magic is about honesty
everything here is true
except for the bits I made up
I'm pleased to announce that I'll be appearing at the end of this month on Tricks in the Six, a show presented by the Toronto Magic Company. I'll be appearing alongside Johan Babins and Chris Westfall.
We will be at the B-Side Lounge (669 College St., Toronto) Sunday, February 25. The show starts at 8:00 PM. Tickets are available from the Toronto Magic Company:
We have not been having good weather on the weekends here in Toronto. So while we had a few last minute cancellations, I'm always happy to see everyone come in from the snow when they turn up for Magic & Martini.
Our couple of shows are already sold out but we still have availability for March. (April and May Dates will be announced in a couple of weeks.) Readers can use the code olive for a discount on the price of tickets purchased online.
Here are a few photos from the event courtesy of Waled Hassanzay.
Thank you to everyone who attended our sold out performance in Toronto last night. Our next two performances are already completely booked but tickets are available for performances in March. Readers can use the code olive for a discount on the price of tickets purchased online.
Here are some photos from the show courtesy of Waled Hassanzay.
Tucked away in Downtown Toronto is small magical bar. Next Tuesday, February 6, I'll be performing from 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
It's a strictly informal thing and completely free to attend. . You can just turn up for drinks and a bite to eat and ask to see some magic. No dress code, although if you were inclined to wear your most Harry-Potter-y outfit, that would be cool.
The Lockhart
1479 Dundas Street West
(Dundas & Dufferin, Toronto)
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
7:00 - 9:00 PM
It's a strange feeling to stop and consider that you lie for a living.
Magic is make believe, but there's something that separates it from other forms of pretend, like watching a movie or a play. In a movie, you can get swept away in emotion and feel that you're watching the real-time reactions of real people (who just happen to be reading from a script all the way through.) But in magic, emotion isn't enough; I need to bring my audience on intellectually. They need to know what they're seeing and know that it can't happen. The lie is more real.
Seeing a behind the scenes look watching your favourite Stark Trek alien getting into makeup doesn't detract from your enjoyment of Star Trek. But watching a magic show set up and seeing where all of the bits and pieces secretly went would seriously undermine your experience.
If I were trying to be absolutely intellectually honest, and admit that lying is wrong, it's not easy to defend my particular brand of lying.
One person who thought about this a lot is the famed magician and skeptic (and Canadian) James Randi. He was recently interviewed on the podcast of Penn Jillette (who has also thought deeply about this). They chat about this and other things for the better part of an hour. Gave me an intellectually satisfying warm fuzzy feeling:
Last night we had a wonderful show at SpiritHouse in Downtown Toronto. We're thrilled with everyone who was able to join us for a sold-out performance.
The show is off next week as I'll be attending the annual MagiFest convention in Columbus, Ohio. (Picture 800 magicians wandering around a hotel, and too much snow to go outside.) But we'll be back in February with more magic. Readers can use the secret code OLIVE for a discount on the price of tickets when purchasing online.
Here are some photos from last night, courtesy of Waled Hassansay.
