was close to minus 400 degrees with the windchill and I am not a fan of doing anything in that kind of cold.

On the weekend a Tweet from Bill Abbott caught my attention:

"CHICO IS BACK!!! 2 shows only. This Monday 2pm and 4pm"

How could I resist?

We arrived at Dave and Busters an hour before showtime and were warmly greeted at the door by Ben Train.  After we bought our tickets (bring cash), we went into the theatre to find our seats and settle in.  I was very impressed to find that the theatre was almost half full already.  We ordered some yummy food and passed the time by teaching Kidlet how to do a Bruce Posgate knot with the table decor.

Some notes on the show:

• About 10 minutes before showtime, the room was completely sold out.  
• Bobby Motta did a great job of warming up the crowd.
• Bill Abbott was in fine form.
• Kidlet has seen an effect created by Bill, performed a number of times by people who have purchased his product.  It was very educational for Kidlet to see Bill perform it himself!  (And it's always entertaining.)
• It was a delight for me to finally see Bill live, performing someThing I had only seen him do on video.  (And it looks great live!)
• After all these years, Chico is just as precocious as ever.
• Some magical items were on sale after the show ... parents bring some extra cash.
• The show was very entertaining and well worth the ticket price!

As a bonus, on your way out after the show everyone receives a game card which gives you unlimited play on all the non-ticketed games in The Midway.  Needless to say we spent a good chunk of time exploring all the offerings!  (And got some virtual snowboarding and skiing in to boot.)

Thank you Ben, Bill, Bobby and Dave & Busters for being a part of such a fabulous Family Day outing!


From Ben Train's Twitter feed:

Every Fri & Sat at @DnB_Toronto, come see @bobbymotta and @billabbottlive! 2 shows a night, 8 & 10:15- $20 per show (includes game cards)!
— Ben Train (@ErdnaseinTO) February 22, 2015

Wes Zaharuk, Phil Pivnick and Ben Train at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

 

Mississauga (Thurs):  Wes Zaharuk

Pickering (Fri):   Phil Pivnick

Toronto (Sun):  Ben Train


James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.




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* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Thirty seconds with Ben Train

This is the fifth in a series of "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews, so called because I approached the interviewees at Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp last summer with the idea that I would interview them for 30 seconds. It didn't always work that way.

Professional magician Benzi Train is from Toronto, Ontario.  Proud of his homecountry, Ben thinks of "poutine, maple syrup, and free health care" when thinking about Canada.  (Good thing for that health care too; poutine and maple syrup aren't good for you in large doses.)

FUN FACT:
Ben's a fan of Harry Potter, chocolate chip cookies and Netflix.

DID YOU KNOW?
Ben's most embarrassing moment was getting pantsed at camp last summer. (I think there's video footage of that out there somewhere.  Finding it will be left as an exercise for the reader.)

Ben first came to Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp loving the idea that two of his passions, magic and camping, could be experienced simultaneously.  He comes back because, it's "the most amazing place in the world."  The words family, fun, and magic come immediately to mind when he thinks about magic camp.    Last summer marked Ben's twelfth year at Sorcerers Safari.  He has attended as a counsellor in training, a counsellor and most recently as an instructor.

Ben's first memory of magic was seeing Triumph performed when he was 14 years old.  He hopes that magicians today adapt to, integrate, and utilize all of the new technology and platforms to their advantage.

Ben heads up Five Academy Magic and performs as well as lectures all over the world.

Visit Ben's website at bentrain.ca .

Ben will be appearing this coming Sunday at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic) .


From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Post by Fireside Productions.

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Previously published "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews:

Dan Wiebe | Eric Leclerc | Lisa Close | Alex Seaman

From the Sorcerers Safari Twitter feed:

Guarantee your spot at #MagicCamp Aug.15-19 2015. Tell your parents registration is on your wish list - it's now open at sorcererssafari.ca
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) December 22, 2014

Ben Train, Chris Mayhew and Wes Zaharuk at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Mississauga (Thurs):  Ben Train

Pickering (Fri):  Wes Zaharuk

Toronto (Sun):  Chris Mayhew


James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"  Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.




--
* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Ben Train and Lukas Stark this week at "Magic Tonight"

James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!"

Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.




Mississauga:

Post by James Alan.

Pickering:

Post by Abracadabaret.

Toronto:

Post by Benzi Train.

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* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Toronto: Ben Train at "Magic Tonight"

Receive a 20% discount* at Magic Tonight with coupon code cmagic

From the Abracadabaret Facebook page:

Post by Abracadabaret.

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* Offer is subject to change without notice.  Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Full Circle Magic interview with Ben Train

From Ben Train's Twitter feed:

4pm, ET, I will be doing a LIVE Q&A with @LauraJEisele and Full Circle Magic! https://t.co/FTWgsEbG7O
— Ben Train (@ErdnaseinTO) June 3, 2014

Review: A Series of Unfortunate Effects

From the Facebook page of A Series of Unfortunate Effects:

Post by A Series of Unfortunate Effects.

