Listen to Jason Osler interview Mel Jones and Julie Eng "Why aren't there many female magicians?" on the the January 10th episode of "Columnists from CBC Radio."
[via The Magic Demon]
27 January 2024
26 January 2024
Toronto: "A Work of Fiction" by Nicholas Wallace [Feb 23 - 24]
Tickets at Factory Theatre.
From the December 14th Instagram post by Nicholas Wallace:
TORONTO - I’m coming to the @factorytheatre for 4 shows Feb 23 - 24. It’s been a few years since I’ve done a public show in Toronto, and I would really love to fill these seats - so if you can please spread the word!!
25 January 2024
Random thoughts about Gerry Frenette's lecture and his memoir "My Life as a Magic Maker"
Last Thursday, IBM Ring 17 (the Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club) was treated to a lecture about the Psychology of Magic by club member Gerry Frenette!
As you may be aware Gerry:
- has been building magic props and illusions through his company Magic Makers Illusions since 1985,
- previously released a series of DVDs, Building Your Own Illusions, The Complete Video Course, parts one and two,
- recently released his memoir "My Life as a Magic Maker" at Amazon (more on that at the end of the post).*
We made the trek to the club on a cold January night, learned a lot, and had a really good time!
In his lecture, Gerry:
-
demonstrated how assumptions are a powerful tool to use and can sometimes be stronger than "proving" (proving can ruin the psychology of
assumption)
- showed many of the assumptions that can be involved when using a Vortex tube
- did some magic with his assistant Gwendolyn the Psychic Chicken and showed us something that once fooled Jeff McBride
- got knotty with a piece of rope
- ran though some thoughts about using a card box
- did a beautiful Coins Across for young volunteer Andrew
- talked about illusion design and worked through examples of how to make an illusion look smaller than it is (showing examples with boxes, illusion bases, and mirror frames)
- discussed the importance of looking at things from the perspective of the audience
- showcased his poker skills against David S, Rob F, and two other volunteers (and teased a story from his book which describes how he almost lost big with this "always winning" poker routine),
- shared some interesting sub trunk stories
- highlighted more psychological sleights while performing his Chop Cup routine and Slydini Paper Balls for volunteer Nicole (and as a bonus tipped another story from the book, where he stayed in the moment with a drunk audience volunteer and performed an effect powerful enough to be considered a reputation maker!), and
-
talked about his recently released memoir "My Life as a Magic Maker" at Amazon!
This book starts from his childhood in Amherst, Nova Scotia and is chock full of entertaining stories from Gerry's magic journey, including: early days of illusion building, working with Dean Gunnarson, CRA audits, being suspected of money laundering, thoughts on copycats & exposure, career highlights, a plethora of photos from the past, and more!
(No magic secrets are revealed in this book. It is intended for magicians and non-magicians alike!)
It was an entertaining and informative night! Thank you very much Gerry!
--
* What people are saying about "My Life as a Magic Maker" ...
From the January 7th
Facebook post by Matt DiSero:
From the January 7th Facebook post by Blair Marshall:
"Gerry Frenette has put together a fun read with lots of photos of "the big stuff" ( no secrets though lol) and it's available through Amazon. 🙂"
Customer reviews from Amazon:
MScott - 5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating & fun to read!
Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
Couldn’t put it down. As a lay person, I felt I stepped into the author’s entertaining world of magical illusions. Buy it & be amazed!
Raman Sharma - 5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I have read in a long time!
Reviewed in Canada on December 29, 2023
It did not take me long to realize that this book is not just for Magician's. The author does a great job in making the reader live through his experiences. I definitely feel more inspired after having read this book, and will definitely be recommending it to my friends.
Paul - 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in Canada on January 4, 2024
Interesting and fascinating to read all the way through!
Disclosure: I received a free copy of "My Life as a Magic Maker." The opinions expressed above are entirely my own. I did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.
24 January 2024
Paul Romhany awarded the 2024 AMA Literary and Media Fellowship
Congratulations on this honour Paul! Well deserved. Keep up the
great work!
From the January 22nd Facebook post by Paul Romhany:
It's OFFICIAL - I am totally overwhelmed that I have been awarded the 2024 AMA (Academy of Magical Arts) Literary and Media Fellowship. I'm still in shock to be honest. I will be in attendance at the awards ceremony to pick up this very prestigious honour in LA (Hollywood) --- I'm still waiting for them to call back and say they have made a mistake like the Oscars LOL. 2024 marks 13 years of VANISH - International Magic Magazine - what a way to celebrate.
23 January 2024
Calgary: Ryan Pilling in The WhoKnows Variety Show [Jan 30]
From the January 15th Facebook post by The WhoKnows Variety Show:
The last Tuesday of the month will be a night to remember!
Magic, poetry, one man band, Nigerian Jazz, ukuleles…what more could you ask for?
Fun times for sure Calgary! Jan 30th. call the Ironwood Stage & Grill for reservations.
22 January 2024
Graeme Reed in the Brant Beacon
From the January 3rd article "Living a magical childhood dream" by Kimberly de Jong in the Brant Beacon:
Since entering the world of magic at a young age, one thing is clear, Reed has opened a host of opportunities for himself, from doing a TEDx talk, to being Doug “the Great” Hunt’s Guinness World Record Verification and Video\Photograph Coordinator, he continues to work on projects that nurture his passions.
His advice for those looking into getting into magic, is simple.
“If anyone was interested in really learning magic and discovering more, there are local magic clubs you should look into joining,” he said. “The best person to reach out to would actually probably be Doug Hunt because he’s the president of the local Hamilton Magic Club. I first met him at the club when I was a kid, and it’s people like Doug that keep someone like me doing magic.”
From the January 18th Instagram post by Graemazing:
21 January 2024
Brampton: Murray Sawchuck [Mar 2]
Tickets at Brampton.ca
From the January 10th Facebook post by Brampton On Stage:
Direct from Pawn Stars and CW’s Masters Of Illusion, MURRAY THE MAGICIAN is bringing Vegas to YOU with magic that will blow your mind, performed live and up close at The Rose on March 2!
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