Number
1181 - Saturday 11th February 2023
Jamie
Allan - Everything. I’m Jamie and this is my book, 'Everything'. It earned
that title because it touches on everything I know about this business.
'Everything' is not for everyone, but it is for people that are interested in
taking their magic to a wider audience. For close-up workers, it will show you
how to take your magic to the stage for thousands. For the stage workers, it
will describe stage illusion on an epic scale.
And if you’re not remotely interested in the practical details of making cars,
motorbikes and helicopters appear and disappear (which are described in intimate
detail), or learning the secrets of the bullet catch that fooled everyone, then
maybe the more practical stage illusions included are for you. Even if you hate
live illusions and just wanted to improve your show via direction or production
value, perhaps the information gleaned from years of performing might be of
interest.
And presuming you know all of the above, you might
enjoy the information that is more than worth the price of the book, as I give
you the inside track on how to promote, produce, and market your shows in
theatrical venues across the world. I might even tip that hat on how I raised
millions of dollars to produce the largest magic shows in the world during a
pandemic.
It’s an honest insight to the highs and lows of the last 40 years of magic and
how I made and lost huge sums. It is not, however, for anyone who does not dream
of a better show and a bigger experience for their respective audience. I have
tried to write the book I wish I had owned when I was starting out, as I had to
learn the hard way. It’s not been an easy task, but I’m very proud of the end
result and slightly worried that I have given too much away.
"Jamie thinks differently and this book can help you shake up your own thinking. (He has some good tricks too)." Penn Jillette.
[Jamie Allan - Everything is now available for pre-order and will be released at the Blackpool Magic Convention next weekend. Each first edition copy of Everything will be hand signed and numbered by Jamie, and will include a named certificate of purchase. To find out more and to place a pre-order see www.jamieallanbook.com. This is a book that I am sure will really excite and inspire magicians to take their magic ever forward, turning dreams into reality. DT]. 11.2.23
Mid
West Magic Convention, Ireland, 17th-19th November 2023. From the
organisers: Jay Sankey (Canada) and Micheal Finney (USA) are already booked to
lecture and perform in our Gala Show on the Sunday Night. For our first
convention, we are going all out. Our aim is to have at least 30 top-class
dealers from all over the world. We will also run Close-up, Stage and Junior
competitions. It's The Mid-West Magic Society's commitment to support younger
magicians and that's why we are offering free tickets for under 14's. Venue:
Treacys West County
Hotel, Limerick Road, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland. For more info and to be
added to the Early Bird ticket notification list visit
www.midwestmagicconvention.com.
11.2.23
The
Magic of Jon Gresham's Sideshows - Blackpool. Any magicians arriving early
in Blackpool for the convention may be interested in attending this free event
promoted by Showtown - Blackpool's Museum of Fun and Entertainment due to open
in 2023. On Tuesday 14th February at 2.30pm at Liberty's Hotel, Cocker Square,
Blackpool FY1 1RX, Jon Marshall will be regaling stories of living Headless
Ladies, Girls in Goldfish Bowls and Frankenstein’s Monster!
Showman Jon Gresham built a sideshow empire throughout the UK, mainly at
seaside resorts and back end fairs presenting his live illusion shows from 1955
to 1969. Similar shows featured on Blackpool’s famous Golden Mile tempting
visitors to spend their sixpences on attractions that had disappeared as part of
our popular culture by the early 1970s. Jon Marshall has researched, restored
and presented many of Jon Gresham’s creations and this illustrated talk will
vividly bring to life the strange and exotic sideshows of a bygone era. Just
come along – no need to book! Free admission. See
www.showtownblackpool.co.uk.
11.2.23
John
Archer Lecture - Hull Magicians' Circle. From the
organisers: John Archer needs no introduction to the magic world. He's a
brilliant comedy magician and an originator of some great effects. John was the
first person to fool Penn and Teller on their long-running series. This will be
a lecture you won't want to miss. Visiting Magicians are welcome to attend for
£5. The meeting starts at 7.45pm on Thursday, 16th February. We have a new venue: Men in Shed's Community
Centre, First Lane, Anlaby, Hull HU10 6UE. See
www.hullmc.org.uk.
