Canada's Magic

31 March 2015

Thirty seconds with Chris Mayhew

This is the eleventh 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.

Professional magician Chris Mayhew, originally from Calgary but now living in Toronto thinks that Canada is a friendly place to be. He first came to Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp in 2013 with the task of creating the official camp video. He did such a great job, that he was back in 2014 as official camp videographer.

FUN FACT:
Chris prefers Oreos to store-bought chocolate chip cookies, but would take homemade chocolate chip cookies over Oreos any day!

DID YOU KNOW?
Chris considers himself to be shy.

Chris' first memory of magic is as a young teenager of 13, seeing the sign at the Vanishing Rabbit Magic shop in Calgary. It's not surprising that when he thinks about Sorcerers Safari, he thinks of magic! Chris encourages performers to take the time to make routines their own, and wishes that there weren't so many people out there spreading bad magic. His advice to aspiring magicians: "Learn what you can and make it work for you. Be sure to add yourself."

When not thinking about magic, Chris is likely thinking about videography.

Chris contributes to Five Academy Magic, has a solo lecture / show "MAYhew, MAYhem" and is also part of a comedy duo show "Sketchy Magic" with Chris Westfall. You can catch Sketchy Magic every Tuesday in April.

From Chris Westfall's Facebook page:

The best way to love is to laugh together. It's not a magic show, it's a #sketchymagic experience. Save a date. April 7,14,21 or 28! An amazing deal from feb 1st-14th. Stay posted for info #saveadate
Posted by Chris Westfall on Thursday, 29 January 2015

Visit Chris' website at: ChrisMayhewMagic.com .

From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

© Rebecca C. Wells 2014
Posted by Fireside Productions on Wednesday, 3 September 2014

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

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

30 March 2015

Rounding the Western rings in April 2015

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

City	Club	Event(s)
Calgary, AB	Ring 66 (Calgary Magic Circle, Les Brocklesby Ring)	- Shoot Ogawa lecture
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	- Shoot Ogawa lecture
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- Shoot Ogawa lecture
Fraser Valley, BC	IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle, Celeste Evans Ring )	- Third Monday Magic - Shoot Ogawa lecture
Vancouver, BC	Ring 92 (Vancouver Magic Circle)	- N/A
Vancouver, BC	SAM 95 (Carl Hemeon Assembly)	- N/A
Victoria, BC	Ring 183 (Victoria Magic Circle)	- Shoot Ogawa lecture

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Rounding the Central rings in April 2015

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- Assistants, auditions and rehearsal. - Stage workers.
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- TBA
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Prop and pocket management.
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- Magic auction.
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- Show and tell. - Executive Nominations. - Martin Cox and Will Gray lecture.
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- TBA
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Ben Train lecture

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

Rounding the Eastern rings in April 2015

Confirm details about dates and locations by visiting each club's website.

Halifax, NS	Ring 316 (Conjourer's Court)	- TBA - Visit their Facebook page.
St. John, NB	Magic Circle of St. John	- TBA

Please leave a comment or e-mail me about corrections or omissions.

29 March 2015

Broken wand: Eric Lenz

From Legacy:

LENZ, Eric
August 11, 1935 - March 6, 2015
On March 6, 2015 Eric Lenz passed away with his family by his side at his home, Rosewood Manor. Eric was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to Albrecht and Cecelia Lenz. His three siblings, sister Joan and brothers Norman and Albrecht (Chub), predeceased him. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 51 years, Donna; his sons Michael (Trish) and Graham (Aya); grandsons Zachary and Spencer; nieces Heather, Adele, Laura, Joanne and nephew Albert as well as many good friends. Eric resided in Richmond in the South Arm area for over 40 years. Long-time neighbours benefited from his great sense of humour and the value that he placed on their friendship. On his regular walks through South Arm Park, he was always happy to stop for a friendly chat with anyone he met. Eric worked as a salesman in the housewares/china industry to support his loving family. Second to them, his passion was magic and he was never happier than when on stage performing. He was awarded the Order of Merlin from the International Brotherhood of Magicians and a Life-Time Membership in the Vancouver Magic Circle. For more than a decade he entertained thousands across the country with the Magic of Cooking show. As a magic teacher, he taught at the Vancouver Technical night school program for 28 years. Many of his students went on to join the Vancouver Magic Circle, making it the largest magic club in North America.

