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* Magic New Zealand®
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Issue Number: #1754
Date: Sunday 24th March 2024
Editor: Alan Watson QSM
www.watson.co.nz
E-mail: Editor@magicnewzealand.com
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Hi here is the latest news
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1.
Editor's Message
2. 2025 FISM - Italy
3. FAQ - About FISM World Championship Of Magic
4. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #148
5. March Issue Genii Magazine
6. April Magic Castle Performing Schedule
7. I.B.M. Annual Convention - Tacoma
8. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 67
9. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #79
10. Destined To Be - John Carey #226
11. E-zine Archives
12. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice
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1. Editor's Message
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If
you would like to read the Magic New Zealand E-zine in HTML
format go to: http://www.magicnewzealand.com/ezine-archive/2024-Jan-to-Dec-2024/1754-Mar24-2024.html
If
you would like to write a regular column for Magic New Zealand
or
have some magic news drop me a line:
Editor@MagicNewZealand.com
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2. 2025 FISM - Italy
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The
most important magic competition in the world
* 150 competitors.
* More than 3000 magicians present from more than 50 countries.
* 100 handpicked merchants
* 6 days of unforgettable magic
* 1 banquet
* Exchanges between magicians (jam sessions)
* And more
https://fism.org/
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3. FAQ - About FISM World Championship Of Magic
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Here,
we've compiled a list of the most commonly asked questions
to help you navigate the intricacies of the competition.
Whether
you're a seasoned magician planning to compete, a magic
enthusiast, or just curious about the rules and procedures
of this prestigious event, these FAQs are designed to provide
clear and concise answers.
From
participation criteria to performance guidelines, we've
covered essential topics to ensure you have all the information
you need for a successful experience at the FISM WCM.
Q: Who can participate in the FISM World Championship of
Magic (WCM)?
A: Any magician who has attained the FISM Level and is a
member of a FISM-affiliated society, with the necessary
authorizations, can participate.
Q: Are there any restrictions on previous winners participating?
A: Yes, contestants who have been awarded a Grand Prix in
previous WCMs are not allowed to compete again with essentially
the same act.
Q: What are the categories in the contest?
A: The contest includes Stage Magic and Close-up Magic performances,
with specific subcategories such as Manipulation, General
Magic, Stage Illusions, Comedy Magic, Mental Magic, Card
Magic, Micro Magic, and Parlour Magic.
Q: How is the jury composed and what is their role?
A: The jury consists of 7-9 judges for each category, including
a chairman. The judges are responsible for awarding prizes
and ensuring adherence to FISM contest rules.
Q: What are the judging criteria?
A: Contestants are evaluated based on Technical Skill/Handling,
Showmanship/Presentation, Entertainment Value, Artistic
Impression/Routining, Originality, and Magic Atmosphere.
Q: Can acts be disqualified?
A: Yes, acts that are copies of another performer, involve
pre-arranged arrangements with volunteers, or are below
FISM standards can be disqualified.
Q: What are the rules regarding act duration and content?
A: Acts must be at least five minutes and not more than
ten minutes (except for Mentalism). They must be complete
acts, not single tricks, and adhere to legal requirements
for music and other rights.
Q: Are there specific awards for invention?
A: Yes, the jury can issue awards for invention in both
stage and close-up categories. Inventions must be part of
an act and claimed during registration.
Q: How is the Grand Prix awarded?
A: The Grand Prix is awarded in the second phase of judging
for both Stage and Close-up Magic, based on the highest
total points from judges.
Q:
What are the language requirements for the performances?
A: Performances can be in any language. However, if the
act relies significantly on language for understanding,
it is recommended to provide English translations or subtitles.
Q: How can contestants apply for the FISM WCM?
A: Contestants must apply through their national magic societies,
which are affiliated with FISM. The societies are responsible
for the preliminary selection and nomination process.
Q: Are there any specific regulations regarding the use
of animals in performances?
A: Yes, there are strict guidelines regarding the humane
treatment of animals. Acts using animals must comply with
these regulations and demonstrate ethical treatment throughout
the performance.
Q: Can participants use assistants in their acts?
A: Yes, participants are allowed to use assistants. However,
the use and involvement of assistants must adhere to the
overall rules and artistic integrity of the performance.
For
more information on FISM go to: https://fism.org/
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4. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #148
-------------------------------------
Message by Paul Stone (US)
A
lot can happen in a week! This time last week I was enjoying
the hospitality of Alan & Michele Watson in Auckland,
and today I'm back in Liverpool after a long 35 hour journey,
including 24 hours in the air. Whilst definitely survivable,
I wouldn't recommend doing it too regularly!
But
being a creature of habit, and taking advantage of some
unusually sunny weather here in Liverpool in March, I made
my customary short but nostalgic river boat trip on the
Mersey Ferry, made famous by Gerry & The Pacemakers
in the 1960's. You can take the boy out of Liverpool, but
you can't take Liverpool out of the boy!
