* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment * www.Alan-Watson.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #711 Date: Sunday 15th November 2009 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor's Message 2. Blackpool Magicians' Convention - February 2010 3. The Collections Of Dai Vernon & Bruce Cervon 4. Magic History Website, www.mahatmaland.com 5. John Taylor Engaged To Cherry Saville 6. Never Let Them See You Fail - #143 - Kyle Peron 7. Broken Wand - Donald N. Spurrier 8. Magic At The Beach 2010 9. Tony Griffith - Reflections Lecture/Teach-In Day 10. A Number Of Australians Have Already Registered! 11. French Annual Magic Convention - Paris 2010 12. Broken Wand - Lenny Greenfader 13. Elgregoe New Zealand - Lecture Tour Australia 14. Jantar Mantar'09 15. e-zine Archives 16. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- 1. Editor's Message -------------------------------------------- Historical help needed!  In reading "Trouping with Dante" by Marion S. Trikosko, it mentioned on page 84 "Dante's oldest Dolly had been married in New Zealand two years earlier, so she remained there." Now this poses some interesting questions - could some of Dante's grandchildren or blood relatives still be in New Zealand? If anyone has some information on Dolly I would really appreciate it if you could drop me a line.  Alan Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com -------------------------------------------- 2. Blackpool Magicians' Convention - February 2010 -------------------------------------------- Message by Derek Lever (UK) Where in the world could you see at least 19 lecturers at a magic convention? The answer is Blackpool Magicians' Convention from 19 to 21 February 2010. The impressive line-up includes Henry Evans, Levent, David Williamson, Andy Nyman, Mr. Tango, Juan Mayoral, Ed Ellis, Mario Morriss, Yigal Mesika, Mark Mason, Shoot Ogawa, David Kaplan, Banachek, David & Dania, John Bannon, Oscar Munoz, Jimmy Carlo, Pat Fallon and Quentin Reynolds. To attend just one of these lectures would be worth the price of admission to the Convention - but 19! That has to be a bargain! But that is not all for the weekend will also feature "An audience with Wayne Dobson" and "An audience with the illusionists". But the 'goodies' do not end there for there will be close-up from Henry Evans, Banachek, Yigal Mesika, David Williamson, David Penn, Mark Mason, John Bannon, Ed Ellis, Oscar Munoz, Shoot Ogawa, Harry Robson and Andy Nyman. The Sunday Gala Show features (subject to change) Han Seol Hui, The Great Kaplan, David and Dania, Clive Webb & Danny Adams, Huan Zheng, Levent, Russ Stevens, Yo Kato, Franz Harary and the irrepressible Ken Dodd. And if that is not enough to satiate your magical appetite there is also the chance to visit the stands of some 125 international dealers to see the latest miracles to add to your repertoire. And, of course you will also be able to meet all your old friends in magic and perhaps to make some new ones. If you have not registered yet (why not?) then log on to blackpoolmagic.com to download a registration form. The Blackpool Magicians' Convention is already the best magic convention in the world and 2010 promises to be even better! A great weekend with fantastic magic, new ideas, and a friendly atmosphere. Where else would you want to be? And if you end up hungry after all that magic you can even go to the After Gala Show Party and enjoy some traditional Lancashire Hot Pot and Apple Pie with Ice Cream! -------------------------------------------- 3. The Collections of Dai Vernon & Bruce Cervon -------------------------------------------- Message by Gabe Fajuri Sleight-of-Hand at Auction - The Collections of Dai Vernon & Bruce Cervon CHICAGO - Lovers of sleight-of-hand and collectors of magicana are already abuzz about Potter & Potter's January 30th, 2010 sale, featuring the collections of master magicians Dai Vernon and his student, Bruce Cervon. Dai Vernon (1894 - 1992), was widely regarded as one of the most influential magicians of the 20th Century, a revolutionary figure whose long life and career touched nearly every important magicain of the century. Many of his personal effects will be included in the auction. Among the highlights are: -          Dai Vernon's prop wooden prop case, including apparatus (cards, coins, Malini Egg Bag, Holdout, gaffs, silhouette shears and more) and tricks used by Vernon. -          Of historic significance is Vernon's first and most personal scrapbook, begun upon his emigration to New York City from Ottawa in 1915. Jammed with photographs of Vernon and his contemporaries, it serves as a unique archive of mostly unpublished images from magic's