magic is about honesty
everything here is true
except for the bits I made up
Stephen Pinker is one of the most articulate defenders of.... well... whatever it is he feels like defending. I feel as though I've been out of University for just long enough to feel disconnected from the idealogical strife on many campuses. But when it comes to values like this, it's nice to be reminded of why they should be cherished.
Here is Prof. Pinker speaking at Arizona State University some months back:
Tonight, I'll be performing downtown at The Lockhart. This truly magical spot is the city's very special Harry-Potter-inspired bar. When it comes to magic and atmosphere, they don't mess around.
This is a strictly informal performance and completely free to attend. You can just turn up for drinks 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. And space is extremely limited so you are gently encouraged to arrive early.
The Lockhart
1479 Dundas Street West
(Dundas & Dufferin, Toronto)
Tuesday, July 3
7:00 - 9:00 PM
When we put on events, we want everyone around us to be having a wonderful time. It turns out it's very hard to do and takes a lot of work. Or does it?
It turns out that for the cost of a payphone call you can dramatically improve someone's perception of how their live overall is going. One of my intellectual heroes, Professor Daniel Dennett of Tufts University explains;
(Yes, that is a rather prestigious group assembled around that table. This was a conference organized in 2012 and there are a few days worth of their conversations scattered around.)
But the lesson to take is that when it comes to making people happy in the moment (in the long term is much harder) a lot of it hinges on details which would seem from an outside observer to be insignificant and trivial. Putting on a successful event means extraordinary attention to detail. It does, in the end, turn out to be a lot of hard work. But when you pull it off, the results are magic.
My specialty has always been "magic for grownups" but I'm often asked about doing things for younger kids and for families which usually leaves me recommending my friends who do a much better job with that sort of thing.
Coming up in a few weeks at the Paper Mill Theatre in Toronto, there is a wonderful family show for kids and families. A good friend Chris Westfall has teamed up with circus artist Bella to create Chris Westfall and the Porcelain Princess. The show toured around Ontario just over a year ago and received some very nice reviews. If you're looking for an amazing and fun (and amazingly fun) family activity, it's in town for just two nights in July.
Chris Westfall & The Porcelain Princess
Thursday & Friday, July 19 & 20 @ 6:30 PM
The Paper Mill Theatre - 67 Pottery Road
““Chris Westfall... & The Porcelain Princess is a true magic theatre experience. It brings the arts of illusion, circus, improv and comedy together in one amzing show perfect for the whole family. It will baffle and amaze. Keep you on the edge of your seats at the top of your imagination. Watch Chris Westfall make people appear, diappear and float while laughing the entrie way through.””
Tickets start at $29 and you can use the promotional code secrets to get an extra discount when you reserve online.
“The Allan Slaight Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the pursuit of the impossible. The Slaight Family Foundation established the awards in 2015 and has pledged to give $50,000 a year, over five years, to celebrate exceptional work in five distinct categories. Each recipient receives not only a cash prize, but also a specially engraved iPad to commemorate the achievement.”
The Allan Slaight Awards are distributed every year, celebrating extraordinary talent and accomplishments in the world of magic. This year, the recipients are being announced online, spread out over a week. The first award was announced this morning is the Canadian Rising Star:
The recipient is absolutely one of my favourite performers on the planet, Nick Wallace. His 2016 show Séance remains one of the finest live productions I've ever seen. When I was hosting Magic Tonight, Nick was a welcome guest many times. I once described him thusly:
“He may pretend to look all sweet and inocent, but I am starting to suspect that he may, in fact, be the devil. Pure evil wrapped in Mr. Rogers’ sweater.”
Congratulations, Nick, on this well-deserved award. Stay spooky.
"Misdirection" is an oft-used, but mostly misunderstood term of art in magic. Here is an explanation from the masters themselves: Penn & Teller, the longest running headliners in the history of Las Vegas.
