Big Night In presents Comedy Variety Hour

On September 29th, join Jonathan Burns with his  closest acquaintances including Carisa Hendrix, Mario the Maker Magician and more!

From the August 30th Facebook post by Carisa Hendrix:

 

UnConvnetional.Fun

Talent includes: Garrett Thomas, Curtis Kam, Carisa Hendrix, Caleb Wiles, Chris Mayhew, Kainoa Harbattle, and more!

 

From the August 25th Facebook post from Ben Train:

For the past few months I've been working with about 25 of the world's best magicians on an exciting project. Trailer, information, and all kinds of surprises are going to be announced soon, but trust me when I say if you LOVE MAGIC you are NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS THIS.

Follow the Facebook page, and the instagram account, so you don't miss you!

https://www.facebook.com/unconventional.fun 

 

 

 

 

Carisa Hendrix: 2019 AMA Stage Magician of the Year

Congratulations to Carisa Hendrix (Lucy Darling) for winning the AMA 2019 Stage Magician of the Year award!

Congratulations also to all of the other nominees and winners! Keep up the great work everyone!

Congratulations to @CarisaHendrix (Lucy Darling) for winning @MagicCastle_AMA 2019 Stage Magician of the Year!

Congratulations also to all of the other nominees! Keep up the great work everyone! pic.twitter.com/wdpLLYlQn3

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) August 24, 2020

Carisa Hendrix nominated for AMA Stage Magician of the Year (virtual awards presented August 23rd)

Congratulations on your nomination Carisa!

 

From the August 20th post on the Magic Castle Facebook page:

Votes are in! Who will win???

Tune in to find out Sunday, August 23rd, at 7pm PT, for the AMA AWARDS Virtual Experience! You don't wanna miss #MAGIC's big night! Mark your calendars, set your alarms, and spread the word. It's free! All are welcome to this family-friendly celebration of magic. No password or special software needed. Winners, surprises, and more! ✨🏰🏆

www.magiccastle.com/awards

Shezam with Carisa Hendrix and Kayla Drescher

Ryan and Graeme haven't been the only ones busy releasing podcasts over the past quarter.  Have a look and a listen to the podcasts (including an interview with Juliana Chen!) Carisa and Kayla have released at Shezam since March:

• 049 – Cat Galesky about the women behind magic
• 050 – Corona’s 13 Steps to Isolation
• 051 – Creative Quarantine with Bizzaro
• 052 – How to do a lecture with Marc DeSouza
• 053 – Livestreams: You’re doing it wrong!
• 054 – Catie Osborn on Shakespeare and tips from an entertainment director
• 055 – Margaret Steele on Adelaide Hermann and a dark tale of a show gone wrong
• 056 – Juliana Chen!!
• 057 – Hierarchy of Needs
• Black Lives Matter
• 058 – Sonia Benito on movement in magic

Magical Women with Connie Boyd

Connie Boyd (originally from Newmarket, Ontario!) started the "Magical Women with Connie Boyd" YouTube channel during quarantine.  Since that time it has grown into a series of in-depth talks with  magicians in different magic genres.   Weekly talks are uploaded to the Magical Women YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Connie's off to a strong start featuring Canadian magicians Ekaterina and Billy Kidd.   Juliana Chen's episode will be released this week.  (A little birdie has told me that Carisa Hendrix will be in a future episode too!)


Watch the teaser for the Magical Women series on YouTube:





Episode 1 with Ekatarina:








Episode 2 with Billy Kidd:

Carisa Hendrix and Billy Kidd in a magical "drop the brush"

From Rhys Morgan:

A little fun from some friends of ours, a take on Drop the Brush. We give you Drop the Deck :D

Featuring me, @WestMagic, @RealMaxMaven, @Billykiddshow, @CarisaHendrix, @bretmwxyz, @rudycoby, @Carogmatic, @TheArchini, @IamSPELMANN, @RobZabrecky, @toddvarious, and @MacKingShow .

