In lieu of a physical reunion bringing together past campers and staff,
Canada’s Magic is hosting a virtual reunion of sorts. We’ve reached
out to the Sorcerers Safari community with a dozen or so questions to help
bring us up to date on what everyone has been up to since our magic camp
days.
If you completed our survey, keep your eyes peeled for your segment!
If you would like to participate but haven’t filled out
the survey, there’s still time. The survey can be found here:
https://forms.gle/umg77yj9QxUzfpm76
Thank you to all that contributed!
Mike, Jen, Sorcerers Safari staff, and alumni, this series is for you.
Cheesy omelette breakfast. I saw the rabbits again! And I saw a bright green frog too. Still no sign of the deer.
At card class Shawn Farquhar talked to us about stuff I’d never considered. He said, “give people a sense of wonder. Don’t make them feel stupid or small.” And then he said this quote from American poet Maya Angelou:
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
We played “Capture the Flag” which was so. much. FUN!
6pm
The camper show was fantastic. Before the show, Lee Asher made his group perform walk around for the audience. They did really well.
Pre-show walk around.
Then the show started. Some of the kids performed things they just learned (or even made!) this week! Others made stuff up and some came prepared with things they’d been working on the whole year. Shout out to them all!
Emcees: Chaz and RJ.
Performers: Cathy, James, Brad, Matt, Tariq, Jordan, Ava, Vincent, Landon, Matthew, Nathan, Will, Ben, Jack, Nick, and Jeff.
Backstage: Simon, Holden, Serena, and Jarrett.
Sound and tech: Steve Kline (for this and all the other shows!).
Production assistants: Mike and Lisa Close, Dan Wiebe, and Mike Toal.
Owning the stage.
Sponge balls.
Something big is about to happen!
The coolest thing about the show was that everyone’s performance looked good. Beginner kids went first so they didn’t have to go after someone who had more experience. I don’t see any competition between the kids. The adults want us all to shine.
Today’s electives were Pulp Friction (with Lee himself!), linking rings, Gravity Half Pass (with Aaron Fisher!), Assistant’s Revenge stage illusion, Miser’s Dream, any card at any number, and Patriotic Ropes.
Bill Wells and Sheldon Casavant talking coins.
I did the linking rings and was kinda surprised (and disappointed) to learn how they work. It seems that some of the most wonderful effects are based on simple ideas. Loran was a great teacher, but I’m going to have to practise a lot more until I feel comfortable doing it in front of anyone!
Rats. Camp swim got rained out. (I wish I tried the high jump yesterday). Silver lining: we all piled into the Staff Lounge and had a big impromptu panel with Shawn, Eric, Phil, and Mark. They do things off the top of their head better than I can do anything I’ve rehearsed a million times. I wonder how much of it is pure talent and how much of it is hours and hours of practise.
Shawn speaking at the panel.
To be continued ...
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The 2016 season of Sorcerers Safari will run from Sunday August 7th
through Friday August 12th, 2016. For more information, or to register,
please visit SorcerersSafari.ca
* The “Diary of a Sorcerers Safari Newbie” is primarily based on the
2015 camp season. It is an aggregate of many perspectives, and at times
includes events from previous years.
Morning comes too early. I’m tired. Started the day with scrambled eggs and cereal (no sugary cereals here… boo!). Card class was great. Dick Joiner taught us how to do an effect called “Hotel.” I’m amazed at how it works!
Card class with Dick Joiner and Ted Outerbridge.
I heard that some of the more advanced kids need to get some card tricks ready to perform walkaround magic in the audience before the camper show. I’m glad I’m just a beginner!
Camp stretch.
Field activity was a game called “Food Chain.” The rules were a little complicated, but it was fun. One kid hid under the mess hall stairs to try and “survive” longer in the game!
There's always time to squeeze in some more magic!
5pm
Fueled up at lunch with meatball sandwiches and corn! Apparently Joan Caesar, the founder of the Canadian Association of Magicians, is here visiting today. And Bill and Becki Wells from the International Brotherhood of Magicians are here all week. Wow! More great electives to choose from (camper show walk through, impromptu magic, classic force, balloons, stage presence / performance tips, elastic thread, the business of magic, and necklace magic).
The balloon elective was tonnes of fun! Balloons kept popping all the time. It was crazy! Even the instructors, Carey Lauder and Chris Westfall, were surprised at how much they kept popping. We learned some easy things like dogs but also some more complicated things like flowers and ladybug bracelets.
Before the camp swim, they got EVERYONE in the camp together to take the camp photo at the dock. I took forever to get everybody organized. I can’t wait to see it. I learned an important lesson too: never be late for the camp photo! There were a few stragglers and boy did they get get in trouble. Not only are they not in the photo, but now they have to clean up ALL THE TABLES at dinner tonight!
2015 camp photo! (Scroll to see everyone.)
Turns out that Carey is also the official camp photographer. During camp swim he did something called “Levitation Photos.” We all got to pose for a photo either levitating someone, being levitated by someone or both! (The line got longer by at least 20 people when Neil’s assistant was being levitated!) I posed for pictures with one of my new best friends. I can’t wait to see them! (Diary, you’ll have to understand if I don’t reveal the secret here. I’d hate for it to fall into the wrong hands if I happened to lose you!)
Levitation photos!
The big kids looked like they were having so much fun jumping off the tall platform. The lifeguard did some trick flips too! I want to try jumping but it looks scary. I don’t like heights.
In performance workshop we played a game called “Freeze Tag.” That was hilarious. It was improvising and then anyone could call out “freeze” and tag someone out, take their spot, and change the entire setting! It’s supposed to help with thinking on the spot, playing characters, and doing scene work, but I just think it’s great fun!
Mark Correia and Chris Westfall make improvising fun!
To be continued ...
--
The 2016 season of Sorcerers Safari will run from Sunday August 7th
through Friday August 12th, 2016. For more information, or to register,
please visit SorcerersSafari.ca
* The “Diary of a Sorcerers Safari Newbie” is primarily based on the
2015 camp season. It is an aggregate of many perspectives, and at times
includes events from previous years.
