Category: Blog

Entering a Magic Competition is scary. Imagine having to perform your own creations in front of hundreds of other magicians. If that weren’t enough stress, you also are competing against other highly-motivated magicians.

Let’s Do It

In my twenties, I competed often at the national and international levels. My goal wasn’t necessarily to win, as that was out of my control. I used the competitions as vehicles to improve my magic and perform at a higher level than local magicians. Often, I would prepare the magic a year before the competition was held. There were props to build, a theme to advance and lots and lots of practice and rehearsal.

Magic Competition Stress

I recall, at one of my first competitions in Montreal, that I barely slept the night before, because I was so nervous. My roommate stayed up late jamming with other night-owl magicians. He didn’t get to bed early. Had I not already been awake, I would have been woken. On top of that, there were several junior hockey teams staying at the hotel while they were at a tournament. Let’s just say, they weren’t too quiet in the hallways that evening.

My First Magic Competition Award!

For this competition, in the up close category, each performer would repeat his or her act three times, in three separate rooms, for three groups of about 150 magicians each. As it was in Montreal, some of my English script didn’t really hit the mark. I was disappointed after the first room. In the second room, I was more relaxed and the performance was better. By the time I got to the third room, I wasn’t really thinking about winning. I just went out and gave a really good performance. That room also seemed to have mostly English-speaking magicians and that really helped to improve the response.

Proud of Myself

Although I didn’t win the competition in up close magic, I did win one award that was given to a performer in either the up close category or the stage category. It was the Tom Auburn award. This memorial trophy was given in honour of Tom Auburn, who was a very well-respected Montreal, professional magician. That was the first of the trophies I won during my competition years.

A Different Kind of Winning

I always felt, that every competitor was a winner. For me, the moment I decided to compete, I knew that, win or lose, I would become a better magician as a result of the effort I put into the act. Becoming a better magician is still one of my goals, even today, after having performed for so many years.

Before the magic show starts, there is quite a bit of preparation. For smaller shows, I’ll spend about an hour at home to get set for the magic show. Some props need to be reset. There are other items in a show that are called consumables. They will need to be remade for the next show. If a prop gets broken, I’ll visit my workshop to either repair or remake the broken part. I also have a few duplicate props. Usually, when I’m getting the show set, I’ll listen to some of my favourite music on my playlist. It relaxes me and allows me to make sure that I haven’t forgot any important details.

Magic Show Checklists

After the show is prepared, I’ll double check with my checklist. It is better to run through the list as opposed to arriving at the destination, only to discover that a prop for a trick is still at home. I haven’t figured out how to transport it magically to my current location yet.

Sound Equipment for the Magic Show

In addition to the props, the sound equipment, including the music player and microphone all need to be checked to make sure that the batteries are full. Usually, I’ll plug them in after the last magic show I completed.

Costumes

Another part of the preparation is the costume. I have different costumes for different types of shows. The show for children has a more colourful costume. The costumes for adult shows can also vary depending on the age of the audience and also the performing venue and if the show will be indoors or outdoors. If I wearing dress shoes, they need to be polished. I also carry them in a golf shoe bag and only wear them while I’m performing.

Peace of Mind

Setting a show properly, gives me peace of mind before I’m about to begin performing. It allows me to relax and focus on giving the best magic show possible. I love performing magic and I want my audiences to have the best experience possible.

When I started learning to become a magician, I didn’t realize there were magic clubs and magic meetings. I was 11 years old and the library was my go to source for secrets. There were magic books in the children’s section, but I gravitated towards the ones in the adult section, as they were more detailed and comprehensive. Learning from books was great because they allowed room for modifying and adapting ideas. Watching other magicians leads to the temptation of copying exactly what they do, even if the presentation didn’t match my style.

This learning continues to this day. I’m still a voracious consumer of magic books. My library of magic books numbers in the 100’s of volumes. A few of my books were printed over 100 years ago. Interestingly enough, some of the magic in those volumes is still relevant and intriguing today.

Magic Meetings

When I turned 18, I was old enough to join the local magic club. Magic meetings were twice a month, except in the summer. After a year of attending the meetings, I had to pass an initiation test. I studied a very complex sleight-of-hand miracles that is a classic of magic. The trick is called the cups and balls. It’s a trick that is found in many beginner magic kits, however, the version I presented was published in a book called, the Dai Vernon Book of Magic. Vernon was originally from Ottawa, Canada before moving to the States and becoming a legend among magicians. His version of the cups and balls was the gold standard. After I presented this trick, I had to leave the room while the other magicians voted if I was worthy to become a member. I’m happy to say that the decision was unanimous.

The magic club was instrumental in my development as a magician. Two of my mentors were from the club. Now days, the club meets once a month. I love the camaraderie and the intriguing exchange of secrets and theory. On two occasions, I was voted magician of the year. That’s an award I’m very proud of. I’ve also held the position of President of the club.

Head Shot

This was one of my first professional head shots. I was probable about 22 or 23 when this photo shoot happened.

Giving Back

I’m now one of the older club members and I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and wisdom with younger members. I feel that I’m part of a continuing tradition of secrets being passed on from one generation to another in the world of magic.

When I was 12, I started my performing career as a birthday party magician. It has been an amazing career. Recently, I performed at a birthday party of a young boy. His friends and family loved the show!

Learning to be a Birthday Party Magician

When I started to perform magic, I was 11 years old. For magicians, back then, pretty well the only market that was open to beginners was the birthday party magician. The price was low and the expectations weren’t too high. It was the perfect place to begin to learn how to be a great performer. After university, when I became a full-time performer, I branched out into other stages, but I still love to perform at birthday parties.

When you’ve performed magic at birthday parties for as long as I have, an interesting phenomena occurs. The young boy’s birthday party that I mentioned above was not the first time this family had seen me. I was the magician at the boy’s mom’s birthday party when she was his age.

When I showed up to the boy’s party, his grandma approached me and showed me photo’s when I performed at her daughter’s party. It was an amazing trip down memory lane. My costume was different. The tricks were different. What was the same was the expression of joy and laughter on the kids’ faces. That is what encouraged the mom to bring me back for her son to experience. After his party, we took more photos.

Lucky To Be Able To Do What I Do

I love performing so much that I don’t really consider it a job. It is too much fun. It is, however, how I earn my living. That alone, makes me a very fortunate person. I’m still excited about meeting new audiences and learning new magic. I hope to keep at it for a long time to come.