11.2.23
Cards
At Many Numbers by Martin MacMillan. To be released at the Blackpool Magic
Convention next weekend. A twist on the popular Card At Any Number magic plot,
Cards At Many Numbers is a baffling five card prediction that you'll love
performing. Watch the demonstration video
Click Here.
The magician clearly displays a pack of cards to be in a completely random
order, then hands a spectator five different numbers. "These", the magician
claims, "are my lucky numbers", and proceeds to explain that cards will be dealt
from the pack to the positions of each lucky number in an order chosen by the
spectator. In explaining this, it's pointed out that there are 120 different
combinations of the five numbers, and if the combination is even slightly
changed, the located cards would be completely different.
The procedure is followed and the dealt to cards dealt are put aside. The
remaining pack is again shown to be random, and the located cards turned over.
At this point a prediction is removed from an envelope, and the five dealt to
cards are shown to have been perfectly predicted by the magician.
Only one prediction used. No outs. Easy to do. Self working. Numbers given in
spectator's chosen order (120 combinations). Full pack of cards displayed in a
random order. Prediction always correct. 3 individual routines. Find out more
and watch a demonstration at
www.internationalmagic.com.
11.2.23
Ian
Keable Lecture - Kent Magicians Guild. Mike Ingham writes: Very excited to
announce that Ian Keable is coming to lecture at the Kent Magicians Guild on
Tuesday 28th February. We meet at the Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks. Guests are very
welcome at only £5 per ticket, which will be taken off the membership fee if you
decide to join our very friendly club.
Ian Keable has been a professional magician for over 30 years, specialising in
comedy magic. He is the author of Stand-Up: A Professional Guide to Comedy
Magic. In more recent years he has concentrated on historical writing and
research, producing Charles Dickens Magician: Conjuring in Life, Letters and
Literature, and The Century of Deception: The Birth of the Hoax in 18th
Century England. He gives talks on both these subjects to organisations and
societies. In this lecture he will be performing and explaining tricks from his
repertoire of close-up, stand-up and magic related talks. For more information
or to secure a place, message me on 07724 273157.
11.2.23
Marc
Spelmann - Northamptonshire Magicians Club Patron’s Lecture. Nigel Quinn
writes: David Penn is proud to announce that his ‘Northamptonshire Magicians
Club Patron’s Lecture’ will be the one and only Marc Spelmann.
On the 7th March, in a special one off presentation, Marc will be sharing
routines, insights, and inspiration, with members and guest magicians.
David Penn has been a huge admirer of Marc’s work for a very long time, so we
know that this night will be very special. Free for members, and £10 for guests. 7.30pm at
Northamptonshire Magicians Club, Brafield on the Green WMC,
35 Bedford Road, Brafield-on-the-Green,
Northampton NN7 1BD
www.northamptonshiremagicians.uk.
11.2.23
Hull
Magicians' Circle Annual Dinner and Entertainment. A date for your diary -
Hull Magicians' Circle President Eddie Dawes, with his guests Fergus Roy and
Betty Davenport invites you to a night of sumptuous dining and sparkling
entertainment with a five course meal, pre-dinner close-up magic and a theatre
show featuring the eccentric and fun Abigail Collins, and the comedy magic of
Thomas Anthony and Darren Mac. It's held at The Canham Turner building,
University of Hull on Saturday 22nd April, 6.30pm for 7pm. Tickets £52 available
from www.hullmc.org.uk or
telephone 07936 584540.
11.2.23
Ted
Oldham Memorial Lecture and Chairman’s Dinner - The Ulster Society of Magicians. James Hobart writes:
Booking is now open for the next big event in the Ulster Society of Magicians
calendar for 2023 - the Ted Oldham Memorial Lecture and Chairman’s Dinner on 1st
April.
