When Magic Tom was king of English TV...

From The Suburban:

For kids my age (six in 1969) and for Montrealers in general, one of the kings - if not the king- of Montreal English TV was “Magic Tom” Auburn. Not only was he a skilled magician, but he had an appealing, gentle manner which put children and their parents at ease. Numerous local children appeared on his broadcast, performing a song or skit, and helping with his tricks.

(I have a vague memory of being on the show myself, but I seem to have blacked it out - apparently, I was a little clumsy.)

And Auburn was not only a TV institution (in French, as well, by the way). He made numerous live appearances throughout the community. I myself saw him in the late 1970s at the YM-YWHA in Chomedey, where he put on a wonderful show. And an issue of The Suburban on June 18, 1969 carried a Van Horne Shopping Centre ad promoting an appearance by him there “for the kiddies,” followed by a Hawaiian trio.

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2012 FISM contestant update

From Shawn Farquhar's comment on the post Shin Lim: FISM contestant:

A note of correction. Canada has both Shin Lim and Hyun Joon Kim as representatives for the FISM championship in Blackpool, UK. Under the current regulations for FISM, the representatives had to be selected from the finalist of the NACM that was held in 2011. Shin Lim and Richard Forget were the only two magicians with Canadian citizenship to be finalists. Richard chose not to compete and the CAM selected an alternate to allow another deserving magician the opportunity to champion for Canada.

Thank you very much Shawn for making the time to share this information with us!

Best of luck to Shin Lim and Hyun Joon Kim!

Christian Cagigal in Montreal

From The Charlebois Post:

Some shows, like Christian Cagigal’s Now and at the Hour, presented by Beyond the Mountain Productions and the Rialto Theatre in benefit of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation, are best understood in terms of the magical, inimitable ambiance they create. In the spirit of that magic, forget that this is a review for a few lines, and do as Cagigal asks his audience: “Humour me.”

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Toronto: Haim Goldenberg

From Facebook:

Sunday, 10 June 2012

Ready to play mind-games? 

Then you should see Haim Goldenberg’s show!
With his captivating personality, and sense of humor to boot, celebrity mentalist Haim Goldenberg transforms the predictability of everyday life into an enchanting fantasy which grips and entangles.

Let the star of GoldMind take you to a Voyage to your Mind and uncover phenomena like mind reading, suggestions, telekinesis and much more…
It is a high energy, interactive, utterly funny, inspiring and mind-blowing show you don’t want to miss - it is an experience that will leave you breathless


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[h/t: Deborah Fallick]

Shin Lim: FISM contestant

Shin Lim will be Canada's only entry at the FISM World Championships of Magic 2012 in Blackpool, UK.  He will be competing this July in the category of close-up card magic.

Good luck Shin!


[h/t: Magic Convention Guide]

Women in magic week: wrapping up

In keeping with the schedule at The Magic Castle, this will be the last post this year on the topic of influential Canadian women in magic.  Unfortunately, I don't have time to write detailed posts for the rest of the notable women.  Here they are, in no particular order:

The "ands":

• Murray Hatfield and Teresa
• Trevor and Lorena Watters  
• Gerry and Leonora Frenette
• Magic Mike and Jen Segal
• Dan Morrissey and Phoebe Hancock
• Phil and Evelyn Matlin

Each of the "ands" is a big part of the success of the team as a whole.  These are fabulous women, all of them!

The many, many, magic assistants, like Gwyn Auger, who make the magicians look like miracle workers!  (Let me tell you, box jumping is no easy task.)

The rising stars:

• Rosemary Reid
• Niki Runnalls
• Janna S.
• Hannah Farquhar
• Katie D
• Gabbie D
• Brianna Carlson

Keep an eye out for these talented young ladies! 

Who have I forgotten?

Women in magic: Julie Eng

Continuing the theme of influential Canadian women in magic, the next name that comes to my mind is  Julie Eng.

Sometime in the late 90s, during a chance encounter with David Ben, I learned that Julie would be moving from the west coast to Toronto.  David had great enthusiasm when he shared the news.  I now know why.

In addition to being a wonderful performer, Julie makes "giving back" (to the magic community and to the community at large) a part of her life mission.  Through Magicana, the creation of the Tony Eng Youth Fund, supports youths as they pursuing the art of magic.  Also, her Senior Sorcery program brings live theatre in the form of magic shows to isolated seniors. In addition, the My Magic Hands program touches the lives of children by using magic as a vehicle to build self confidence and skills such as communication, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving.  This program is brought to children with cancer and kids affected by childhood cancer by working with Camp Oochigeas as well as offering sessions at  Holland Bloorview (Canada’s largest children’s rehabilitation hospital) for more than six years. 

I have had the privilege of participating with children in the My Magic Hands at a local school.  I marvel at how consistently the program acts as a catalyst for personal growth in the participants.

Thank you Julie for your contributions to the community and to the Canadian magic scene!


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Related post:  CBC: Joan Caesar and Julie Eng talk about women in magic