Brian Roberts on Rogers TV

Rumour has it that Brian Roberts will be on Rogers TV Toronto, tomorrow at 10am and 3pm.

Thirty seconds with Lorena and Trevor Watters

This is the sixth in a series of "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews, so called because I approached the interviewees at Sorcerers Safari Magic and Performance Arts Camp last summer with the idea that I would interview them for 30 seconds. It didn't always work that way.

Lorena and Trevor Watters are professional magicians from North Delta, BC.  They both love the beautiful scenery and friendliness of Canada.  They first heard about Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp when Magic Mike Segal and his wife Jen approached them at the World Magic Seminar.  This was  Lorena and Trevor's third year as camp instructors.

FUN FACT:
They're both big fans of the original Star Wars trilogy..

DID YOU KNOW?
- Lorena's most embarrassing magic moment was at the West Coast Fair when wind blew her skirt up!  (Apparently they had a much bigger audience the next day!
- Trevor's pre-show routine involves him doing push ups against a wall for 10 seconds to help him relax and psych himself up.

The Watters, like so many of the adults who pass through camp, wish that something like this was available to them when they were growing up.  When they think of camp they think of amazingly talented kids, fun times and unforgettable memories.  To them it's the perfect place to learn "magical performance arts."  They've loved camp since the first day and look forward to it yearly.  Lorena sums up one of their favourite things about magic camp, "It's awesome to watch how much kids grow (both physically and magically) in a year."

Trevor's first memory of magic goes back to the age of 12.  He remembers his dad coming home from Las Vegas with some magic tricks.  That's when Trevor fell in love with the craft.  As for Lorena, her first solid memory of magic was in the very early days of dating Trevor.  Trevor asked her if she'd like to come back to his place to see an illusion.  Lorena added, "He asked if I could fit into a box on the floor.  Then he said he was going to put 12 swords into it. The rest is history."

Lorena wishes that more people would think of magic as an art form.  Trevor agrees and would like people to respect magicians as much as they respect actors, or lawyers.  Both of them have the same advice for the young magicians out there:  Practise makes perfect.  Don't be afraid to fail; some of their best material comes from epic fails.

We wish them all the best as they represent Canada in the FISM World Championship held in Italy this July!

Visit their website at TrevorWatters.com .

From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Post by Fireside Productions.

Previously published "Thirty seconds with ..." interviews:

Dan Wiebe | Eric Leclerc | Lisa Close | Alex Seaman | Ben Train

From the Sorcerers Safari Twitter feed:

Guarantee your spot at #MagicCamp Aug.15-19 2015. Tell your parents registration is on your wish list - it's now open at sorcererssafari.ca
— Sorcerers Safari (@SorcerersSafari) December 22, 2014

Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp Documentary 2014

If you've read my post "The secret to Sorcerers Safari's success," you'll know that Magic Mike Segal's magic camp is pretty awesome.  Words, however, cannot adequately describe the experience.  Check out Chris Mayhew's fabulous documentary filmed at camp last summer.  (If you look very carefully and don't blink, you'll even see me in the video!)

For those of you who want to go to camp, but are worried about being able to cover your costs, I encourage you to seek out the organizations and individuals who offer scholarships to Sorcerers Safari.


From Sorcerers Safari:

See what Sorcerers Safari Magic & Performance Camp is all about - from our campers perspective. 

2014 Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp ‘KIDS CUT’ Documentary from the Sorcerers Safari YouTube channel:  

After watching this documentary you’ll see what makes magic camp so special and why campers keep coming back year after year.  While the grounds are amazing, the teaching is top quality and the nightly shows are stellar, magic camp is much more than the sum of its parts - this documentary helps explain why. 

Sorcerers Safari Magic & Performance Camp runs at Camp White Pine in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada for one awesome week every summer.  For more information, or to join us this August 15th - 19th, 2015, visit http://sorcererssafari.ca/about/register-for-magic-camp-2015/

Sheldon Casavant at TEDxVancouver

From the TEDx Talks YouTube channel:

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Sheldon invites an audience member to call a friend and come on stage and put him to the test. A master illusionist with a great sense of performance and humour, Sheldon keeps his audience well entertained.

The Story of the Blaney Ladder Levitation

A little bird from the IBM head office told me that Walter Blaney turned 87 on February 11th.  If you haven't already, send him a happy birthday e-mail  (Walter AT walterblaney DOT com)!

In the video below, Peter Reveen speaks about the illusion, and if I'm not mistaken, Julie Eng has a cameo as well!

From the Walter Zaney Blaney YouTube channel:

The history of the famous Ladder Levitation Illusion as told by Walter Blaney himself. Guest appearance by David Copperfield, Lance Burton, James Dimmare, Jeff McBride, Peter Reveen, Steve Dacri and Stan Allen. A chapter in the documentary series Still Zaney After All These Years.

[via Carey Lauder and Ryan Joyce]