Tickets at ActualWizard.ca
From the October 3rd Instagram post by Vincenzo Ravina:
Actual Wizard is back at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts! Friday October 17 at 9 pm! There will be: Potions! Ghosts! Playing cards!
Showing posts with label Vincenzo Ravina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vincenzo Ravina. Show all posts
17 October 2025
Halifax: Actual Wizard [Oct 17]
10 September 2025
Wolfville: Actual Sorcery with Vincenzo Ravina [Sep 20]
Tickets at Al Whittle Theatre.
From the September 5th Instagram post by Vincenzo Ravina:
There might be: Mind-reading! A visit from the Tooth Fairy! Playing cards! Secret societies!
09 August 2025
Halifax: Magic at the Halifax Fringe [Aug 27 - Sep 7]
Tickets and more information at the Halifax Fringe.
- Tricked! A Family Magic Show - Braden Carlisle: Aug 28
- Actual Sorcery – A Weird Magic Show - Vincenzo Ravina: Aug 31
- An Evening of Intimate Drawing Room Magic and Comedy with International Champion Magician Patrick Drake: Sep 4, 6 - 7
From the August 5th Facebook post by Patrick Drake:
Halifax Fringe Festival. Drawing Room Magic from a bygone era and a tribute to the world's greatest mentalist...the one and only Kreskin!!
13 May 2025
Halifax: Halifax Magic Club Showcase [May 16]
From the May 2nd Instagram post by The Bus Stop Theatre:
Come see Halifax’s finest professional and hobby magicians amaze, bewilder and surprise you. The magicians of the Halifax Magic Club will perform incredible magic, mentalism, and more.
Bring your friends and family and make sure to get here early to grab a seat. Children are allowed to attend although the magic is not targeted at the young ones.
29 April 2025
Halifax: Vincenzo Ravina Actual Wizard [May 17]
19 February 2025
Annapolis Royal: Vincenzo Ravina Actual Wizard [Feb 22]
Tickets at HalifaxMagician.com
From the February 5th Instagram post by Vincenzo Ravina:
Oh hello how are you? I’m well, thank you for asking. I’m going to be the support act for @rorygardinermusic on Feb. 22 at the King’s Theatre in Annapolis Royal. Tickets are available at ActualWizard.ca if you want to come.
15 January 2025
Wolfville: Vincenzo Ravina, Actual Wizard [Jan 25]
Tickets at ActualWizard.ca.
From the January 7th Instagram post by Vincenzo Ravina:
🐺 WOLFVILLE! 🌕 ACTUAL WIZARD, a weird magic show, will be visiting Acadia Cinema’s @alwhittletheatre on Saturday, January 25! There will be: Potions! Ghosts! Playing cards! Murder! Tickets and info at ActualWizard.ca!
20 November 2024
Halifax: The Actual Wizard’s Mystery Parlour [Nov 30]
With Vincenzo Ravina and Ian Stewart!
From the November 18th Instagram post by Vincenczo Ravina:
The Actual Wizard’s Mystery Parlour opens on Nov. 30 at the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts at 7:30 pm with special guests @ianstewartandstuff, world record magician and juggler, and @theunderstudieshfx, award-winning improv trio! Advance tickets are 20% off at ActualWizard.ca!
25 March 2024
Canada's Got Talent: Getting to know Vincenzo Ravina
Next in our series of short interviews with some
of the magic acts listed in the March 5th
Canada's Got Talent media release is Vincenzo Ravina!
You may already know that Vincenzo:
- performed on Penn & Teller: Fool Us,
- won the 2023 overall Audience Choice Award at the Halifax Fringe Festival with his show Actual Magic, and
- wrote a collection of short stories, Peril & Exploit and Other Mysterious Tales,
We're delighted that Vincenzo made time to answer our questions!
Who inspires you that is not a magician?
I'm inspired by Wes Anderson, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Lemony Snicket, David Lynch, the Muppets, and Fiona Apple. And I'm inspired by TV shows like The Twilight Zone, LOST, and Taskmaster. I'm inspired by events like the theft of the Mona Lisa.
I'm inspired by Wes Anderson, "Weird Al" Yankovic, Lemony Snicket, David Lynch, the Muppets, and Fiona Apple. And I'm inspired by TV shows like The Twilight Zone, LOST, and Taskmaster. I'm inspired by events like the theft of the Mona Lisa.
What is your first memory of magic?
I'm not sure how old I would have been, but my earliest memories of magic are of a family friend making a coin vanish and reappear inside several small nesting boxes with rubber bands wrapped all around, and of my family regularly going to a restaurant in Halifax where a magician named Dave Moon would perform. He had a long, white beard, and wore purple robes and a tall pointy hat. I loved the feeling of watching his magic and I wanted to share that feeling with others.
Who from the magic community inspires you?
I am regularly inspired by the magicians in my local club, the Halifax Magic Club. They have made my work so much better with their feedback and ideas.
