* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Magic New Zealand * www.watson.co.nz/ezine.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Issue Number: #320 Date: Sunday 13th March 2005 Editor: Alan Watson www.magicianz.com www.Alan-Watson.com e-mail: AW@Alan-Watson.com ================================ Hi here is the latest news ================================ 1. Editor’s Message 2. Allowed Actors To Fly In Theatrical Productions 3. Commemorative Stone For Fred Kaps 4. Arthur Benjamin Is In Sydney 5. Salute To Magic - Tribeca Performing Arts Center 6. Correction In Error Re: The Magic Circle Centenary Stamp Issue 7. The Magic Circle Centenary Stamp Issue is - Magic! 8. In The Interests Of Accuracy 9. Alberto Sitta Magic Congress Bologna 10. Magic Camp Scholarships 11. Stars of Tomorrow Show 12. S.A.M. Hall Of Fame Temporarily Closed To Public Visits 13. Nathan Burton Live On Webcam 14. Attention Illusionists 15. Ben Robinson At April Fool’s Weekend 16. Chris Carey Passed Away 17. Stan Kramien’s Magic Jamboree 18. S.A.M. Boston Convention Gala Banquet 19. Paul Zenon - Melbourne for the Comedy Festival 20. John Carney Las Vegas Lecture 3/13 21. 16th Martinka Online Magic Auction 22. 28th International New Zealand Convention of Magicians 23. Artists Daydream Illusion For Sale 24. John Nevil Maskelyne 25. Bob Torkova Visited Me In Ohio Last Weekend 26. The Amazing Orchante Saga 27. e-zine Archives 28. Subscription Management ------------------ 1. Editors Message ------------------- Message from Alan Watson - The Magic One Tony Wilson IBM International President tells me that there is now approximately 30 New Zealanders registered for the IBM Reno convention to support him during his last week as President. Of these 30 New Zealanders 7 were contributors to the Kiwi Magic Ring Parade in the July issue of the Linking Ring. ----------------- Remember if you have any magic news drop me a line: AW@Alan-Watson.com ----------------- 2. Allowed Actors To Fly In Theatrical Productions ----------------- Message from Steve Pradell (Alaska) Your readers may find it of interest that Peter Foy, aged 79, recently died of a heart attack in Las Vegas. Mr. Foy was granted patents number 3476384 in 1969 and 439248 in 1983 for devices which allowed actors to fly in theatrical productions such as Peter Pan, The Flying Nun, and The Lion King. Mr. Foy's patented ideas were improved upon and revised by John Gaughan, one of the greatest contemporary inventors and builders of illusions, who obtained a patent in 1994 for a method which enabled David Copperfield to perform his flying illusion. ----------------- 3. Commemorative Stone For Fred Kaps ----------------- Message from Rob Hählen (Holland) The city of Utrecht (the Netherlands) honors the 3 time world champion of magic Fred Kaps, who died 25 years ago, with a commemorative stone. It will be revealed on March 9 during a closed meeting. The plaquette is situated in front of Peltlaan 79, the place where Fred Kaps lived for many years. ----------------- 4. Arthur Benjamin Is In Sydney ----------------- Message from Steve Walker (Aust) If you haven't heard from other sources Arthur Benjamin is currently in Sydney for a few months. Arthur turned up unexpectedly at the last meeting of Ring 102 and I'm told (I wasn't there unfortunately) he blew everyone away with his incredible Mathemagic. You may remember him from his appearance on the Paul Daniels Show about 20 years ago but if not you can read about him (and Lennart Green) on Magic Times #69 www.magictimes.com ----------------- 5. Salute To Magic - Tribeca Performing Arts Center ----------------- Message from Richard Stuart (US) The entertainers have been announced for the Society of American Magician’s PA#1’s Annual Salute to Magic at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York. The “Salute to Magic,” now in its 96th year, is the oldest continuously running magic show in America. This year’s show promises to be better than ever. Pre-show entertainment will be provided by Richard Bossang, Gazzo and the Magical Melodions. Master of ceremonies, Duane Laflin, will then open the rest of the show. This year’s performers are: Jade, Jason Latimer, Chipper Lowell, James Dimmere, and last, but not least the The Pendragons. The last few shows have completely sold out but a few tickets are still available for this year’s Saturday April 9th Performance at 7:00PM. Contact Co-Producers Marvin Putterman and Donald Engstrand at (631) 424-1841 for ticket information. ----------------- 6. Correction In Error Re: The Magic Circle Centenary Stamp Issue ----------------- Message from