Thank you to our June 2015 friends and sponsors!

Thank you to John Smithman and John Harrison for being Friends of Canada's Magic!

Thank you also to our sponsors for their generous support.

This site would not be possible without their backing.

We're grateful to have the support of:

• Clive Court - The Fun-da-Mentalist,
• Evelyn & Phil Matlin, owners of Perfect Magic 
• Jeff Pinsky, owner of The Browser's Den of Magic and 
• Michael Fisher, aka The Amazing Corbin, aka Captain Corbin The Magical Pirate!

The next time you see them, let them know you saw their sponsorship here!

For more information about purchasing Sponsored Posts or about our Platinum, Gold, or Silver level sponsorships, please visit our Sponsorship page.

Or you can Be Our Friend for only $20 per year! 

Donations of any size are always welcome.

Who's where June 2015

Leave a comment on this post to let us know where you're going to be this month!  (Confirm details with event organizers / venues.)

• Monday Night Magic Jams in Toronto

• Catch Every Trick in the Book starring @billabbottlive and Gray Matter starring @bobbymotta every Fri. & Sat. night! pic.twitter.com/xSH1GfrQqJ

  — Dave & Buster's T.O. (@DnB_Toronto) May 15, 2015

• Greg Frewin in Niagara Falls 
• Magic Sundays with James Jordan in Calgary

Jump to date: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30

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3	Daniel Steep at the Manitoba Summer Fair
4	Michael Close and Matt DiSero at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic   Sheldon Casavant at Marty Chan's book launch ("Infinity Coil," part of the Ehrich Weisz chronicles) WARNING! This information is ABOUT THE FUTURE and seeing it may affect the timeline! I'll be on these shows June 4-6. pic.twitter.com/ipfXnhQwbz — David Acer (@David_Acer) May 16, 2015   Daniel Steep at the Manitoba Summer Fair
5	David Acer at the Comedy Nest in  Montreal, QC   Daniel Steep at the Manitoba Summer Fair
6	Peter Mennie's "Abra Kid Abra" at the London Fringe   David Acer at the Comedy Nest in  Montreal, QC   Daniel Steep at the Manitoba Summer Fair
7	Jason Palter at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic   Peter Mennie's "Abra Kid Abra" at the London Fringe   Bill Abbott at Top Secret Magic Day in the UK   Daniel Steep at the Manitoba Summer Fair
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10	If you haven't heard, I'm in the Toronto Festival of clowns from June 10-14th. Come on down! It's almost free! http://t.co/KXAGHLPYH4 — Mark Correia (@Mark_Correia) May 15, 2015
11	Jason Palter at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic   Mark Correia in  the Toronto Festival of clowns
12	Mark Correia in  the Toronto Festival of clowns
13	Chris Funk in St. Joseph, MB   Peter Mennie's "Abra Kid Abra" at the London Fringe   Mark Correia in  the Toronto Festival of clowns
14	Ron Guttman at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic   Mark Correia in  the Toronto Festival of clowns
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17	Le Lab Magique presents: Eric Girard, Krin Haglung, Gabriel Boileau et Fredo.
18	on June 18th I'll be rappelling off the side of London City Centre to raise funds for the @MakeAWishSWO https://t.co/zKtTvDxC3R — Captain Corbin (@Captain_Corbin) May 19, 2015   Paul Pacific at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic
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20	Celebrate the Child with Shawn Farquhar (Richmond, BC)
21	Phil Pivnick at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic
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25	Brian Roberts at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic
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27	Mega Magic Saturday in Calgary, AB   Jordan Murciano in Aurora, ON
28	Chris Funk in Kincardine, ON   Lukas Stark at Magic Tonight (50% discount with coupon code cmagic Woot woot...Just picked up my tickets for Chris Westfall's one man show "MAGIC.....or ILLuSIOn?!?!"… https://t.co/sqo718RoH0 — Chris Westfall (@westfallmagic) March 16, 2015
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Top 5 posts in May 2015

It's been another busy month for news with over 40 posts!  Here are the most viewed posts at Canada's Magic this month:

5. May sale: 40% off yearly sponsorship rates! - Be a sponsor or be a friend!

4. Montreal: Le Lab Magique - Their shows look like a lot of fun!

3. Keith Brown's 2015 Fringe tour - One down, how many more Fringes to go, Keith?

2. Review: "A Series of Unfortunate Effects" - I need to make a point of watching this soon.

and the most viewed post this month  ...