golden age and beyond. -          In 1933, Vernon was one of an elite group of magicians elected to membership in the Academy of the Art of Magic. The medallion bearing Vernon's initials and the Academy's logo will be offered in the sale. Recently cited by Magicol, journal of the Magic Collectors' Association, as one token "you will never see," this example, in very good condition, is one of three known to exist (only 12 were originally struck). -          Many association items from Vernon's collection will be offered, as well. Among the vintage photographs signed and inscribed to Vernon are images of Cardini, Malini, and David Bamberg (Fu Manchu). Especially interesting is an early one-page letter to Vernon from a young Doug Henning, asking to become Vernon's student. -          In 1922, Vernon flummoxed Houdini by performing close-up for the great magician and completely baffling him. This earned Vernon the title of "The Man Who Fooled Houdini." Houdini images from Vernon's collection will be included in the sale, including a handsome, early photo, ca. 1906. -          Bruce Cervon (1941-2007) moved to California from Akron, Ohio in the mid-1960s to study with Vernon. His long career included many appearances before Hollywood's elite, as well as a lengthy list of corporate clients. Items from his private library, including unique annotated manuscripts, "underground" texts on sleight-of-hand (privately circulated), and apparatus from his 40+ year as a professional entertainer (including his parlor and trade show acts) will be offered. -          Of specific interest to scholars will be the sale of Cervon's correspondence. Hundreds if not thousands of letters received from magicians detail not only gossip and personal information, but the finer points of various tricks and magic routines. -          In addition , the sale will include over 100 lots of genuinely rare and collectible books and apparatus. Among the highlights of these portions of the sale will be a T. Nelson Downs-style coin ladder, props owned and used by Nicola, his father Nicoli, a horde of limited edition signed books from L&L Publishing, unusual Thayer-made apparatus, scarce Mysto magic sets, as well as early texts on gambling, spiritualism and stage magic. The sale takes place on January 30th, 2010. For questions on any lot in the sale, contact the company in Chicago by calling 773-472-1442 or emailing info@potterauctions.com. View the illustrated catalog (available the second week of December), and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet through www.potterauctions.com. Live bidding will be handled through Potter & Potter's partner site, www.LiveAuctioneers.com. Potter & Potter Auctions, Inc. 1719 W. Leland Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Phone: (773) 472-1442 Fax: (773) 260-1462 info@potterauctions.com www.potterauctions.com -------------------------------------------- 4. Magic History Website, www.mahatmaland.com -------------------------------------------- Message by Tom Ewing I will mention that I've added three new items to my magic history website, mahatmaland.com. Some years ago I published a manuscript called Kellar's Egyptian Hall: America's Premier Temple of Illusion." For cost considerations it was printed in black and white. I have now taken that manuscript and added color throughout. There is a color sample of one of Kellar's program's two full-color Kellar posters, and other improvements. I also have placed on the site an interesting account of Houdini in Philadelphia when he was battling fraud mediums that were written by Walter Gibson many years ago. Gibson helped Houdini on the night of his big medium exposure on stage. It too is illustrated. And finally, I have a long article on Thurston's connection with Philadelphia. I hope readers will enjoy it and I plan in the future to do something on Alexander Herrmann's Theater that he owned on South Broad Street, the death of the Chess playing automaton in the old Chinese Museum, and much more. I invite everyone to come visit. It's all free. -------------------------------------------- 5. John Taylor Engaged To Cherry Saville -------------------------------------------- Message by John Tayor (Aust) John Taylor and his lead magic assistant Cherry Saville are very happy to announce that they are now engaged.  