Magic New Zealand® E-zine

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* Magic New Zealand®
* Proudly sponsored by International Entertainment Ltd (New Zealand)
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Issue Number: #1659
Date: Sunday 13th March 2022
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. FISM Update - The St. Lawrence River
3. MAGIC Live 2022 - Only 27 Registrations Left
4. Video Showing Association Of Marvin's Magic And The Magic Circle
5. Magic Camp Scholarship
6. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #51
7. Magical Women With Connie Boyd
8. News From The Academy Of Illusions
9. Thinkogain - John Carey #153
10. Around The Lounge By Jeff Bibik
11. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
12. E-zine Archives
13. 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/2022-Jan-to-Dec2022/1659-Mar13-2022.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. FISM Update - The St. Lawrence River
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Message by Joan Caesar (Canada)

The St. Lawrence River

I'm a strong supporter of tours. I've used tour groups several times in various countries and never been disappointed. It's a great way to learn more than you would by exploring alone.

A cruise on the St. Lawrence River at Quebec City is an easy way to learn about the marine environment and animals of the St Lawrence region. Round-trip transportation means you don't have to worry about renting a car; you can enjoy the scenery on the journey. Hop aboard a boat to explore the St. Lawrence Estuary, with photo ops of the scenic shoreline and some whale sightings. Listen to live commentary as you travel. Up-close views and photo ops of the whales. Learn about the ecosystem of Canada's Charlevoix region. You can read more if you go to tour websites.

The St. Lawrence River is one of the world's major rivers, flowing into the estuary and gulf that shares the same name. It provides nearly 1,200 kilometres of navigable waters that link the Great Lakes and the heart of North America to the Atlantic Ocean, acting as a vital artery for Canada's economy and supply chain.

Some 8,000 commercial vessels sail this marine highway every year, carrying more than 100 million tonnes of cargo. In 2017, marine shipping activities on the St. Lawrence Seaway contributed more than $16 billion to the Canadian economy, according to a study conducted by the Chamber of Marine Commerce.

The St. Lawrence marine corridor, which is made up of the river and the Seaway, is recognized for its economic value including its strategic location for trade with the United States, Europe and the world. It's challenging physical features and dynamic waters make it one of the most complex waterways in the world for ships to navigate.

Commercial marine shipping on the St. Lawrence corridor has a long history. Indigenous people paddled the waters they called Kaniatarowanenneh, or the "big waterway", more than 9,000 years ago, using it as a trading and transportation route. The Mohawks have played an important role in the history of the St. Lawrence by their involvement in the protection and preservation of ecosystems along the St. Lawrence here.

The European explorers who settled New France, Upper and Lower Canada used the St. Lawrence as an important transportation link. As North America grew and prospered, major development of the St. Lawrence River was required to allow commercial vessels to sail between Montreal and the Great Lakes. During the 1930s and 1950s, development activity included dredging, digging channels, and the construction of locks. In the 1950s, the decision was taken by Canada and the United States to jointly build the St. Lawrence Seaway. When it opened in 1959, it was considered one of the world's great engineering feats and examples of international co-operation of the 20th century.

The 15 locks cover a distance of 306 km, linking Montreal with Port Colborne, Ont., on Lake Erie. Seven of the locks are located in the St. Lawrence (five on the Canadian side and two on the American side) - allowing ships to transit through it despite an elevation gain of 168 metres. From there, it reaches Lake Superior and Thunder Bay, the gateway to Canada's grain producing Prairies, some 183 metres above sea level. The St. Lawrence Seaway is jointly managed by Canada and the United States, to ensure that it remains safe and well maintained.

Ile de L'Orleans: a spot where immigrants coming across the ocean landed, many, many Irish, died from diseases on the ships and are buried there. Île d'Orléans is located in the Saint Lawrence River about 5 kilometres east of downtown Quebec City. The island was one of the first parts of the province to be colonized by the French, and a large percentage of French Canadians can trace ancestry to early residents of the island.

