This morning we let you know about the
upcoming The Art of Magic show
presented by
The Toronto Magic Company.
If you've never been to one of these shows, they're a very unique
experience. Ben Train was kind enough to answer some questions we had
about The Toronto Magic Company, and The Art of Magic.
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Ben Train
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What is the Toronto Magic Company (TMC)?
In 2016 I partnered up with my best friend Jonah Babins to produce magic shows
across the GTA. Specifically, we wanted to produce GOOD magic shows - the kind
of shows we’d be excited to see.
Since then we’ve produced more
than 200 shows a year, worked with hundreds of amazing magicians from around
the world, and entertained thousands of people.
Who are the players in TMC?
There’s myself, Ben Train, and my good buddy Jonah Babins. We’re the two
co-founders. We also have an amazing team working behind the scenes; video
editors and photographers, our incredible magicians and volunteers, and of
course - our audiences!
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Ben and Jonah Babins on an adventure.
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What is The Art of Magic?
Magicians have been talking about magic being an art form for hundreds of
years. So in 2018 Jonah and I had an idea. What if we produced an event that
wasn’t just a show, but rather a “gallery” of magic art?
And
that’s what we did! We filled a gallery with magic-themed art (posters, props,
and interactive exhibits), invited some of our favourite close-up magicians to
walk around the space performing, and finished the whole experience off with a
stage magic show filled with mind-reading and illusions.
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Admiring the art at
The Art of Magic
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How does The Art of Magic differ from the Toronto Magic Company's other
offerings?
All of our shows have different concepts, because we want to appeal to
different audiences and we want to explore different ways of presenting magic.
What most of our shows have in common though is that they follow a
pretty traditional show format: you arrive at the venue, sit in your seat,
watch a show, and then go home. (I promise the shows are waaay more fun than
that description makes them sound!)
What makes The Art of Magic
different is that it’s not just a show, but rather an interactive exhibit that
lets you explore magic in different ways (including actively being part of the
experience in ways you simply couldn’t do with a typical show).
Oh… and on top of all that you ALSO get an amazing show!
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Jonah entertaining at The Art of Magic
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How was the recent September show (the 30th Art of Magic show) different from the very first
The Art of Magic show?
The first Art of Magic, back in 2018, was very different. We were in a
different location, which meant different limitations (and advantages), we
didn’t have access to enough magic-themed art, and we were relying more on
out-of-town talent.
When the pandemic temporarily shut us down we
used our time to retool everything.
We found a better venue (two
floors which allowed us to have different experiences happening at the same
time), we got WAAAY more magic-related art pieces (Several dozen and
counting), and watched as the talent in Toronto developed to a point where we
no longer needed to bring in outside help (though we still bring in performers
from all over the world - because we love featuring the best magicians on the
planet!).
The concept is ALWAYS something we’re tweaking with,
because we’re always trying to make it better. Speaking of which, if anyone
reading this has been to one of our shows and has ideas for how we can
improve… please message me! ( ben at TorontoMagicCompany dot com)
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Ben entertaining at The Art of Magic
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What have you learned from producing 30 of these shows?
That there are waaaaay easier ways to make money lol.
Also, I’ve
learnt that sometimes the things that excite ME (or passionate magic lovers
like me) aren't necessarily what excites the general public. So as we test and
try new things we pay special attention to which exhibits resonate with people
and WHY, so we can make all our future events better.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers about The Art
of Magic?
Yah. Buy some tickets and come on out!
If you’re a magic fan, this
is a must-attend. I truly believe that.
And if you’re not yet a
magic fan but you are a fan of fun nights… come on out and we’ll convert you.
;)
Thank you Ben, for making the time to answer our questions!
You have two chances to catch
The Art of Magic on Saturday October 21st. The show features: Jeff Hinchliffe, Harry Zimmerman, Jonah Babins, and James Alan. (Ben Train will be appearing in the second show.) Tickets at
Eventbrite.
Learn more about
The Toronto Magic Company
and follow them on
Facebook, and
Instagram.
