Greg Frewin in the St. Catherines Standard

A reminder that Greg's hosting his second International Stars of Magic show livestream April 15 @7PM EST to benefit the Niagara SPCA Humane Society on his YouTube channel at:

https://youtu.be/6moYdHS8TYc 

From the April 13th article "Magician Greg Frewin on his anger over ‘Tiger King’" by John Law in The Standard:

Instead of shock and outrage over Joe Exotic's behaviour or whether Baskins killed her husband (and fed him to tigers), Frewin wishes viewers keyed in on a statistic the show shared in its final episode: There are 8,000 tigers in captivity in the United States, and only 4,000 left in the wild.
 
"Why is there only 4,000 tigers left in the wild, and we're worried about 'Did Carole Baskins kill her husband?'" he says. "Why aren't people talking about that? That's the part I'm interested in.

"Those characters are so extreme that the facts that are important got completely brushed over. All we talk about are how crazy they are, how abusive this and that. There's a whole bunch of stuff in this show that's been completely missed."

Read more.

Welcoming a new Friend: Robin Dawes

Please join me in welcoming our newest Friend, Robin Dawes!

Based out of Kingston, Ontario, Robin writes annual reports about the FFFF convention for the Linking Ring and FFFFmagic.  He is also a a member of The Magician's Forum.

In 2011 he received an IBM Award of Excellence for the article "The Maltese FFFFalcon."

You can follow Robin on Flicker (for FFFF photos), Twitter (@DawesRobin) and Instagram (@robindawes9042).

Thank you Robin, for becoming an official Friend of Canada's Magic!

International Stars of Magic show livestream April 15

Keep your eyes on the Greg Frewin Theatre's YouTube channel.  There's a very good chance this won't be the last spectacular livestream lineup!


(As an added bonus watch new episodes of PiffTV uploaded M-F at 10am and 5pm PST.)



From Greg Frewin's Facebook post:

Join us for #2 International Stars of Magic show livestream April 15 @7PM EST.

For the Niagara SPCA Humane Society.

https://youtu.be/6moYdHS8TYc

An amazing 2nd show with amazing stars for a good cause.

[Guest post] "What can I do?"

The following is a guest post from an author who wishes to be known as The Magic Demon. 

Some great ideas if you're motivated to do something but stuck on what to do to pass the time!

--

WHAT CAN I DO?
Random suggestions for magic aficionados during current circumstances
by The Magic Demon for Canada's Magic

I can...

• Dig out all my old magic magazines and reread every single one until I find a trick I love and want to learn;
   
• Dig out all my old magic books and find a sleight or routine I always meant to learn but "never had the time to" until now;
   
• Ditto with my old DVDs;
   
• Dig out all my old magic tricks that I never looked at twice and try to figure out what made me buy them in the first place. (This may take some time!);
   
• Sort out and clean up (and repair if necessary) my magic collection and reacquaint myself with all my old favourites;
   
• Go online and study every magician I can remember to name and find on You-Tube;
   
• Try restringing my broken "Electric Deck". (This will ultimately prove futile but can easily take up a few "stay at home" days before I give up in frustration);
   
• Go online and look for websites devoted to history of magic and magicians and learn about them. First stop: Magicana;
   
• At long last carefully press or iron flat all my crumpled up (and frequently vanished) silks;
   
• Go online and hit the "random" button on Genii's Magicpedia page and keep reading until my eyes cross;
   

• Support my favourite brick & mortar magic store by ordering something from them online (and if I don't have one support one of the sponsors of this site);

   
• Take an online magic course or lesson;
   
• Watch every movie and TV series online I can find about magic or magicians;
   
• Participate in a magic forum;
   
• Go through all my old beginner tricks, clean them up and snail mail them to my favourite youngster-at-a-distance (niece, nephew, grandchild, etc.) with the explanation that I'll teach them how they work by phone, internet or semaphore. I could also video myself performing them and send that along too (or a link to where I uploaded them);
   

• Go through my old pile of business cards and reach out to fellow magic enthusiasts I've met or been in touch with in the past just to see how they are doing;
  

