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The 24th gathering of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiqueswas held this past July in China. As nearly 100 acts from around the world vied for the top prizes, Wittus Witt was there taking notes and photos. |
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| Thousands of magicians have appeared on the Palace stage, which is the only showroom in the Magic Castle that requires a full-time stage technician. And for all but the first decade, the position of Stage Manager/Theater Director has been held by one man: Bryan Lee. Bryan has worked with the most famous names in magic on and off the Palace stage. He has worked tirelessly during his more than 22 years on the job, lobbying local lighting and sound companies to contribute improvements to the lighting and sound systems, maintaining the technical aspects of the stage, spearheading a major redecoration of the showroom, and booking the acts for Sunday (now weekend) Brunches. He also met the lovely and talented Mystina, his wife of fifteen years, performing on the Palace stage. Additionally, he’s created magical effects and built magic apparatus for dozens of magicians. |  |
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John Kaplan has been touring Canada for thirty years, performing his unique brand of family-friendly magic for audiences in practically every major city, as well as some of the country’s remotest communities. Along the way, his Fundraising Magic program has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for hundreds of community organizations. But when I met him in 1971, he was simply a red-haired, freckle-faced teenage magician my mom hired to perform at my younger brother’s eighth birthday party. I had no idea at the time, as I sat watching him make candies appear from a small metal tube, what a profound influence he was to have on my life. |
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The world of fiction is rich with magicians and mentors, great conjurors and learned instructors. Most familiar to modern readers is the faculty of Hogwarts, where Harry Potter and his fellow wizards toil over ancient spells. But in the real world, only one school has reached a reputation that comes close to touching that mythic institution, having provided instruction to thousands in the fine art of manipulation, and inspiring thousands more. It is the Chavez Studio of Magic, formerly known as the Chavez College of Manual Dexterity and Prestidigitation. |
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Since Warren Gibson opened his elegant magic nightclub a decade ago, magic has been far from dormant on the volcanic island of Maui. Warren & Annabelle’s has provided a steady flow of close-up and comedy for Hawaiian tourists and locals alike. All right, you’re not the only one who has never heard of Warren Gibson. And why in the world would almost half a million adults spend from $56 to $100 to watch a magician in Maui do two hours of close-up in a ninety-seat theater competing with 400 other island activities? You might bump into one of those unanimously satisfied customers, some of whom have seen the show five, ten, and fifteen times! Or, you may just read on. |
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News stories covering: the magic that Michael Jackson would have done had his show opened in London this summer as planned, pieces of Jay Marshall’s collection donated to the American Museum of Magic, Kevin & Caruso now starring in two shows aboard Carnival cruises plus producing two more on other ships, the winner of the Magic Circle’s Young Magician of the Year, FISM 2012 to be held in Blackpool, and a farewell to Martin Nash, plus our ongoing Comings & Goings and Who’s Where listings.
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Fourteen products are covered this month by Michael Claxton, Peter Duffie, Gabe Fajuri, Brad Henderson, and John Lovick. Spellbound: The Wonder-Filled Life of Doug Henning by John Harrison
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Vinny Deponto returns with one of the most offbeat applications for a thumbtip ever devised, and Gregory Wilson gets snookered while thinking outside the Magic Square. Wolfgang Moser offers a new way to pass out your business card, and France’s Yoann Nnaoy provides a visual sandwich change.
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DEAR SHOW DOCTOR: I just perform magic as a hobby, so far, but I read your column every month. I love magic, and I would really love to quit my horrible job and just do magic for my regular job. The problem is I don’t seem to be getting many offers for paying shows. I’m considering using my skills to do walk-around or restaurant work, but I’m in the dark. How do I go about getting a steady job at a restaurant? Do you have any sense about how much money I can expect to make in tips there? Is this a viable way for a magician to earn a living these days? — Joseph P.
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Today, matchboxes are old fashioned and romantic, perfect for lighting a pipe or finely rolled cigar. At one time, fine hotels, restaurants, and bars had bowls of matchboxes sitting on their hostess stands. But amid growing public condemnation of smoking, the matchbox seems to be going the way of the cigarette case. And the lowly paper matchbook doesn’t hold the same allure as a sturdy box. A matchbook is disposable; a matchbox is a memento, recalling a certain time and place. People tend to hang on to matchboxes for years; and for the following routine, the older the matchbox, the better. So go look in your junk drawer, your medicine cabinet, or at the bottom of your old luggage and dig up a forgotten souvenir. Hopefully, you’ll be reminded of fond memories.
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It’s absolutely true: in watching other performers, we can see ourselves. We sometimes make the same mistakes or the same brilliant choices, but don’t recognize them until we observe them in someone else. Through this series of articles, enhanced by the accompanying videos you can find at www.MAGICmagazine.com, you can learn from watching other performers as I gently point out ways that their material can be improved, as well as the aspects of their acts that are working well. Although they refer directly to the video in question, these points also carry over as general principles of performing. There are many right ways of doing things, and these are a few options.
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