Calgary: Family Fun for Fort Mac

On the heels of New Westminster's "Magic for Fort Mac" event, that raised approximately $8,150 for the Red Cross Alberta Fires Appeal, comes a magician driven fundraiser in Calgary.

From the Calgary Magic Show site:

SAIT is currently housing many families displaced from the Fort MacMurray wildfires, and have made arrangements for an afternoon of Family Fun this Saturday!

Face Painting, Balloons, and fun activites from Noon until 4 PM

Magic Show on stage starting at 1 PM

Some of the best entertainers have stepped up to volunteer to make it an amazing event, and we wanted to extend the invitation out to more Calgary families.

Especially to those who have been volunteering in so many ways to support our fellow Albertans. Our focus this afternoon is simply on providing great entertainment and stress relief. However, anybody is welcome to drop in and take part, in trade for a donation to the Canadian Red Cross.

Located in the Symposium room on Level 2 of the the SAIT Campus Centre. This is the building right beside the LRT station. Hop off the train, up the stairs, and we will be right down the hall. Also, very close to the parkade accessible off 10th Street.

Bring the family, stop by, say hello, have fun, make a donation, and make some friends!

Montreal: Le lab magique May 2016

From le lab magique's Facebook page:

Mercredi le 25 mai 2016 à 19h30
$15 à la porte
$10 en pré-vente
Réservez sur le site ou au 514-937-6702

Artiste invité
STÉPHANE DUMAIS - Mentaliste-hypnotiseur
Artistes testeurs
SINEM KARA - humoriste
TRIXTER - circassein
TESTEUR INCONU - Magie

Luc Langevin: Paris 2017

Luc returns to Casino De Paris next January!
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From Sebastien's Twitter feed:

Langevin revient à paris avec son incroyable spectacle.

Infos:https://t.co/5yH0bKBOcU pic.twitter.com/IovwVcHRpS

— sebastien (@mesrendezvous) April 6, 2016

May 2016 sale: 40% off yearly sponsorship rates!

Canada's Magic is offering, for the rest of May, a 40% discount on the listed price of any one year advertising package.  Qualifying packages include the Platinum, Gold, and Silver annual rates. (This offer does not include Sponsored Posts or being Our Friend.)

Join the company of patrons Clive Court (The Fun-da-Mentalist), Evelyn & Phil Matlin, owners of Perfect Magic, and Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic and sponsor us (or be our friend) today!

Our patrons make this site possible. 

For more information, please visit the "Sponsor" tab, leave your question in a comment below or send an e-mail.

Thank you for your continued support!

Diary of a Sorcerers Safari newbie - part 4

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A camper's notebook.

Day 2: Saturday August 15th *

Don’t have much time.  Breakfast was awesome (pancakes!) and no one laughed at me in card class.  Most of the kids in my class are near the same age and ability as I am -- I am so relieved!  I was very surprised (and happy) to find we were learning in the Mess Hall and not in a big classroom with blackboards and uncomfortable desks!  Yesssss!!!!  Our instructor, Scott Hammell, told us that “The main time you go through a lot of cards is when you’re practicing.” Then he told us to “Go through a lot of cards.” 

Scott teaching card class.

I learned the term, “beached cards.”  It’s when you drop your cards on the ground and they get all sandy and wet and impossible to use afterwards.  I’m going to be extra careful to keep mine on the table. Some of the more advanced kids said they learned harder things.  The really experienced kids had to perform stuff and then everyone else in their group gave ideas on how it could be made it better.

I have to get ready to do this big camp wide activity.  I hope it’s not dodgeball.


11:40am
Whoa! That was so much more fun than dodgeball!  We just did a relay race kind of thing in teams with everyone from different cabins.  It involved:

• water
• balloons
• tape
• pool noodles and
• people wrapped up in toilet paper! 
  
  
  

Listening to the rules.

Pool noodle marble run.

Pouring water backwards.

That's a lot of balloons!

It was more fun than Fun Day at the end of school!  I think Sheldon Casavant was still on the field, wrapped head to toe in toilet paper, when I left.  Hope he’s okay.

Sheldon getting wrapped.

2pm
Yum!  Bagel pizzas for lunch!  Magic Mike Segal and his staff make announcements at every meal.  Sometimes when there’s exciting news, everyone bangs on the tables and cheers!  It gets really loud and it’s great fun!  

Announcements with Magic Mike.

I saw three cute little brown rabbits eating weeds outside the Mess Hall.  Someone said they saw a deer here too.  I hope I see one!

There were so many interesting electives to choose from today (duct-tape wallets, “no sleight” misdirection, stage card manipulation, sponge balls, juggling, and bill folds).  I did juggling and boy am I bad at it.  I was dropping things all over the place.  Scott said that it will come with practice.  I hope he’s right!  (He’s really good!)

Learning to juggle with Scott.

Stage card manipulation with Sheldon.

To be continued ...


--
The 2016 season of Sorcerers Safari will run from Sunday August 7th through Friday August 12th, 2016. For more information, or to register, please visit SorcerersSafari.ca

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* The “Diary of a Sorcerers Safari Newbie” is primarily based on the 2015 camp season.  It is an aggregate of many perspectives, and at times includes events from previous years.