In the broader magic community, there's too many... I love Charlie Caper, Penn & Teller, Zabrecky, Carisa Hendrix, Morgan & West, Ben Hart, Joshua Jay, Derek DelGaudio, Mac King, Piff the Magic Dragon, Andy at The Jerx, and the two big Davids (Copperfield and Blaine). I've learned something important from every single one of these folks and I'm definitely forgetting others.
In the broader magic community, there's too many... I love Charlie Caper, Penn & Teller, Zabrecky, Carisa Hendrix, Morgan & West, Ben Hart, Joshua Jay, Derek DelGaudio, Mac King, Piff the Magic Dragon, Andy at The Jerx, and the two big Davids (Copperfield and Blaine). I've learned something important from every single one of these folks and I'm definitely forgetting others.
Was there anyone or anything instrumental to you becoming a magician?
Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic was a treasure trove of knowledge which I'm still using today, and a subscription box service called Magic University started me off with a lot of props, which I used a lot when I was doing shows as a kid.
📸 : CGT
Did you ever get discouraged and think about quitting
magic?
I think like a lot of magicians, I learned magic in my youth, and then at a certain point, I drifted away from it and didn't do magic for some years. I got tired of birthday parties and I started thinking magic was uncool in high school. I also got to thinking that magic couldn't be a career or creatively fulfilling, for some reason. So I focused on creative writing and journalism. But Rod Doiron, who was the president of the Halifax Magic Club at the time, reached out to me in 2009 and invited me to come to a meeting. I started going regularly and I got back into magic again. At first, as a hobby. And then I realized that pretty much anything I want to do creatively, I could do through magic. So I started going to open mics and developing new routines and material and got one of my pieces onto Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Since then I've been regularly performing my show, Actual Wizard, at different venues and theatres in Nova Scotia, and writing a new show every year for the Halifax Fringe Festival.
I think like a lot of magicians, I learned magic in my youth, and then at a certain point, I drifted away from it and didn't do magic for some years. I got tired of birthday parties and I started thinking magic was uncool in high school. I also got to thinking that magic couldn't be a career or creatively fulfilling, for some reason. So I focused on creative writing and journalism. But Rod Doiron, who was the president of the Halifax Magic Club at the time, reached out to me in 2009 and invited me to come to a meeting. I started going regularly and I got back into magic again. At first, as a hobby. And then I realized that pretty much anything I want to do creatively, I could do through magic. So I started going to open mics and developing new routines and material and got one of my pieces onto Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Since then I've been regularly performing my show, Actual Wizard, at different venues and theatres in Nova Scotia, and writing a new show every year for the Halifax Fringe Festival.
Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals you’d be willing to share
with our readers?
A lot of magicians like to pack small and play big. Me, I pack pretty big. So the majority of my pre-show ritual is just setting up my tables, lights, sound, props, hanging strings from the ceiling, putting programmes on seats, checking and double-checking my lists, going over cues, greeting people as they arrive, etc. and then suddenly it's time to perform. I always feel like I'm planning a surprise party or wrapping a gift when I'm setting up my show. I'm excited to surprise people.
Those rare times when I have time between setting up and performing, I will think about Joshua Jay's pre-show mantras "Tonight is part of the process. Perform like it's the first time and the last time. Enjoy the show," and I will think about how appreciative and privileged I am that people have bought tickets and have taken time out of their lives to come see me.
Those rare times when I have time between setting up and performing, I will think about Joshua Jay's pre-show mantras "Tonight is part of the process. Perform like it's the first time and the last time. Enjoy the show," and I will think about how appreciative and privileged I am that people have bought tickets and have taken time out of their lives to come see me.
When I performed on Penn & Teller: Fool Us, I was basically going directly from open mics to onstage in Vegas in front of a huge audience and celebrities, so I was not entirely at ease. Now is the right time for me to be a part of Canada's Got Talent because I feel more comfortable with my character and my performance than I've ever felt. I created the piece that I brought to my audition at CGT four years ago and I've performed it in nearly every show I've done in that time. It has grown, changed, and evolved into what I think is a quite good piece of magic, so I was eager to share it with the judges, the live audience, and the rest of Canada.
If you're in Nova Scotia or visiting, come out to one of my shows! I try to have one or two public shows every month and tickets are available at ActualWizard.ca
Thank you Vincenzo, for making the time to answer our questions!
Break a leg on CGT!
Learn more about Vincenzo at his website ActualWizard.ca and follow him on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
08 March 2024
Magicians on Canada's Got Talent [Mar 19 premiere]
Good luck to all!
Who'd we miss?
