Broken wand: Tom Baxter

Our sincere condolences to Tom's family and friends.


From the Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club Facebook page:

Hello Dear Friends:

It is with a sad heart that I write to you to say that Tom passed away last night at the Vancouver General Hospital surrounded and supported my his brother, Bill; sisters, Brenda and Patrice; brother-in-law George; and myself.

Tom was a gentle soul with a wondrous interest in life. He quietly and stoically faced the challenges of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia over the past six years.

He touched the hearts and minds of many. May you cherish the special moments that he had with you.

Tom did not wish to have a funeral. His wish was to be cremated, and some of his ashes sprinkled on Lake Ontario where he spend many hours sailing.

He had many future ideas planned with regard to his writings, music, and travel.

One of the first (of many) sayings he said to me was … “act little braver than you may feel”.

We cherish all your kind words, cards, messages, phone calls, and thoughts.

Please keep in touch when you can.

A hug to you all,
Wenda 

Perfect Magic in the Montreal Gazette

A wonderful piece by Julie Matlin about her parents!



From the March 13th article "The magic of pursuing your dreams: father's bravery had a ripple effect" by Julie Matlin in the Montreal Gazette:

Phil and Evelyn Matlin, my parents, own a beloved Montreal institution called Perfect Magic. It is, fittingly, a magic shop that’s been serving the community for more than 43 years. Walk in and you’re likely to find amateur hobbyists alongside pros chatting about technique. Or a seasoned performer giving some tips to a kid just starting out. It’s a unique experience.

My dad is 83 now, and my mom is 79 and undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer, yet they still go to work every day. Whenever I ask them about retiring, my dad shakes his head. “What would I do?” he asks. They’re happy. And I’m happy for them. My dad followed a dream and it led them to not only run a business that supported a family with four children, but also left a lasting mark on the magic community at large.

It’s funny how we got here.

Read more.

Peter Mennie's list of 5

5 low or no cost things to do if you can't perform over the next few weeks:

1. Go for a walk.
2. Write new material.
3. Clean/repair/upgrade your props.
4. Do your taxes (and invest your refund).
5. Don't worry. The work will come back in greater abundance.
#inspiration

5 low or no cost things to do if you can't perform over the next few weeks:

1. Go for a walk.
2. Write new material.
3. Clean/repair/upgrade your props.
4. Do your taxes (and invest your refund).
5. Don't worry. The work will come back in greater abundance. #inspiration

— Peter Mennie (@petermennie) March 13, 2020

Magicians talking magic podcast livestream

Magician's Masterclass:

Livestream Monday 730pm EST with SPECIAL GUESTS talking about impacts of coronavirus.

Stay tuned for more information and sign up for live stream notification here: https://magicianmasterclass.com/live

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON

The Social Distancing Festival

From The Social Distancing Festival:

The Social Distancing Festival is an online artist’s community made to celebrate and showcase the work of the many artists around the world who have been affected by the need for social distancing that has come about due to the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Personally, a production of a new musical of mine was cancelled on March 13, 2020. Yeah, Friday the 13th. Like, come on right? It’s such a weird mix of feelings. Yes it was absolutely the right decision. 100%. But so, so, SO disappointing. That production was years in the making, and my co-creator and artistic team had a lot invested. We didn’t just lose  a chance to develop the work, but also to share it, celebrate it, and potentially connect with further opportunities. Instead, I went home, where I was alone, disappointed, and facing a whole lot of free time.

I have three main goals with this project:

1) It helps to get some of the great work that you’ve done out to the world, and projects that were cancelled get the word of mouth that they missed out on;

2) We are able to keep feeling a sense of artistic community, even from our living rooms, and;

3) Artists are able to continue to engage with their projects by making videos, sharing work, and celebrating the work of others. 


Read more and submit your work.

The Social Distancing Festival #theaTO #TorontoTheatre https://t.co/NxR4CmVByD

— Adrianna Pebbles Prosser (@adriannap) March 14, 2020

Darcy Oake in The Sunday Post

From the March 8th article "VIDEO: Illusionist Darcy Oake on how Britain’s Got Talent changed his life and his upcoming Edinburgh and Glasgow shows" by Ross Crae in The Sunday Post:

I started performing magic when I was really young, probably about seven or eight years old. It was actually completely by accident, I was at home and my dad was playing with a deck of cards. He knows zero magic, no tricks or anything. He told me to pick a card, so I picked one, looked at it, put it back in the pack and he was playing it off like he was a pro magician and said he was going to find my card. He did it and I was absolutely blown away, I had no idea how to explain how he did it.

He tortured me, wouldn’t tell me the secret for months and then finally I learned it was a complete accident! That month where I didn’t know how it worked played with my head and I was just so fascinated and adamant on learning how to do it. It’s crazy to look back on, if that trick hadn’t turned out like that…

Read more.

Shawn Farquhar in the Vancouver Sun

From the March 4th article "No saws, but lots of sleight-of-hand in 'hidden' speakeasy magic show" by Shawn Conner in the Vancouver Sun:

There’s magic happening in Vancouver’s Chinatown, but you wouldn’t know it from a cursory stroll. Shawn Farquhar’s Hidden Wonders is a speakeasy-style performance located behind a fake business facade.

A two-time world champion of magic, Farquhar in this show focuses less on grand-scale illusions and more on intimate experiences. The 75-minute magic experience features effects that the homegrown talent has exclusively designed for the venue as well as effects he created to impress talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and to fool Penn & Teller twice on their hit TV show Fool Us.

We talked to the Maple Ridge-based Farquhar about Hidden Wonders:

Q: What’s the strangest place you’ve performed?

Read more.