Greg Frewin: 2016 winner of the AMA Performing Fellowship

Congratulations Greg!

According to Lee Asher, the only other Canadian to receive this award was Doug Henning.

Read Richard Kaufman's post at the Genii forums to find out all of the other award winners from last night.


From the AMA Twitter feed:
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@AMA_Magic thank you all at the Academy of Magical Arts. It is an amazing honour...# so excited #honoured #magiclife #magic

— Greg Frewin (@GregFrewinMagic) May 16, 2016

PCAM 2016

Shawn Farquhar is currently a confirmed performer.

From PCAM 2016:

August 4 – 7, 2016

Welcome to Pacific Coast Association of Magicians (PCAM) 2016! PCAM is truly a “magical family reunion” where everyone knows your name. The uniqueness of the PCAM convention is that it is the longest running magic convention in the world that is not associated with a central governing board, but rather with a group of dedicated individuals that keep the spirit of PCAM alive each year.

Read more and register.

Toronto: Mahdi Gilbert lecture

From the Browser's Den of Magic:

Date & Time: Sunday June 5, 2016
Where: Browser's Den of Magic
Lecture Fee: $20.00
(Lecture Notes for Sale at lecture)
-------------------------------------------------------
Mahdi Gilbert travels the four corners of the Earth sharing his life and his magic with people.

Now is your chance to witness the power of Mahdi in this exclusive whirlwind tour through his magic, his story and his soul.

You will follow a child born without hands as he discovers magic and develops his passion into the most remarkable sleight of hand man this world has ever seen.

Through the performance and thorough explanation of several pieces of magic,
you will learn how to:

 * Trust Yourself * Break the Rules * Transform your Liabilities into Assets *
*Charm and Disarm * Believe in the Impossible * Make Others Believe in the Impossible *


Read more and buy tickets.

Save the date: Saturday April 1, 2017

No joke!

The 2017 edition of the Browser's Magic Bash will be on April Fools' Day next year.

Mark the date in your calendar and stay tuned for details!

Request: Benevolence of Magic

The following is from Dennis Schick, the editor at the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring:

Dennis Schick, Assistant Editor of the IBM’s monthly magazine, The Linking Ring, has been writing a series of articles on the Benevolence of Magic since the December 2012 issue. To date, he has highlighted over forty giving-back projects and activities of individual magicians as well as groups and organizations. Many are various kinds of fund-raising; others are simple acts of bringing joy and laughter to people in need, such as orphan children or senior citizens. Projects so far range from Kevin Spencer’s Healing of Magic and Magicana’s Sharing Wonder, to Magicians Without Borders, Magic is Medicine, and Michael Finney’s Foundation. If you do or know of good examples of magic used for good causes, please contact Dennis at crylds [at] att [dot] net* as soon as possible. 

Alternately you may post examples of your magical good deeds in the comments below, and I'll be sure to e-mail Dennis directly!

--
* Email formatting by Canada's Magic to discourage e-mail harvesters.

Toronto: The Illusionists

From Mirvish.com:

December 13, 2016 to January 7, 2017

Direct from Broadway, the world’s best selling magic show is coming to Toronto.

This mind blowing spectacular showcases the jaw dropping talents of seven of the most incredible Illusionists on earth. THE ILLUSIONISTS —LIVE FROM BROADWAY has shattered box office records across the globe and dazzles audiences of all ages with a powerful mix of the most outrageous and astonishing acts ever to be seen on stage. This non-stop show is packed with thrilling and sophisticated magic of unprecedented proportions.

Read more and buy tickets.

Richmond: "A Magical Evening"

From Celebrate the Child:

We look forward to hosting you at our 8th annual A Magical Evening fundraiser in memory of Jonah and in support of children’s charities.  This year our plan is to support the Village of Bellavista in Ecuador, where we recently visited to work on a fresh water project with Free the Children.  Given the recent disaster in Ecuador, our efforts are even more important.  Please join us in creating “real magic” on Saturday, June 18, 2016 at our A Magical Evening fundraiser!


Read more and buy tickets.

Greg Frewin in "Masters of Illusion" Friday, May 20, 2016

From Broadway World:

MASTERS OF ILLUSION
"Techno Magic, Quick Change and a Guillotine" - (8:00-8:30 p.m. ET) (Content Rating TBD) (HDTV)

A WEB OF DANGER - Hosted by Dean Cain, "Masters of Illusion" features amazing magic performed by cutting-edge illusionists, escape artists and performers displaying skills ranging from perplexing interactive mind magic to hilarious comedy routines - all in front of a studio audience. Magicians featured in this episode include Greg Frewin, Barry and Stuart, Jason Bishop, Michael Grandinetti, Jonathan Pendragon, David and Dania, Bill Cook and Les Arnold and Dazzle (#301). Original airdate 5/20/2016.

Read more.

New Westminster: Fundraising for Fort McMurray

Featuring Shawn Farquhar, Murray and Teresa Hatfield, Paul Romhany, Gary Savard, John Kaplan, Clinton Gray, Trevor & Lorena Watters, Damien James and Mike Battie.

