30 July 2024

Saskatoon: The Magic Variety Show [Jul 31]

From the July 26th Facebook post by Trevor & Lorena:

The show is coming to Saskatoon again!!! 

This year we have the amazing and the hilarious Damien James and Chris Westfall!!

Get your tickets now!!! 

You won’t want to miss this show!!

 

 

 

29 July 2024

Learn Casual Card Magic for FREE!

From the July 25th Facebook post by Tips & Tricks for Magicians:

Casual Card Magic Course Teaser

I've been working on a course for Casual Card Magic, which means performing in a relaxed manner, without tension, seemingly without care. It covers foundational sleight-of-hand technique from the past to be in control of cards without raising suspicion.

In a world obsessed with advanced technique and nuance, this is my case study for the strength of competent intermediate card skills. It's better to do an easier move well than a difficult move poorly.

The teaser video shows some moves and magic from the first six lessons, and there's plenty more Casual Card Magic yet to come!

It's all available for free (registration required) because I don't want a payment to stop you from improving your magic.

 

 

 

26 July 2024

25 July 2024

Penticton: Ty Reveen at Peach Fest [Aug 8 - 11]

For more information visit Peach Fest.

 

From The March 30th Facebook post by the Penticton Peach Festival:

✨ Get ready to be mesmerized! Reveen The Legend Continues is bringing mind-bending hypnosis to our festival lineup Don't miss out on the mind-bending fun!🌀Thank you to presenting sponsor RPR Heating and Air Conditioning for helping us bring the amazing Reveen to our stage!

 

 

 

 

24 July 2024

Festival de magie de Québec [Sep 19 - 22]

Talent listed at Festival de Magie includes:

  • Luc Langevin
  • Philippe Beau
  • Alex Boyer
  • Alexandra Duvivier
  • Markobi
  • Topas
  • Jimmy Cao
  • Jules Caron
  • Marc Chabot
  • Jean Deshaies
  • Jean-Pierre Du Sault
  • Fredo
  • Mephisto
  • Emmanuel Savoie
  • Nicolas Tardif
  • Philippe Thériault


Read more and buy tickets.

 

 

 

23 July 2024

Random thoughts about Graemazing Level 7 Wizard at the Hamilton Fringe

Graemazing Level 7 Wizard is playing at the Hamilton Fringe daily until July 28th.

 

Based on our previous travel experience to Niagara Falls, KOP and I again added an hour to the Google projected travel time, with the hopes we could wander around Hamilton prior to the show.  The traffic gods, however, had other plans.  Luckily, we arrived with plenty of time to find parking, a rest room, and get checked in at a leisurely pace.

  • This was our first time at the Hamilton Fringe!
  • Graeme's show is at the Elaine Mae Theatre adjacent to The Staircase.  (Check their website for instructions on where to find alternate parking if their lot is full.)

  • The Elaine Mae Theatre is a cozy theatre space which comfortably seats approximately 40 people.
  • The venue has air conditioning.
  • There is a flight of stairs up to the venue.  Contact the theatre directly to see if they offer accommodations.
  • If you require a rest room, they will send you over to The Staircase.  (Which has a good number of stairs to get from the sidewalk to the main floor.)

  • Each Fringe attendee is required to purchase (and wear) $4 Hamilton Fringe button.  (We confused the volunteer staff outside the venue by trying to pay for the button with cash.  We apparently broke some generally known (except to us) norm.  We're still not sure what payment methods they prefer, as eventually they let us trade our sheet of plastic and our coins for two buttons.)
  • Fringe volunteers also have tip buckets and Fringe fund raising buckets, into which they request you donate cash in support of the Fringe.  (So apparently cash isn't taboo for everything.)
  • All ticket sale proceeds go to the performers.

 

On with the show...

  • The performance space is intimate, capable of seating approximately 40 people.
  • It is general admission seating.  If sitting at the front is important to you, arrive early.
  • Unless you are short and there's a tall person sitting in front of you, there are no bad seats in the house.  (The seating is NOT raked.  All the chairs are on the same level.  The stage is raised.)
  • The show is highly interactive.  There were more than a dozen volunteers and a segment which required the whole audience to participate.
  • Only a handful of the volunteers were required to get on stage.
  • Volunteers were treated with dignity and respect. 
  • While not crafted as a "children's magic show," the (guardian accompanied) children in the audience were very engrossed and entertained!
  • The show is targeted as "Parental Guidance (ages 13+)."  We feel this has less to do with the content of the show and more to do with young children's abilities to follow instructions and to sit still for the duration of the show (approximately one hour).
  • Graeme could have very easily created an entertaining show, performing his selection of magical effects as documented (and performed by countless other magicians).
  • With a delightful impact, however, he highly personalizes his conjuring, adding to the entertainment value of each of the sequences by making them unique to his "Graemazing Level 7 Wizard" persona.
  • The description for the show "Graemazing is a Level 7 Wizard with a black belt in card magic and a starfish badge in mind reading, totally real" tells you upfront that the show isn't going to take itself overly seriously! 
  • If you're looking for a show that invokes super heroes, comic books, trading cards, breakfast cereals, John Cena, and movies from the 90s, look no further! 
  • BONUS POINTS for a wonderful shout out to The Browser's Den of Magic.
  • There were many very strong, almost visceral, audience reactions to his well-crafted performance.
  • Graeme's improvisation expertise, combined with his re-imagining of classic effects, elevates his more than capable wizardry, and creates an engaging show unique to every audience!

 

The experience was unquestionably, Graemazing!

 

 

Disclosure:  KOP and I were guests at this show. The opinions expressed above are entirely our own. We did not receive compensation for the writing or the publishing of this article.

 

 

  2024 Hamilton Fringe     
Other magical Hamilton Fringe experiences: