Rounding the Eastern rings in November 2019

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Halifax, NS	Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court)	- Visit their Facebook page.
St. John, NB	Magic Circle of St. John	- "Not performance ready (you redo this trick in 2020."

Please leave a comment or email me about corrections or omissions.

A(nother) peek behind the curtain with Sam Strange

Upcoming Champions of Magic Canadian tour dates:

• 12/8/19     Brandon, MB
• 12/12/19   Ottawa, ON      
• 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        

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 Sam Strange (the taller half of Young and Strange) as part of a Champions of Magic promotion.

Many of you know that Strange orchestrated a most wonderful surprise last June for Richard Young and The Magicians' Podcast.  

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

That run of shows we did in Toronto (in December 2018) is generally considered by the cast to be some of the best shows we have ever done, with some of the best audiences we have ever performed to. That maybe in part due to the perfect theatre for the show and at Christmas time when everyone is in a great mood anyway. Young and I did have to evolve the humour and delivery for our act for American audiences, but it does seem that the Canadian audiences sense of humour is a little more aligned with the British.

What interests do you have outside of magic?
 
The 2 interests I’m about to list don’t do my reputation any favours.

Manmade underground structures.
Included in that are tunnels, bunkers and mines. Specifically NOT caves. As we all know, caves are dull.

Prisons. Difficult to articulate why or how those interests have come about it. If I were a betting man (which Young will testify is the case) I would say it’s the human history and sinister nature of both. Prisons are renowned for the evil held within and most places built underground are not for the living.

I am mindful that this answer has given good ammunition in the next round of off stage ribbing from other cast members.

What are your thoughts on touring life?

If you ever get the chance to be a part of a touring show on the scale of Champions of Magic, take it.

It’s an insane experience when I reflect on it. There's a cast and crew of 14 people all travelling together, who are all passionate about magic, who are all decent people and who are all as invested in the show as anyone else  It’s constantly peppered with euphoric highs. As you can imagine, the show is the focus and pretty much all conversations outside of the theatre relate in someway back to the show. I think it’s important to have a bit of escapism from time to time and respect other peoples space when they need it.

Do you have any pre-show rituals?
 
As it’s a mixed bill of magicians, it’s always important to get the best response from the audience. I often perform a routine of sabotage on the other magicians props. It’s enormously helpful to making our act peacock ahead of the others and subsequently helps to prop up my misplaced ego.

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

As a double act we are fortunate because we can be a catalyst for each other during the performance. If I feel Young’s delivery or energy dip during the performance (or vice versa) we can pick each other up, feeding from each others enthusiasm. I also find that putting the ‘work’ into perspective really helps. [Last December's 17 day run of] 41 shows sounds impressive and tiring, but I’m not at a coalface and I am living my dream. The least I can do to sustain that is to look engaged and interested while on stage.

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

My hands are tied. This is an interview for Canada's Magic and it’s important to do everything I can to win you round.

Therefore my answer can only be Doug Henning.

Fortunately not only is that a politically astute answer, but it’s also pretty true. The vibrancy, colour and pure joy of his act would be so much fun to do.

[Editor's note: Truly a terrific answer.  AND it shares internal consistency with last December's interview.  Well done!]

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

On a personal level, I love being a part of the Champions of Magic show. In buying a ticket and coming to support the show you are allowing me, and many other people I tour with, to live their childhood dreams. Think of it as a charity and spread the word for the next run of Canadian shows.

 

Thank you Sam Strange 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      
• 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         

Read more and buy tickets.

Montreal: Guy Camirand Day!

From the October 29th post "GUY DAY" at Perfect Magic:

Mark your calendars NOVEMBER 2ND FROM 10AM TO 1PM. 2019
GUY DAY CELEBRATION

We’re celebrating Guy Day. Yes we are having a special event at Perfect Magic and invite you to to be there. We are honouring Guy Camirand of the Camirand AcadeIMG_0129.jpgmy of Magic. Many of you were his students of magic and he would be thrilled to see you. Many of you may have purchased the excellent products that he and Gary Ouellet created. Guy said he is bringing a surprise, something new that should be of interest to you, but he didn’t tell me what it is.

Bring your kids with you and get them started in magic. I’m sure they’ll be entertained.

We’re having a STOREWIDE SALE for the occasion, so be sure to be here on this coming Saturday NOVEMBER 2nd from 10:00am to 1:00pm 2019   We look forward to seeing you.

Read more.