From Fundraising Magic:

WHO:  BC's top magicians and variety artists.

WHAT: One-time only family-friendly benefit show on behalf of those families in Fort McMurray that have lost their homes in this devastating tragedy.

WHEN: Monday, May 16th 2016

WHERE:
Massey Theatre
735 8th Ave, New Westminster 604-521-5050
www.ticketsnw.ca

WHY:  So many young families have been affected by this disaster. As family entertainers, many of us have performed multiple times in Fort McMurray, and have a longstanding and deep connection to this community. Pooling oiur talents to show our support and raise much needed funds is something we're all greatly motivated to do. Besides, helping our neighbours and fellow citizens during their time of need is the Canadian way.

Read more and buy tickets.

From Clinton Gray's Facebook page:

Innisfil: Bobby Motta's "Gray Matter"

From Alana Motta's Facebook page:
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Diary of a Sorcerers Safari newbie - part 3

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A camper's notebook.

Day 1: Friday August 14, 2015 (cont)*

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. 

Cabin intros.

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!) 

Rosemary singing.

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!

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!

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.

To be continued ...


--
The 2016 season of Sorcerers Safari will run from Sunday August 7th through Friday August 12th, 2016. For more information, or to register, please visit SorcerersSafari.ca

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* The “Diary of a Sorcerers Safari Newbie” is primarily based on the 2015 camp season.  It is an aggregate of many perspectives, and at times includes events from previous years.

Montreal: Spidey and McSorely and Chung

From the Comedy Nest Twitter feed:   A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.

Catch all these hilarious magicians on one show right here Sunday May 22nd! 8pm $15 info/tix https://t.co/oQueNYFpIm pic.twitter.com/5Vvn6Dkjnp

— Comedy Nest Montreal (@comedynest) May 4, 2016

Markham: Mayhew Mayhem

From Chris Mayhew's Facebook page:
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Toronto: Playing Card Collector's Meeting

Remember, everyone who attended the 2016 Browser's Bash is eligible to attend for free (Space is limited, not all 400 Bash attendees can go.)

Did you know that Lee Asher is the President of the 52 Plus Joker Organization?



From the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook group:

Calling ALL card collectors within a 200 kilometre radius of Toronto & the GTA!
WHO: Anyone with interest in collecting playing cards
WHAT: Playing Card Collector's Meeting
WHERE: Browser's Den of Magic
WHEN: Sunday June 12th, 2016 - Start time: 2PM - 5PM
COST: $10 OR free for 2016 Browser's Magic Bash Attendees
Toronto Playing Card Meet-Up on Sunday June 12th, 2016.

With the help of 52 Plus Joker (North American Playing Card Collector's Club), the Browser's Den proudly offers you the opportunity to attend this free meeting and receive expert tips on caring for your collection, as well as learn methods to keep your cards in top-notch condition. Plus, see decks of cards you've only read about in books and online.

Get your questions answered from some of the most prestigious card experts on the planet. Their arsenal of knowledge will leave you wanting more. On hand during the meeting, President of the 52 Plus Joker Organization -- Lee Asher -- will be there to help you become a smarter collector. Bring items from your collection to have examined, appraised, traded, and/or sold.

Celebrate with everyone else in Toronto who shares the same love for playing cards as you do.

Space is limited. Mark Sunday June 12th, 2016 (2PM-5PM) in your calendar. See you there, and BRING CARDS!

Broken wand: Peter Marucci and Cliff Harden

From Graham A. Giddy Funeral Homes:

Peter Marucci
Journalist and Magician…
Following a long illness on Monday May 2, 2016, Peter Marucci passed away peacefully at the Wellington Terrace in his 77th year with his wife by his side. Peter is survived by his aunt Mary (”Mame”) Marucci of Guelph. Peter was a long-time member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Society of American Magicians and the Order of Merlin. A private Broken Wand Ceremony has been held in his honour. Remembrances to the Hospice Wellington, Guelph or Wellington Terrace Long Term Care Home would be appreciated by the family. www.grahamgiddyfh.com 519 843 3100

From Canadian Obituaries:

HARDEN, Clifford Stanley “Hardini”Passed away May 4, 2016 with family by his side at Lakeridge Health Oshawa at the age of 82.

Loving husband and best friend to Marie for almost 59 years.

Caring father of Rose Marie Walker (Rob), Wendy Crawford (Randy) and David Harden (Trish).

Proud Granddad of Sarah Walker and Shauna Yarrow-Harden. Brother to the late Isobel Matthews (James). Uncle to Margaret Wicksted (Alan) and family.

He will be missed by his extended family and many friends.

Clifford was proud to have served 6 years with the 33rd Medium Regiment in Cobourg. He was a talented magician, artist, woodworker and photographer to name a few of his passions. He truly enjoyed life and lived every day to the fullest. Cliff will be dancing in heaven.

Please join the family in celebrating Cliff’s life at MOUNT LAWN FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY, 21 Garrard Rd, Whitby, 905-443-3376, on Thursday May 12th. Memories will be shared at 3pm with reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lakeridge Health Foundation - Cancer Centre or the Diabetes Association.