Michael Close's November 2019 newsletter

Just finished reading the November newsletter from Michael Close.  You may be interested in:

• A couple of Stephen Bargatze stories that are very entertaining, especially if you hear Michael's voice reading them to you!
• Michael tips us to a film to begin shooting in Toronto and Buffalo next year.
• Michael Close has a podcast for subscribers, titled "Conversations with Close."   This month's guests are Merrill and Bargatze. 
• Michael wrote up a fabulous review of the recent Ontario Week of Wonder Magic Convention.
• From the playing card patent files by Lee Asher.
• The Magic of Science 
• It's Not Magic... But
• The Art of Conjuring by Mick Ayres.
• A nice shout out to Jonah Babin's Discourse in Magic interview with Ryan Hayashi. 
• A Ricky Jay tribute by Tom Zito.
• Technically Speaking by by Bruce Kalver.
• and many other newsworthy tidbits from the magic community!

Sign-up at MichaelClose.com to receive Michael's newsletters. 

Magic and the Mind

From the November 5th post "Magic and the Mind" by Evelyn Matlin at Perfect Magic:

As most of you know, I was treated for cancer, and had Chemo and a robotic operation and now I’m back and so far so good. I was anxious to get back to the shop. A new customer came in and I picked up Cardtoon to demo it and I had no idea how it worked. I asked Phil. He said, “I never did it. You always demo it.”  I put it aside.

When he left I sat down with the deck and for the life of me, I could not remember how to do it. I opened a new pack to read the instructions and it was so complicated I couldn’t understand it. Then I remembered that whoever bought it, I showed them how it worked because the instructions were so complicated I felt they would take it home and never use it. It’s such a simple trick so I took a few minutes and showed them the secret so they would never have to look at the instructions. Still I couldn’t remember it or follow the instructions.

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Ontario: Outerbridge Clockwork Mysteries

From Ted Outerbridge:

• November 30, 2019     Rose Theatre, Brampton, ON
• December 31, 2019     Oakville Centre, Oakville, ON
• January 10, 2020         Imperial Theatre, Sarnia, ON

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Vernon: Shriners Variety Show

From the October 26th article "Vernon Shriners Variety Show to feature award-winning Canadian illusionists" by Brendan Shykora in the Vernon Morning Star:

Award-winning illusionists Murray Hatfield & Teresa are set to wow a Vernon crowd as they headline the upcoming Vernon Shriners Variety Show.

The Victoria duo, who were named Magicians of the Year”by the Canadian Association of Magicians, will perform at the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre on Dec. 6.

Fans of the Penn & Teller: Fool Us may have seen Murray Hatfield and Teresa on the popular TV series in 2017, or on stages around the world.

Aaron Gregg, Comedian and previous Guinness World Record holder for juggling chainsaws, will be there to warm up the crowd at the event. Rounding out the show is master bubble artist Geoff Akins-Hannah, who will attempt to put a person inside of a bubble.


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Moncton and Enoch: The Clairvoyants

From Casino New Brunswick:

TUE MARCH 31, 2020

Thommy Ten and Amelie Van Tass(The Clairvoyants) were both born and raised in Austria and now reside in both Austria and America. When they met in 2011, they began to develop their “second sight” act, andtwo months laterbrought itto the stage for the first time. Within a year they had developed a full-length show. Shortly thereafter, they began touring Europe. In 2014, they received their first long-term contract in America when they performed in the showThe Illusionariumby JeffHobson. A custom theatre was built for this show on the cruise ship “Norwegian Getaway”. After a six-month run inThe Illusionarium,they were offered a featured spot in the largest touring magic show in the world,The Illusionists,produced by Simon Painter. As part of the brand-new showThe Illusionists 1903,they toured Australia, Mexico and the Middle East after which they continued withThe Illusionists 2.0andThe Illusionists —Live From Broadway. A highlight of their career was the opportunity to perform at the Sydney Opera House.This winter they are experiencing another career highlight, appearing in the showThe Illusionists —Turn of the Centuryat the Palace Theatre in New York City, on Broadway. In 2016, they decided to take part in the biggesttalent show in the world, “America’s Got Talent.” After four months, six different performances and more than 100,000 contestants, America voted them second place. In October 2016 they appeared, together with winner Grace Vanderwaal, at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Being a part of that show was another major step in the evolution of their careers. Van Tass and Ten were awarded the “German Champions of Mentalism”, “Magicians of the Year”, 2015 and, were enthusiastically chosen as the “World Champions of Mentalism, 2015”, a prize that hadn’t been awarded in 30 years.

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From Ticketmaster:

Apr 03, 2020
River Cree Resort & Casino

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