Toronto: Stepping Into the Impossible [Jan 26 - 27]

Tickets at Eventbrite. 

 

From the December 29th Facebook post by Jeff Hinchliffe: 

I'm bringing back my one-man show for 2 nights, January 26-27th 2026. 

 

 

 

Previously shared on Facebook December 29. 

 

 

 

 

 

Montreal: Jeff Hinchliffe lecture and show [Jun 17 & 18]

Lecture information from the Montreal Magic Jam:

Jeff Hinchliffe has been a mainstay in the Toronto magic scene for over two decades. He was a counselor at the Sorcerer's Safari Magic Camp, he worked behind the counter of Browser's Den, and was the inaugural recipient of the Len Cooper Memorial award. Now he's a full-time pro with his own successful one-man show. Not a bad resume. On top of being an exceptional sleight-of-hand magician, and expert at the memorized deck, a charming performer, he's also created some pretty damn good magic.

It's been over ten years since we've had Jeff in Montreal, so we're bringing him back for a brand new lecture and show (more details on the show soon). 

Read more and buy tickets to the lecture.

 

 

Show information from the Montreal Magic Jam:

Stepping Into the Impossible Magic Show
When: Wednesday June 18
Where: The Comedy Nest 

For almost his entire life, Jeff Hinchliffe has been captivated by the art of magic. His journey began with a single pack of cards, a purchase that unexpectedly set the stage for a life dedicated to wonder. From the hushed tables of magic shops and the camaraderie of magic clubs, to the immersive experience of magic camp, Jeff's passion has led him to perform and learn in a diverse array of settings. 

Read more and buy tickets to Stepping Into the Impossible.

 

 

 

 

 

Toronto: Jeff Hinchliffe Lecture [Apr 17]

A reminder that you can see Jeff's show, Stepping into the Impossible, at the Red Sandcastle Theatre on May 22nd.  Tickets at Eventbrite.

 

From the Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club (IBM Ring 17):

I've been involved in magic for nearly 30 years, and yet in those 3 decades I had never put together a complete show. In the summer of 2024 that finally changed. With the encouragement of our own Mahdi Gilbert, I set out to create my first show. A show about how and why I became a magician.

In my lecture this month I'm going to dissect my show for you.

Read more and buy tickets.

 

 

Do you think Jeff will explain the set he performed at the Browser's Bash this summer?

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Toronto: Jeff Hinchliffe's Stepping into the Impossible [Apr 10 & May 22]

Tickets at Eventbrite.

 

From the March 6th Facebook post by Jeff Hinchliffe:

Bringing my one-man show back for 2 nights only... April 10 & May 22 at The Red Sandcastle Theatre. 

 

 

 

Previously shared on Facebook March 6.

 

 

 

 

 

Help Ring 17 reach their donation goal in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank

Updated December 29 to add:

• Embedded December 27th uploaded YouTube video of show at the bottom of the post.
   

 

Donate through the Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club's link at the Daily Bread Food Bank.

 

From the December 28th Instagram post by David Peck:

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to support the @hatandrabbitclub fundraising magic show for the @dailybreadto

Your energy, generosity, and love for magic helped make the night unforgettable. 🪄💛

We’re so close to reaching our goal of $3,000 to support families in need this holiday season. If you couldn’t make it to the show or want to help push us over the top, there’s still time to give!

💻 Donate now: Link in Bio

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From the December 27th upload "Daily Bread FoodBank Fundraiser 2024" at the Ring 17 YouTube channel:

 

 

 

Toronto: With an Extra Helping of Magic fundraiser [Dec 18]

Edited at 5:30pm to add:

• More recent rumours suggest the line up will include:  David Peck, Magic Mel, James Alan, Phil Pivnick, Jeff Hinchliffe, Ian Crawford, Rob Fishbaum, David Sutherland, and Charles McBurney.
  

 

This year's line up rumoured to include David Sutherland, James Alan, Mel Jones, Ian Crawford and more!

 

From the December 9th Instagram post by the Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit club (Ring 17):

Come see some AMAZING magicians, including @magicforgrownups James Alan at the Moonlight Lounge in Toronto!