Read more.

From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

Sorry to learn of the passing of another dear friend. Eric Lenz was an amazing man who did it all and loved every...
Posted by Shawn Farquhar on Saturday, 28 March 2015

Broken wand: Alexander Chervin

From Legacy:

CHERVIN, Alexander
Peacefully at home in his 101st year, on Sunday, March 22, 2015, surrounded by his family. Devoted husband of the late Edith Weinreb. Loving father and father-in-law of Ann and Justin Edwards, Michael Chervin, Nancy Chervin, Tamara (Tammy) and Steve Humphreys. Beloved "Papa" of Jasper, and Ian Edwards; Samantha, and Evan Fruchthandler; Jonah, and Samuel Humphreys. Dearest brother of the late Hyman Chervin; and brother-in-law of the late Betty and the late Jack Berman, the late Sadie and the late Sam Cramer, the late Sally and the late Ben Shenker.

Read more.

Read some of Phil Matlin's memories of Alex from the Perfect Magic Facebook page:

The first magic store I visited, somewhere around 1948, was Cramer's Magic Shop located on Bleury Street in downtown...
Posted by Perfect Magic on Tuesday, 24 March 2015

With thanks to Phil for letting me know.

28 March 2015

Congratulations Michael Fisher

From Captain Corbin's Twitter feed:

Very honoured to be receiving a 2015 Ontario volunteer service award tonight. for 5 years of volunteering with @MakeAWishSWO
— Captain Corbin (@Captain_Corbin) March 20, 2015

27 March 2015

Montreal: Outerbridge, Romaine and Trudel

From the Comedy Nest Twitter feed:

You won't believe what's happening @ the Nest on Sunday. (literally!) @canadasmagic Info & tix http://t.co/I0jxIicgY8 pic.twitter.com/uRO6neKh3x
— Comedy Nest Montreal (@comedynest) March 27, 2015

Dave Attwood interviews Kendrick ICE McDonald

From Dave Attwood's Twitter feed:

This week's episode featuring Kendrick ICE McDonald @icestormeg is now available at http://t.co/qJf08oO8dq pic.twitter.com/tgJPpbNLtC
— Dave Attwood Show (@DaveAttwoodShow) March 22, 2015

26 March 2015

Ariann Black in Westword

From Westword:

Ariann Black has worked as a professional magician since 1990, and she's a master of her enchanting art form. The Canada-born magician began practicing the art of illusion when she was just four years old, working her way through magic school and onto the world's stage. She's performed on television and now is a staple on the Las Vegas entertainment scene, working to elevate the visibility of women in the male-dominated world of magic. In advance of her two-night appearance at the Theatre of Dreams in Castle Rock this weekend, Black spoke with Westword about her decades of experience as a magician and what it takes to hone your craft.

Westword: What brought you to wanting to becoming a magician in the first place?

Ariann Black: I was about four years old and I had a cousin who would do magic tricks and he would never tell me how they were done. The first time I saw him do a magic trick, I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. He lived in a different city, so I went home and it took me a couple of months to sit down and figure things out. But once I got it figured out, it was about three months later and we went back to visit the family and I showed him what I thought the magic trick was and then he showed me another one.
At four, you don't realize that there is more than one magic trick out there. I was fascinated with the idea that there was more than one magic trick and you could do all sorts of things. When I was twelve, I saw Doug Henning on television, and prior to that I had been told that girls couldn't be magicians. But when I saw Doug Henning and I saw him with his look — he didn't look like that stereotypical magician — I thought, yeah, I can be a magician, too. He really inspired me.

Read more.