A little fun from some friends of ours, a take on Drop the Brush. We give you Drop the Deck :D

Featuring me, @WestMagic, @RealMaxMaven, @Billykiddshow, @CarisaHendrix, @bretmwxyz, @rudycoby, @Carogmatic, @TheArchini, @IamSPELMANN, @RobZabrecky, @toddvarious, and @MacKingShow . pic.twitter.com/yGqtyKqKqu

— Rhys Morgan (@MorganMagic) May 29, 2020

World Buskers United: May 30 - 31

World Buskers United are at it again and will be doing another 24 hours online buskerfest!

Canadian participants include:

• Carisa Hendrix as Lucy Darling (host)
• James Jordan (host)
• Mighty Mike 
• Mike Wood (host)
• Rockabilly Joe 
• Tim Holland 
• Lukas Stark 
• Giordana Humphries as Bella Magic 
• Miranda Allen 
• Andy Blau as Zoltan the Adequate and
• Eric Woolfe as Doc Wuthergloom

Learn more at World Buskers United.

Penn & Teller: Try This at Home - May 18

A little bird has suggested that perhaps there will be Canadian content on the show in addition to Shin Lim!


From the Futon Critic:

Premiering Monday, May 18 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT), PENN & TELLER: TRY THIS AT HOME is a special for these unique times. Filmed entirely at the homes of Penn & Teller and their friends around the world, PENN & TELLER: TRY THIS AT HOME showcases new magic Penn & Teller and their magician friends have developed at home and teaches viewers how to do an array of tricks themselves while being joined by celebrity guests including Elle and Dakota Fanning, Michael Carbonaro and Shin Lim.

View this post on Instagram

So excited to be a small part of this :)

A post shared by Carisa Hendrix & Lucy Darling (@carisahendrix) on May 12, 2020 at 8:33pm PDT

Lucy Darling Live Stream Friday May 15th

From Carisa Hendrix:

Lucy Darling is everyone's favorite socialite. Join her and a host of special guests for an evening of magic, music and laughs.

Special Guests Include:

• Bizzaro
• Rudy Coby
• Richard Lee
• Miranda Allen
• Hello Moth
• Max Maven
• Moon Zappa

Technical support from, Jim Millan, Ryan Pilling, Chris Comb, and John Lovick.

With support from the National Arts Centre of Canada as part of the #CanadaPerforms project. Huge thank you to Facebook, Slaight Music, the RBC Foundation, SiriusXM Canada and the National Arts Centre.

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/26506
https://facebook.com/CanadasNAC.CNAduCanada/

Carisa Hendrix on the cover of Genii

Congratulations to Carisa Hendrix, who is on the cover of the May 2020 edition of Genii magazine!

Read "Uncovering Carisa Hendrix and Lucy Darling" by Dustin Stinett.

View this post on Instagram

Thank you so much to the team at Genii, this turned out great and it’s just a huge honour.

A post shared by Carisa Hendrix & Lucy Darling (@carisahendrix) on Apr 20, 2020 at 9:08am PDT

Miracles and Magic

April 1 at 2pm EDT

Live at https://www.facebook.com/MiraclesAndMagicShow


25 world-leading performers sharing their gifts and talents with you on Wednesday.

Online meetings and shows

Updated at 15:31 EST to add:

• Jeff & Tessa Evason have opened up their vault to share this TV special featuring Thomas Baxter, James Cielen, Carl Cloutier, Dean Gunnarson, Gary Kurtz, Richard Sanders and Jay Sankey, with a special appearance by magician David Peck.  Watch on YouTube.

Are you itching to make it to a magic meeting from the comfort of your own home? 

• Ryan Pilling has set up www.MyMagicMeeting.com
  

  I can't stand cancelled magic club meetings! So I made this...
  www.MyMagicMeeting.com
  Join me Thursday night for a live, interactive video magic club meeting. You can participate, and even become a part of the scheduled program by proposing a talk.
  Magicians: Please share this with your local clubs that are currently on hiatus.