Alan
& Michele Watson live in an area called Birkenhead,
and coincidentally there is a town of the same name on the
other side of the Mersey river. One of the first clubs I
performed in, back before Noah built his arc(!), was the
Hamilton Club in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead!
And
here's a little known fact, Hamilton Square has the most
'listed' buildings in the whole of the UK. Probably no-one
else apart from Alan & Michele will be the slightest
bit interested in this, but I thought I'd share it anyway!
Whilst
I was out walking, I passed by the site of my first magic
& joke shop, The Ace Place, on Dale Street in Liverpool.
The building is now empty and rather sad looking, but still
retains the original frontage including where the shop sign
used to be.
This
shop was opened for me in 1976 by the Liverpool comic legend
Sir Ken Dodd, known by all UK magicians as a huge supporter
of the magical arts, and a star who regularly booked magicians
to appear in his wonderful stage shows. He used to attend
the Blackpool Convention every year, and do a short (!)
spot in the main Gala Show.
For
those who don't know Ken Dodd or 'Doddy' as he was affectionately
known, his short spot could last anything up to an hour!
His stage shows often didn't finish until well after midnight,
to the dismay of theatre technicians around the country.
But he was a treasure, and the last of the great Variety
comedians.
What
only became apparent a few years after I'd closed The Ace
Place, and our shop sign had been removed, was the outline
of a sign underneath, which revealed 'The Top Hat Record
Bar'. This shop, unbeknown to me, had previously been owned
by another legendary Liverpool and International performer
and singing star, Frankie Vaughan.
Frankie
was a huge star here in England and topped the bill at the
London Palladium Theatre on several occasions, He was offered
the chance of his own show in Las Vegas, but turned it down,
choosing to stay in England close to his family.
I
first met Frankie through our mutual tailor, a guy named
Dennis Newton, who had a small first floor shop just round
the corner from The Ace Place, in a curiously named alley
called Hakyn's Hay. Dennis was a great tailor and made suits
for all the big show business personalities. He was a true
'Scouser' - someone who was a Liverpudlian through and through.
The term scouser originated from a local dish, scouse, a
stew made with lamb or beef, and potatoes, very popular
with sailors in sea ports such as Liverpool.
Another
interesting fact , I'm full of them this week, is that Frankie
Vaughan got his stage name Vaughan from his Jewish grandmother
who always referred to him as her 'number von'!
There
were a record 170 magic dealers at the recent Blackpool
Convention, all seemingly doing brisk business and supported
by the thousands of excited magicians, who no doubt couldn't
wait to get home to unpack their new purchases.
So,
here's a question to finish with. How many of these new
miracles do you think will ever actually be performed, or
will they end up unloved in boxes in magic dens around the
globe?
Food
for thought, but quite a few, I suspect!
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5. March Issue Genii Magazine
-------------------------------------
Message by Richard Kaufman - Editor Genii Magazine
Only
$35 a year? Visit The Magic Castle each year as a subscriber
to Genii? YES AND YES!
Subscribe today for these benefits and many more at www.geniimagazine.com.
In
our March issue: The smooth light Southern drawl I hear
is Pop Haydn making a pitch for his miracle elixir. It didn't
take long for me to plunk down the cash for a bottle. What
I got was something that amazed and amused, mystified and
delighted … Pop Haydn's company for several most pleasant
hours doing the interview for this month's cover story written
by Dustin Stinett. Pop is an extremely engaging performer-a
perfect example of great presentation and technique, combined
with superb taste in tricks.
Our
illustrious line up of columnists this month include: "Thoughts,"
in which Rafael Benatar explains things your pinky can do
that you may not know about.
"Magicana,"
in which Jamy Ian Swiss explains-I can't believe I'm typing
this-a sandwich trick. But it's from Ben Seidman, so it
must be a great sandwich trick.
"Expert
at the Kids' Table," in which David Kaye relates the
tale of a kids' show magician who drove to his gig only
to discover he left his props behind!
"Chamber
of Secrets" in which John Gaughan is brought before
The Learned Judge only to be taught a trick with cigars
and playing cards.
"Cardopolis"
in which David Britland teaches a presentation of the "Invisible
Deck" by Pat Page conjured for a TV show.
"Panmagium,"
in which Jonathan Pendragon takes "Copentro" and
beats it down to size, getting rid of odd-looking props.
"Artifices,"
in which Roberto Mansilla explains a Spanish card trick
in English, though it's still in Spanish.
"Exhumations,"
in which Jon Racherbaumer, who recently turned 84, teaches
a trick that involves Dani DaOrtiz, Hofzinser, and something
else.
"The
Eye," in which Vanessa Armstrong tantalizes you with
tidbits of intriguing news.