Top 5 posts in October 2019

There were 35+ posts at Canada's Magic last month.  Here are the 5 most viewed posts in the past 30 days:

5. Toronto: Asi Wind Jam Session and Hangout! - Sounds like a great time was had by all.

4. Ontario Week of Wonder recap - By all accounts it was definitely a wonderful week!

3. Toronto: Win tickets to see "The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy" - Thanks again to the Eldritch Theatre for offering this wonderful prize!

2. October 2019 sale: 30% off yearly sponsorship rates! - Today's the last day folks.

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1.Win tickets to see "The Art of Magic with Asi Wind" - Thanks again to the Toronto Magic Company for offering this wonderful prize!

Winner of tickets to see "The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy"

The contest to win a family prize pack of tickets to attend the the 20th abominaversary edition of "The Harrowing of Brimstone McReedy" at the Red Sandcastle Theatre is closed. Thank you to everyone who played!

If you didn't win, you can purchase tickets at EldritchTheatre.ca/Tickets


My favourite answers to the question "what do you think is the scariest magical effect (either to perform or to watch)?"

1. The only thing scarier than someone pulling a coin out of your nose is someone pulling a coin out of your little brother's nose.
2. I'm always intimidated by coin magic, especially when watching. I'm paranoid the slippery coins will go flying and ruin everything.
3. Any fire related effects, as those can be dangerous if done incorrectly.
4. I go to magic shows to escape from the unpleasantness of real life. Tricks like smash and stab, that involve a real risk that someone is harmed during the show, terrifies me (and not in a good way)!  If I had to pick a FUN scary magic trick... hard to beat "the web"!

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Congratulations Amanda!  You'll be contacted by someone from the Eldritch Theatre shortly.



With thanks to the Eldritch Theatre for generously making these tickets available to you!

Vancouver and Victoria: Jason Verner in "Millennial" and "Senses"

From Eventbrite:

Sunday, November 10, 2019

A special "one-night only" performance of "Millennial." As part of the 3 of Clubs Convention, hosted by The Vancouver Magic Circle.

About this Event
Technology. Magic. Millennial. 21 year-old magician Jason Verners is proud to present his newest touring production: "Millennial." With performances across North America, multiple international awards, and regular network television appearances, Jason is thrilled to return to Vancouver, BC for a special "one-night only" performance of "Millennial." as part of the 3 of Clubs Convention, hosted by The Vancouver Magic Circle. Jason has created a show with a unique combination of close up magic, audience participation and countless surprises. This experience will shatter your expectations of what a magic show can be. Jason Verners has been called "The next David Blaine" by celebrities and press across the nation, and we invite you to come witness why. This production features brand-new illusions from Jason Verners. JasonVerners.com @JasonVerners -- “ONE of the Best Young Magicians in Canada” -Vic42 "Full of humour, wonder, and the best kind of magic: genuine magic." -happydesigns -- *Tickets will be available at the door depending on availability, but we strongly recommend buying them in advance as this performance is expected to sell-out in advance. *Although there are no official age restrictions, the show is NOT geared towards young children and is typically recommended for ages 13 and up.

Read more and buy tickets.

From Eventbrite:

Friday November 22

"Senses" has been built within the award-winning House of Boateng Cafe in Langford, BC. The evening is split into six parts, each dinner course from Chef Castro Boateng is paired with a moment of mystery by magician Jason Verners that will unlock and reveal one of your five senses. The question is: What is the 6th?

Sight. Sound. Smell. Taste. Touch. ........

Join us for the most immersive dinner-theatre the nation has to offer. The experience is strictly limited to forty people.

whatisthesix.com

Read more and buy tickets.

View this post on Instagram

Super excited to announce Chef Castro Boateng & I’s new dinner theatre, Senses! This experience of built into the award-winning House of Boateng Cafe in Langford, BC and features six courses, and six magical moments- each revealing and delighting one of your five senses. The question is, what is the sixth sense? Check out my bio for tickets! xo . . . #magician #illusionist #dinnertheatre #senses #houseofboateng #langford #langfordbc #victoriabc #britishcolombia #explorebc #tourismbc #sixcourses #sixsenses

A post shared by Jason Verners (@jasonverners) on Oct 22, 2019 at 7:01pm PDT

Dean Gunnarson recreated Houdini's 1915 suspended straitjacket escape

From the August 18th post "Dean Gunnarson recreates Houdini's L.A. escape in 1987" by John Cox at Wild About Harry:

On October 29, 1987, escape artist Dean Gunnarson recreated Houdini's 1915 suspended straitjacket escape in Los Angeles to promote the live Halloween television special, The Search for Houdini. Dean was introduced as James Randi's protege, and Randi was on hand to assist in the stunt.

Read more.