From the March 5th media release:
ALBERTA
JEFF NEWMAN – Magic Act, Calgary
NOVA SCOTIA
VINCENZO RAVINA – Magic Act, Halifax
ONTARIO
ALEXANDRA - Stunt, St. Catherines
CARSON & TAYLOR – Magic Act, Toronto
EKATERINA – Magic Act, Barrie
MARK CLEARVIEW – Magic Act, Toronto
MARK LEWIS – Magic Act, Toronto
QUEBEC
BAO HOANG – Magic Act, Montreal
THE AMAZING TODSKY – Magic Act, Montreal
SASKATCHEWAN
MITCHELL HRYCAN – Magic Act, Saskatoon
ABROAD
NICOLAS RIBS – Magic Act, Lyon, France
06 May 2023
Vincenzo Ravina in SaltWire
From the April 28th article "Fun childhood experience unlocked Vincenzo Ravina's inner wizard" by Katy Jean at SaltWire:
Though many questions could be asked of someone who has a career in wizardry, asking how he became one seemed of most importance.
“When I was a kid my family and I loved going to this restaurant downtown that had a guy named Dave Moon and he would go around table to table doing magic. And he wore this long flowing purple moon and star robes and he had a long white beard,” Ravina said of a childhood experience that would unlock a lifelong interest.
“I loved seeing magic and being left in a state of mystery. I wanted to learn how to do that and share it with other people.”
From the May 1st upload "Vincenzo Ravina: Actual Wizard" at the SaltWire YouTube channel:
SaltWire's Katy Jean has a wish fulfilled by wizard and magician Vincenzo Ravina.
Ravina shares his story of becoming a career wizard and his experiences in the magician industry.
10 April 2023
Halifax: Vincenzo Ravina -- Actual Wizard and Global News interview [Apr 22, May 13, Oct 30]
From Halifax Magician:
After two sold out performances, Actual Wizard returns to the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts by popular demand.
In this unusual show, actual wizard and Halifax magician Vincenzo Ravina brings his magic to an odd little room with two pianos in it.
Vincenzo will emerge from his mysterious smoke-filled cave to show you some strange stuff.
There will be: Potions! Ghosts! Playing Cards! Murder!
Actual Wizard is funny, mystifying, absurd, and experimental.
From the April 5th upload by Global News Morning Halifax:
Global’s Eilish Bonang is joined in studio by actual wizard and magician, Vincenzo Ravina to talk about his upcoming magic show at the Maritime Conservatory and perform a mind-blowing magic trick!
03 February 2023
23 August 2022
Halifax: Vincenzo Ravina's "Actual Wizard" [Sep 1 - 11]
From the August 16th Facebook post by Vincenzo Ravina:
My new show, Actual Wizard, will be at the Bus Stop Theatre for the Halifax Fringe Festival in September! Tickets are on sale now at
https://www.tickethalifax.com/events/127836120/actual-wizard-halifax-fringe-2022
Why not share this post with your friends? That could be cool!
Dates and Times:
Thursday Sept 1st - 8:20 PM
Saturday Sept 3rd - 3:00 PM
Tuesday Sept 6th - 8:20 PM
Saturday Sept 10th - 11:59 PM (midnight)
Sunday Sept 11th - 6:00 PM
In this unusual magic show, actual wizard and Halifax magician Vincenzo Ravina (as seen on the CW’s hit show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us) will emerge from his mysterious smoke-filled cave to show you some strange stuff. There might be: Potions! Ghosts! Playing cards! Guests! Murder! Actual Wizard is funny, mystifying, absurd, and experimental.
01 September 2021
Magic at the Halifax Fringe
There's magic at the 31st Halifax Fringe Festival this September 2nd to 12th!
From the Halifax Fringe:
Magic From the Twilight Lodge
VINCENZO RAVINAIn this unusual magic show, fully vaccinated magician Vincenzo Ravina (as seen on the CW’s hit show, Penn & Teller: Fool Us) will take you into an alternate dimension and show you his collection of weird magical curiosities.
Dangerous Lies
TABRAZE SHEIKH“I’m not racist, but…” Dangerous Lies is an honest and suspenseful true story about growing up as a visible minority post 9/11. Award-winning performer and mind-reader Tabraze Sheikh takes the audience on an intimate and interactive journey of discovering his place in the world, while facing the dangerous lies society thrusted upon him.
10 August 2020
Vincenzo Ravina in CTV News
The Penn and Teller's "Fool Us" episode with Vincenzo Ravina aired on August 3rd.
From the July 27th article "Halifax magician uses sleight of hand to earn way into Vegas-based show" by Amanda Debison in CTV News:
"It was very intimidating and I was very nervous," says Ravina. "I usually perform at little open mics around town, or at the Bus Stop Theatre for an audience of less than a hundred. This was an audience of 500, plus Penn and Teller, plus Alyson Hannigan, so it was a whirlwind."
Ravina's love of magic began when he was little.
"There was a magician who worked at a restaurant downtown, his name was David Moon," explains Ravina. "He looked like a wizard and would do magic. I loved going there as a kid and would just be amazed. I started studying magic after that."
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