magic is about honesty
everything here is true
except for the bits I made up
Over at the Canada's Magic Blog, there is a contest going on where you have the opportunity to win tickets to The Uncertainty Project, June 18-21 at the Wychwood Theatre in Toronto. The contest is based on a random draw, so anyone can sign up for a chance to win. There are four pairs of tickets up for grabs which will be distributed on May 30. So go try your luck. Enter now.
Regular tickets for the show are available at www.uncertaintyproject.com/tickets.
Special discounted early bird tickets for The Uncertainty Project are available for the next twenty four hours. After Victoria Day, prices go up $10 so purchase your tickets now. I am absolutely thrilled to announce the dates for my new one-man show, The Uncertainty Project, which will be premiering next month at the Wychwood Theatre in Toronto (map). Tickets are $30 at the door, $24 online, with discounts available for larger groups.
If you had the opportunity to attend my last show, Lies, Damn Lies & Magic Tricks, this is an entirely new production which approaches magic from a very different direction.
We will be performing for four nights in June. (I say we because I will be joined by a special guest artist, about whom more will be revealed in time. For now, savour the uncertainty.) I invite you to learn more about the show by exploring our website: www.uncertaintyproject.com (www.theuncertaintyproject.com also works). You can learn more about the creation of the website here.
And help us to spread the word; it's going to be an unforgettable experience!
There is a theory which states that an infinite number of monkeys typing away on an infinite number of typewriters will eventually churn out the collected works of William Shakespeare. The theory behind this is quite simple to explain, if difficult to wrap a finite brain around. The assumption is that the keys that the monkeys are tapping are being tapped in a random order. When the length of that sequence becomes infinite, then you will find, somewhere inside, the full text appearing in the middle, surrounded by gibberish. The odds of this happening are easily calculated once you know how many keys there are on a keyboard and whether or not the monkeys are allowed to hold down shift for capitals. You will also find an accurate biography of yourself, and every person you've ever met, along with several trillion inaccurate ones. Needless to say, this theory breaks down for picture books!
While working on The Uncertainty Project, we discovered that while monkeys may have worked for printed books, if you wanted to produce online content, you need cats!
Fortunately, we happen to have one on staff. Hu is everything you would hope for in a member of the production team. He is dependable (he never misses a production meeting), affectionate, adventurous, courageous, and he has a refined sense of aesthetics when it comes to wardrobe and magic tricks. (see below). Most desirable, he is a trouble maker!
So we decided to make Hu earn his keep and test out the monkey theory all at the same time. During one meeting we left him to climb on a laptop for a while with a blank word processor open. After two hours, we return and found an entire website coded and waiting for us.
You can see the results at www.UncertaintyProject.com.
True story!
Okay, fine. We added the photos afterwards, but the rest of it was Hu. And we had to do some proofreading, cause his punctuation is dreadful, even for a cat. But the rest was him, we swear.
Tickets are now available for The Uncertainty Proejct. Save $10 on special early bird tickets until this Sunday.
If you're in the mood for something extremely strange, I participated on a panel discussion on Michael Coren's The Arena on Sun TV last night. I was a panelist on "Holy War" discussing Michael Sam and Piss Christ. (Don't ask me why those were the topics of discussion. I suspect it's a kind of television logic beyond my understanding.) I have never done anything like that and it was an interesting experience. As you might have noticed, it did take me a couple minutes to figure out that if I wasn't willing to interrupt, I wouldn't have been heard. Although I do think I approached making a point on more than one occasion.
I was either the voice of reason, or the liberal wing nut, depending on your point of view.
Tickets are now on sale for the SOULO Theatre Festival, May 22-25 in Toronto. SOULO Theatre, created by Tracey Erin Smith, highlights solo performances and one-person shows with a focus on personal storytelling. This is the second year of the festival and I've joined their team as their general manager, thanks, I'm sure, to my mother teaching me to make elaborate spreadsheets so I could survive managing Camp Black Belt all those years ago - love you! (Insert joke about "Selling my soul-o" here.)
The entire festival takes place at The Red Sandcastle Theatre (922 Queen Street). The quality of the performers is exceptional. I was at the launch party which was preceded by a showcase of four short solo shows which were wonderful, heartwarming, disturbing and uplifting (but not necessarily in that order).
In the festival there are seven one-person shows (selected from nearly fifty applicants) and two showcases of four short performances, The SOULO Salon and the SOULO Allstars. And if you're more interested in the work behind the scenes - the creation, production and promotion of SOULO Theatre, there are five workshops and panels for those just curious or those seriously considering getting their stories out there.
Every event at the festival is $15. All of the tickets are available here. You can also get a pass to get into all of the workshops and panels for $50 (save $25) here. With the festival just two weeks away, tickets are going quickly, so grab yours while you still have the chance.
At the end of this month, I'll be participating in a one-night-only show with four other performers to put on a night of incredible magic. We will be at 99 Sudbury which is a beautiful space for magic. Joining me on the show are Chris Mayhew - A hilariously funny comedy magician
Bella Muerta - Ghoul next door and multi-talented sassy lass.
Mind Bender - A young and aspiring magical performer
Baldini - The man of magical mystery.
Tickets are now available online - or you can purchase them from me directly.
Diabolical Deceptions Saturday, May 31, 2014 - 8:00 PM 99 Sudbury Street, Toronto Tickets $20