  
  
• You could join Aaron Matthews Magic live:

  Why not have some fun and share some magic and thoughts with all of you while we’re all home for a few weeks! I hope to hear from all of you in the chat this week.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  View this post on Instagram

  
  

  
  

  
  

  WE GO LIVE starting TOMORROW!! Why not have some fun and share some magic and thoughts with all of you while we’re all home for a few weeks! I hope to hear from all of you in the chat this week 🥳😊 @thekillshow @entertainuspodcast @emilmorelikedessert

  A post shared by Aaron Magic Matthews (@aaronmatthewsmagic) on Mar 17, 2020 at 1:54pm PDT

  
  
  

  
  
• Free admission to McBride Magic and Mystery School
  

  MYSTERY SCHOOL MONDAY is held every Monday night at 7:00-8:00pm pacific time. The following link will take you into our classroom as early as 6:45pm: https://zoom.us/j/562254051
  Please note: we use the Zoom platform. (Download Zoom for free at www.zoom.us.)
  
  If this is your first time, you will find a welcoming community of like-minded magicians discussing a significant topic every week! Please note: our classroom only holds 100 people, so be sure to get to class early!

Interested in catching a show?  Peter Mennie and Carisa Hendrix have you covered!

Full 1 Hour Lucy Darling show available to stream for free here at 7am PST https://t.co/5QfwWAPAuS

Grab a drink and pretend you are here in this beautiful theatre. Happy to be able to make this available to you while we wait for things to return to normal.
Please stay safe.

— Carisa Hendrix (@CarisaHendrix) March 16, 2020

Here's a FREE full length show in case you can't get out. #covid19 #magicshow #magician #marchbreak
A FREE Video for you just because you can't see it live for the next little while. - https://t.co/b56S0OHfNR

All of us are affected by the events and postponments happening...

— Peter Mennie (@petermennie) March 16, 2020

An upcoming lecture series on April 5th:



There's also consumable content from R. Paul Wilson and Mark Clearview:





From Mark Clearview:

We're all going to die and I'm going to document it. Listen to what I'm doing with all my free time. Follow my adventures through headlines and misinformation as I contribute a heaping helping of my own. Exclusively on my website until we're up and running on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

View this post on Instagram

WELL IT'S HERE! We're all going to die and I'm going to document it. Listen to what I'm doing with all my free time. Follow my adventures through headlines and misinformation as I contribute a heaping helping of my own. Exclusively on my website until we're up and running on Apple Podcasts and Spotify! Hosted with @davidmfklein LINK IN BIO! __ #quarantine #blog #quarantinelive #endtimes #coronavirus #COVID19 #covid #corona #virus #endoftheworld #comedy #podcast #comedian #funny #sorry

A post shared by Mark Clearview (@markclearview) on Mar 16, 2020 at 5:03pm PDT

Put the things we're missing in the comments!

Congratulations to Carisa Hendrix for her nomination!

Congratulations to Carisa Hendrix for her nomination (second year in a row) for "Stage Magician of the Year" at the Magic Castle!



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.

View this post on Instagram

Being nominated a second year in a row for “Stage Magician of the Year“ at the Magic Castle has been a wonderful surprise and I just feel so grateful to have the support of such an amazing community of people. Thank you so so much. Congratulations to all the nominees in every category, I could not be in better company. Photo by Kari Hendler

A post shared by Carisa Hendrix & Lucy Darling (@carisahendrix) on Mar 8, 2020 at 1:56pm PDT

Random thoughts about the Carisa Hendrix Ring 17 lecture

After the many hours I've spent with Carisa's voice in my head (via Shezam, the podcast that hopes to make itself obsolete), it is delightful to know she's as wonderful in person as she sounds in the podcast!

Those of you who know me, know that I arrive early to magic lectures with the specific intent of securing a back row seat.  Imagine my surprise when, just before the lecture started, we all shifted 180 degrees and I found myself in the front row!  I'm delighted it happened.  It was great to have a clear view for such an inspiring lecture!

