Darcy Oake: Virtual (Dec 19) and interview with Steve Spade

December 19:  Exclusive UK and North America showtimes.

Go to DarcyOake.com for tickets, more information, and easter eggs!

In addition, Darcy was recently interviewed by Steve Spade on the Deceive Reality podcast.  Have a listen to episode 19:

From Darcy's November 14th Instagram post:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Darcy Oake (@darcyoake)

Toronto Magic Company: Show in the Snow

From the Toronto Magic Company:

On Sunday December 20th at 2pm EST join magicians Ben Train and Jonah Babins for an interactive holiday magic show packed full of laughs and surprises.

And the best part? You can take part from the comfort of your own home!

That’s right! This is a LIVE and TOTALLY VIRTUAL magic show great for the entire family.

Not only do you get to watch incredible magic, but you'll actually follow along at home with parts of the show and the magic will happen in front of your eyes, and even in your own hands.

Shhhhh.... don't tell anyone, but we're even going to teach you a few tricks of your own so you can spread some holiday magic too!

Here's what's included:

1.5 hours of interactive, hilarious, and mind blowing virtual magic.

Tricks that happen in your home and in your hands!

Learn 2 holiday tricks during the show that you can instantly do.

Plus after the show we're going to send you 3 more easy to do holiday tricks that you can do with stuff around the house!

All you need is one ticket and you get admission for the entire family!

Tickets are going fast for this one-time-only event, so grab yours now and let the fun begin!

Read more and buy tickets.

Shawn Farquhar interviewed by Craig Petty

From the December 1st episode of Craig Petty's Magic TV on YouTube:

This week on the channel we have Shawn Farquar.  Shawn Farquhar is a Canadian magician notable for his title as the "Grand Prix World Champion of Magic" from the International Federation of Magic Societies

His awards include being the only magician in history to win First Place at the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for both Stage and Sleight of Hand, twice Canadian Association of Magicians Magician of the Year, First Place at the Society of American Magicians annual magic convention competition, three Silver (2nd Place) awards, and a First (World Championship) in Card Magic and the Grand Prix World Championship for Close Up at FISM, the "Olympics of Magic". In August 2009, he won his most prestigious prize at the FISM World Championship of Magic in Beijing.

On May 1, 2010, the Canadian Association of Magicians once again named him Canadian Magician of the Year, making him the only two-time recipient of their most prestigious award.

Read more and watch interview.

 

 

Random thoughts about Changing Cards by Richard Young

Bob Swadling mentored teenage Richard Young for several years.
 
Bob was a judge in The Magic Circle's "The Young Magician" annual close-up competition the year Richard won.  Bob lived near Richard and offered to tutor Richard for free (as a way for Bob to give back to the magic community).

Regular readers of the blog will know that British magician Richard Young has toured through Canada with Champions of Magic every year since 2017.  You may know that in 2019 he won The John Nevil Maskelyne award presented by The Magic Circle for his excellent work on "The Magician's Podcast."  

But were you aware that he recently acquired the rights to manufacture and sell Bob Swadling's "Swadling Magic Changing Card?"  Enter Richard Young's Changing Cards.

The pitch:

How are these cards made? 
  
Richard spent a significant amount of time with Bob and Val (Bob's wife) to ensure that Changing Cards continue to be made with the high standards of the original. (Val's August 9th Facebook posts suggests that Richard has made improvements from the original!)

Here are some random thoughts about Richard's gorgeous Changing Cards:

• The official trailer (above) shows Harry De Cruz beautifully demonstrating a multitude of different uses for a card that appears to completely change in mid-air.
• This summer Kidlet, KOP, and I let our imaginations run wild with speculation as to the method of this effect.

Will they last?

Richard has some sets from Bob which were used for over three years and they never broke.  Richard has used the cards he makes almost daily, for more than year so far!

• Imagine our delight when the universe saw fit to put one in our mailbox!
• The cards come handsomely packaged with attention to detail reminiscent of Bobby Motta's lecture notes for "thirteen."
• It feels like one is opening up something really special.

As advertised: 
  
"Completely self working beautiful hand crafted gimmicks that look like trick photography that you can perform anywhere. Perfect for Close-Up, Parlour, Instagram and even Zoom shows."

"No elastic thread to break, no lines on the cards, no half flaps or sliding panels. Just simply the best changing card ever conceived. You won’t believe how brilliant these are in the flesh."

• Instructions for use are provided by a password protected video link.
• We continue to be amazed by the elegance of the mechanism, the ease of use, and the impossibility of the effect!
• It's so simple, even we can pull it off!
   
  
• If you're looking for ideas for where you could use this effect, take a peek at what some pros have done with it:
• Watch Richard perform Bob Swadling's The Lucky Lady. (You may have already seen Richard perform this for television promotion segments.)
  
• Watch Harry De Cruz perform an ace and queen transposition, and a 3 force prediction.
  
• Watch Kat Hudson perform card to credit card.
  