1. Thirty seconds with Chris Pilsworth - summer's here!  It's Sorcerers Safari time again!

Rounding the Western rings in June 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)	- Mike Powers lecture - Annual General Meeting - Mega Magic Saturday
Edmonton, AB	Edmonton Magic Club	- Mike Powers lecture
Winnipeg, MB	The Magic Club of Winnipeg	- Mike Powers lecture
Fraser Valley, BC	IBM Ring 387 (Fraser Valley Magic Circle, Celeste Evans Ring)	- Mike Powers 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)	- Mike Powers lecture

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

Rounding the Central rings in June 2015

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

Montreal, QC	Ring 62 (20th Century Ring)	- TBA
Hamilton, ON	Ring 49 (The Doug Henning Magic Wand Club)	- TBA
London, ON	Ring 265 (London Magician's Guild)	- Year end dinner.
Kitchener, ON	Ring 235 (The Caesar Hat & Wand Magic Circle)	- TBA
Ottawa, ON	Ring 151 (Ottawa Society of Magicians)	- Year end party.
Ottawa, ON	Ottawa / Gatineau magicians	- TBA
Toronto, ON	Ring 17 (Sid Lorraine Hat and Rabbit Club)	- Year end dinner featuring Chris Mayhew and Chris Westfall in "Sketchy Magic"

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

Rounding the Eastern rings in June 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.

Canadian magic in The Globe and Mail

It's nice to see mentions of Brent Smith (Vanishing Rabbit), Zack Mirza (Illusions of Grandeur), Darcy Oake, Ron Keller, Shawn Farquhar, and Jeff Pinsky (The Browser's Den of Magic).

From The Globe and Mail:

As curio shops go, Brent Smith’s Vanishing Rabbit is all things magical. Attached to the ceiling is a series of old billboards advertising the greats through the ages – Houdini, Sorcar, Mandrake and a young Doug Henning as Chou Chou (pronounced Shoe Shoe), the clown who actually sold shoes for a living.

Inside Mr. Smith’s store, a creepy-looking Charlie McCarthy puppet sits above display cases filled with easy-to-perform tricks and novelties, including the ever-popular Fart Extinguisher.

“It’s a big hit with the kids,” Mr. Smith says as he emerges from behind a counter holding a deck of Svengali playing cards. “I sell a lot of cards, too. Magic is really hot right now.”

Read more.

Billy Kidd in the Globe and Mail

From The Globe and Mail:

The name is Billy Kidd, only she’s not a kid or even an outlaw. She’s one of the very few women who perform magic tricks instead of acting as the male magician’s lovely assistant.

Born in Edmonton, now based outside of London, Ms. Kidd is so good at her craft she has been featured on the Discovery and Syfy channels, and entertains throughout Europe, Asia and Japan. She found her inspiration several years ago watching a street magician in Edmonton.

As much as she enjoyed the magic, it was the crowd’s reaction that resonated with Ms. Kidd.

Read more.

Wish Shawn a happy 50th birthday!

If you can't make it to Shawn Farquhar's birthday extravaganza, be sure to wish him a very happy birthday!

(He says it's three years in the making, but isn't it 50 years in the making?)


From Shawn Farquhar's Facebook page:

RSVP if you can attend. Really... #ibmprez #keepcalmandperformmagic
Posted by Shawn Farquhar on Saturday, 23 May 2015

Review: Keith Brown's "Absolute Magic"

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Keith Brown's "Absolute Magic" was absolutely mind-bending, mind-boggling and mind-blowing. His upclose magic with cards brought "oohs," the telepathic tricks brought "ahs," and if you've had the pleasure of seeing Brown before, you know that the sewing needles brought "ooooooh — no he didn't!"

The show is quite simple: There's no music, no wild sets, no fancy assistants. He gets by with the few props he needs for his tricks — a deck of cards, some neckties, needles and thread. The razzle-dazzle of Brown is in his charming smile and charismatic personality.

Read more.

Chris Mayhew at "Magic Tonight"

Confirm details by visiting Abracadabaret.com

Toronto (Sun):  Chris Mayhew









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.

Eric Leclerc's new show: "Mystéric au DÉFI!"

From Eric Leclerc's Facebook page:

Je présente mon tout nouveau spectacle "Mystéric au DÉFI!" Dans les écoles et théâtres partout en Ontario dès Septembre! Préparez-vous! :)
Posted by Eric Leclerc on Tuesday, 12 May 2015

Welcoming a new Friend: John Harrison

Welcoming our newest Friend, John Harrison!

John is a longtime magic enthusiast from Creemore, Ontario. One of his favourite places to be is Canada's oldest magic shop, The Browser's Den of Magic. In John's words, "the world needs brick and mortar magic shops in it." [Editor's note: I agree.]

Thank you John, for becoming an official Friend of Canada's Magic!

Interview with the World Grand Champion of Magic

Part one of the interview from the Greg Frewin Theatre:

We love sharing magical ideas with all our readers, from our favourite family movies to some easy magic tricks for kids. However, when it comes to magic, there's no better topic than Greg Frewin! So why not get an interview with the World Grand Champion of Magic himself? We sat Greg down (and trust us, it's not that easy! Between performing in one of the top Niagara Falls attractions, creating new illusions, building the sets, and enjoying time with his family, he's generally pretty busy) and got him to answer some questions about how he came to be a magician, what has inspired him, and how he creates his show.

Read more.