• Generally speaking, men seem less patient listening to magical ideas they can't directly apply, than women are.  
• Carisa created an effect that may make it worth getting one's ears pierced.
• Her "pickpocketing" coin routine is fabulous.
• Her insights around creating a fool proof structure for an effect (and a performance) were well thought out and supported by extensive field testing.
• She has put a tremendous amount of thought and effort towards developing concrete metrics by which to measure the success of her performances.  ("What gets measured, gets managed." -- Peter Drucker)

It will come as a surprise to no one, what the potato chip flavour or choice was for the pseudo-ex-pat lecturer:

• To borrow a phrase from the medical community, this data-driven approach clearly makes her an "evidence-based" performer.  This approach serves her well.
• She personifies the advice she gives in the podcast with respect to audience volunteer interaction.  I look forward to a day when every performer treats their volunteers with this level of respect.
• She had excellent thoughts on the parallels of comedy and magic.
• It was wonderful to learn about the evolution of the book production that made its way to Penn and Teller: Fool Us!
• We were treated to the distillation of $32K worth of art school into ~30 minutes with a crash course in Meta-Modernity.  Lots of food for thought.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  View this post on Instagram

  
  

  
  

  
  

  When your #metamodernity talk gets #meta

  A post shared by James Alan (@jamesalanmagician) on Feb 19, 2020 at 11:18am PST

  
  
• And of course no magic lecture is complete without a deck of cards. Nothing like a variation of a Tommy Wonder routine by Carisa and Kayla Drescher to end the night!

Thank you for an excellent lecture Carisa!

Congratulations to Bob Taylor, who was awarded honourary lifetime membership!

Congratulations to Bob, our newest honourary lifetime member!#IBMRing17 @TOmagicclub pic.twitter.com/uMtxusx4gV

— Canada's Magic (@canadasmagic) February 19, 2020

The Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club has posted some photos on Facebook.  Canada's Magic has some photos on Instagram.


Here's what James Harrison thought about the lecture:

View this post on Instagram

@carisahendrix lecture was one of the best I’ve been at in a long while. Her insights into the business side, as well as how to structure a show was fantastic. Toronto needs her to come back again!! Thank you Carisa! Can’t wait to talk shop again

A post shared by James Harrison (@pickpocketjames) on Feb 19, 2020 at 4:02am PST

Rounding the Central rings in February 2020

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

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- N/A.
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- Show and share.
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Dennis Weir lecture.
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (KW Magic Society)	- TBA.
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- N/A.
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- N/A
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Carisa Hendrix lecture.

Please leave a comment or email me about corrections or omissions.

Carisa Hendrix in the news (and in Nashville and Toronto)

Carisa's January dates at the House of Cards in Nashville and February dates for The Art of Magic in Toronto are at the bottom of the post.


From the January 3rd article "Compelling Calgarians: Carisa Hendrix" by Barb Livingstone in The Calgary Herald:

Carisa Hendrix imagined a future as an author or teacher. But in the present, she was always juggling, eating fire, doing card tricks.

“It was never supposed to be a career; just what I was doing to survive.”

The 32-year-old Calgary-born magician is today at the top of her game, performing in iconic clubs — in her sexy Lucy Darling persona — setting a Guinness world record for fire-eating, guesting on Penn and Teller’s TV show and co-hosting Shezam, a popular feminist podcast on magic.

Read more.

From the January 3rd article "Stars of 2019: It was a good year for these wild roses" by Eric Volmers in The Calgary Herald:

Carisa Hendrix became a bonafide star on the magic circuit in the U.S. this year, infiltrating what is often regarded as an old-boys club. A veteran magician and children’s entertainer in Calgary, Hendrix found an international audience a few years back when she debuted saucy alter-ego Lucy Darling at the Melbourne Magic Festival. On top of being a skilled illusionist and sleight-of-hand expert, Darling is also an elegant and tart-tongued comedienne who has taken the insular world of magic by storm. She was invited to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, an inner sanctum for magicians and magic enthusiasts, and recently completed a residency at the Chicago Magic Lounge.

Read more.