Richard Stupple (UK) I was more than a little surprised to find in item two of this weeks 'Magic New Zealand' that the founding of The Magic Circle has been reinvented by your correspondent Peter Graham. The founder was not of course John Neville Maskelyne as Peter states. The information that Peter gives about the stamps, design, other items, special postmarks etc. is absolutely correct. What he does not tell us is that every stamp has 'The Magic Circle' printed on it or that this is the first time any magical society has been recognized by an official issue of stamps and a 'First Day Cover'. Another important omission from the article is the exiting news that The Magic Circle have produced our own First Day Cover showing a picture of David Devant, our first president, which will carry a full set of stamps and be cancelled for us by Royal Mail on the first day of issue with our own unique postmark using The Magic Circle logo. First Day Covers at £12.50 each, includes post and packing, are available from me on richardstupple@TheMagicCircle.co.uk I believe we have already sent you our official press release on the stamps but just in case it has gone astray, I'm sending as a separate item. ----------------- 7. The Magic Circle Centenary Stamp Issue is – Magic! ----------------- Message from Richard Stupple (UK) About six years ago The Magic Circle suggested to Royal Mail that a stamp to celebrate its Centenary would be popular. A representative from the Royal Mail Stamp Programme visited The Magic Circle Headquarters and explained that choosing from the many candidates for stamps was inevitably a lengthy process. The selection is carried out by committees within Royal Mail who sift the list from 100s submitted to dozens, then a group of lay people express their preference for just the 12 subjects that are issued each year. Finally Her Majesty The Queen has to agree the selected designs. So it was a nail-biting time before the news came through that The Magic Circle’s Centenary would be celebrated with a five-stamp set featuring magic. The Centenary issue is very novel and innovative and uses a variety of ingenious printing techniques so that each stamp can perform a simple ‘trick’. The 1st class (28p) is a ‘scratch’ stamp and when rubbed with an actual coin, the ‘coin’ on the postage stamp turns out to be either heads or tails. This uses a print technique that has never been attempted before by Royal Mail on a UK stamp with 50% of these stamps printed ‘Heads’ and 50% ‘Tails’, again something never done before. The 40p is an optical illusion with a rabbit appearing to come out of the top hat when the stamp is slowly brought towards the eyes. The 47p is printed in a heat sensitive way so that when a warm thumb of finger rubs the spots, they vanish! The 68p is a ‘playing card’ optical illusion, and the £1.12 is again heat sensitive with the warmth of the hand on the three fezzes revealing where the missing pyramid is hidden. The stamps are illustrated by George Hardie and designed by Tathem Pierce and will be issued on 15 March 2005 together with a Royal Mail First Day Cover. The Magic Circle also has its own official First Day Cover, designed by specialist Adrian Bradbury and franked with the Society’s logo on the first day of issue (see illustration). The Royal Mail presentation pack shows images of master magicians from the past and present, and a ‘box of tricks’ panel illustrating the differing styles of magic. The magical text was written by John Fisher who originally suggested the issue and who gave additional help to the designers through The Magic Circle collections. Royal Mail will also issue post cards, and – later - ‘Smilers’ (personalised stamp affixed to the Royal Mail version). This highly innovative stamp issue is a first both in its interactive design and the fact that it recognises a magical society by name. From 15 March onwards, millions of envelopes and post cards will be adorned with the words ‘The Magic Circle’ – a nationwide recognition of its Centenary. A limited number of Magic Circle First Day Covers with the complete 5-stamp issue (1st class, 40p, 47p, 58p & £1.12 and specially franked on 15 March 2005, can be ordered at £12.50 per Cover including p&p. Cheques on a UK bank only payable to The Magic Circle, or credit card details please (Visa/MasterCard only). Orders and enquiries to Richard Stupple, The Magic Circle, 12 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD, UK. RichardStupple@TheMagicCircle.co.uk Expect delivery within 28 days from 15 March 2005. Stamps © Royal Mail www.TheMagicCircleCentenary.co.uk ----------------- 8. In