Fraser Valley: Christmas Banquet 2019

From the Fraser Valley Magic Circle event 8th Annual FVMC Christmas Banquet:

• This year we have Chef Michael back - so amazing food 🍗✅
• We have secured Jeff McLeod as our emcee 🎩✅
• We have Steve the Pretty Good as the opening act 👍🏻✅
• AND - Mentalist extraordinaire - Mark Strivings as our main act 🤩✅
• And we will have a bar 🍺🥃🥂🍾🍹✅
• And we will have coffee ☕️✅
• Plus roving magicians at the tables 👋🏻✅
• And prizes !! 🎖👍🏻✅
• Prices are just $55 a seat - and the sooner you buy a ticket the better seat you will get!
• We have 6 full tables of 8 that are close up and 3 are bought already! So if you want amazing seats then go buy a ticket today - as two of those tables will be saved for single tickets buyers! 🎟✅
• Come help us celebrate the holiday spirit and this amazing club with our yearly banquet fundraiser!
• Oh - and I hear Santa will be there as well! 🎅🏻🤶🏻

Edmonton: Magic Monthly with Ron Pearson

From the Facebook page Ron Pearson presents Monthly Magic:

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Magic Monthly is changing days and times! We will now be on every fourth WEDNESDAY of every month at 7:00 PM, starting October 23. There will be no show this Thursday. Different time but the same great magic! And we'll still be at the Mighty Grindstone!

Finding Farquhar

If you're not able to see Shawn Farquhar at his speakeasy magic experience, Hidden Wonders, perhaps you can catch him in his travels to San Diego, South Africa, and Penguin MAXX 2020!



From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Hello, Magic Fans in San Diego and surrounding areas... I'm coming to lecture on November 3rd in the afternoon. If you wanna spend a couple of hours learning some cool new magic and hearing a few fun stories, click the link and sign up for the fun. I'll see you soon.

And from Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Did I mention I'm traveling to South Africa? If you're from there or have ever thought it would be cool to visit, this event will be of interest to you. https://www.secretsessions.co.za

Also from Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

More fun dates to announce for next year! I'll be a featured performer and lecturer at the 2020 Penguin MAXX events across the USA. So far I am scheduled for one in the Southwest and one in the South. If you're in or around Fort Worth, Texas or Atlanta, Georgia, then you'll want to check out these links.

Toronto: Browser's Den 44th anniversary party

From the Browser's Den of Magic eFlyer:

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10, from 10am to 5pm - 44th Browser's Store Anniversary Party!
Come join us for our annual event store event. THIS IS THE ONLY DAY OF THE YEAR THAT WE HAVE A STOREWIDE SALE. Plus Auction (11am Sharp); Len Cooper Memorial Award; Trivia Quiz with Big Prizes; Sandwiches & Coffee, Birthday Cake!

Vancouver: James Brown master class

From the Vancouver Magic Circle:

October 17

James Brown is widely regarded as one of the leading Close-Up Magicians and Pickpocket Artist in the UK- achieving the prestigious title of Close Up Magician of the Year by the world famous Magic Circle.

This is a rare opportunity to see James up close and personal. We only have 30 seats available so do not delay.

Read more and buy tickets.

CAM, Close, and Vanish

No, it's not the name of a new law firm.  It's all the reading there is to enjoy this weekend!



From Ryan Pilling's post in the Facebook group for the Canadian Association of Magicians:

September 2019 Northern Peeks published!

• CAM members should have received the latest magazine download link in their email this past week.
• Murray Hatfield remembers meeting the real Mandrake the Magician
• Joan Caesar shares the news about the OWOW Magic Festival coming up this month in Ontario.
• Renee-Claude Auclair tells us more about the FISM North America championship (and the Canadian Magic Championship) happening next year in Quebec.
• Mike Fisher writes about the Great Wizard of the North including his tours in Canada and the United States.
• Jason Verners shares some tips on productivity and how he has kept busy performing at music festivals all summer long.
• I write about my experience at the Ottawa Fringe Festival and lessons learned from producing and performing my new show.
• Gerry Frenette talks about the Too Perfect Theory and how the entertainment often comes out of the diversions from the straight path.

Michael Close's October 2019 newsletter

Just finished reading the August newsletter from Michael Close.  You may be interested in:

• Great summary of his recent Toronto lecture, a complementary eBook, a look ahead to the Ontario Week  of  Wonder  Magic  Festival (talent includes Steve  Bargatze,  Rick  Merrill,  Jay  Sankey,  Greg  Frewin,  Carisa  Hendrix,  Nicholas  Wallace,  and  Paul  Rohmany), and Penn & Teller Fool Us season 7.
• Michael Close has a podcast for subscribers, titled "Conversations with Close."   This month's guest is Ryan Joyce.  
• Review of Paul Wilson's "Just Think.
• A playing card patent article by Lee Asher.
• The Magic of Science by Tina Hesman Saey
• The Art of Conjuring by Mick Ayres.
• Technically Speaking by by Bruce Kalver.
• and many other newsworthy tidbits from the magic community!

Sign-up at MichaelClose.com to receive Michael's newsletters.  