The afternoon lecture by Max Fulham will take place in Ballynafeigh Community
Association at the bottom of the Ormeau Road, Belfast at 2.30pm. The start time
for the evening is yet to be confirmed but will be upstairs in The Errigle Inn,
also on the Ormeau Road.
Due to venue licensing laws the evening event is restricted to patrons over 18
years of age.
Please reserve your place by sending the names of your guest(s) to Paula
McIntyre at vippykins@icloud.com or 0771 618 3298 and follow up with their
choices from the menu available online at
www.online-usm.com/2023-chairmans-dinner or from the USM Secretary on
request.
Contact Paula to arrange your preferred method of payment. Final Deadline for
payment and booking is 15th March 2023.
For those wishing to stay overnight in Belfast we would recommend you book the
Premier Inn in Alfred Street and will be arranging taxi transfers before and
after the event if there is sufficient interest.
Special guest at the dinner will be President of The Magic Circle Megan Swann
and she will be supporting Max Fulham on the after dinner cabaret show.
Please prepare your group of friends for an evening of fine food, raffle, magic
and laughter for the bargain price of just £39.50. Any questions can be
addressed to the Secretary, James Hobart, whose contact details, and other
information about the Society can be found on our website:
www.online-usm.com.
11.2.23
The
MagicWeek Video Archive. A new magic clip or show every week! This
week
Geoffrey Durham on the show the he jointly hosted, John Fisher's The
Best of Magic, from 3rd October 1990. See
The MagicWeek Video Archive. To see more from The MagicWeek Video
Archive
Click Here.
11.2.23
Michael
Murray on Craig Petty's Magic TV: 'Talk Magic'. Every
week Craig Petty sits down and chats with a well known magician; a creator, a
performer, or someone who has had a positive impact on the Magic Community. This
week: "Michael Murray - One of the highest respected mentalists of all
time" YouTube.
11.2.23
Three
Free Books For Magicians. Ian Rowland writes: I’m giving away three books to
magicians. The first is 'Tricks And Stuff', the 'lecture book' I wrote to
accompany my Magic Circle lecture last Monday. It includes 20 of my best (or
least worst) tricks and routines plus stories, musings and other bits. The
others are ’50:50 Fantasia’ (how to win any 50:50 bet) and ‘The CAT Test’ (fun
you can have with telepathy). These are genuinely free. There’s no
self-promotion or commercial motive. I’m not even harvesting email details.
Anyone in the magic world can have these three books. Also, magicians are free
to share the URL or the books themselves with their magic friends. See
www.ianrowland.com/magic.
11.2.23
The
Feb/Mar 2023 E-Video Newsletter. Mark Leveridge is pleased to offer his
latest online video programme featuring: The Teach In – learn a
commercial card routine direct from Mark's current strolling repertoire. Pro
Peeks – extracted from The Tool Box in the E-Club Pro Archive is an
explanation of the Goshman Pinch coin move. Keeping Control Unplugged –
part 29 expands further on ways to get and keep strolling audiences engaged with
your performance. The Trick Box – a brand new section in which Mark
performs and explains effects from books, lecture notes and elsewhere that
haven’t been seen much before. Web Offers – get your hands on a top kid
show routine and a classic feature close up effect, saving £4 on each one. 60
Seconds To Success – in this episode Mark discusses how best to manage show
arrival times. Access to the full 37 minute presentation is free, you simply
have to be signed up to Mark's no cost E-Club Lite, which delivers a monthly
email newsletter containing the link to the E-Video Newsletter. To join now go
to
www.markleveridge.co.uk/product/e-club-membership.
11.2.23
Brando and Silvana Lecture -
Liverpool Mahatma Magic Circle, Tuesday 14th February. Matthew Gill writes: The first lecture of 2023 hosted by Liverpool Mahatma Magic Circle
will be International Artists Brando and Silvana!
