From the Tricked Facebook page:
Join us as Season 2 returns to #BYUtv on February 25th at 6:30 pm MT. Will you be watching? #TrickedTV
Posts about Canadian magicians and magic happenings in Canada. |
"The finest location for up to date information
on magic in Canada." -- Shawn Farquhar |
Join us as Season 2 returns to #BYUtv on February 25th at 6:30 pm MT. Will you be watching? #TrickedTV
Matt Gore aka “The Ginger Ninja” from South Africa
- After winning the title of FISM Africa Magic Champion in 2012, and competing in the World Championships of Magic twice, Matt has achieved international recognition for his performances. Matt is a talented entertainer with over 12 years’ experience performing all around the world; add to that his cheeky character and sharp sense of humour and you have the ultimate comedy magician. Matt interacts among your guests, standing or seated at tables, bringing his exceptional brand of interactive comedy magic right to them. Your guests may have seen magic on stage or TV, but never has the impossible happened so close to them, the magic will literally happen in their own hands!
Danny Kazam
- Danny is a full time professional children’s entertainer, magician, and puppeteer. He is also a talented song writer, and has created magic for other magicians. He studied acting at Studio Sound Stage in Toronto, Ont. and has a background in both theatre arts and child development. Two of his biggest influences in becoming a children's entertainer was Shari Lewis and Ernie Coombs/Mr. Dressup.
Andrew Kinakin
- Andrew Kinakin is a professional entertainer from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Having travelled five continents around the world, he is happy to be back performing in the province he calls home. Being one of the youngest professional performers around this area Andrew brings a new, fun, high energy form of entertainment that you will find both captivating and refreshing. In the past few years Andrew has had the opportunity to make appearances on media outlets such as Global, CTV, C95 and CruzFm. Performing close-up magic gives everyone an opportunity really experience the entertainment right under their noses! Be prepared to experience entertainment with extra excitement!
Eric Leclerc - Canada's Two-Time Magic Champion from Ottawa
- Eric Leclerc is a globetrotting speaker and magician that performs feel good magic for your brain. His popular YouTube videos have gathered over 10 million views worldwide. He currently co-hosts the game show AU DÉFI on TFO Networks and is a regular guest on National Geographic's top rated show Brain Games. His original magic and hilariously crazy attitude have made him a 2-time winner of the "Canadian Magic Championship" title. Whether it's in front of the camera, performing live on the world's stages or simply speaking to inspire, Eric uses his charismatic personality to delight and connect with any audience. His shows have been described as ''a unique journey through interactive experiments and calculated craziness''. Think you know what magicians do? Think again. See why Eric's performances guarantee a healthy dose of laughter for your soul, and magic for your brain.
Chris Lovely
- For almost as long as I can remember I wanted to be an entertainer. Wasn’t sure just what at first, all I knew was that I loved to see people having a good time and laughing. When I was 11 years old I saw David Copperfield on TV for the first time, and I was hooked, I had found my calling in the entertainment world. Every year since I looked forward to his yearly T.V. specials and counted the days when his next special was airing. It was something my Mother and I watched together year after year. I started doing some research on how one becomes a magician. When I was 14 I met the local magician in Fredericton NB named Pearly Palmer. He became my mentor and is one of my main reasons I became the magician that I am. He gave me my first paying gig. My passion for magic and entertaining people has never changed. I am dedicated to providing not only a quality show but being sure you get the right show for your event.
Richy Roy
- Saskatchewan's own Richy Roy has been performing magic across Canada, for over a decade, entertaining audiences with his amazing magic, incredible balloon twisting, energetic stage performances, and hilarious antics! Nobody entertains quite like Richy! Card manipulations, linking rings, unbelievable rope magic, and levitation are only some of the impressive routines Richy Roy will perform. Hilarious entertainment professionally crafted to keep you amazed and laughing all show long!
Kent Wong
- Kent Wong is one of the most sought after entertainers in North America. With numerous appearances on national television, he is also a two-time, international Gold Medal Champion and a member of Hollywood’s famous Magic Castle. Kent has astounded audiences with his unique brand of magic and humour for over 35 years. From strolling magic to banquet shows and grand scale illusions, Kent has done it all. Kent’s close-up magic is similar to the Street Performing festivals prevalent throughout many cities each and every summer, with much of the magic happening right in your hands. Kent Wong can bring the joy and excitement of this festival right to your doorstep!
Read more and register.
In due time, for now, let me begin at the beginning. It was December 7th, 2017. I was performing at my usual Thursday night spot, St.Louis Bar and Grill in St. Catharines, Ontario. It was one of the first really cold nights, the evening was just starting up. The restaurant was still fairly quiet, and slowly starting to fill with patrons anticipating dinner service. I moved to my usual spot in the back corner of the space, hung up my coat, and prepared what I needed to perform. I noticed my client Jim Reaman (the owner) standing near the bar chatting with some staff.