• Watch Ed Hilsum, the 2017 recipient of the Allan Slaight International Rising Star award, handle a 3 face changing card.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Changing Cards (@changingcards)

Will it play big?

Watch Stephen Mulhern perform the Changing Card earlier this month at The Royal Variety Performance.

• Changing Cards come in a wide variety of front and back combinations.  If you've got an idea Richard hasn't covered, he'll make you a custom one (for an additional cost).  Watch Katrina Kroetch, the PCAM's 2020 Children's Entertainer of the Year, with a custom card.
  

 

Richard Young’s Changing Cards are practically real magic.

 

Get yours before they disappear!

A thread at The Magic Café suggests that these cards may only be available for a limited time. 

Look for our formal review of Changing Cards in an upcoming issue of Vanish Magazine.

 

 

 

Disclosure:  We received a complimentary Changing Card.  The opinions expressed above are entirely our own. We did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.

Jason Verners from The Moment House

Listen to the December 1st episode of Magicians Talking Magic podcast to hear Jason talk about the show below, among other things.

 

From The Moment House:

Join in the magic from the comfort of your own home! Jason Verners will be live streaming a brand new interactive magic experience on Moment House for one-night-only. Every ticket purchase will include a "Mystery Envelope" which will be mailed to you, inside you will find the ingredients and tools to have magic happen in your own hands during the performance. This is not like watching magic on TV or being a part of a ZOOM conference call, this is something brand new. Jason is excited to provide his supporters and fans with an intimate virtual experience like never before.

Only 1 ticket purchase is required per household.
Join us for Episode 1 of Virtual Magic!

Envelope Shipping Cut-Offs: (You will recieve a .PDF if purchased past date)
Canada: December 28, 2020
USA: December 21, 2020
International: December 14, 2020

Live-streamed from VicVR. Directed by Livestream Victoria.

Read more and buy tickets.

Vote now for the 2020 Readers' Choice Award

 

The nominations are closed and voting is now open for the fifth annual 2020 "Readers' Choice Inspirational Canadian Magician of the Year" award!

Take a moment to acknowledge that this has been an extraordinary year.  Many of you embraced new skills and a new performing landscape.  Some of you took on work outside of performing.  Some of you continue to struggle with the day-to-day.  No matter your situation, give yourself a pat on the back.  You've made it this far.  To paraphrase Tom Brady, you didn't come this far to only come this far.  You've got this!

Congratulations to everyone for inspiring someone(s) enough for them to submit your name!  (I'm always tempted at this point, to declare all of the nominees as winners and not bother with the voting part. However, a vote was promised and a vote there shall be.)

Voting will close on Wednesday, December the 23rd at 11:59pm EST.

To vote, scroll down to the bottom of this post and participate in the poll. (Click through the Google Forms link if the poll does not appear in your browser.)

Let's have a look at the nominees (listed in alphabetical order by surname):

Gwyn Auger (aka The Magic Assistant)

Nominated by Jonathan I. who wrote:
"The bigger the magic, the more important all of the team players are, and when it comes to a magic community, the same definitely applies. For me, personally, when I returned to magic about 10 years ago, Gwyn kindly befriended me (not knowing who I was) and it’s been an important part of my ongoing journey through the art of magic. She’s been quite an ambassador for the art and is one of those glues that holds a community together—which is especially important during a time like this. So, I humbly nominate Gwyn for this recognition."

Editor's note:

• Gwyn was interviewed by Bruce Kalver last month, as part of the Backstage SAM Podcast series.
  

Website: Magician.org/member/magicassistant.

Carisa Hendrix, Miranda Allen, and Richard Lee (aka Team Lucy Darling, The Star Ship Quarantine)

Nominated by Anonymous.
"They took the lockdown by storm. In their isolation they created a unique virtual performance that was simultaneously witty, creative and magical with a wicked blend of technology and Lucy Darling sass. Surely that counts as inspiration."

Editor's note:

• Carisa wrapped up the second season (and is co-founder) of Shezam, the feminist magic podcast that "hopes to make itself obsolete."
• In March, Miranda invited Carisa to stay with her and Richard for a couple of months.  They opened a window into their lives and their coping mechanisms (and entertaining antics) during the early days of The Big Pause, from The Star Ship Quarantine on Twitter. 
  
• Miranda did a fabulous escape on Fool Us (season 7, episode 4).
  
• Carisa was the recipient of the recipient of the 2019 AMA Stage Magician of the Year award and was featured on the May cover of Genii.
  
• Carisa also started up the Spark Creative Facebook group last spring in an effort to help keep people focused and creative.
  
• They offered free shows (May 15th live stream and Lucy Darling's Halloween Spooktacular Extravaganza), in addition to their widely acclaimed virtual shows. (Did I mentioned Neil Gaiman gave them a shout out on Twitter?)
  
  

Website: CarisaHendrix.com, MirandaAllen.ca, and NorthernLightTheatre.com/richard-lee-hsi/.