   
• Buy two magic books online I have always wanted but "would never have the time to read" until now. One about tricks, the other a biography or about magic history;
   
• Gently wash all my old sponge balls and bunnies. Permanently retire those with an unidentifiable shape or less than one ear;
   
• Consider donating to a magic-related charity (such as CauseToWonder.org profiled in the March 2020 issue of Genii) [editor's note: consider donating to the Allan Slaight Relief Fund];
   
• Expand this list of suggestions by using the comments feature (below);
  
  and finally
• Proceed backwards and read every post on Canada's Magic since it started and enjoy its unique service to our community throughout the years!

 ~~~~

Thank you The Magic Demon for guest posting at Canada's Magic!

Scott Dietrich in Bradford Today

From the April 7th article "Local magician using the magic of the internet to bring magic to kids" by Miriam King in Bradford Today:

The Birthday Party show, designed for kids ages five to 12, uses the power of ZOOM and the internet to create an interactive experience for the children and their families.

One of the shows last weekend celebrated the sixth birthday of a child whose family is trapped in New York City, under quarantine.

Twenty families in all ended up watching the show together and participating through ZOOM, at their own homes.

“They hadn’t seen each other since school,” said Dietrich, a fact that gave the party even more importance, and turned it into a truly memorable event. “They’re trying to do their best to keep their children’s lives fun.”


Read more.

CBC Creative relief fund

From the April 9th article "CANADA’S PUBLIC BROADCASTER LAUNCHES THE CBC CREATIVE RELIEF FUND, AN UNPRECEDENTED INITIATIVE TO PROVIDE TIMELY, URGENT SUPPORT TO CANADIAN CREATORS" at the CBC:

The new Fund expands CBC’s ongoing efforts to find new ways to support Canadian creators in response to the COVID-19 crisis. On Wednesday, April 15, CBC Podcasts is launching THE SHOW MUST GO ON, a new PlayME original series featuring audio adaptations from Canadian playwrights whose plays have been postponed or cancelled due to the pandemic. In support of documentary filmmakers, CBC and Hot Docs are launching HOT DOCS AT HOME ON CBC on Thursday, April 16, offering exclusive, first-run documentary premieres from the postponed 2020 Hot Docs Festival to Canadian audiences on CBC TV, CBC Gem and documentary Channel.



THE CBC CREATIVE RELIEF FUND

INNOVATION STREAM
The Innovation Stream offers support of big, bold ideas that are innovative and take creative risks, to be considered for multiple development and production opportunities on all platforms. Both established and emerging creators are invited to apply; applicants must have one television, audio or digital credit, or be partnered with an experienced existing production company. Genres include the following:

Scripted - Comedy and Drama
Unscripted - Factual Entertainment
Kids & Tweens; Youth & Young Adult
Podcasts - Multiple Genres


PLAYWRIGHT PILOT STREAM
The Playwright Pilot Stream is open to playwrights with at least one produced play to submit either new concepts or existing plays for adaptation on all platforms. CBC is looking for concepts that are a natural fit for either limited or ongoing series in the comedy or drama genres, episodic or serialized, and will fund the writing of a pilot script with an intended broadcast duration of either 30 or 60 minutes.



CBC SHORT DOCS STREAM
CBC Short Docs is inviting documentary filmmakers from across Canada to showcase their unique perspectives on what’s happening in the world during this time of COVID-19. Productions must be produced and delivered within three months or less, with filmmakers adhering to all local and national COVID-19 safety guidelines. CBC Short Docs is looking for standalone, immersive documentaries under 40 minutes in length, intended for a digital audience.

Read more.

Thank you to our April 2020 Friends!

Thank you to John Harrison, Richard Lyn, Joan Caesar, Ian Crawford, Matt DiSero, Gwyn Auger, Jason Maiuri, Doug Hunt, David Johnson, John Smithman, Richard Hough, and Robin Dawes for being Friends of Canada's Magic!

It's good to have friends like you.

You too can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.