25 March 2015

Brian Roberts and David Merry at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Mississauga (Thurs): Brian Roberts

Pickering (Fri): Brian Roberts [sold out]

Toronto (Sun): David Merry

James Alan, over at Abracadaberet, has kindly offered the readers of Canada's Magic a coupon code for 50% off tickets to "Magic Tonight!" Use the coupon code cmagic when you buy your tickets for Magic Tonight to receive your discount*.

--
* Offer is subject to change without notice. Canada's Magic earns a commission when you use the coupon code cmagic.

Ty Reveen in The Telegram

From The Telegram:

In February, The Telegram told the story of the young Reveen taking over his late father’s show.

But before fulfilling what he calls his destiny in putting on his father’s tuxedo, around the mid-’80s Ty had some different ideas. They had a lot to do with blowing up the stage in the name of rock ’n’ roll.

“At that time Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind and Fire and other artists like that were starting to hire people from the magic industry to design ideas for them,” he says.

Read more.

From last month in the Telegram:

Newfoundland played a big part in the fate of The Man They Call Reveen and his son, Ty.

“When I was five years old, my father said, ‘One day, you will take over this show.’ So I always knew it. It was my destiny to do it,” Ty says.

Read more.

24 March 2015

Browser's Magic Bash special guest announced!

From the Browser's Den newsletter:

It's time to announce the 2nd mystery guest of the Browser's Magic Bash.

He's a globe trotting speaker and magician performing feel good magic for your brain. His popular YouTube videos have gathered over 10 million views worldwide.

Read more.

Thirty seconds with Chris Pilsworth

This is the tenth 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.

Professional magician, Chris Pilsworth is from Ottawa, Ontario. Magic Mike Segal, Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp founder, put the magic camp bug in Chris' ear some time ago. Finally Chris' curiosity got the better of him. He loves the positive atmosphere of camp and that it's not too intensive (it includes playtime!). He thinks it's especially great that the kids get to rub shoulders with high quality performers. He has attended Sorcerers Safari for four years.

FUN FACT:
Chris prefers chocolate chip cookies to Oreos.

DID YOU KNOW?
Chris is really happy that magic found him and / or he found magic!

Chris' first memory of magic involves his brother and magic books from the library. Chris is fascinated to see the evolution of magic. When asked his thoughts on the current state of magic he replied, "The world is changing and magic is changing. Magic's been around for a long time and will continue to be."
When asked about advice for aspiring magicians, Chris replied, "Enjoy the process. Be curious about becoming better. Be original. Try your best to express who you are through the medium of magic – don't be a direct copy."

When not immersed in magic, Chris enjoys reading, movies, volleyball and ultimate Frisbee.

Visit Chris' website at borntoamaze.com .

From the Fireside Productions Facebook page:

Post by Fireside Productions.

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

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

23 March 2015

North York: Monday night magic jam

From Mahdi Gilbert's Twitter feed:

MONDAY NIGHT JAMS: The Frog & Firkin - 8PM 4854 Yonge St, North York M2N5N2 Come hang out every… https://t.co/1xX07cEF3z
— Mahdi Gilbert (@mahdigilbert) March 18, 2015

Toronto: Best Magician Contest 2015

From the Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club Facebook group:

For anyone interested in competing, the magic contest hosted by A1 Chinese Radio is coming back this year. http://classicforce.com/Welcome_YLK5.php I've been informed that the deadline mentioned has been extended so you can enter for free until March 29.

22 March 2015

Canadians on the IBM convention schedule for 2015

Updated at 5pm to add:

- I was just reminded that this considered to be outgoing President Shawn Farquhar's convention so it would be awesome to have a strong Canadian contingent to show our support.
- Michael Dardant, from New Orleans who won the CAMaraderie close up competition at our last convention will also be there.

(Thanks for the note Joan!)

On the schedule, I spy Bill Abbott as well as the Outerbridges.

Who'd I miss?

21 March 2015

Sidney: Murray Hatfield

From the Mary Winspear Centre:

Sunday, June 7th, 2015

Sidney Shriners Club Presents
Murray Hatfield Magic Show
Shriner's Variety Show
Tickets can be bought through the Shriners Ticket Office 250-384-4427.

Read more and buy tickets.