Originally from Argentina and currently residing in Barcelona, they are
specialists in the performance of theatrical magic.
In this lecture, Brando will present his book Paddle Move which features
over 80 effects with paddles, as well as the history and reason for its
operation. Welcome to the Paddlemania!
The date for this event is Tuesday 14th February and it will be held at St
Stephens Church Hall in Hightown, Liverpool, L38 0BL.
The meeting will begin at 8.30pm. Please do not arrive at the venue earlier than
8.15pm due to an event at the venue earlier in the evening.
Visiting magicians are welcome - Entrance fee £12. Venue: St Stephen's Church Hall, Hightown, Liverpool L38 0BL.
11.2.23
The
Young Magician of the Year Competition 2023. Just a reminder that the Heats
of the Young Magician of the Year 2023 will not be taking place at The Magic
Circle Headquarters tomorrow, Sunday 12th February. Please don't turn up as
there will be no-one there. As there are only a very few entries these will be
judged from video submissions. Watch this space for further news. Michael
Colley, Chairman, Young Magician of the Year Competition.
11.2.23
Zane's
Magic Shop - Blackpool Magic Convention 2023. Zane writes: Zane's Magic Shop
will be attending the Blackpool Magic Convention next week; the stand will be
located in the Horseshoe area - near the entrance. I look forward to seeing old
and new customers on the stand. There will be something to buy for every type of
magic; including some rare and out-of-print magic books (with some from my own
personal collection by Larry Jennings, Steinmeyer, Paul Harris and Michael
Ammar). Also, I've just added some new products to the website:
www.zanesmagicshop.com.
11.2.23
Inferno Aces present The History of Magic - Treeton, Rotherham, 24th February. From the promoter: An evening full of magic and illusion featuring four magical acts presenting tricks and tales from vintage sideshows, magic shows and circuses, through to the magic of today. You will see Lee Joseph, Lucy Luawana, Tom Magick and Gaz Neale come together to create a evening full of magic, illusion, dance, dangerous stunts, and escapes with a 1900s feel of a magic show or retro circus. Please note this may be unsuitable for some with strobe lighting and a little bit of bad language. Children under 14 are welcome at your own risk and must be accompanied at all times. Friday February 24th 2023 at 7pm at Treeton Miners Welfare, Arundel Street, Treeton, Rotherham S60 5PW. For more info and to book visit www.eventbrite.co.uk. 11.2.23
'The
Avengers' - update. Thanks to reader Craig Gilbert for emailing this
YouTube
link which features a longer version of The Avengers credits that I uploaded to
The MagicWeek Video Archive two weeks ago. This version was probably sourced
from a more recent release on Blu-ray, and looks great. DT.
11.2.23
"America’s Got Talent star Scott Alexander dies of stroke aged 52"
www.metro.co.uk.
11.2.23
"Magician
pulls off 'world's fastest magic' trick"
Click Here • "Magic, humor, & honesty with legendary magician Penn
Jillette"
Click Here • "Two illusionists fell in love. They opened Zubrick
Magic Theatre in St. Petersburg."
Click Here • "Eric Chien's mind-blowing magic will leave you in
awe. AGT: All-Stars 2023"
YouTube • "Jasper Cherry proves time travel exists with this amazing
magic act! AGT: All-Stars 2023"
YouTube • "Keiichi Iwasaki's charming magic will leave you wanting
more! AGT: All-Stars 2023"
YouTube • "America's top magician writes a novel"
Click Here • "Nintendo brings back rare Pokémon card 23 years later
after famous magician drops lawsuit: 'I was a fool'"
Click Here • And
finally, not magic, but theatre: "La La Land to be adapted into a stage
musical, directed by Bartlett Sher"
Click Here • Have fun if you are heading off to Blackpool in a
few days! Your UK magic news is always welcomed, see you next
week, Duncan.
11.2.23