The Island of Orleans is situated between the Canadian Shield to the north and the Appalachian Mountains to the south. Its north-eastern point marks the boundary between the St. Lawrence River and its estuary (the largest in the world), where fresh water begins to mix with salt water.
There are several tours on the island including a food and drink tour and a e-bike tour. Learn more on tour websites.

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3. MAGIC Live 2022 - Only 27 Registrations Left
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Message by Stan Allen (US)

May 15-18, 2022 | Las Vegas, Nevada

A few weeks ago, we launched a countdown with just 125 registrations remaining to MAGIC Live!

As of this morning, we only have 27 left.

If you're thinking about registering, please don't delay. Sign up today and join 1,599 of your friends at The Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, May 15-18.

To see the up-to-the-minute countdown, visit the link below.

https://www.magicconvention.com/register/

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4. Video Showing Association Of Marvin's Magic And The Magic Circle
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Message by Marvin Berglas (UK)

Pleased to launch our new video showing the close association of Marvin's Magic and The Magic Circle.

https://www.facebook.com/591471993/videos/344860270837739/

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5. Magic Camp Scholarship
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Message by Trudy Monti-Monteith (US)

For over twenty-five years, the Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund has awarded full tuition scholarships to promising young magicians between the ages of 10 and 18 to attend facilities focused on the magical performing arts.

This year scholarships are available for Tannen's Magic Camp in Pennsylvania (June 25-July 2, 2022). Scholarships are also available for Jeff McBride's Magic & Mystery School in Las Vegas (June 20-26, 2022).

Candidates must be able to demonstrate talent and dedication to the magical performing arts discipline, as well as financial need. Scholarship applications are available on the www.magicsam.com website at the following link: www.magicsam.com/scholarships

Please Note: The deadline for submitting applications for a scholarship to Tannen's Magic Camp is March 15, 2022.

The deadline for submitting applications for a scholarship to McBride's Magic & Mystery School is May 1, 2022.

Please visit the S.A.M. website for complete information.

Trudy Monti, A.I.M.C. Trustee, The Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund, Inc.

Trudy Monti-Monteith

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6. No Stone Unturned - Paul Stone - Article #51
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Message by Paul Stone (US)

As you will already know from my previous couple of articles, I've been in England for the past three weeks and I've had a chance to catch up with some old friends whom I've not had the chance to see for quite some time.

Whilst in Blackpool I visited Martin Scott Price. Martin runs a successful B&B which is always filled with magicians during the Blackpool Convention.

Martin is a past winner of the IBM British Ring Shield Competition in a past life! He is a very accomplished Children's Entertainer and is an excellent 'Punch & Judy' man.

Martin has an incredible collection of puppets and automata and he has been trying to set up a puppet museum for several years. He has now achieved that goal and it is very impressive and definitely worth a visit if you ever find yourself in Blackpool, and you could book into his B&B and stay overnight at the same time!

After a few days in Sheffield filming a couple of my talks, thanks to the generosity of my friend Tim Smithies, a man of many talents, and someone I'll be telling you more about next week, I took the train to a little Yorkshire village to catch up with another veteran entertainer and British 'Treasure', Freddie 'Mr Parrotface' Davies.

Fred is a very well-known and much loved comedian here in England, and at the age of 85 still regularly appears on TV in cameo roles, and is a wonderful After Dinner Speaker.

He starred in the movie 'Funny Bones' with Lee Evans, Jerry Lewis, and George Carl, also filmed in Blackpool.

Apart from being a top comedy performer, Fred was also a successful Booking Agent and Pantomime Producer and was responsible for bringing legendary hypnotist Peter Reveen over to UK to perform his sold out show in Scotland.

I've been staying in Southport for a few days. Southport was the venue for the IBM British Ring Convention that I produced a number of years ago. I remember it very well. The cast list read like a 'who's who' of magic, and included Bill Malone, David Williamson, Jeff Hobson, Johnny & Pam Thompson and Vic & Fabrini. Happy days!

In case any of the readers aren't aware, Fabrini is an extraordinary artist and painter. I think his work is outstanding and he is without doubt my favourite artist.