Linking Ring (v94, 4) round-up

For those of you who haven't flipped through the April Linking Ring, here's some of the Canadiana inside this issue:

• Cover and page 16, "Tony Econ An Icon in Card Magic" by Joan Caesar
• Page 58, report of Ben Train Lecture (Ring 211)
• Page 61, "Manitoba Magic Museum is Tribute to Young Magician" by Dennis Schick

Toronto: A Series of Unfortunate Effects

From Five Academy Magic:

Tuesday April 29th, 2014
The Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Ave)

If you love magic, movies, and laughing this is the event for you. Combining a story-driven plot with a magic instructional, join Toronto's top magicians as they premiere their long awaited movie, A Series of Unfortunate Effects!

After witnessing an amazing magic trick performed by the Five Card Stud Lee Asher, Chris Mayhew enlists his friend Ben Train to help him discover Lee’s secret.

These two soon discover that uncovering the secrets to magic are not as easy as they once thought. Join Chris and Ben as they learn magic from underground magicians Jeff Hinchliffe, Glenn West, and Chris Westfall, all while avoiding destruction at the hands of crazed card collector Bill Abbott. Get ready for a wild story-driven magic instructional, filled with laughs and incredible card tricks.

Read more.

New York: Paul Vigil and Ben Train lecture

From The Daily Deception:

February 16th

After Paul finishes his lecture, we will take a small break to walk around and practice. Then coming off of his European lecture tour we will have Ben Train who steps up and starts his own lecture.

A bit about Ben Train...

Since finishing sixth in a “Ben Train” look-alike contest, Ben Train has devoted over ten years to lecturing and performing across North America. Combining sophisticated sleight-of-hand, unique philosophical insight, and a wikipedic knowledge of the arts, Ben talks the talk, walks the walk, and rocks the flock.

Ben’s material has been featured in every major magic publication (including Genii, The Linking Ring, Magic Magazine, and MUM), and his critically acclaimed DVDs and books have been flying off magic stores shelves around the world. Magicians everywhere are trying to be more like Ben, and soon you will be, too – leaving him with no hope in next year’s look-alike event.

Read more.

Ben Train in the UK and Amsterdam

From Ben Train's Facebook page:

Hey friends (and soon to be friends), 

I am about to embark on a 10 city lecture tour throughout the UK. If you're near ANY of these places I hope you come out and have an amazing time with us! 

If you're not, well shucks. Next time. Meanwhile, share this so that anyone else close by will know about it! 

See you soon,
Ben Train 

Thursday January 9th, 2014: The Surrey Society (Surrey)
January 10th-12th, 2014: The Session Convention (Cheltenham)
Monday January 13th, 2014: The Manchester Circle of Magicians (Manchester)
Tuesday January 14th, 2014: The Blackpool Magicians Club (Blackpool)
Wednesday January 15th, 2014: The Wolverhampton Circle of Magicians (Wolverhampton)
Thursday January 16th, 2014: The Fritz Alkemade Club (Amsterdam)
Monday January 20th, 2014: The Leicester Magic Circle (Leicester)
Tuesday January 21st, 2014: The British Magical Society (Birmingham)
Wednesday January 22nd, 2014: The Nine of Diamonds Magic Group (Edinburgh)
Tuesday January 28th, 2014: The Aberdeen Magic Club (Aberdeen)

Read more.

Canada at Magi-Fest 2014

Canada will be well represented at Magi-Fest 2014!  Both Chris Pilsworth and Ben Train are listed as performers.  In addition, a crew from Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp will be there including: Magic Mike Segal, Jen Segal, Steven Kline (event production and late night lecturer), and Eric Leclerc.

I hope one of you will be sending me a trip report!

Ben Train in Grand Rapids and Chicago

Hey friends! I'll be lecturing in Grand Rapids Michigan Thursday and Chicago Friday! I hope to see you there!
— Ben Train (@ErdnaseinTO) November 13, 2013

Toronto: Mystery Workshop

From The Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club Facebook group:

From Ben Train:

Mystery Workshop- Tuesday October 22nd. You don't want to miss this!

Over the past 8 years I’ve brought to Toronto some of the finest talent in the world. Whether they were magic A-listers or people you hadn’t heard of, what they all had in common was that they were world-class talent.

So with that in mind… trust me.

I’m offering TEN TICKETS to a workshop with a mystery performer. That’s right, I won’t tell you who it is. What I will tell you though is that he performs regularly behind the bar in Boston, in the close-up room at the Magic Castle, and at New York's Off-Broadway Magic show, Monday Night Magic. He’s also published a number of effects and a DVD with some of the biggest magic companies in the world, and is a regular at the exclusive, invitation-only Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic convention.

What I’m trying to say is… this guy is GOOD.

Read more.

Ben Train on Full Circle Magic

From Full Circle Magic's, March 11th Q&A with Benzi Train:

What I have noticed, in the real world, from those who succeed is that they are IRREPLACEABLE. If you’re just a guy who does card tricks then ANYONE who does good card tricks can fill in for you. But if you’re LAURA, and that means something, then no one can fill in for you. It could be your character, or the clients perception about who you are and what you do. Either way, if the client thinks “I want LAURA” rather then “I want a magician”, you’re on you’re way to, well, something.

Read more.