Invitation to the IBM/SAM Combined Convention

From the IBM/SAM Combined Convention Facebook page:
June 30 - July 5 in St. Louis

Post by IBM - SAM Combined Convention.

Greg Frewin on Global TV

From Global News:

Thu, May 15: Greg Frewin is a world renowned magician and the first and only winner of: “The International Grand Champion of Magic.” He accomplished the title after winning first place in 20 different countries, stretching to six continents. This is the ninth consecutive season of Greg’s Live “Imagine” show currently taking place in Niagara.

Buffalo: Matt DiSero at Rob Lederman's Comedy club

From Matt DiSero's Twitter feed:

Buffalo people ! I'll be at my old friend Rob Lederman's Comedy club on Saturday night! rare club appearance for me. http://t.co/gqZP0D250r
— Matthew DiSero (@MattDisero) May 22, 2014

Mark Correia in Strait from the Heart

From 50 Good Deeds:

Here’s what I had not seen, until now: A young magician who’s willing to spend two weeks inside the (increasingly rank, we assume) confines of a straitjacket, in the middle of a hot Canadian summer.

But that’s what’s happening this July. His name is Mark Correia, and he’s doing it to raise money for Parkinson’s disease. Mark, who is also an actor, is a graduate of Etobicoke School of the Arts and currently enrolled at The National Theatre School of Canada. Mark is a longtime admirer of Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 and currently supports research through his non-profit foundation.

Read more.

Houdini: The Pickleman punch and J. Gordon Whithead

From "The Pickleman punch" at Wild About Houdini:

We all know J. Gordon Whithead punched Houdini in the stomach in his dressing room at the Princess Theater in Montreal on October 22, 1926. It's debated whether or not the punch caused or just masked his fatal appendicitis, but all agree that Whitehead's punch was the start of a chain of events that would lead to the magician's death on Halloween. But in his seminal work, The Man Who Killed Houdini, author Don Bell uncovered evidence of two other punches delivered by McGill University students during Houdini's stay in the city that might extend that chain a little further back.

One of those punches is said to have occurred in the lobby of the Prince of Wales Hotel. However, that incident is questionable as it only comes via second-hand sources, so I'm going to save it for another time and another post. The punch I want to discuss today is the first of the three for which there is strong evidence. This punch or "test" occurred on October 19, 1926, when Houdini was giving his lecture at McGill University. Bell calls it "the Pickleman punch."

Read more.

From "Is this J. Gordon Whitehead at McGill in 1926?" at Wild About Houdini:

Recently our friends at the Houdini Museum in Scranton and Joe Notaro of HHCE turned up an amazing archive of yearbooks from McGill University. Of course, it was a student from McGill, Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead, who punched Houdini in his dressing room at the Princess Theater on October 22, 1926. Could these books give us our first look at Whitehead as a student?

There is only one known photo of Whitehead, taken almost 25 years after the Houdini incident when he was in his 50s. Because he never graduated, there is no individual yearbook photo of him as a student. However, this group shot of the "Arts '28 Class" in the 1926 yearbook is said to include a "Whitehead, J.G." (as well as Gerald Pickleman, who also "tested" Houdini that week). Unfortunately, it doesn't specify which student is Whitehead.

Read more.

Toronto: David Peck at the Global Change Initiative

From Global Change:

May 30- June 1, 2014
Toronto City Hall Council Chamber 

the global change initiative 

is an annual meeting of collective minds spanning the world of academics, corporate, institution and government; all brought together in Toronto’s core for a two-day, three-night interactive Summit. Sustainability, conscious consumerism and responsible thought leadership rule the weekend. 

MEET David PeckHis paramount passion is contributing to the international development community. He has worked in collaboration with organizations such as UNICEF, Plan, STN, Make Poverty History, and World Vision. He has provided consulting services for health, literacy and restorative justice projects in Cambodia, Mongolia and throughout parts of Africa. He currently devotes much of his time to managing SoChange.

Read more.

Win tickets to see The Uncertainty Project in Toronto

Updated May 30th:  The contest is now closed and the winners have been announced!

I have been offered four pairs of tickets to give away to my readers, to attend "The Uncertainty Project" in Toronto, Canada.

I will be holding a random draw for each pair of general admission tickets.  (There will be four winners. Each winner will receive a pair of tickets.)  The draw results will be posted on Friday, May 30th.


To enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me your favourite thing about James Alan.  (You do not need to be a magician to enter the contest.)(Your favourite thing could be that he offered tickets for this contest!)
2. Leave your name, along with a way that I may contact you (e-mail address, phone number, website, Twitter handle etc.) so that I can notify you if you win.
3. If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and contact information for me to share with Abracadabaret.

The fine print:

• To participate in the contest, you must be 18 years of age or older.
• One entry per person.
• This giveaway is open to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (Je m'excuse!)
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you experience difficulties leaving a comment, you may e-mail it to me for posting.  (I am not responsible if your e-mail is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.)
• You must be able to use the tickets as offered.  (No cash value will be offered if you cannot use the tickets.)
• The odds of winning depend on how many people enter the contest.
• Contest closes on Thursday May the 29th at 11:59pm EST.

With thanks to James from Abracadabaret for generously making these tickets available to you!

Victoria: Mirth and Magic Show

From the Victoria Magic Circle:

The Victoria Magic Circle presents Mirth & Magic - an evening of magic and comedy featuring the award winning magic of Steve Hignett, Zanthera, Murray Hatfield, and Jason Verners. Competing for the Wansborough Best Comedy Magic Trophy; Donald Dunphy, Craig McKee, Michael Macheck, Dave Morris.

May 24th, 2014.

Berwick Royal Oak

Read more and buy tickets.

Toronto: SOULO Theatre Festival

From James Alan at Reality Based Magic:

Tickets are now on sale for the SOULO Theatre Festival, May 22-25 in Toronto. SOULO Theatre, created by Tracey Erin Smith, highlights solo performances and one-person shows with a focus on personal storytelling.

This is the second year of the festival and I’ve joined their team as their general manager, thanks, I’m sure, to my mother teaching me to make elaborate spreadsheets so I could survive managing Camp Black Belt all those years ago – love you!  (Insert joke about “Selling my soul-o” here.)

The entire festival takes place at The Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street). The quality of the performers is exceptional. I was at the launch party which was preceded by a showcase of four short solo shows which were wonderful, heartwarming, disturbing and uplifting (but not necessarily in that order).

Read more.

Victoria Day sale: 40% off yearly sponsorship rates!

Show your support for Canada's Magic,

"the finest location for up to date information on magic in Canada."

Canada's Magic is offering, for the rest of May, a 40% discount on the listed price of any one year advertising package.  Qualifying packages include the Platinum, Gold, and Silver annual rates. (This offer does not include Sponsored Posts.)

Join the company of patrons Clive Court (The Fun-da-Mentalist), Evelyn & Phil Matlin, owners of Perfect Magic and Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic and sponsor us (or be our friend) today!

Our patrons make this site possible. 

For more information, please visit the "Sponsor" tab, leave your question in a comment below or send an e-mail.

Thank you for your continued support!

Calgary: Calgary International Children's Festival

From Calgary Kids Fest:

May 21-24 

Sheldon Casavant 

Passionate about magic from a young age, Sheldon is a highly sought after performer, with a repertoire of magic that is contemporary, fun and highly interactive. 

Sheldon is also hosting a student magic workshop. 

Read more.

Watch Wow Ryan in this festival promo video on YouTube:

Toronto: The Uncertainty Project by James Alan

It's worth noting that Early Bird tickets are available until May 18th, at a very deep discount.

From The Uncertainty Project: 

June 18 - 21 

James Alan appears on stage. Live and unexpected things happen. There is surprise…again and again. Odd things take place that don’t fit neatly into our tidy view of the universe.

This is The Uncertainty Project. Your viewpoint will be turned upside down. Not so gently.

The Uncertainty Project is a presentation of illusion and astonishing moments of wonder unlike the City of Toronto has ever known. It’s about what we know and what we don’t know. It’s about what will happen next or what should happen next…but doesn’t. A leap of faith or a pondering of possibilities. Learning that our assumptions are faulty and that our senses are unreliable.

This isn’t a magic show. This is a show of impossibilities.

Read more and buy tickets.

London: The Amazing Corbin in A Night at the Moulin Rouge

From the Grand Theatre:

May 29, 2014
Join us in celebrating four decades of professional theatre at the 40th Annual Grand Gala fundraiser! 