The Hat and Rabbit Club is bringing you an unforgettable night of wonder and giving.
📅 When: December 18, 7:30 PM
📍 Where: Moonlight Lounge, Toronto

Every ticket helps support the Daily Bread Food Bank. Let’s make a difference together! 💫
@dailybreadto

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From the Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit club (Ring 17) website:

The show will be on Wednesday, December 18th, 7:30 pm. We've secured the Moonlight Lounge in Kensington market (easily accessible by TTC with Green P nearby.) The room seats about 100 people so we are looking for material appropriate for that size of audience. There is a stage, with limited space to preset props off to the side. We will have the ability to play music but not the ability to do any video projection or any other multimedia. Performances should be 5-10 minutes in length and suitable for audiences age 12 and up. Holiday themed material is welcome, as is material involving non perishable food items. We will need to know what you plan on performing ahead of time so that we can put together a show that is balanced without repetition.

Read more.

From the December 6th Instagram post by the Hat & Rabbit club:

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Toronto: Magic at the Red Sandcastle Theatre [Aug 18, Sep]

Tickets at the Red Sandcastle Theatre.

 

August 18

• Scott McClelland's Orville Doodles and his Terrible Imagination
  (more on Scott's summer tour at the bottom of this post)
  

 

September: every weekend

• Mahdi Gilbert
  (Mahdi the Magician, Mystica, Jeff Hinchliffe Stepping onto the Impossible, and Halden's Hypnosis, Magic, and Mindreading)
  

 

 From the July 30th Facebook post by the Red Sandcastle Theatre:

From the July 28th Facebook post by Scott McClelland:

We are One Week away from the Premiere of Orville Doodles and his Terrible Imagination! And then the Tour Begins!!! Take a look at where I will be playng, and if it is close to you, grab a ticket because you will not want to miss this Strange and Exciting New Puppet Production!

The Tour is coming in August and I am very excited to bring this New Show to you!

Get your Tix HERE~
https://www.ticketscene.ca/list.php?q=orville+doodles

There be Magick HERE

 

Browser's Bash: Getting to know Jeff Hinchliffe

  

The 2024 Browser's Bash is on Saturday, July 13, 2024!

We are pleased to have the opportunity to do short interviews with some of this year's performers.  Next in the series is Jeff Hinchliffe!

 
 

You may already know that Jeff:

• Was the inaugural recipient of the Len Cooper Memorial Award in 2003, 
• Was featured in the film A Series of Unfortunate Effects (Mayhew & Train), 
• Was a counsellor and also staff at Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp,
  
• Works at the Browser's Den of Magic where he is sometimes referred to by the moniker "Young Jeff," and
• Was the subject of the very first post at this blog!
  

We're delighted that Jeff made time to answer our questions ahead of this year's Bash!

 

Who inspires you that is not a magician?
 
I find inspiration more in ideas than in people. So I'll read philosophy, science, art, history and look for inspiration there.

 

What is your first memory of magic? 

My first memory of magic is my dad dressing up as a magician for my 5th or 6th birthday party, and trying to perform a bunch of tricks from a magic set. I distinctly remember one kid heckling my dad quite well.
 

Who from the magic community inspires you?

Honestly, not one person in particular. But when I see young magicians starting to really develop their magic, and when I see younger guys that are making a go of it, performing public shows, it helps rekindle that early passion and love.
 

Was there anyone or anything instrumental to you becoming a magician?

I bought a Svengali deck from the booth that Browser's used to operate at Canada's Wonderland in 1996. I got my wooden nickel for a free trick from the shop at Bathurst & Eglinton. I took in my nickel, got my free trick, and my life was changed forever.

'Young' Jeff

Did you ever get discouraged and think about quitting magic?  
 
I didn't just get discouraged, I did quit magic for 5 years. I came back in 2017. What encouraged me to come back was living in the real world for 5 years lol.

Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals you’d be willing to share with our readers?
 

I personally do not have any pre-show rituals.

 

 

What are you most looking forward to about participating in the 2024 Browser's Bash?
 

Being on the stage and performing again (my last performance on the Bash stage was at the 1st Browser's Bash).

 

  Do you have a favourite Browser's Bash memory?  

My favourite memory is when Michael Ammar and Eugene Burger told us that the Bash was unlike any other convention they had attended. They could feel the difference in the room.  

 

 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
 

Get ready, the next few weeks are gonna fly by!

 

 

Thank you Jeff for making the time to answer our questions!  We look forward to seeing you at this year's Bash!

Follow Jeff Hinchliffe on Facebook and Instagram. 

 

Visit the Browser's Den of Magic website to buy your ticket and learn more about this year's Bash!  See you on Saturday, July 13, 2024!