The Interests Of Accuracy ----------------- Message from Edwin A Dawes (UK) In the interests of accuracy, may I point out that in the article Royal Mail Marks The Centenary Of The Magic Circle (which appears to have been duplicated verbatim from the March issue of Gibbons Stamp Monthly) there are two factual errors: John Nevil Maskelyne was not the founder of The Magic Circle, nor was he born in Wiltshire. He was born at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. Eddie Dawes (Historian, The Magic Circle) ----------------- 9. Alberto Sitta Magic Congress Bologna ----------------- Message from Terry Herbert (UK) One of the best kept secrets in the magic world is a small convention that happens each year in March in the graceful Old Italian city of Bologna. This year, it was the seventh such event held in the memory of Alberto Sitta. Those of you who are not familiar with the name although I am sure many of our older readers are, Alberto Sitta was a very fine Italian magician who was known throughout the world for his beautiful Chinese Act under the name of Chun Chin Fu. He was also a well known magic dealer in Italy producing the finest Japanese silks. One of the many tricks that he produced was the superb Sword Thru Neck seen in such acts as Mark Raffles and Mystina. Alberto died in a tragic accident on the 1st August 1989 and ten years after his death it was decided by a small group of magicians, to hold an annual congress in his memory as it was realised that many Italian magicians had forgotten him and his great contributions to magic. This year was the second time in three years that I had been invited to present a lecture and appear in the gala show in the guise of The Great Fiasco. Incidentally it has been rumoured that The Great Fiasco had retired and it is true that I had decided put him to rest. However due to thousands of requests from a couple of people I have now resurrected more or less the original act that was created for magicians only. The convention is held at The Holiday Inn in Bologna and is organised by their President Maurizio Broccolo a completely mad Italian magician, together with a few friends including Bruno Masetti who speaks perfect English and does all the interpreting including kindly translating my lecture notes. What makes this convention so different is that there are no registration fees and even the dealers do not even have to pay for a stand. This has to be a first, in fact the only items that the registrants paid for was a five course Gala Dinner with the show on the Saturday night and lunch which was optional on the Sunday. There were three lectures, yours truly on comedy, Mario Bove on Cards and Wolf Walbauder from Milan on Mentalism who was superb both in Close Up and also on the Gala Show. Also in the evening show were Mirko Menegatti a manipulator & bird act and Paola Giua a young magician who uses the production of Oscars as his theme and was seen over here a couple of years ago at the British Ring Southport Convention. All in all it was an excellent friendly convention and very cheap, attended by about 130 registrants in memory of a very respected magician. ----------------- 10. Magic Camp Scholarships ----------------- Message from Warren Kaps (US) Magic Camp is a wonderful place for youngsters to learn new magic skills and improve their performance. Scholarships are available to attend the Tannen’s Magic Camp located in Long Island, New York, and the Sorcerer’s Summer Safari located near Toronto, Canada. The scholarships, which include full tuition and travel expenses, are made possible by a grant from the Society of American Magicians Magic Endowment Fund, which has provided scholarships to youngsters for the past 16 years. Applicants should be between the ages of 10 to 18 years. Many magic campers have gone on to become full-time performers. All have been a credit to the magical arts. Applications may be obtained by either writing to the S.A.M. Magic Endowment Fund, 15 Warren Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601, or by email, stating your mailing address, to KapsMagic@earthlink.net, or by logging on to MagicSAM.com ----------------- 11. Stars of Tomorrow Show ----------------- Message from Hope Anderson (US) Please help young magicians you know to polish their acts and apply for the Stars of Tomorrow Show at the Society of American Magicians convention in Boston, U.S.A., July 6-9! The Stars of Tomorrow Show is a professional stage show put on by young magicians ages 7-16 at the S.A.M. convention. The performers are paid and receive two free registrations for the convention (for the