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7. Magical Women With Connie Boyd
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Message by Connie Boyd (USA)

Women empowerment video #shorts by superstar actress Reese Witherspoon, "I don't know a woman alive who isn't courageous" accompanied by magic superstar, rare vintage video of Suzy Wandas, known as "the Lady with the Fairy Fingers", for her excellent sleight of hand magic skills.

We are celebrating Womens History Month 2022 on Magical Women with women in magic, please join us! Reese Witherspoon's inspiration quote and female magician Suzy Wandas on Magical Women are two proven female success club motivators!

Many thanks to Kobe Van Herwegen for providing and sharing this very valuable, rare Suzy Wandas footage.

Jumpstart every week with @Magical Women with Connie Boyd and our Weekly Motivational Magic Messages pairing some of the best magicians and talent in the world with uplifting quotes from celebrities and brilliant minds. Magical Motivational Message (MMM)

https://youtu.be/sQRuRECzlCg

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8. News From The Academy Of Illusions
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Message by Jay Scott Berry (Australia)

Six months ago, we launched the Academy of Illusions, based upon the cornerstones of a relentless commitment to excellence, standing upon the shoulders of giants and using the most advanced technologies to advance the Art of Magic. A week later, I began writing these news columns. Looking back, it's been an amazing adventure in learning and teaching. Looking forward, it certainly appears that the fun has just begun!

Our Headline Stories begin with the 20th Episode of GenoMania! Geno Deville and I cooked this idea up on a whim in mid-September. It proved so popular that we kept it going, continuing to add content and fine-tune the webcast. This week was a grand culmination of that journey, celebrating the lighthearted spirit of the program, while delivering quality, original content.

This week's Spotlight On was the 6th in the weekly series, which continues to gather momentum and avid fans. For this episode, we sailed out to Key West to focus on Frank Everhart and one of the great success stories in the history of Magic. Joined by guest star, John Johnson, we discussed Frank Everhart, Sr. and the legendary Chicago Insiders, whose pioneering performances set the stage for all Bar Magic today.

We talked about the origin of Frank's Magic Bar and its 24 years of history. Amidst all this, we focused on one of the greatest card routines of all time, "Sam the Bellhop" which was developed 60 years ago by Frank Everhart Sr. Returning to the present, Frank and John shared priceless stories, wisdom and anecdotes about the history and mystery behind the Bar's ongoing success. Finally, we looked ahead to the 25th anniversary, on May 15th, which just happens to coincide with Frank's Birthday. As always, you can catch the full rerun on the Academy FB Page. I will also begin loading all of our webcasts up to YouTube at www.youtube.com/jayscottberry

You may recall last week that I said that the Catch Word for 2022 Events is "Hybrid". Well, within 15 minutes of finishing that Spotlight On program, I had a flash inspiration, which I am very pleased to officially announce: On May 14th and 15th, we will hold a Hybrid Convention to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Frank's Magic Bar in Key West, FL. I'm already gathering an all-star cast who will perform and lecture locally, along with stars from around the globe.

Anyone in the vicinity can attend the event live, while others can attend virtually. Many more details will be announced soon, but I can tell you that our Patron is the legendary Capt. Bill Grosscup of Key West's famous Palladin Magic Shop. We will also honour the late, great Tim Glancy. Mark the dates on your calendar and stay tuned, as tickets will go on sale soon!

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9. Thinkogain - John Carey #153
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Message by John Carey (UK)
http://www.johncareymagic.co.uk/

Thinkogain is a small packet approach to the proceeding piece. The inspiration here comes from a beautiful old piece called The Red Prediction, published by Arthur Carter back in the day. Such luminaries as Dai Vernon and Martin Gardner were enamoured enough to work on and publish variations of their own.

So materials wise, you're going to need a few things. The Ace to Five of Clubs, the Three of Clubs having a red back. The other four cards have blue backs. Pop these inside a small envelope. Take a business card and on the blank side write "You will think of the Two of Clubs". Pop that card inside the envelope too. On the front of the envelope write "You will think of the Ace of Clubs". Get another Four of Clubs and put it inside the zippered compartment of your wallet. Finally, take a banknote/bill and write "you will think of the Five of Clubs on it. Slip that banknote into the note slot in your wallet writing side down and pop the envelope inside too and you are ready to play with their minds!