 

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Toronto: Magic Quartet premiere [Jun 3]

Tickets at Eventbrite. 

 

From Kemin Zhang:

MAGIC QUARTET

Featuring 4 of Toronto's most eccentric magicians!

Sean Rooney,
Jeff Hinchliffe,
Mark Lewis and
Kemin Zhang (a.k.a. Dr. K)

​Date: June 3rd 2024
Time: 6pm & 8pm
Place: Ontario Historical Society
34 Parkview Ave.Willowdale ON

 

From the May 1st Facebook post by Kemin Zhang:

A psychic, a scholar, a composer and a balloon artist walk into a bar... no it's not a bar, it's an old house of the Ontario Historical Society. Looking forward to this show! Come check it out if you have your first Monday night in June free!

Random thoughts about "An Evening of Magic Shop Memories"

Last Saturday, Jeff Pinsky hosted "An Evening of Magic Shop Memories" at The Browser's Den of Magic.

It was a lovely way to spend an evening!

We heard stories from: 

• Mike Segal
• Greg Hobor
• Richard Lyn
• Nicole Lee
  
• Dick Joiner
• Mike King
  
• David Sutherland
• Gordon Precious -- who, as an added bonus performed 2 effects for us!
• Colin Geddes
• David Peck
• Jeff Hinchliffe,
• Sammy Jakubowicz, and
• our host Jeff Pinsky
  

Stories told included Magic Masters, Daytona Magic, Macy's, The Arcade, The Den (on Bloor across from Varsity Arena, above Yuk Yuk's, Bathurst and Eglinton, and now!), Morrissey's (Montreal and Toronto) and even Marie & Jack Hughes living room in London, England!  They also included names like Sophie Smith, Len & Bernice Cooper, Herb & Dan Morrissey, Henry Gordon, Jay Sankey, Gary Kurtz, David Ben, Mark Lewis, David Mitchell, Danny Tsukalis, Steve Martin, Jim Carey, Keanu Reeves, and more!

 

Did you know that:

• Bernice Cooper often baby sat a Toronto magician's son at the store?
• Dick Joiner first saw Mark Lewis in England?
• David Copperfield once ended his grand illusion show in Toronto with "What's Next?" 
• Keanu Reeves used to hang out at The Browser's Den of Magic?
• There used to be a Canadian 25 cent bill!
  

 

Thank you older Jeff, for conceiving and hosting this wonderful evening of sharing!

From the January 14th Facebook post by Greg Hobor at The Browser's Den of Magic Facebook group:

 

 

 

 

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Checking in with Ben Train and The Art of Magic [Oct 21]

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.

 

Ben Train

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!

Ben and Jonah Babins on an adventure.

 

 

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.

 

Admiring the art at
The Art of Magic

 

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!

 

Jonah entertaining at The Art of Magic

 

 

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)

Ben entertaining at The Art of Magic

 

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. 

 

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Toronto: The Art of Magic [Oct 21]

From Eventbrite:

Toronto has spoken! After more than 30 straight sold out shows,The Art of Magic is BACK! This time with full night of magic plus an interactive EXHIBIT

The Art of Magic is way more than just a show. It’s an entire evening filled with beautiful magic inspired art, and interactive magical exhibit and most importantly a secret magic show that you have to see to believe!

The Gallery
The fun begins at 6pm OR 8pm -  inside the Super Wonder Gallery. Enjoy delicious drinks while you interact with our magical art.

We don't want to give away all our secrets but you'll get to enjoy:

100+ year old magic props, world famous magic posters, and paintings and physical illusions that you get to BE IN! (You read that right!)

The Close-up Magic
During the gallery, while you're drinking, relaxing and enjoying the night - our magicians are working! 5 Magicians will be wandering around the event doing close-up magic that happens IN YOUR HANDS!

This is a chance for you to not only experience magic, but to experience a lot of it, right at your finger tips!

The Secret Show
At one magical moment during the night you are whisked away to a private SECRET show . This is a private show, for a small selection of the audience where you get to interact up close and personal with the magic. It's intimate, impossible, and this is magic of the highest level the way it was meant to be experienced: up close and personal. Seating for this secret experience is extremely limited and is included with your ticket to the Art of Magic show!

In order to ensure every seat in the house is a good one, only 50 tickets are available each show for this intimate theatre experience. Make sure you order yours before they disappear forever!

Oh! And did we mention that each ticket comes with a drink 🍸 😘

Read more and buy tickets.

 

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