"Knights
at The Magic Castle," in which Shawn McMaster writes
about performing at The Magic Castle while trying to catch
all the other acts so he could write his column.
And
of course, as we exit February, our issues ties up with
reviews of books, tricks, and videos from David Britland,
Mark Phillips, and Joe M. Turner.
-------------------------------------
6. April Magic Castle Performing Schedule
-------------------------------------
April
1 - 7, 2024
Close-Up
Gallery
Cocktail: Rob Herritt
Early: Adam Elbaum
Late: Jeff Kellogg
The
Parlour of Prestidigitation
Early: Paul Vigil
Late: Harrison Greenbaum
Palace
of Mystery
Jonathan Levit
Elias Arbuckle
Devlin
Max Davidson (Sunday)
Saturday
& Sunday
Palace Show
Devlin
Max Davidson
Ben Nemzer
Peller
Theatre
Jacob Greenwald
Dan Winter
Charlie Phillips
The
Hat and Hare
Nick Dopuch
Mike Pisciotta
Bob Gebert
Library
Bar
John Accardo
Friday
Lunch
Adam Elbaum
Saturday
& Sunday
Parlour Kids Show
John Reid
April
8 - 14, 2024
Close-Up
Gallery
Cocktail: Dan Trommater
Early: Abby Segal
Late: Jason Flores
The
Parlour of Prestidigitation
Early: Patrick Livingstone
Late: Riccardo Berdini
Palace
of Mystery
Shoot Ogawa
Hannah
Taiga Saito
Yosuke Ikeda
Saturday
& Sunday
Palace Show
Shoot Ogawa
Hannah
Taiga Saito
Yosuke Ikeda
Peller
Theatre
Chuck Jones
Kerry Ross
The
Hat and Hare
Nick Dopuch
Mike Pisciotta
Bob Gebert
Library
Bar
Lauro Castillo
Friday
Lunch
Abby Segal
Saturday
& Sunday
Parlour Kids Show
Jimmy H
April
15 - 21, 2024
Close-Up
Gallery
Cocktail: Dana Pleasant
Early: Rune Carlsen
Late: Johnny Ace Palmer
The
Parlour of Prestidigitation
Early: Bruce Kalver
Late: Rob Gould
Palace
of Mystery
Ben Profane
Pit Hartling
Helge Thun
Manuel Muerte
Jorg Alexander
Saturday
& Sunday
Palace Show
Chris Mitchell
Sean Rader
David Zirbel
Peller
Theatre
Franco Pascali
Derek McKee
The
Hat and Hare
Nick Dopuch
Mike Pisciotta
Bob Gebert
Library
Bar
Adam Wylie
Friday
Lunch
Rune Carlsen
Saturday
& Sunday
Parlour Kids Show
Magical Kimba
-------------------------------------
7. I.B.M. Annual Convention - Tacoma
-------------------------------------
We
look forward to seeing you in Tacoma July 10-13, 2024
Click
here to register:
https://www.magician.org/convention/online-registration-2024
--------------------------------------------
8. Magic Museum Bellachini - Episode 67
---------------------------------------------
Message by Wittus Witt (Germany)
First
of all, I would like to thank many readers of this periodical
for their feedback. But the first thanks goes to "our"
faithful and reliable editor, Alan, who always manages to
put out episode after episode. And I know what I'm talking
about. My bi-monthly Magische Welt magazine is sometimes
too much for me. I could never publish a magazine 12 times
a year. What a lot of work.
On
the other hand, I can say with some pride that in the last
23 years that I have been publishing "Magische Welt",
not once has an issue appeared late. No matter what situation
I was in, either privately or on business. The "MW"
was always on time!
The
next issue will also arrive in subscribers' mailboxes on
time. The articles by Prof. Dr. Hohlfeld, Roman Ertl and
Birgit Bartl-Engelhardt are particularly interesting.
Hohlfeld
writes a series on the subject of psychology and the art
of magic. In it, he looks at how some effects can come about.
In the current issue, he deals with the well-known Slydini
trick "Paper Balls over the Head". What actually
happens to the spectator? Roman Ertl reports on two magic
theater programs that recently played in Hamburg. One is
an evening by mentalist Aaron Crow and the other involves
a lot of magic in a "real" play.
Birgit
Bartl-Engelhardt - she is the granddaughter of the magic
dealers Rosa and János Bartl - went to see the premiere
of a play in Berlin that deals with the idea: What if ...
Jews had not stayed in Germany. Birgit's great-aunt was
the famous Berlin magic dealer Charlotte Kroner, who also
had a magic store in Berlin until the Second World War.
I
wish YOU ALL could speak German as well as we can speak
English ... A pipe dream ...