Rhodes, Greece Nov 10, 2009. -------------------------------------------- 6. Never Let Them See You Fail - #143 - Kyle Peron -------------------------------------------- Message from Kyle Peron (US) magic4u02@aol.com http://www.kyleandkellymagic.com You're standing on the stage in front of a large crowd who have come to see your show. You are excited and the adrenalin is flowing through your body. The audience is loving every minute of it and you know you have them in the palm of your hand. Everything is as it should be when.......SCREECH... everything comes to a halt in your mind because you realize you forgot a move or missed a steal. Your heart starts to pound and that notion of being 1 step ahead of the audience falls by the wayside and is replaced by this fear of "what do I do now?" Many of us may laugh at the above scenario and many of us are probably shaking our head right now agreeing with the entire thing. The reason is that if you perform any style of magic, chances are you have found yourself in this spot on more than one occasion. The problem as to why this happens is varied as it can be from nerves, improper set up, or just plain memory lapse. Why it happens is not so much the main focus of this article. However, what you do when this happens I feel is something worth talking about. No matter how much you practice, rehearse and go over your set up, you will never be perfect. There will always be times when things just go wrong. After all we are only human and that thing called "Murphy's Law" seems to follow us entertainers around a lot more than others. Learning to accept this simple fact is the first step in realizing how to address it when it does happen. There are a couple golden rules that I have come to learn over the years about this very topic. Some come from the knowledge of magicians before me and some come from just the sheer act of having it happen to me and learning from it. - Never let your audience know you made a mistake in the first place. It is so easy to get this "deer in headlights" look when we realize something has gone wrong or not as we had planned it. However the only way an audience will know you made a mistake is if you actually tell them. If you allow your body language or patter to reflect obviously that a mistake happened, then that is the only reason they will even know. The best advice when a mistake happens is to keep going on with your routine or act and do not let the audience know anything. If you maintain composure, the audience will never know the difference. - The only person who knows what is supposed to happen is YOU. This is a very important concept for any magician to remember. You are the only one who knows in your mind how the act or routine is supposed to play out. The audience only knows based on what you show them as the act unfolds. With this in mind, you can always go off of your normal routine and switch gears anytime you want. If you realize this simple point, it can allow you to change direction in the event something does not go according to plan. - Realize that there is power in improvisation. Some of my best routines have come from the simple fact that I had to improvise when something did not go as planned. By allowing yourself to improvise, you can often create some great ideas that you may never have thought of. - Learn to create "outs" in your routines. By "out" I simply mean to evaluate your routines and realize potential problems ahead of time. By defining these problems, you can create alternative courses of action and learn to use these when a situation presents itself. Remember that failure is never failure unless you fail to learn from it. Even when something does not go according to plan, we can take a step back, evaluate it and gain incite from it. If you even learn one thing from it, then failure really becomes a stepping stone to your success As always, I encourage you the readers to let me know your thoughts. So if you have any thoughts on my articles or suggestions or comments, please feel free to e-mail me directly at magic4u02@aol.com. I would love to hear from you. - I would like to let everyone know that I just released a NEW book and E-Book to the magic Community. "Blue and Gold! The Complete Guide to Working the Scout Market!" is now available as a soft cover printed book as well as an ebook download. - "Encore! Creativity in the Art of Magic" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/Encore.html - "Tips and Techniques on the Chair Suspension" Ebook. Order online now at: http://www.magicenhancer.com/ChairSuspension.html -------------------------------------------- 7. Broken Wand - Donald N. Spurrier ------------------------------------------- Message from Duane Price Feb. 28, 1934 - Oct. 27, 2009 Donald Nelson Spurrier, 75, of Huntsville passed away last week. He was a senior partner in the law firm of Spurrier, Rice and Forbes and practiced law in the surrounding area for many years. Donald's great passion was for his magic, which he performed and collected from the age of 9 years old. He was preceded in death