 Vanish magazine, October 2019, Edition 63

• Articles by Peter Mennie, Colin Underwood, Louie Foxx, Joe Ledoux, Ben Robinson, Tod Karr, Thomas Swieclack, Felicity Field, Nick Lewin, Hal Meyers, and Jeff Christensen.
• Read and subscribe at VanishMagic.com

A(nother) peek behind the curtain with Richard Young

Upcoming Champions of Magic Canadian tour dates:

• 12/8/19     Brandon, MB
• 12/12/19   Ottawa, ON       <<<  ** recent addition **
• 12/14/19   Oshawa, ON
• 12/15/19   Laval, QC
• 1/16/20     Saskatoon, SK    SaskTel Centre
• 1/17/20     Regina, SK    Conexus Arts Centre
• 1/26/20     Prince George, BC
• 2/29/20    Rama, ON         <<<  ** recent addition **

Read more and buy tickets.

 

You may remember the fabulous interview, "A peek behind the curtain with Young and Strange,"  from December of last year.  I was delighted to receive an invitation to take a second pass at an email interview with Richard Young (one half of Young and Strange) as part of a Champions of Magic promotion.

Many of you already know Young through his podcast, "The Magician's Podcast."  He's interviewed a handful of Canadians including Darcy Oake, Billy Kidd, and Greg Frewin.   Last June, Young aired an epic 100th (and final) episode, where he interviewed his magic idol David Copperfield.  The Magic Circle recently recognized the outstanding contribution to magic made by Young through his podcast.


From the Magicians' Podcast Twitter feed:

Thanks to everyone who was involved in me being presented with this award for the podcast last night by The Magic Circle.

I’m absolutely chuffed to bits. pic.twitter.com/ZZoWzVfiFV

— The Magicians’ Podcast (@MagicianPodcast) September 2, 2019

You've toured a number of countries.  Have you experienced anything specific about Canadian audiences in particular?

I think the shows we did in Toronto last Christmas were some of the best shows we have ever done in our six year history. We did so many shows back to back and it was really hard work however the enthusiastic audiences kept us going and our spirits high. I think enthusiasm and energy is what I notice specifically about the Canadian audiences.

Do you have any advice for touring magicians?
 
My top tip for other touring magicians is to buy more underwear, washing machines are hard to find on tour sometimes.

Do you have a favourite touring anecdote?

Touring with Champions of Magic has been the greatest adventure of my life. I remember arriving in North America with the show for the first time in September 2017 about to embark on our first US Tour, it was one of the most thrilling times of my life. I couldn’t believe we had finally made it to America, it had been secretly talked about for a couple of years and I was worried it might never happen. Two days after we arrived we threw out the first pitch at a Cleveland Indians game in front of 30000 people to help promote the show. It really felt like we had ‘arrived in that second.’

What interests do you have outside of magic?
 
I am a huge Musical Theatre fan, I saw both Come From Away and Hamilton last week here in the U.K, I can’t get enough of Come From Away it was the 4th time I have seen it, the London cast are extraordinary.

I also have a weird life long obsession with the Titanic Disaster and know an awful lot about it, from design and conception through to the inquiries that followed the sinking and also how the wreck was found in 1985. If you’re ever struggling to sleep, give me a call and I’ll talk you through Lord Mersey’s inquiry, it was an absolute cluster f**k.

What do you do to keep your performance fresh for both your audience and you?

The fact we are facing forward and talking to the audience as opposed to being in scene or play where we pretend the audience isn’t there means the interaction with the audience will help to keep it fresh night after night. There are a few exercises taught to us by our director which we do during long runs to make sure we are still ‘in the room’ while the show is going on. The same sort of techniques they teach to actors and musical theatre performers on Broadway who do the same role every night in the same theatres for sometimes a couple of years in a row.

If you could be endowed with the talent to take on any Broadway role past or present, who would you pick?

I fantasise about being Javert from Les Miserable quite a bit, however I think if I’m being honest with myself I probably suit Thernadier more. I think I would also be a good Monsier Firmin in Phantom too. 

Could Young play Javert?

Listen to Richard Young interview Andy Nyman in episode 85 and you be the judge.  (The whole interview is fabulous, but the Javert part in particular comes shortly after the 1:14 mark.)

Listen to what Irish tenor Killian Donnelly thinks. Donnelly recently appeared in a West End production of Les Mis as Jean Valjean. 

I know all the words to both parts already so if anyone is reading this looking to fill those parts let me know. I would drop Champions of Magic like a sack of s**t to be in either of those two shows,

this may seem in written published form as a kinda bizarre form of career suicide from Champions however I know Alex the producer of our show wouldn’t take offense to my remarks and if anything would encourage me too do it, he loves both shows as much as I do and would completely understand.

[Editor's note: We certainly hope Alex is as understanding as you say he is!]

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

If you haven’t seen Champions of Magic before, I do really think you’d enjoy spending an evening with us.

If you’re a magician, you won’t like everything you see, however I promise you will love some stuff and have a great time slagging off the stuff you didn’t, so you have nothing to lose, I hope to see you at one of the shows.

 

Thank you Richard Young of Young and Strange for making the time to answer more of our questions!

Catch the Champions of Magic on tour in Canada!

Upcoming Champions of Magic Canadian tour dates:

• 12/8/19     Brandon, MB
• 12/12/19   Ottawa, ON       <<<  ** recent addition **
• 12/14/19   Oshawa, ON
• 12/15/19   Laval, QC
• 1/16/20     Saskatoon, SK    SaskTel Centre
• 1/17/20     Regina, SK    Conexus Arts Centre
• 1/26/20     Prince George, BC
• 2/29/20    Rama, ON         <<<  ** recent addition **

Read more and buy tickets.