Remove your wallet and take out the envelope from it and place it writing side down onto the table. Leave the opened wallet in full view on the table too. "Nicola, tonight I'm going to attempt an experiment in influence with you. Everyone is influenced to some degree or other, be it by their friends, peers or the advertising we see in magazines, on the television or online. I've got five different cards here. The Ace to Five of Clubs. The decision will be entirely up to you. Odd numbers seem to appeal to women more than men, but maybe you will go for an even card now, based on what I just said. But please, I want you to have free will, and think about it for a moment and then think of a card ok? If I fail you will keep the contents of my wallet."

As you deliver your opening monologue, remove the cards leaving the business card behind and table the envelope. Then ask your participant to reveal the card they are thinking of.

Ace of Clubs - turn over the envelope and reveal your prediction written on it.

Two of Clubs - pick up the envelope and pull out the business card and have them read out the prediction.

Three of Clubs - Show the backs of the other four cards to be blue. Then reveal their thought of card is red.

Four of Clubs - draw attention to your wallet and have your helper open the zippered compartment and reveal a successful outcome.

Five of Clubs - mention that earlier that day you wrote something on the banknote inside your wallet. Have your spectator take it out, turn it over and read your message out loud. They do and the game of influence reaches a successful and strong resolution. The reset takes no time, the plot is simple and the impact particularly strong.

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10. Around The Lounge By Jeff Bibik
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Message by Jeff Bibik (US)
www.Bibik.com
www.ChicagoMagicLounge.com

Chicago Magic Lounge.com

SOLD OUT!

Those are the 2 sweetest words for any theater and we hear them often at the Chicago Magic Lounge. Our Blackstone Cabaret seat just over 100, and we have been consistently selling out 2 to 3 weeks in advance for our weekend Signature Shows. A quick look at our website shows the details. All sold out for this coming weekend, a few random tickets for next week. Looking to book a group? You'd better look a month or more out.

I believe we can attribute this to several factors, some obvious and some more obscure. The indoor mask mandate was lifted in Chicago recently and we saw an immediate jump in business at the bar. Many people were waiting for this; it is just not as much fun to go out when having to be mask conscious. Vaccines are up, and of course the weather is improving with Spring on the way so foot traffic in our neighborhood has increased.

Another factor is just a pent up demand to get out into the world. People are tired of staying in, and I think for many people if they never watch another show on Zoom it would be fine with them!! I know many magicians that feel the same way. Some have done very well with virtual shows and I applaud them, but nothing can ever replace the feeling and energy of performing in front of a live audience.

The larger reason for our sell out success is the product we have built and the people who work to support us. Our service staff is great, starting at the box office. A live person answers calls and inquiries 7 days a week. Our guest services staff greets patrons and gets them seated in the theater. From there the wait staff takes over and provides excellent service. Supporting them are the kitchen and bar staff, creating tasty food and delicious drinks. A magic host keeps track of the house magicians as they work the tables before the stage show, making sure that every table sees several performers. Our house managers keep the room in order and can quickly resolve any problems that may arise.

Backstage there are the office staff, a marketing director, a social media director, and a director of operations that oversees all. That is just the business side of our "show business". Our entertainment director and their assistant make sure the acts we bring in and our in-house performers are top notch and that we are fully staffed in that regard. We've had well over 150 magicians from all over the world come thru our stage doors and we are constantly being contacted by performers seeking a spot at the Lounge.

There is also an invisible element that cannot be faked. It is a great place to work. Our performers get along very well, there is a free exchange of ideas and sessions break out nightly. These are performers so of course there are some large egos, but friendships are strong and no one is excluded. Our staff often goes out together on off nights or after work, parties are frequent, people bring snacks for the green room, we've even had a staff marriage! This too, is a part of our magic.

When I began this week's article I was thinking that the topic would be gratitude, and that is definitely what I feel every night when I walk into this magical place. I'm proud of what we have built and so grateful to be a part of it. Join us some time and see some real magic!