Since I had a few minutes to spare, and genuinely enjoy catching up with Jim, checking-in and so forth, I headed towards him. We quickly moved from talking about personal affairs, to talking about what I’d been working on, my aspirations, and so on. I mentioned an idea that had been floating around my head, like an annoying little balloon. Sometimes it was filled with helium, sometimes with Sulfur Hexaflouride. The idea was light, in that it was clever, fun, inspiring, educational and full of potential for awesome. It was heavy in that it was terrifying, risky, draining, and full of potential for embarrassment, failure and rejection.
Read more.
Saturday 16 December
Eric Leclerc who has appeared in countless TV Shows FINALLY does an incredible show for his fans in Ottawa. Come See One Of Canada's Top Performer And Magician Live!
Read more and buy tickets.
We are really excited ton inform you that the Festival de magie de Québec will be back for the 8th Edition, in May, 2018. Please visit Web site: www.festivaldemagie.ca
In 2018, many new concepts will be offered like the "Strange Gala" on Friday night, the "Kids Gala" Saturday afternoon and of course our "International Gala" Saturday night with 7 renowned artists. You will have the chance to see during that gala: Bill Abbott, Juliana Chen, Éric Leclerc, Max Maven, Xavier Mortimer, Xavier Tapias and Daniel Coutu as Emcee.
Since the Festival also organises the CAMarederie in 2018, the magicians will have the chance to see 9 lectures from Bill Abbott, Stéphane Bourgoin, Juliana Chen, Max Maven, Xavier Mortimer, Xavier Tapias, Christopher Taylor, Marc Trudel and R.Paul Wilson.
You can already buy your magician's package at 300 $ + tx (value of $400 + tx) on our Web site. We also offer a show only package at 75 $ + tx. (Value of $95 + tx)
Prices will raise on January 1st, 2018.
You can also register for the Magic School that will offer different levels during the week-end. You can also join the Club de Magie du Québec. Its mission is to support magicians who want to compete at high levels of competitions. You can also register to our 6th Edition of the Concours International de magie "Michel Cailloux" with $4000 in prizes for the winners.
Read more and buy tickets.
Congratulations to this year's recipients:
MAX MAVEN
Lifetime Achievement ($15,000)
DEREK DELGAUDIO
Sharing Wonder ($15,000)
JOHN LOVICK
Sharing Secrets ($10,000)
EDWARD HILSUM
International Rising Star ($5,000)
ERIC LECLERC
Canadian Rising Star ($5,000)
Read more.
Halifax, NS | Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court) | - Visit their Facebook page. |
St. John, NB | Magic Circle of St. John | - TBA |
P.E.I.'s Dave Moses is no stranger to the magic of television.
The writer/producer/actor has credits that range from the comedy Robson Arms to the gritty, real-life Emergency: Life & Death at VGH, set in Vancouver General Hospital's emergency room.
And then there's the surreal life of the upcoming Real Housewives of Toronto.
But he's now also involved in some actual magic on TV, thanks to the current show Tricked, airing on YTV.
Read more.
“We spent five months in Vancouver filming, and performed 300 tricks,” Leclerc says during a press day in Toronto. “It was the first time in my career where I was doing magic that I wasn’t choosing to be put out there.” Adapted from a series in the UK, Force Four Entertainment auditioned hundreds of magicians before picking the Ottawa-based Leclerc. He and a team of magicians came up with all-original tricks, created and worked with him to perfect them before unleashing the brain-twisters on the public in 20 episodes.
Read more and watch video.
YTV is making magic this fall with the debut of the new Canadian original series, Tricked (20 x 30). Produced for YTV by Force Four Entertainment, and hosted by veteran magician Eric Leclerc, Tricked baffles unsuspecting people with magic, sleight-of-hand, and super sneaky pranks. The series premieres on Monday, September 5 at 7:30 pm ET/PT and will air Monday to Thursday on YTV.
In each episode of Tricked, Eric goes undercover to pull well-crafted pranks on unsuspecting people, all caught on tape by hidden cameras. Well-known from his popular YouTube videos, which have garnered more than 10 million views worldwide, Eric performs illusions, misdirection and mind-reading tricks that will leave viewers in awe and disbelief day after day.
More magical content will be uploaded on YTV.com and YTVGo featuring tricks of the trade and tutorials on how to prank family and friends with magic that can be done at home. Also available online are videos revealing secrets from Tricked’s “Magic Camp,” where Eric and the magic team taught kids tricks using household items, which they then performed on camera.
Read more.
