Correia at The Castle

Next month, Mark Correia will be making his premiere performance in the Parlour of Prestidigitation at The Magic Castle.  Details at the end of the post.

You can also find Mark in and around New York City for the rest of this month.


From Mark Correia's Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

I'm back and ready to blow minds! (Also have a HUGE announcement coming at the end of next week) 📷: @kennyrodz . . #magician #comedian #nyc #newyork #comic #comedy #magic #tricks #card #newyorkcity #manhattan #ny #performer #live #show #performerlife #mindreader #mindreading #instamagic #cardistry #broadway #funny #variety #amazing #bigapple

A post shared by Mark Correia (@markcorreia) on Oct 8, 2019 at 4:12pm PDT

Also from Mark Correia's Instagram:

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The cat is out of the bag 😼 From November 18th-24th I will be making my premiere at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. It has been my dream to perform at the castle ever since I first attended the all ages brunch at 14 years old. I've worked very hard since that day to come back and make an appearance... It's been 10 years... Now I am ready to rock the Parlour room at 7:15pm, 8:15pm, and 9:15pm all week! I'd tell you to go buy tickets but the Castle is an exclusive members only club and all seats sell out a good 6 weeks in advance... If you're lucky enough to have gotten a spot, I will see you in November! If you're in LA at that time, give me a shout. So, so exciting to see some hard work pay off! ✈️

A post shared by Mark Correia (@markcorreia) on Oct 18, 2019 at 4:24pm PDT

Winner of tickets to see "The Art of Magic with Asi Wind"

The contest to "Win tickets to see 'The Art of Magic with Asi Wind'" closed last Friday at midnight.



The winning entry is an email submission from Ryan Goldin:

“As a father of an 11 year old magician discovering the Toronto Magic Company and its amazing network of magicians it has sparked a new zest for life for my son. He’s inspired after every event we attend having learned new tricks, having an opportunity to share what he’s been working on and counting the days till their next event or performance. He’s been welcomed with open arms and is treated as a peer.”

Congratulations Ryan!   You'll be hearing from Ben with the details about how to claim your prize.


Thank you to everyone who entered.


With thanks to the Toronto Magic Company for generously making these tickets available to you!  

Sleightly Sketchy: Magician trading cards [MTC191020]

Imagine if magicians had trading cards.

Did you need all three hints to guess whose trading card back this is?






Previously posted:

• MTC190714
• MTC190721
• MTC190728
• MTC190804
• MTC191020 

A peek behind the curtain with Kayla Drescher

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.

 

I was delighted to receive an invitation to email interview Kayla Drescher, as part of a Champions of Magic promotion.  You may know already know Drescher as the winner of the Today Show's “The Next Great Magician” (judged by David Copperfield), from appearing on season four of Penn and Teller Fool Us, or from lecturing in Toronto last January. 

(Read on to learn more about Drescher's connection to the Canadian magician known as "The Beauty of Magic.")

Who inspires you magically?

My mentors are a couple from Indianapolis - Christian and Katalina.  They are my biggest inspiration magically.  I enjoy watching magicians that are grounded and “real”, like you want to buy them a beer after the show.  That’s what I aim for as a performer and am inspired by those that do the same.

What is your first memory of magic?
 
My first memories were from seeing magic at a magic shop at 7 years old.  That’s where I caught the “bug.”

Why do you think people are still fascinated by magic, especially live magic? 

Because it’s happening directly in front of you.  When magic is happening with no screen or special CGI, it adds to the impossibility.  Add in magic happening in your hands… well there’s nothing better.

Where do you find non-magical inspiration?
 
I love watching dance and choreographers tell a story through movement, listening to music that motivates something magically, or watching a movie suspend the audience’s disbelief and transport you to another world.  Comedy is also a huge influence, especially improv and character-based sketch comedy.  I’m also super inspired by Celine Dion and basically everything she does, especially her fashion.  My choice for clothing on stage is highly motivated by hers. 

What’s is it about Champions of Magic that has allowed you to draw large audiences on 6 UK tours and 3 North American tours over the past six years?

Champions of Magic features every type of magic you could possibly imagine while keeping it fun for the whole family.  But really what we feature over any other show, TV program, movie, etc, is us.  The 5 performers have strong, enjoyable, and engaging personalities.  You get to know us individually and as a performing “family.”  We truly enjoy touring together and you can see that on stage.  We probably feature more high-fives than any other show has.  Audience members come back show after show because they enjoy “hanging out” with us.  And because the audiences are different, the show is just a little different each time, making each show super memorable.    We work hard to make the show not just magically impressive, but an absolutely fun time.

What surprised you most about performing in different countries?  Have you experienced anything specific about Canadian audiences in particular?

The biggest difference is the style of humor.  Because I’m primarily comedy/improv based, I have to study what each audience would find funny.  What I love most about Canadian audiences is the immediate excitement when the show starts.  The roar of the audience when the lights go down is everything a performer wants to hear.  We LOVE LOVE LOVE performing for Canadian audiences and cannot wait to do it again!

Do you have a favourite touring anecdote and / or any advice for touring magicians?

There are so many stories from tour and we certainly don’t have time for them all.  My favorites come from pranking Sam Strange, like when he leaves his belongings on stage during rehearsals and I hide them in one of the cup holders in a 4,000 seat theater.  That’s always fun.

My biggest advice is to just be open to any adventure the tour can bring.  I’ve tried different foods, seen amazing parts of various countries, and rode my first Bird scooter (which I fell off) with the tour.  It’s like an adventure of no other so make the most of it!

 

With respect to your connection to Canadian magic, most of our readers will be familiar with the podcast you do with Carisa Hendrix (Shezam! the podcast hopes to make itself obsolete), and many will know about your connection with the Toronto magic crew.  Do you have any other connections to Canadian magic?

I was influenced by Greg Frewin at a young age.  And there's also Celeste Evans.

I first met Celeste Evans and her daughter Evanna at a magic convention when I was roughly 15/16 years old.  Celeste was a hero of mine, being such a trailblazer in the community and having created a full stage act in a tight dress and no suit jacket (which I was wearing at the time).  Celeste often offered unprompted advice to young magicians, especially women in the community.  She was an amazing human being and a fantastic magicians.

When she passed away, Evanna kindly sent me some of her magic-themed jewelry. After I finished crying of pure joy and honor, the jewelry quickly made its way into my usual performance attire.  Her necklace charm, in the shape of a hand with 4 multiplying balls, is what I mainly wear every show, although the ring in the same shape is often on my hand.  I’m honored to carry on a piece of Celeste through everything I do.  

Do you have any tour or pre-show rituals?

I lay on the floor a lot. It’s very comfortable.  Then I do a ton of dancing to loosen up and get happy, give Fernando a high-five, and get on with the show!

You sometimes perform extremely dense runs.  What do you do to keep your performance fresh for both your audience and you?

I try to change little things about my show each time I start to feel myself get complacent.  It could be adding in a new joke, doing a different dance, wearing a new jacket or shoes, just anything to change things up a bit.  We also all try to keep things fresh, from playing tag on stage to making each other laugh in the wings.  I’m thankful to be with a group of people that all know how to have fun and keep things fresh.

What interests do you have outside of magic?

I’m a big basketball fan and keep up with the WNBA and women’s college basketball regularly.  I try to read a lot but always just end up watching Harry Potter.  And I have a really great dog that I enjoy snuggling with.

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

Elphaba from Wicked.

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

California weather. I’d share California weather with all of Canada.

Ohhh... best gift ever! Don't forget to bottle some for yourself though.  You'll need it when you hit SK in January!

Thank you Kayla Drescher for making the time to answer 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.

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.