Review: Bobby Motta lecture

From the Browser's Den blog:

Such is his energy and enthusiasm and natural ability to entertain that the two hours flashed by in an instant. Trying to recapture Bobby's performance in print is no easy task - it is so relaxed and he is so genuinely funny that it would be easy to mistake it all for an impromptu session. But that it looks so effortless and natural is because of the years of hard work and dedication to his art that Bobby has undertaken. He admits to close to 3000 professional performances in his 13 year pro career. It shows. Interestingly, he actually started out as a hobbyist at the Den (at its old location on Eglinton).

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A different kind of magic: Eric Leclerc makes a stranger's day

Not magic, per se, but magical!

Watch Eric Leclerc make a stranger's day on YouTube:

Random thoughts from Sorcerers Safari 2013

• Mike and Jen Segal are totally awesome and inspiring people!
• It is tremendous that organizations such as Ellusionist support Sorcerers Safari. (Kids, did you remember to send a quick "thank you" e-mail to them for the generous gift you received?  Do it now!  -- Mom)
• Justin Flom is a super nice and super talented young man. (Read about his Toronto lecture at the Browser's Den blog)
• I learned of a disconcerting, non-standard use for Mod Podge.
• When asked to think of a famous painting, a LOT of people think of "Starry Night"
• There's more humidity in Haliburton than in Vegas.
• "Overnight successes" take a lot of work and planning.
• Lee Asher is such a great teacher even _I_ learned how to produce minor card miracles. #BeginnerCardClass
• Sometimes you get lucky and are the ONLY one in an elective. #PrivateClassesAreAwesome
• Steven Kline is the guy you want in the booth during your show!
• You never know when you might meet a fiction author! 
• The health and safety of the children is clearly a priority.
• Being levitated takes strong neck muscles.
• Non-magicians aren't always the best choice for volunteers during a show.
• Some Australians have incredible peripheral vision!
• Spotted in 24 hours: Mike and Jen Segal, Dan Weibe, Keith Brown, Eric Leclerc, Aaron Fisher, Dave Mitchell, Shawn Farquhar, Carey Lauder, Chad Juros, Lee Asher, Dick Joiner, Justin Flom, Steven Kline, Lisa and Michael Close, Ben Train, Chris Mayhew, Bobby Motta ... I'm sure there were more!
• Carey Lauder is an incredible photographer.  (See samples of his magic camp from two years back in Vanish magazine.)
• Chris Mayhew shot some fabulous footage – I can't wait to see this year's camp video!
• Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp gets better every year!
• Mike Segal and Mike Toal should be very proud of what they started together over 17 years ago.
• Sorcerers Safari is full of genuinely nice, caring, talented individuals!

Is it too soon to say 'I can't wait for next year!' ? #PostCampBlues #WeMissYou
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) September 10, 2013

Not at all.  I can't wait until the next time I'm there!

An update from Perfect Magic

Keep your eye on the Perfect Magic Facebook page and Twitter account.   They have some exciting news to announce this week!

As of now, we are offering you DOWNLOADS. http://t.co/1GEvRAp4Af. All on our email list will be receiving a detailed flyer shortly. #magic
— Philip Matlin (@Perfect_Magic) September 17, 2013

Toronto: Steve Reynolds workshop and show

From the Browser's Den Facebook group:

Ben Train has organized a STEVE REYNOLDS WORKSHOP ($100) on Friday, September 20. Full details below. (For Workshop Tickets please call Ben Train directly.)

PLUS... there will be a FREE One Hour Magic Show by Steve Reynolds at Browser’s Den on Saturday, September 21, 2013. You read that right…The show at Browser’s Den on the Saturday is FREE!

HERE ARE THE DETAILS FROM BEN TRAIN TO YOU….

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A bit about Sid Lorraine and Ring 17

From Reality Based Magic:

In just over two weeks, a new season of the Sid Lorraine Hat & Rabbit Club will be starting. [Edit: after a weird scheduling snag which forced us to push our opening lecture back a week... sorry for that]

Sid Lorraine, was a prominent figure among Toronto magicians. The Club was half-renamed after him (It was always the Hat & Rabbit Club) after he passed away. I was four years old when he passed away, and had never met him, but I had the odd chance to get to know him as I had to transcribe his handwritten memoirs (assembled from taped interviews with another past-president, Peter Isaacs) for a memorial blog. The blog, or “ChatterBox” as it’s properly called, is a fun read and paints a fascinating picture from the early part of the Twentieth Century of magicians in particular and Canada and England in general.

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Erin Thomas at Sorcerers Safari

This summer I had the good fortune of meeting author Erin Thomas, while she was doing research for her book about a teenaged magician.  She blogged about her experience at Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp:

For some time now, I’ve been working on a book about a teenaged magician. Magician as in sleight-of-hand, not as in Harry Potter. It’s slated for publication sometime in 2014, as part of Orca’s new performing arts-based series, Limelights.

And as I’ve been researching the book, I keep coming to the same conclusion:  I really like magicians. As it happens, they’re a lot like writers. For one thing, there’s an awful lot of work behind the scenes before anything ever reaches an audience.

I’ve had the chance to interview a lot of people, about a lot of different things, over the past few years. Being a writer sometimes feels like a get-out-of-jail-free card for nosiness. And people are generally happy to talk about what they do for a living, or what they care about. But magicians… they go beyond that.

Read more.

I'm eager to get a look at the book she's finishing up!