8pm
Dinner was wings and fries and salad and donuts! Jen Segal, Christina Galonska, Stephanie Kline, Lori Farquhar, Lisa Close, and Mike Toal worked hard to get it organized and serve us since we weren’t in the Mess Hall tonight. They’re always working really hard to making sure all of the non-magic stuff is taken care of. I sure am grateful for their efforts.
Dance party = so much fun! Mark Correia did a wicked Michael Jackson impersonation and two of the littlest kids here had an incredible dance off! Phil DaCosta DJ’d again and gave away t-shirts and cards and stuff too for answering questions and making clever requests. I love this place.
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Mark doing his thing. |
The weather must have cleared ‘cause they’re letting us have camp swim!
10pm
I did it!! I got scared and wasn’t going to. But then I remembered that Scott Hammell and Eric Leclerc both say that we should try things “out of our comfort zone” now and again. The lifeguard said it was safe to jump from up high and that he’d make sure nothing bad happened to me. I was so nervous climbing up those stairs. They went up forever. The lake looked such a long way down. I froze and almost didn’t do it. Then I jumped!!!! I was surprised how long it took for me to hit the water -- it felt like hours. I didn’t get hurt, nobody laughed and my friends all cheered for me! I really feel like I’m part of one big family here.
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I did it!!! |
There was more dancing and a spectacular fireworks show. Everyone sang some song by a band called “Queen” and that was the end of the night. I’m so excited and tired. I don’t remember much else. I don’t want camp to end tomorrow.
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This is so. much. FUN! |
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Everybody dance now! |
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.
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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.
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Owning the stage. |
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Sponge balls. |
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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.
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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.
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Shawn speaking at the panel. |
To be continued ...
As an aside, am I the only one wondering when someone is going to launch Datcourse in Magic?
Welcome to the Discourse in Magic podcast! This is where we tackle magic’s hardest issues, theories, philosophies, discussion, and more to help you explore. We jump into all sorts of resources and most importantly actionable tips to help better the art and become a killer performer!
- Episode 11 – How to be a Great Teacher, Mentor and Student of Magic with Aaron Fisher and Adam Grace
June 16th, 2016- Episode 10 – Playing Card Innovation and Economy in the Era of Crowdfunding with Lee Asher June 9th, 2016
- Episode 9 – Community Month: Introduction Magic Shops, Camps and Friends June 2nd, 2016
- Episode 8 – Performing Tips for the Working Magician, From Restaurants to Big Illusions with Chris Westfall May 26th, 2016
- Episode 7 – Ethics and morals for the modern magician with Ben Train May 19th, 2016
- Episode 6 – Creating a fictional premise with conflicts and twist endings that rock May 12th, 2016
- Episode 5 – Designing magic for the screen and the stage with Patrick Kun May 5th, 2016
- Episode 4 – Improv and being open to change with Chris Mayhew April 29th, 2016
- Episode 3 – Personality, character and connecting with your audience with Eric Leclerc April 27th, 2016
- Episode 2 – Going viral, the Reddit secret, and Rubik’s cubes with Steven Brundage April 23rd, 2016
- Episode 1 – Introduction Episode April 20th, 2016
Read more and listen to podcasts.
9pm
Dinner was good but the ice cream pie was AMAZING!
At the theatre they said Chris Mayhew is making a video of camp. I can’t wait to see that! Rosemary said she runs the Sorcerers Safari social media accounts and will help promote events that campers are involved with. Impressive. I don’t get the sense that people here think they’re better than anyone else -- they all just want to see everyone succeed. Just like our moms and dads. But WAY cooler.
Mike Close played some beautiful piano before the show. (Is everyone here crazy talented?) The lip syncs were extra funny tonight. Rosemary (singer) and Chris Westfall (background cheerleader) did “Cheerleader" by Omi, and Jonah (with Jonah supporting) did a duet -- "Love Is An Open Door" from Frozen. HYSTERICAL!!!!
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Found myself a cheerleader! |
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Jonah backing up Jonah. |
Tonight’s show was called the “World Champion Show” and featured three award winning magicians! I got to see Greg Frewin, Shawn Farquhar, and Daryl all on the same stage. I bet that the evening shows alone are worth the price of camp.
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Greg Frewin. |
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Shawn Farquhar. |
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Daryl. |
Rocket popsicles for bedtime snack! (The sugar will help keep me awake for cabin visits!) Eric came and gave us all mouth coils to try. (I thought they would never end!! We’re going to decorate the bunks with them tomorrow.) Lee Asher showed us some super cool tricks with cards and then he showed us specialty decks we’d never heard of. They looked really fancy.
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Eric sharing secrets. |
Goodnight.
Ottawa-based kids’ content producer GAPC Entertainment is in production on a new web series for TVOKids and TFO. mathXplosion is produced by GAPC’s Hoda Elatawi (NSI Global Marketing).