performer and a parent) and a year’s membership in the Society of Young Magicians. Current plans for the show are for six acts, with one of the performers also serving as the emcee. To audition for the show, young magicians should send me a video or DVD of the stage act (about 5-10 minutes) that they would like to perform in the show. The video or DVD does not have to be from an actual show or be professionally produced, but it should include the effects, music or patter, costume, and props that the magician would use if selected. More than one act may be submitted on a video. Young magicians interested in emceeing the show should also include a sample of jokes and emcee bits on their videos. All applications should also contain a brief bio, a photo that would be suitable for printing in the convention program, and contact information (including phone number and email address). The deadline for receiving applications is April 20. With questions, or to submit an application, please contact: Hope Anderson P.O. Box 1668 Marina, CA 93933 U.S.A. Phone: (831) 384-0848 Hopemagic@aol.com (Please note new address and phone number this year.) ----------------- 12. S.A.M. Hall Of Fame Temporarily Closed To Public Visits ----------------- Message from George Schindler S.A.M. Public Relations and Publicity The Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame and Magic Museum is temporarily closed to public visits due to possible chemical contamination of the building in which the Hall of Fame is housed, following a fire in a nearby Department of Water and Power (DWP) vault. The building owner closed access to the building until a possible environmental hazard can be evaluated and contaminants removed. The Hall will reopen after the building owner completes the environmental hazard mitigation. For full details of the problem see the Press Page at www.magicsam.com The Society of American Magicians Hall of Fame and Magic Museum, located in Los Angeles, houses exhibits and memorabilia illustrating the history of magic and its performers. Entirely volunteer staffed, the Hall and Museum are open only on Program Nights and by appointment. For information on visiting when the Hall re-opens please contact Hall President John Engman at 626-281-4943 between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time, or Vice President Ed Thomas at 323-644-1669 or magicmred@earthlink.net. The mailing address for the S.A.M. Hall of Fame and Magic Museum, Inc-., P.O. Box 27610, Los Angeles, CA 90027-0610. ----------------- 13. Nathan Burton Live On Webcam ----------------- Message from Wayne Bernath (US) Magician Nathan Burton LIVE on Las Vegas Webcam Now Through March 15 With Seven Showgirls In A Glass Box for Seven Days LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2005-- E! Entertainment Reality Star Begins The Endurance Test Of A Lifetime. Share the experience now though March 15, with Magician Nathan Burton, live on webcam at www.nathaninabox.com while he undergoes his most provocative stunt yet: (1) Magician--(7) Showgirls--all Sealed in (1) Box for (7) Days! People around the globe can watch and count-down the time with Burton as he bravely endures the life-threatening act. He, the girls and the box are currently suspended in midair from in front of the "V!" Theater, at the Desert Passage mall in the Aladdin Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip. Houdini submerged himself while shackled in chains; David Blaine was enclosed in a box by himself; but Nathan Burton will be accomplishing this feat Vegas-style -- sandwiched between seven sexy, scantily-clad showgirls. No food, no water -- only an endless supply of energy drinks! Says Burton about the stunt, "I'm more than ready for the challenge! But, to be fair to the girls, there will actually be over 130 different showgirls rotating through the box in four hour shifts." Burton adds, "My wife insisted on casting them" Hopefully, Burton will emerge victorious from his glass enclosure in a challenge that no one has been brave enough, lucky enough, or dumb enough to try! Burton has been co-starring in E! Entertainment Television's hot new reality show, Wayne Newton's "The Entertainer". Burton also currently stars in the sold-out "V - The Ultimate Variety Show" at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas and has been a staple performer in Las Vegas for the better part of the decade, performing everywhere from Caesars to The Venetian. ----------------- 14. Attention Illusionists ----------------- Message from Don Drake (US) I have been beating my brains out recently (not that there's much to beat out