See
you next week
Wittus
www.hamburger-zaubermuseum.com
--------------------------------------------
9. Tales From The Fantastic Magic Center - #79
--------------------------------------------
Message by Kent Cummins, Director (US)
The
Magic of Books
Magicians
hide their secrets where nobody will find them…in books!
I have loved magic books ever since the instruction booklet
from my first A.C. Gilbert Mysto Magic set, and now have
a personal library with thousands of books and magazines
on magic and related arts. (And yes, that includes the original
Mysto Magic instruction booklet!)
As
a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, I have had the opportunity
to travel around the world…and everywhere I go, I look
for magic books. I remember asking for "Zauber books"
at a bookstore in Germany, and being taken to a section
on "Health" because of the way I mispronounced
the German word for magic.
I
found some wonderful classic magic textbooks written in
French, a language which I have never spoken, but I still
love those books. While in Italy with my wife, I found a
bunch of "Mandrake the Magician" comics…in
Italian, of course.
And
I was amazed to find out that the Tarbell Course in Magic
was available in Hangul…the Korean language! The characters
look like Chinese or Japanese to typical Americans, but
I recognized the characters as being from Korea because
of the thirteen months I served there.
If I could only keep one it would be the Mark Wilson Complete
Course in Magic.
I
am in awe of the quantity and quality of work that went
into producing this volume. I have copies of more nearly
a dozen different versions of this book here in my library
at the Fantastic Magic center.
In
addition to reading books, I also have written more than
a few. Most of these are now available at www.MagicWordsPress.com.
The
Fantastic Magic Center is dedicated to preserving and sharing
the art of magic. But I can't do it without your help.
My
Patreon account is the same place as my free weekly podcast:
www.FantasticMagicCenter.com
kent@magichotline.com
-------------------------------------------
10. Destined To Be - John Carey #226
-------------------------------------------
Message by John Carey (UK)
Destined
To Be is a very solid and fooling approach to a card prediction.
There's a nice premise, it's hands off and strong. Take
an unusual backed card, say Two of Diamonds and pop it inside
a small envelope. In your working deck place the Two of
Diamonds fourth from top. That's your prep, let's discuss!
"Mick,
playing cards are not just used by magicians and gamblers.
For generations they've been utilized as a tool for divination
by psychics and fortune tellers as a means to do readings
about their subjects. Today we are going to combine the
past, present and future to arrive at your destiny. Not
your ultimate destiny of course!"
So
bring out your props and set the envelope aside casually
without fuss. Riffle shuffle retaining your target card
fourth from the top. Hand the deck to your participant and
have them do the classic Jay Ose False Cut on themselves,
retaining your set up. Comment on the word past and have
them deal and spell the first three cards face-up into a
packet and then deal the next card, the Two of Diamonds,
face-down on top.
Then
have them repeat these actions for the word present, dealing
the last card of the spell face-down onto the tabled packet.
Finally have them do the same for the word future, dealing
face-up and spelling and dropping the last card of the spell
face-down as before. Get them to turn the rest of the deck
they hold face-up and drop it onto the tabled cards. Ribbon
spread showing three face-down cards isolated in the face-up
spread.
"So
you've given the deck a mix and stopped at three different
locations using the past, present and future. Everybody
has memories of their past. The highs and the lows. At present
you seem quite content and happy in your demeanour. But
nobody knows what the future holds, which is why it's so
important to enjoy the love and support of family and friends
in your day to day life. Please take those three cards out
and mix them."
Your
participant mixes the three face-down cards in their hands.
Instead of using equivoque to force the target card we will
use a rather sneaky ploy I like to use in the classic Vernon
Trick That Cannot Be Explained. After they've mixed the
three cards ask your helper to turn the packet
face-up. If your target card is on the face that's golden.
Have them deal the card to the table and discard the other
two cards. If it's not on the face though, no problem. Immediately
ask them to cut the packet and complete the cut.
If
the target card is cut to the face they are instructed to
deal it to the table and discard the remainder. But if they
don't cut it to the face, no problem again! Simply ask them
to turn the packet face-down and deal the top card to the
table and discard the other two. This will be the Two of
Diamonds. As you carry out the above gambits there must
be no hesitation.
Build
up the conditions of what's taken place and direct your
participant to open the envelope and remove the contents.
A perfect match is revealed that was destined to be!
---------------------------------------------
E-zine Archives
---------------------------------------------
Back issues of the Magic New Zealand e- zine go to:
www.magicnewzealand.com
Click
on the red button centre right "Archives"
When you enter the archive the e- zines are in issue order
in folders for each year and are Coded, e.g. 001 Nov06 1999.txt
first three numbers (001) denote issue number, then the
date (Nov06) and the last figures the year (1999)
--------------------------------------------
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--------------------------------------------
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© Copyright 2023 Alan Watson QSM
www.magicnewzealand.com
http://twitter.com/#!/magicnewzealand
www.watson.co.nz
www.balloon-twister.co.nz