Ryan Joyce and Graeme Reed (aka Graemazing)

Nominated by Ryan P. who wrote:
"They have been producing a ton of stuff, podcasts, tv shows, pizza parties and more all giving an opportunity for other Canadian magicians to perform and connect. The high quality standards of their production are certainly inspiring to me!"

Additionally, Graeme was nominated by Doug H. who wrote:
"He has not let COVID 19 interfere with his ability to present his magic. He has and continues to perform his excellent Magic in awesome creative ways - online. He is not only the most entertaining guy I know, he's Graemazing!"

Editor's note:

• In the early days of The Great Pause, Ryan and Graeme hosted Magicians Pizza Party events to help the community feel less isolated.
  
• Ryan started The Elora Fergus Podcast to foster a sense of community in that area.
  
• Graeme hosted a free virtual magic show over the summer.
  
• Since March, Ryan and Graeme have produced over 50 Magicians Talking Magic podcasts, including a series devoted to skills development during lockdown. 
  (Yesterday they released their 100th episode!)
  
• They had their first ever virtual OWOW Magic Festival, which boasted a Hallowe'en special featuring Nicholas Wallace, Joan Caesar, Graeme Reed, Mark Clearview, and Scott Hammell.
  

 

Website:  RyanJoyce.com and GraemeReedMagic.com.

Magicana (David Ben and Julie Eng)
Nominated by Ben T. who wrote:
"My nomination this year is Magicana. Not only did they start the year off by helping curate the Art of Illusion exhibit at the AGO - which created all sorts of new magic fans - but they also mobilized quickly to set up the "Allan Slaight Magicians Relief Fund" to help magicians across Canada deal with the pandemic."
"Because of all that they've done for the community this year, I nominate Magicana!"

Editor's note:

• The Illusions: The Art of Magic exhibit at the AGO featured more than 55 colourful vintage posters from the Allan Slaight Collection, in addition to employing many local magicians.
• They handled the implementation and administration of the Allan Slaight Relief Fund, which helped to defray cost-of-living expenses incurred by professional Canadian magicians early in The Great Pause.
  
• Magicana also runs the annual Allan Slaight Awards which recognize excellence in magic.
  

 

Website:  Magicana.com

Phil Pivnick (aka WonderPhil)
Nominated by Ian C. who wrote:

"Phil is already Toronto’s best family and children’s entertainer (A1 media) and has a 5 star rating on Google and YELP.  But apart from that he is truly a really nice guy. He’s recently started creating magic for sale to the magic community demonstrating his creativity.  He’s really helpful to anyone who asks.  Sitting down for a session with Phil is a roller coaster of ideas.  What if we do this, how about this or that move.  I’ve always been impressed with his business sense and it shows in his marketing and shows."

Editor's note:

• Phil is offering a free livestream magic show on December 13th.
  

Website: MagicInToronto.com

Romaine (aka Roman Szydlowski)

Nominated by Luiz C. who wrote:
"I nominate Romaine ( Roman Szydlowski).  He has been one of Canada's hidden talent for too long.  He shared stage with the best magicians, has been a mentor to many famous magicians and inspiration to thousands.  If you ever had a chance to sit down with him you know that you always learned something new from him."

Editor's note:

• To get a full appreciation for what Luiz hints at above, visit Romaine's biography at Genii Magazine.
  

Alex Zander

Nominated by Shawn F. who wrote:
"I would like to nominate Alex Zander, who during this year has united magicians, not only in Canada but around the world by using the IBM JAM online to bring magic into the homes of all of us at no cost. For the first thirty days of the lock down we had a lecture every single day and now, eight months later the IBM JAM continues on a weekly basis to offer all magicians a way to connect. He gained nothing personally from doing this task and it taxed his free time greatly. It's inspiring to see the selfless acts of another in support of the greater good."

 

Editor's note:

• Alex, the youngest IBM President, finished his term with tough decisions to make about the IBM Convention.
  
• He was part of the organizing committee for this year's virtual PCAM.
  

 
Website: GottaBeMagic.com

 

 

Vote now!

In an effort to combat bots and spam, you are required to sign into a Google account before voting.  Your vote will not be shared.  Your email address will not be used for marketing.

 

 

  

 

 

Thank you to our December 2020 sponsors!

This is a reminder that our sponsors also have bills to pay and mouths to feed.  If you have the means, please support them by making a purchase. 

If you would like to show your support for our sponsors, but have no immediate need for their products, consider purchasing a gift certificate which you can put to use (or not) at a later time.

Thank you to our sponsors for their generous support.

This site would not be possible without their backing.

We're grateful to have the support of:

• Clive Court - Get PR help from a Life Membership Award winner of the Canadian Public Relations Society,
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• Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic,
• Michael Close, author of the new Paradigm Shift ebooks, the Workers series and others,
• Ty Reveen - catch him on his Fall tour, and 
• Brent Smith, owner of The Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop!

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