by his wife of 40 years, Pat Spurrier. Don was a long time member of the IBM and one of the founding members of Huntsville's Ring 194. This past summer Don was inducted into the Order of Merlin - Excelsior for maintaining sixty years of continuous membership in the IBM. Don's vast knowledge of magic and his ability to teach others will be missed by all members of the magic community. -------------------------------------------- 8. Magic at the Beach 2010 -------------------------------------------- Message by Obie Obrien (US) Myrtle Beach's premiere magic convention, Magic at The Beach 2010, will be held Thursday, January 14th through Saturday, January 16th 2010 at the beautiful Ocean Dunes Resort and Conference Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA. Convention room rates at the resort are $49/night and all rooms have an ocean-view. I'd say we are off to a good start already. On Thursday night a Welcome Reception and an Escape Themed Cabaret' Show will be held in the "Houdini Lounge" for all convention registrants. Food and drink will be served and an impressive display of authentic Houdini props and magic items can be seen presented by one of the United States most serious Houdini collectors. And so the fun continues . Friday and Saturday are pleasantly paced with competitions for cash and prizes in both close-up and stage presentations, workshops and lectures from some of the most notable names in the world of magic, a Cabaret' show, a Close-up Show (featuring FISM winners Rick Merrill and Rocco Silano amongst others) and a room full of dealers and vendors offering a wide variety of magic miscellanea. Not having a great time yet? Then you should know that . Saturday night offers up a Public Gala Show at the beautiful Palace Theatre to benefit The Children's Museum of South Carolina. Some artists who have already committed to the show include World Champions of Magic, Shawn Farquhar from Canada and Soma from Hungary. David Kaplan, the runaway hit of the 2008 Combined IBM/SAM Convention, will perform and Illusionist Jay Mattioli from "America's Got Talent" will be featured. We have also added the services of Ken Scott as Master of Ceremonies for the show. A select block of tickets for this public show have been set aside and will be provided complimentary to all convention registrants. So that's the basics . of course there's the bragging rights that you attended the first magic convention of 2010 anywhere, let alone the first magic convention in Myrtle Beach ever. Oh yeah, there's also the premium magic swag bags which all advance registrants will receive and much, much more. So make plans now to attend and please help spread the word because this event is not to be missed! Please see: www.MagicAtTheBeach.org for more about the convention, artists and schedule. We'll see you there. -------------------------------------------- 9. Tony Griffith - Reflections Lecture/Teach-In Day -------------------------------------------- Message by Tony Griffith (UK) Introducing Tony Griffith and his Reflections Lecture/Teach-In Day A day-long event for those looking for a more in depth discussion and learning experience Sunday 18th April 2010 £40 (Includes Lunch and Tea) (£35 if booked before 31st January 2010) Tony Griffith has considerable experience in the world of magic having lectured throughout the U.K. Europe, the U.S.A., Australia and New Zealand. He has lectured to The Magic Circle on 7 occasions and at The Magic Castle in Hollywood on 5 occasions, where he has also given over 100 performances. Tony is a Gold Star Member of The Inner Magic Circle. His three recent publications Reflections, Further Reflections and Final Reflections which contain many of his award winning routines have received great reviews in the magic press (see his web site www.tonygriffith.co.uk) The Day will cover a variety of areas such as Close Up Magic in the real world, Corporate Entertainment, Presenting and Organising a One Man Show, After Dinner Speaking/ Entertainment, How to book into Schools, Promotion, Publicity and Organisation. You and Your Future. Schedule 1030 - 1100 Arrival, Coffee & Biscuits 1100 - 1300 First Session 1300 - 1415 Lunch 1415 - 1630 Second Session 1630 - 1700 Light Tea & Departure The very intimate nature of the day means that all questions can be answered fully, and the day is organised so that it can cater for the individual interests of those attending. Numbers attending will not exceed 12 persons If you are interested in having a more in depth look at magic with an experienced professional, please contact Tony: 13 Church Road, Norton Malreward, Bristol. BS39 4EX +44 (0) 1275 835463 tony@tonygriffith.co.uk -------------------------------------------- 10. A Number Of Australians Have Already Registered! -------------------------------------------- Message by  Mick Peck (New Zealand) The Incredible 30th New Zealand International Magicians Convention, June 2010 Thanks to those who have already registered for the upcoming convention, and also to everyone who has contacted us with messages of support. Lots of hard work is going on behind the scenes to ensure a phenomenal event. We're bringing you an incredible lineup of talent including Darren Carr, John Carney, Whit Haydn, The Lovely Debbie McGee and our headliner, international superstar magician Paul Daniels. Plus several special guests still to be announced, as well as a few other surprises... Important reminder about the free registration prize draw: a random draw is being held on the final day of the convention and one of the first 50 registrants will win their registration fee back in full. At the time of writing we've received 30 registrations, if you want to be in with a chance to win then I suggest you get your details into us NOW! Overseas registrants are most welcome, visit our website for further information. Thanks! The Incredible 30th New Zealand International Magicians Convention, Auckland: Saturday June 5th, Sunday June 6th, Monday June 7th 2010 http://www.scmc.co.nz/convention.html Full day "Inside the Mind of Paul Daniels" Masterclass: Friday June 4th, 2010 http://www.scmc.co.nz/masterclass.html Questions? Comments? Need help or further information? Mick Peck mick@mickpeckmagic.com 09 238 5167 027 404 8981 International Calls +64 9 2385167 -------------------------------------------- 11. French Annual Magic Convention - Paris 2010 -------------------------------------------- Message by Gilles & Valerie (France) We are organizing our next 2010 French Annual Magic Convention in Paris, next October 21 - 24. A place of exception has been chosen for you ... at Disneyland Paris - France. See our website : http://paris2010.magie-ffap.com If any further questions... Gilles Mageux artistes44@magie-ffap.com -------------------------------------------- 12. Broken Wand - Lenny Greenfader -------------------------------------------- Message by Jerry Wiesenberg (USA) Thought I would advise you that Lenny Greenfader, famed New York magician died May 24 of this year. His friends in New York were unaware of his passing until now. Lenny was well known by many magicians and he was an expert card and coin manipulator. A testimonial for him will be given in New York by his friends in IBM Ring 26 on November 20, 2009. -------------------------------------------- 13. Elgregoe New Zealand - Lecture Tour Australia ------------------------------------------- Message by Greg Britt (NZ) Elgregoe New Zealand - Magic That Works - Lecture Tour Australia. Elgregoe will be jamming a whole host of surprises into this lecture. In the past year The Queen awarded Elgregoe the NZ Order of Merit, New Zealand Magicians presented him with the Grand Master of Magic Award and The Variety Artists Club The Top Children's Entertainer Award. Come and hear much of why Elgregoe has magic that works! He will share on edutainment, Educating thru entertainment, plus there will be stage magic, crowd breakers, magic with a vent puppet and some hot marketing tips on how to get more shows. He will have with him his 3 latest DVDs, lecture notes and a wide range of unique props. Brisbane: Monday 23rd November 7.30pm Venue Red Brick Hotel, cnr Stephens and Annerley Road, Wooloongabba Entry $25. More info www.ozmagic.com.au or phone Dave Lord 0411333531 Melbourne: Wednesday 25th November 7.30pm Venue: Engosh, Unit 2, 75 River Street, Richmond Entry $25, concession for wives / partners More info www.mrtricks.com.au/events or phone Graham Etherington (03) 97865481 Sydney: Thursday 26th November 7.30pm Venue: Taylors Magic Shop, 11 Spring Street, Chatswood. Entry $25, More info go to www.taylorsmagicshop.com or Phone Sean or Diana (02) 94116233 Perth: Monday 30th November 7.30pm Venue: To confirm. Entry $25 Non WASM member, $20 WASM member For more info contact ray@perthmagic.com or phone Ray on (08) 94400155 -------------------------------------------- 14. Jantar Mantar'09 -------------------------------------------- Reported by "Kakinada" Sreenivas (India) Jantar Mantar '09, the 3rd national level convention was held at Tirupati, India on 7th & 8th November. Over 650 delegates were attended this wonderful convention. The organizers made all arrangements, which made the convention a big hit. Legendary magicians like Uday Jadugar, Prof. Sankar, K.S.Ramesh, B.V.Pattabhi Ram, & Arun Bonerjee attended this convention. The first day began with registration at 8.30 