Details at the IBM Ring 17 Hat and Rabbit Club website.
From the February 18th Instagram post by the IBM Ring 17 Hat and Rabbit Club:
Join us for our next meeting Wednesday February 18 featuring a lecture from creator, playwright and breakfast sandwich connoisseur Michael Kras @michaelkras sharing material from his latest book “Synthesis and Secrets”
Congratulations Michael!
From the August 22nd Instagram post by Michael Kras:
Some exciting news: I’ve landed in New York because tomorrow, I begin my new job as the Magic & Illusion Lead for the North American Tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
This is my first-ever national tour and I’m so eager to get to return to this world after serving on the magic direction team for the Canadian premiere.
I’m only in NYC for a heartbeat before flying to Chicago for tech and previews, and then I’ll be looking after the show as it tours on to Los Angeles, Washington, and well beyond.
LET’S GO 🪄
From the March 1st article "Invisibility cloaks, cardboard rockets, and flying orbs of light: Here’s how Canadian theatre uses the art of magic" by Michael Kras at Intermission Magazine:
Cursed Child is hardly an isolated case for this hefty use of theatre magic. Plenty of prominent productions utilize magic design in considerable ways, including the current West End hit Stranger Things: The First Shadow (also featuring illusion design by Cursed Child’s Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher), which is already planning to hit more stages internationally, with little doubt that Canada will eventually be in the mix. Hit musical adaptations from the West End and Broadway like Back to the Future (illusions by Chris Fisher) and Beetlejuice (illusions by Michael Weber) are both slated for the forthcoming Mirvish subscription season.
Of course, a common thread here is that these are all imported, big-budget commercial properties. But the beautiful thing about magic is that a relentless spirit of ingenuity and creative problem-solving is far more important than a price tag. The entire job description is about making the impossible possible onstage, and the greatest magic is achieved by earthy, organic means rather than high-tech gadgets.
One such homegrown example is Young People’s Theatre’s Dora-winning The Darkest Dark, adapted by Jim Millan and Ian MacIntyre from Chris Hadfield and Kate Fillion’s book of the same name. Canadian conjuror David Ben – who also staged the effects in the Stratford Festival’s Grand Magic last season — was tasked with crafting magic that had a childlike spirit of play and imagination, with sophisticated, memorable illusions built from humble cardboard boxes. On a smaller-scale indie level, Eric Woolfe’s Eldritch Theatre is also known to regularly feature sleight of hand in their spooky seasons of plays.
From the November 14th Tweet by Michael Kras:
IT's HERE! Kickstarter now LIVE for my new limited release book Synthesis & Secrets: A Magic Book in Four Acts!
Only 500 clothbound hardcover books available. 20 tricks and sleights, 9 essays, 140 gorgeous illustrations.
Grab yours NOW!!!
IT's HERE! Kickstarter now LIVE for my new limited release book Synthesis & Secrets: A Magic Book in Four Acts!
— Michael Kras (@KrasMagic) November 14, 2023
Only 500 clothbound hardcover books available. 20 tricks and sleights, 9 essays, 140 gorgeous illustrations.
Grab yours NOW!!! https://t.co/mQe2wxjQ1i pic.twitter.com/GVeLHzlgQ8
From Part 1 of the series:
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.
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| << part 10 | part 12 >> |
Part 11 features: Michael Kras, David Mitchell, Ray Anderson, and Jordan Murciano.
Thank you Michael, David, Ray, and Jordan for sharing your memories!
Check back throughout the month to read updates from other Sorcerers Safari alumni and staff!
From the December 29th Instagram post by OneAheadClub:
These magicians will shape the future of magic. Be sure to check out the full list, the reasons they're on there, and the interviews. Should we keep our eyes on any performers for next year's list?
From the December 29th Instagram post by Michael Kras:
This made my entire day: Beyond James has named me one of their Five Hamilton Artists to Watch in 2023!
From the April 18th Instagram post by Michael Kras:
I have some news! Today was my first day jumping into one of the most exciting (and terrifying) journeys of my career so far as I join the Canadian premiere of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at Mirvish as the Illusions & Magic Assistant.
I’ve been in magic even longer than I’ve been in theatre, and it’s a literal dream to be able to combine these two parts of my artistic identity by joining the creative team behind this international smash hit play that uses magic, illusion, and sleight of hand as a key piece of its theatrical language.
I’ve never worked on something of such immense scale, and I’d be lying if I said I’m not overwhelmed. But I’m also beyond excited to work with this unbelievable company of artists, learn on my feet, and hit the ground running. Let’s GOOOOO.
Congratulations Michael!
From the December 10th Instagam post by Michael Kras:
So very excited to announce that I will officially be the Playwright-in-Residence at @ectheatre for 2021!
ECT means a lot to me - they programmed and produced the world premiere of my play The Team last year - and I'm beyond excited to spend the next year developing and workshopping a brand new play with them.
Thank you to ECT for having me, and thank you to the @ontarioartscouncil for supporting this residency. I can't wait!
Exciting news!
I’m thrilled to be included as part of the @hamartscouncil Online Performance Series, for which I will be directing a special live-streamed performance of my play The Year and Two of Us Back Here starring the wonderful original cast of @hime.sarah and @stephenjamesingram!
The play was a hit when it premiered in 2018 and I’m so excited to reimagine it and restage it for a digital platform.
Don’t worry: we won’t just be reading the play for you over Facebook Live.
This is a chance to explore the exciting possibilities of staging a play on a virtual platform, and we can’t wait to try out some new ideas to bring this play to full life... even at a distance!
I’m VERY excited to officially announce that I’ll be the 2019/2020 Playwright-in-Residence at @roseneath!
I’ll be spending much of the next year developing my new play, The Boys, with Roseneath’s invaluable expertise and resources.
Endless thanks to Roseneath Theatre and Andrew Lamb for giving me and my play a home this season, and to the @ontarioartscouncil for their generous support of the residency. I can’t wait to get started!