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11. The Orchante Saga - Beginnings
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Written by the late Tommy Orchard (The Amazing Orchante)

As I mentioned earlier, we were performing our show from the floor, as the tin shack/community centre didn't have the luxury of a stage or platform. This also meant that everybody was sitting, crammed, on the floor, and they were damn close - a rather tricky situation when it came to the fire eating segment of the show. During my fire act, I had two knee high stands in front of me, each had a bowl attached on top - one contained the fuel that I used to soak my torch heads in; the other - the cauldron as it were, contained sealed in - fuel-soaked cotton wool, which burned away for the duration of the fire-eating performance.

Just before we started our Fakir routine, Ibraham and Marilla, who had calmed down somewhat after the laughter and the, "We can see the white girl's." incident, came out and parked themselves nearby to watch our act.

The very friendly inhabitants of these remote pacific islands - adults, and children alike, become very excited and overly exuberant during 'special' occasions such as this, as Marilla and Ibraham had discovered. Consequently, I should not have been too surprised when a 'Big Buck Native' - sporting a massive head of gleaming hair, and a huge grin that seemed to spread from one side of the room to the other - wandered up in the middle of the fire act. Bending down, he picked up the cauldron stand and started waving it all over the place, not caring a hoot about the colossal, fiery 'volcano' that was spouting forth in great abundance from the bowl - thank God, the roaring, blazing mass of fuel-soaked cotton wool couldn't fall out!

My fire routine, in fact the entire Fakir act, was choreographed and split-second timed to special, exotic style music for the whole 22 minutes of the performance; it totally went to 'pot' when this happy-go-lucky nutcase decided to stick his oar in.

One of my fire torches, the 'Monster' I called it, had an enormous head on it, which I could only just cram into my mouth - and keep it burning. I deliberately made it so because, 1 it produced one hell of a large, extremely hot flame. 2, I used it not only for a special segment in the act, but also to quickly run around the audience to let them feel the incredible heat that came off it, and to convince sceptics that the fire was real. You would not believe the number of people who would come up after shows, wanting to know how I managed to make 'Plastic Fire' - whatever the hell that is - look so real! 3 It sure as hell convinced hard-bitten newspaper reporters that I was the 'Real Deal', and the occasional fire-eater who would make their way back stage to 'show' me what they could do. They quickly had second thoughts when I fired up the super-heated 'Monster'!

Grabbing the 'monster', and firing it up with a match (he had my fire bowl) I headed towards the crazy, full of beans, galoot, hoping that upon seeing me, and the flaming fire torch bearing down on him, he would calm down and hand me the cauldron, no such luck! Then it happened! He slipped! On his way down, his immense head of hair made contact with the monster. WHOOSH! Up Went His Hair! As I seized the stand, two things happened simultaneously; the whole place broke-up into a pandemonium of laughter, and the people in the immediate vicinity - all laughing in crazed delight, as was the fellow with his hair on fire - started patting his hair out. I discovered later that the gleam in his massive locks was the result of coconut oil, lots of it, which all the islanders use in their hair. No wonder his hair fired up like one of my torches! Amazingly, he was the first to shake my hand, later.

Not only were the audience screaming with laughter, Ibraham, and in particular Marilla, were rolling about in hysterics as well. To them, the hapless chap's predicament went a long way towards a feeling of 'Sweet Revenge', for their earlier embarrassment.

For a fleeting moment I thought that I could well have initiated an old tradition, and wound up in a cooking pot - until I heard the laughter. Luckily, Veronica had the foresight to stop the tape recorder, so I was able to carry on with the rest of the show to my music. I can well imagine that under other circumstances, I could have been facing a lawsuit, but then again, if some idiot were interfering with my act during a dangerous, to me, segment, I would be the one doing the suing!
Haaa, such is life!

Continues Next Week.

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12. E-zine Archives
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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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13. Privacy Policy And Copyright Notice
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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.magicnewzealand.com

Magic New Zealand® E-zine is published each Sunday.

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