am. All the delegates collected their convention kit that includes a bag, memento, certificate, badge, some magic tricks with food coupons. The inauguration ceremony started at 10 am with a magic show by Ms. G. Ramyasree and the convention was inaugurated Magician B.N.S. Kumar. Then there was the dealer's demonstration. More than 40 dealers demonstrated some of their best products. Then we had delicious lunch. Stage magic competition for juniors was conducted after the lunch. Ten aspirants were competed for the trophy and cash prize. Magician Krun Krishna (Karnataka) won 1st place. Magicians Aswinraj (Kerala) & Ms. Sanjusha (Kerala) won the 2nd & 3rd. Then Yona, Nageswara Rao & Pradeep performed Lecture cum demonstrations. They were well received by the fellow magicians. The grand gala show was opened for the public started at 6.30 pm after having high tea. The shows presented by Dts Anand, Jayam Jammu, Arun Bonerjee & Bonanee Bonerjee, Yona, Brij Mohan, Ramyasree, Stick Manohar, Sanjusha, Aswinraj, Karun Krishna, Magic Ali, Hasheem & Balaji stole the hearts 1500 spectators who were present. The second day's session started with Stage magic competition for seniors. 23 aspirants competed in the competition. There are some wonderful shows by Junior Nayan, Ranjitha Kudroli Ganesh & Kowshik. However, Magician Sameer Patel, Nirmal Kumar & Arjun grabbed 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively. Lecture demonstrations were performed in the post lunch session by B.V. Pattabhi Ram & Kudroli Ganesh, which were well received. The organizers felicitated senior magicians and the gala performers on both days. The award function started at 6.30 pm. The chief guest Chinnamgari Rmana, Osd, Ttd, distributed cash prizes and trophies to the winners. Magicians B.V. Pattabhi Ram & B.N.S. Kumar were honored with lifetime achievement award. The grand gala show started at 7.30 pm. The artists were Magician Alex, Dayanidhi, Sawanth, Smeer, Nirmal Kumar, Poornima Aacharya and Kudroli Ganesh. Magican Vijayakumar of Vishakhapatnam performed the ancient mango tree item. The show enthralled the 2000 spectators. The organizers Ravi Reddy, Raghubabu, Narasimha, Balaji, & Parasuram received a standing ovation from the magicians for the arrangements they did for this successful convention. More than 30 TV channels and 15 newspapers covered the two-day extravaganza of magic. -------------------------------------------- 15. Magic New Zealand e-zine Archives -------------------------------------------- Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e-zine go to www.watson.co.nz/fezine.html Both the User Name and Password MUST be entered in lower case to gain access. User Name: magic Password: kiwi When you enter the archive the e-zines are in issue order and are coded. Eg 001 Nov06 1999.txt first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999) -------------------------------------------- 16. Privacy Policy and Copyright Notice -------------------------------------------- Our subscriber list is NOT made available to any other companies or individuals. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. You can subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Magic New Zealand® E-zine at www.Alan-Watson.com Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday. The opinions expressed therein are those of the individual contributors and not necessarily those of Magic New Zealand®. Neither Magic New Zealand® nor Alan Watson vouch for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, message, statement, or other information reported via Magic New Zealand® E-zine. Subscribers to this publication and authors who contribute to it by doing so agree they will not hold Magic New Zealand® or Alan Watson, jointly or individually liable or responsible in any way for the opinions expressed therein. Magic New Zealand® reserves the right to alter, correct or disregard any articles submitted. Readers are encouraged to submit timely articles or news items which may be of interest to subscribers. By submitting articles to this e-zine, the authors grant Magic New Zealand® the right to publish such articles and such authors confirm their copyright of the material submitted. All works published by Magic New Zealand® are protected by international copyright legislation and articles must not be published for profit by anyone other than the individual authors without the written permission of Magic New Zealand®. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this publication may be freely redistributed, but not sold, to other magicians if copied in its entirety, including the copyright notice below and the above disclaimer. © Copyright 2009 Alan Watson