This RUBY anniversary celebration brings The Grand Gala back to The Grand Theatre MainStage, where guests will enjoy a one-of-a-kind sit-down dinner, frenzied auction activity, and the sights, tastes, and sounds of an opulent Moulin Rouge theme. 

THE AMAZING CORBIN
Corbin is a modern, vintage and limited-edition entertainer, presenting practically-perfect prestidigitation for your pleasure. Corbin has been performing all over Canada for close to 20 years. He is currently the President of the London Magician's Guild, a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and is often featured on London's Rogers Television. Corbin looks forward to meeting and entertaining everyone at The 40^th Annual Grand Gala event. 

Read more and buy tickets.

The Amazing Randi Day at Browser's Den

From The Browser's Den of Magic:

What a wonderful surprise we had last Saturday at Browser's Den.

At about noon none other than The Amazing Randi entered the shop!!! He walked in with his entourage including the president of the Randi Foundation.

Randi was wearing black cape and stylish fedora and sporting a walking cane with a silver skull at it's top.

There were about ten magicians at the shop whose mouths dropped open very wide...I think that I could have pulled out a 50 foot mouth coil from their mouths they were so wide.

I pointed out to Randi that we had a framed poster of him hanging on the wall above the table that magicians hang around and chat.

Randi sat down in the chair directly below his poster. 

Read more.

Be a part of The Magic Festival!

From The Magic Festival:

The 2nd Annual Magic Festival will be held in June of 2014 and we’re now building our database of artists who wish to showcase.  We will be in need of magical artists who can do one or more of the following disciplines:

Street Magic ¤ Comedy Magic ¤ Stage Magic ¤ Close Up Magic

Children’s Magic ¤ Restaurant Magic ¤ Bar Magic

The MAGIC Festival will be produced in a similar fashion to a Fringe Festival.  This means we award artists with extraordinary acts the opportunity to produce their productions as part of the Festival at minimal costs.  By using the bulk buying power of the Festival we have been able to secure several venues at reduced rates.  By presenting several presentations by various artists in the same venue the cost of renting a venue is a fraction of the normal costs.  There will be very few paid positions, several volunteer positions and a good number of producer positions for solo artists or groups wishing to present a compilation style show.

Read more and apply.

Greg Frewin: Nine years in Niagara Falls

From CHCH:

It is a little bit of Las Vegas right here at home. Magician Greg Frewin has performed over two thousand times over nine years at the Greg Frewin Theatre. He is here to give a taste of what you will see.

Calgary: Thomas Baxter lecture

From the Vanishing Rabbit:

Mentalist THOMAS BAXTER will be lecturing at the Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop
MAY 23rd 

Would you like to be able to perform a full- evening show with just the contents of a briefcase, get paid MORE than someone per- forming a complete illusion show, and get standing ovations at every performance? Or perhaps you'd just like to completely astonish your friends and family with NO PROPS, but just your own understanding of human behavior? Thomas Baxter can show you how.

Tom is a professional mentalist from Canada and has been one of Canada's most successful mystery performers for well over 30 years. He’s performed his one-man show in 31 countries around the world, entertained on cruise ships, created and starred in television specials, in night clubs and has even presented hundred of theatrical seances.  

Read more and buy tickets.

Montreal: Lab Magique

From Regroupement des Magiciens Québécois:

May 21 

Laboratoire experimental pour magiciens et artistes de variety 

With Erick Electrik and Bernard Lebel 

Read more.

[via Perfect Magic]

Montreal: Spectacular Sunday!

If you're not going to be at Gordon's birthday bash, you should definitely consider attending Spectacular Sunday!

From the Comedy Nest:

Sunday June 1st 

You won’t believe what’s happening here on June 1st… literally! Five world-class magicians take over the Nest for a hilarious and mind-boggling spectacle where so many laws of physics will be broken, Stephen Hawking might show up and give them a ticket! Catch JONATHAN BURNS (Late Show with David Letterman), RICHARD SANDERS (Just For Laughs), ROMAINE (The Magic Castle), ANGELO THE AMAZING FOOD MAGICIAN and more on this special night of awesome astonishment! Reserve your tickets now! 

Read more and buy tickets.

Toronto: Diabolical Deceptions

From the Diabolical Deceptions: Dealing with Devils, Magic & Mystery! Facebook page:

May 31 

With:

• James Alan

• Mind Bender

• Chris Mayhew

• Baldini

• Bella Muerta

Read more.