Lucy Darling is ready to baffle and bewilder on our Carter the Great main stage, Jan. 13 - 19! Don't miss her awe-inspiring magical performances: https://t.co/NtpY44e7nb
(📸: Carisa Hendrix ) pic.twitter.com/nBdgWZiTXx

— House of Cards (@hocnashville) January 3, 2020

2019 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 wonderful things being done by the fabulous talent in our country.

Over 500 votes were cast in this "bragging rights" only contest.  You all have a lot of devoted fans!

Here are the results of our fourth annual "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!

Beacons of Inspiration (in alphabetical order by surname)

Gwyn Auger (aka The Magic Assistant)

Nominated by Aaron.
"I would like to nominate Gwyn Auger the Magic Assistant. Gwyn’s endless enthusiasm and passion for magic and the magic community is an inspiration, whether it is helping support young local magicians in Calgary, promoting the value of the assistant in the industry and her eagerness to help others at conventions or shows at the drop of a hat. Gwyn is one of the most professional, kindest, freelance magician assistants in the business who also recently branched out to perform her own act as part of the Celebrities of Magic in Bakersfield, CA. This year Gwyn was also the first assistant to perform at the new Magic Castle Cabaret in Santa Barbara, CA with Lance Burton."

"Gwyn is truly an amazing ambassador for the business!"

Website: Gwyn Auger
 

Comments from Gwyn's fans include:
- Gwyn totally deserves this she has been instrumental in the Calgary magic community as well as many larger circles globally.
- Talented and skilled people, one and all, but only Gwyn has the magic presence that makes those around her shine.

Voters' musical tastes include:  Frank Loesser / Hoagy Carmichael, Queen, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

James Harrison (aka Pickpocket James)
Nominated by Unknown, Amy Thibodeau, Missa Deadlove, Rex P., Mike Weiland, Anonymouos, and Unknown.  The quote below is from Unknown.

"James Harrison. He's the pickpocketing MASTER, he's got a YouTube video that is going viral like crazy right now with 2 million views and counting and he works like crazy, at home and internationally. So all of that is amazing, but here's why I think James REALLY deserves a nomination: He's the kindest, most giving magician I've met in years. When he's not on stage, he's off stage sharing his knowledge to apply what he's learned in the trenches to help others. So in short, I think James is inspirational because he covers both bases. He's one hell of a performer with incredible original creations and he's one hell of a good person to go with it."

Editor's note:

• The September 26th Modern Rogue episode "How Pickpockets Steal Watches" with James Harrison has over 1.8 million views.
• The September 30th Modern Rogue episode "How Pickpockets Steal Wallets" with James Harrison trended on YouTube in early October

Website: PickpocketMagic.com

Comments from James' fans include:
- Stole my watch while I 'watched' and I still missed it...AMAZING.
- I've seen him perform multiple times and can't tell you how great he is! Charismatic, talented and just a decent guy. Good for any event.

Voters' musical tastes include:  Bach, Peter Gabriel, and Green Day.

Carisa Hendrix (aka Lucy Darling)
Nominated by Lukas Stark.
"I would like to nominate Carisa Hendrix not only is her public work charming and incredible, her success in a primarily male dominated industry (and world), and her humble Canadian beginnings, but her penguin lecture is the best 5 hours I've spent thinking about my magic for years and the best work I've ever heard about bringing character to your magic."

Editor's note:

• In case you missed it, Carisa is the co-founder of Shezam, the feminist magic podcast that hopes to make itself obsolete."
• In June of this year, she received the Magicana's Allan Slaight award for Canadian Rising Star.
• Carisa lectured and performed at the first OWOW Magic Festival this year.
• Carisa Hendrix LIVE ACTS (Penguin Live).

Website: CarisaHendrix

Comments from Carisa's fans include:
- Phenomenal entertainer and lecturer. Goes out of her way to give of herself to anyone who asks.

Voters' musical tastes include:  Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, and Elton John.