You can find part two of the interview:

It's what you've been waiting for! It's the second part of our interview with the World Grand Champion of Magic, Greg Frewin. During part one of our interview, Greg outlined what influenced him when he was younger and figuring out what he wanted to become (if you haven't read part one, click here). Today, Greg will reveal some of the backstage elements of his show.

Read more.

The Fox and the Hounds comedy tour

From David Merry's Twitter feed:

On with the guys wednesday morning @HumbleFredRadio chattin' comedy, @canadalaughs @siriusxmcanada for our tour pic.twitter.com/Fpu53yVXuc

— David Merry (@davidmerry) May 20, 2015

Review: "A Series of Unfortunate Effects"

From the Magic Junkies:

Coming in at around 90 minutes, A Series of Unfortunate Effects is a fun, engaging and wonderfully unique instructional DVD featuring some of the best card magic I’ve seen in some time. The movie (yep, I’m calling it a movie) features appearances by Lee Asher, Jeff Hinchliffe, Glenn West, Chris Westfall, plus the creators Chris Mayhew and Ben Train. Bill Abbott even makes an appearance as a maniacal card collector – hey if the shoe fits  Even without the card routines and explanations, I thought the movie was really fun with several laugh out loud moments. The chemistry between Chris Mayhew and Ben Train provides an enjoyable romp through underground card magic. (I’ll take this moment to mention that Chris Mayhew cracks me up!) The video itself is shot in HD and edited beautifully, with great attention to detail throughout. The appearances and card routines are just icing on the proverbial cake. It is a creative adventure that is a joy to watch.

Read more.

A bit about Chris Westfall and the Porcelain Princess tour

From Chris Westfall's post in the Browser's Den of Magic Facebook group:

People Keep asking about my Ontario Wide tour, so here is a sneak peak of my most creative show! Inspired by a cirque du soliel format Its a family style illusion show jam packed with laughing, gasping, screaming, magic, illusions, and an awesome story line plot! Its filled with different styles of Juggling and a hook like ive never done before! Hopefully we will have it in Toronto before the Canada Wide tour begins. With Bella M. Eurta.

Watch video on YouTube:

New insight into the John Giordmaine - Doug Henning connection

From the curator of the Johnny Giordmaine tribute site:

I am very excited to bring you news about the latest addition to JohnGiordmaine.com, the online tribute to Canada's most beloved children's magician (Johnny Giordmaine, 1898-1974).
Brian Lumley, who used to work for Doug Henning, provides the first ever-in-print anecdotal evidence of Johnny's influential mentorship with Doug. 

Since I reposted Doug's 1989 "retirement from magic" letter last December (first published in Genii) in which he thanked "the late John Giordmaine" ahead of Dai Vernon, Slydini, Jay Marshall and others, I have tried to find a reason why Doug thanked Johnny first and foremost. Theirs must have been a very special kind of mentorship and friendship but nowhere in any of the magical history literature has there ever appeared any documented evidence for it. 

Until now. 

Brian Lumley recalls a very special "Spellbound" backstage tour in late December 1973 which Doug gave Johnny mere hours before Johnny's heart attack which would ultimately prove fatal. With this breakthrough recollection we at long last have the very first eyewitness account in print of what it meant to Doug to have Johnny as a friend and mentor. 

Only now can we really begin to appreciate the reasons why Doug Henning thanked "the late John Giordmaine" first in his "letter of retirement". 

This story appears nowhere else to date to the best of my knowledge. It will hopefully open the door to future further research into Johnny's pivotal influence on arguably Canada's most internationally famous magician of the 20th century. 

You can read all about it, exclusively, here: 

www.johngiordmaine.com

TVO: Katherine Mills in "Mind Games"

From TVO:

Prepare to be shocked and amazed as acclaimed magician Katherine Mills blends her extraordinary understanding of popular psychological science with astonishing trickery and illusion, making us question what is real. This is a compelling, playful series packed full with fascinating psychological revelations and wondrous magic, as Katherine combines her skills as a world-class illusionist with her extensive knowledge of the human mind. People of all ages and backgrounds are left stunned, confused and amazed as they take part in her breathtaking experiments. Katherine Mills: Mind Games proves that, while we like to believe we are in control of our minds and behaviour, in reality we are as predictable as clockwork!

Read more.

Toronto: Norman Beck lecture

From the Norman Beck Lecture & Workshop Facebook page:

Tickets and additional information at: http://bit.ly/nbeck

Discover one of the best kept secrets in all of magic:

"Norman Beck fools me every time I see him. He was kind enough to let me put one of his effects on my last TV Special. He is very clever."
-David Blaine

“Stormin' Norman Beck is of my favorite people and magicians. He’ll make you laugh with his zany humor and that good-old-boy twang, and he’ll fool you with his diabolical thinking, methods, and routining."
-Steve Forte

"There are only a few people in the world that I would consult with, share ideas, get advice, and their critique about magic, such a man is Norman Beck."
-Asi Wind

Norman is brilliant. He has created some of the seminal tricks in Magic and you should listen to what he has to say and use his ideas. Some of the biggest names in Magic already do!"
-Peter Samelson

Read more and buy tickets.