An interview with Ben Train

From The Daily Deception a Q and Eh with Ben Train:

Chris Williams - Scotland, UK asks our first question for Q and Eh with Ben Train: What makes magic special to you?

Ben Train:When I was much younger I really struggled just trying to get through life. I had serious trouble making friends, was doing terribly in school, and since I didn’t have an outlet to deal with the frustration I was feeling, I acted out. It was a pretty crappy time for me.Then I found magic.  

Read more.

Review: Banachek’s The Alpha Project

From The Toronto Review of Books:

Do certain individuals have the ability to see the future, to read the thoughts of others, or to communicate with the spirit world? Whatever your answers to these questions might be, in his show The Alpha Project an extraordinary performer named Banachek invites spectators into a universe where such superhuman feats are possible. At least, this is true for the first half of his one-man performance, which recently finished its world premiere.

Read more.

A question of insurance

James Jordan is looking for an insurance carrier that covers magicians. 

WTF pal insurance exclusively forbids insuring magicians! Perhaps because of our Arcane nature? Any suggestions? @canadasmagic
— James Jordan (@GVS_varietyshow) July 5, 2012

Does anyone out there have some advice for James?

Halifax: End-of-year show

From the Conjurers Court:

The End-of-Year Show will be on Sunday, July 8 at the Company House on Gottingen Street. Time to be announced.

The inimitable Bill Wood hosts a comedy/variety act there on Sundays, and he’s been kind enough to offer us the venue for that night. An extra benefit for us is that there will be “strangers” in the audience coming to see Bill and getting us as well.

So club performers will have the opportunity to perform in front of friends and enemies … I mean, friends we haven’t met yet. Such glee.

If you’d like to perform (And why wouldn’t you?) put together a routine or act running up to 12 to 15 minutes. You can, of course, do less if you’d like.

I would need to know in advance what effect(s) you want to perform so that we don’t have duplicate effects. One Professor’s Nightmare is enough....

Read more

.

Meta: What brought you here?

Some of the search terms, for people passing through here:

• "morrissey magic vs browserden" - I didn't realise they were getting divorced.
• "st.catharines chinese one night stand" - How do Chinese one night stands differ from non-Chinese ones?
   
• "images of ariel frailich" - Why would they land on this site for that?
   
• "RING MAGIC TORONTO CHAPTER" - Add ASSEMBLY to that query and we'd have the trifecta.
   
• "canadian woman magician" - There can be only one!
• "magic show toronto 2011" - There was only one!
 
• ""mark lewis" magician legend" - Nothing I can add to that.

• "volodymyr martyniuk" - I have no current information on how Volodymyr Martyniuk (aka Vladimir the Great) is recovering following treatment for a brain aneurysm.  The most recent post on the CGT website suggested that 42 days ago, he was doing well and in rehab.  Does anyone have an update on how he's doing?

Toronto: Summer Soirée

From SummerWorks eventbrite listing:

The meal will be served with wine, music, and an assortment of short performances and happenings from SummerWorks artists including Bob Wiseman, the Brick Lane Advice Booth and magic from James Alan, whose new one man show, Lies Damn Lies & Magic Tricks, will be featured in the Festival this year.

Read more.

London: AbraKIDabra

From Peter Mennie's Facebook event:

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Come and be in the audience of AbraKIDabra! and be part of a LIVE taping of a new fall series on RogersTV.

Tickets $5 at the Palace Theatre Box Office www.palacetheatre.ca or 519-432-1029

Read more.