Ryan Joyce
Nominated by Anonymous.
"Ryan Joyce for creating Canada's most unique magic festival. The OWOW Magic Festival brought more than a dozen of the top magicians to the most magical place in Canada - Fergus, ON to perform for the public this past Halloween. For magicians, Ryan has created a fun-space where they can gather and further their own careers - Wondertown - which includes Magicians Masterclass and the new podcast Magicians Talking Magic. We should all be so dedicated in furthering the art and the perception of our art."

Editor's note:

• In addition to launching the first ever OWOW Magic Festival,  Ryan co-hosts the podcast "Magcians Talking Magic," and does a lot of travelling for shows.

Website: RyanJoyce.com

Comments from Ryan's fans include:
- His work and efforts speak volumes and he is all about bringing the magic community together.

Voters' musical tastes include:  The Beatles, Pitbull, and Ed Sheeran.

Ken McCreedy
Nominated by Jason Maiuri.
"Ken McCreedy for his vast knowledge of Canadian magic as well as being a mentor to so many great acts."

Editor's note:

• Ken has an extensive knowledge of Canadian magic history and is very generous with sharing his knowledge! 

Website: KenMcCreedy.com

Comments from Ken's fans include:
- Always entertaining and full of surprises.  He is a kind and patient teacher.  It is an Honour to be his assistant.

Musical tastes include:  Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, and  Deep Purple.

The Sentimentalists (Chris Mysterion and Steffi Kay)

Nominated by Ross.
"I always felt the Toronto fixtures known as "The Sentimentalists" would shine on a bigger international stage. Their numerous TV appearances this year solidified this. They are an inspiration as a fellow Toronto based Canadian performer. Especially Steffi being the first woman Mentalist to fool Penn and Teller."

Editor's note:

• After being eliminated from America's Got Talent Season 14 during the Judge Cuts, they returned as the wildcard in the quarterfinals!

Website: TheSentimentalistsMagic.com

Comments from The Sentimentalists' fans include:
- These two are AMAAAAAAAAAZING. Been in the business nearly half a century, at this point, and I've never seen a live mentalism act to top theirs. Just a stunning act. Stunning.

Voters' musical tastes include:  Steve Miller, Queen, and Harry S. Miller.

Anastasia Synn (aka Sia Synn)
Nominated by Krystal Lawrence.
"She's a freakin cyborg pioneering a new brand of magic! It's been getting worldwide attention, she's been on international news with her crazy implants."

Edtitor's note:

• Anastasia has over 30 implants.
• You can read more about her biohacking in the September 6th article "A cyborg magician explains why she implanted 26 microchips and magnets in her body" by Rebecca Robbins in Stat News.
• Jonah Babins interviews Anastasia in the September 19th episode of Discourse in Magic, "Biohacking Magic with Anastasia Synn."

 
Website: Synnister.com

Anastasia's fans were people of few words.

Musical tastes include:  Radiohead, Crystal Eyes, and Rag'n'Bone Man.

Editor's Choice

Ted and Marion Outerbridge

Nominated by Unknown.
"I would like to nominate Ted & Marion Outerbridge as being truly inspirational entertainers in the world of magic. What you see on the stage is exactly what you get off the stage. They are soft spoken, humble and sincere - but extremely passionate and talented in everything they do. From costuming to scripting, choreography and illusion, they do it all!"

Editor's note:

• Ted and Marion lectured and performed at The Browser's Bash this year.
• They moved to Smith Falls, ON earlier this year and created an opportunity for themselves to have a very well received standing show at their local theatre!
• Ted and Marion are in the process of restoring their new home, the "Keyhole House."  They've found a note dated 1892 and signatures that date back to the year the house was built, 1897.

 
Website: TedOuterbridge.com

The Outerbridge's fans were also people of few words.

Voters' musical tastes include:  Smash Mouth, Brockhampton, and Frank Sinatra.

Readers' Choice

Mike Norden
Nominated by Anonymous.

Congratulations to Mike for winning the 2019 "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!


Keep up the great work!


Website: MagicShows.ca

Mike's fans were most likely to not follow instructions, and also most likely to get the date wrong.

Musical tastes include:  A wide assortment of Christmas music.