The 50-episode series has mathemagician Eric Leclerc taking children, six to eight years old, through an adventure in the world of math. Everything from measuring tree height with your thumb to finding treasure with a grid map, these short, kid-friendly episodes are aimed at inspiring both children and their parents to try out fun, accessible math experiments for themselves.
mathXplosion is produced in conjunction with TVO and TFO with financial participation from the CMF, Shaw Rocket Fund and Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund.
5pm
Camp swim is so much fun! We get to use huge inner tubes to float in the docks at the lake. Eric Leclerc went out of the designated area in an inner tube, to get a ball that floated away. It was funny to watch him try and paddle with his hands! There’s a slide that goes into the lake and a super high platform that you can jump off of too.
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Inner tubes are fun! |
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Squeezing more magic in before the swim. |
We had “performance workshop” where some campers performed something and everyone got to tell them what they liked about it and what they thought could be improved. Some kids got up and did things that we just learned at electives today! Everyone seems really supportive and encouraging here. No one was mean about it.
Then we played the “Umm” game. It’s where you have to talk as long as you can about an assigned topic (think unicorns, chocolate, soccer, etc) without saying things like “umm” or “ahh.” It’s hard! (And fun to watch!) Now I know that I need to script my performances because I’m not so good at improvising!
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Performance workshop. |
10pm
What a night! We ate chicken burgers and chocolate mousse! At the theatre we watched video messages for us from magicians from Las Vegas and other places in the US. Apparently there’s a camper show later in the week. I wonder if I have anything good enough to do for the show...
The evening performance was mind blowing. Mike Close, Eric, Sheldon Casavant, Scott Hammell, Neil Croswell and Ashley Da Silva are all fabulous. I got to see dove magic live for the first time. Neil made birds appear out of NOWHERE.
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Mike Close. |
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Eric Leclerc. |
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Neil Croswell and Ashley Da Silva. |
Rosemary Reid, Mark Correia, and Chris Mayhew did lip syncs tonight. I laughed so hard when Chris “blah, blah, blahed” his way through "Single Ladies" by Beyoncé.
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Chris Mayhew channeling Beyoncé. |
After that we had a beach party -- wait for it -- on the beach! There was fire floating in the lake (I’d never seen that before). We had fries and chicken nuggets and fried zucchini for snack. Phil DaCosta, the DJ, had everyone moving and doing the limbo and forming conga lines. I liked it when he played the “Cha Cha Slide” and “Uptown Funk.” I complained when my counsellor said I had to leave early ‘cause I’m so little. Secretly I’m glad I’m back at the cabin. I’m pooped.
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How low can you go? |
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Beach party! |
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More beach party! |
11pm
After dinner we went back to the cabins to get some rain gear -- the weather report said it was going to thunderstorm. We headed off to the “Pinetages Theatre.” The theatre is about the size of my school gym, maybe a little smaller but with a bigger stage.
The Pinetages Theatre.
Each cabin did something for “cabin intros” under the guidance of the counsellors (Philip Bowser, Greydon Gilmore, Jonah Babins, Tyler Williams, Mark Correia, Nathaniel Rankin, Rosemary Reid, and Sam Segal). Cabins did really clever things including impersonating well-known magicians (like Penn & Teller and David Blaine), miming deliberate misinterpretations of magic terms (like overhand shuffles and dribbling), a version of the TV show “Fool Us,” and magic effects performed using people instead of things (linking rings, sliding knot on rope, and cups & balls). I was sooo nervous. I took some deep breaths and I didn’t mess up! It feels amazing to be on stage and hear everyone clap and cheer for you.
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Cabin intros. |
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More cabin intros. |
Rosemary announced that they were going to do a lip sync competition all week. She started it off and then Eric did “Your Name” by Taylor Swift. Hilarious! It rained really hard while we were in the theatre. (Glad I brought rain boots!)
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Rosemary singing. |
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Eric channeling Taylor Swift. |
Daryl did amazing rope magic. Ben Train did a wild book test. Phil DaCosta did more fun rope magic. Chris Westfall and Chris Mayhew made everyone laugh so hard. They even threw some “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Llama” shirts into the audience. I wish I got one. At the end we all got brand new decks of really cool cards that Dave Mitchell got donated from Ellusionist. They look so nice, I don’t want to use them!
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Chris and Chris bringing the laughs. |
It is soooo dark here at night. I can see more stars here than I knew existed! At our cabin we had a “cabin visit” from Chris Westfall. He showed us AMAZING tricks using cards, rubber bands, and coins!
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Chris Westfall being magical. |
I feel a little sad. I miss my home and my bed and my room. And especially my family. Everyone here is super friendly and nice though. And this place is so much fun! I’m super excited about tomorrow.
We all got ready for bed. I tried to go to sleep without writing here. But I just couldn’t. That’s why I’m writing here so late. Tired now. G’night.