Buffalo: Matt DiSero at Rob Lederman's Comedy club

From Matt DiSero's Twitter feed:

Buffalo people ! I'll be at my old friend Rob Lederman's Comedy club on Saturday night! rare club appearance for me. http://t.co/gqZP0D250r
— Matthew DiSero (@MattDisero) May 22, 2014

Mark Correia in Strait from the Heart

From 50 Good Deeds:

Here’s what I had not seen, until now: A young magician who’s willing to spend two weeks inside the (increasingly rank, we assume) confines of a straitjacket, in the middle of a hot Canadian summer.

But that’s what’s happening this July. His name is Mark Correia, and he’s doing it to raise money for Parkinson’s disease. Mark, who is also an actor, is a graduate of Etobicoke School of the Arts and currently enrolled at The National Theatre School of Canada. Mark is a longtime admirer of Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and currently supports research through his non-profit foundation.

Read more.

Houdini: The Pickleman punch and J. Gordon Whithead

From "The Pickleman punch" at Wild About Houdini:

We all know J. Gordon Whithead punched Houdini in the stomach in his dressing room at the Princess Theater in Montreal on October 22, 1926. It's debated whether or not the punch caused or just masked his fatal appendicitis, but all agree that Whitehead's punch was the start of a chain of events that would lead to the magician's death on Halloween. But in his seminal work, The Man Who Killed Houdini, author Don Bell uncovered evidence of two other punches delivered by McGill University students during Houdini's stay in the city that might extend that chain a little further back.

One of those punches is said to have occurred in the lobby of the Prince of Wales Hotel. However, that incident is questionable as it only comes via second-hand sources, so I'm going to save it for another time and another post. The punch I want to discuss today is the first of the three for which there is strong evidence. This punch or "test" occurred on October 19, 1926, when Houdini was giving his lecture at McGill University. Bell calls it "the Pickleman punch."

Read more.

From "Is this J. Gordon Whitehead at McGill in 1926?" at Wild About Houdini:

Recently our friends at the Houdini Museum in Scranton and Joe Notaro of HHCE turned up an amazing archive of yearbooks from McGill University. Of course, it was a student from McGill, Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead, who punched Houdini in his dressing room at the Princess Theater on October 22, 1926. Could these books give us our first look at Whitehead as a student?

There is only one known photo of Whitehead, taken almost 25 years after the Houdini incident when he was in his 50s. Because he never graduated, there is no individual yearbook photo of him as a student. However, this group shot of the "Arts '28 Class" in the 1926 yearbook is said to include a "Whitehead, J.G." (as well as Gerald Pickleman, who also "tested" Houdini that week). Unfortunately, it doesn't specify which student is Whitehead.

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Toronto: David Peck at the Global Change Initiative

From Global Change:

May 30- June 1, 2014
Toronto City Hall Council Chamber 

the global change initiative 

is an annual meeting of collective minds spanning the world of academics, corporate, institution and government; all brought together in Toronto’s core for a two-day, three-night interactive Summit. Sustainability, conscious consumerism and responsible thought leadership rule the weekend. 

MEET David PeckHis paramount passion is contributing to the international development community. He has worked in collaboration with organizations such as UNICEF, Plan, STN, Make Poverty History, and World Vision. He has provided consulting services for health, literacy and restorative justice projects in Cambodia, Mongolia and throughout parts of Africa. He currently devotes much of his time to managing SoChange.

Read more.

Win tickets to see The Uncertainty Project in Toronto

Updated May 30th:  The contest is now closed and the winners have been announced!

I have been offered four pairs of tickets to give away to my readers, to attend "The Uncertainty Project" in Toronto, Canada.

I will be holding a random draw for each pair of general admission tickets.  (There will be four winners. Each winner will receive a pair of tickets.)  The draw results will be posted on Friday, May 30th.


To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me your favourite thing about James Alan.  (You do not need to be a magician to enter the contest.)(Your favourite thing could be that he offered tickets for this contest!)
2. Leave your name, along with a way that I may contact you (e-mail address, phone number, website, Twitter handle etc.) so that I can notify you if you win.
3. If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and contact information for me to share with Abracadabaret.

The fine print:

• To participate in the contest, you must be 18 years of age or older.
• One entry per person.
• This giveaway is open to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (Je m'excuse!)
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you experience difficulties leaving a comment, you may e-mail it to me for posting.  (I am not responsible if your e-mail is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.)
• You must be able to use the tickets as offered.  (No cash value will be offered if you cannot use the tickets.)
• The odds of winning depend on how many people enter the contest.
• Contest closes on Thursday May the 29th at 11:59pm EST.

With thanks to James from Abracadabaret for generously making these tickets available to you!

Victoria: Mirth and Magic Show

From the Victoria Magic Circle:

The Victoria Magic Circle presents Mirth & Magic - an evening of magic and comedy featuring the award winning magic of Steve Hignett, Zanthera, Murray Hatfield, and Jason Verners. Competing for the Wansborough Best Comedy Magic Trophy; Donald Dunphy, Craig McKee, Michael Macheck, Dave Morris.

May 24th, 2014.

Berwick Royal Oak

Read more and buy tickets.

Toronto: SOULO Theatre Festival

From James Alan at Reality Based Magic:

Tickets are now on sale for the SOULO Theatre Festival, May 22-25 in Toronto. SOULO Theatre, created by Tracey Erin Smith, highlights solo performances and one-person shows with a focus on personal storytelling.

This is the second year of the festival and I’ve joined their team as their general manager, thanks, I’m sure, to my mother teaching me to make elaborate spreadsheets so I could survive managing Camp Black Belt all those years ago – love you!  (Insert joke about “Selling my soul-o” here.)

The entire festival takes place at The Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street). The quality of the performers is exceptional. I was at the launch party which was preceded by a showcase of four short solo shows which were wonderful, heartwarming, disturbing and uplifting (but not necessarily in that order).

Read more.