421: 2018 Obie's F.F.F.F. Day Four

Saturday, April 28
10:00 Dealers’ Room opens (closed during lectures, shows, and dinner)
10:00-10:45 2018 Registration & 4F Shop open
11:00 Keith Fields Lecture
12:15 Lunch break (ticket required)
1:30 6th Show: Mini World Show (MC: Dan Garrett)
3:30 7th Show: Fechter’s Fabulous Frolics (MC: Michael Dardant)
5:30 Smorgasbord (ticket required)
6:45 Dealers’ Room & 4F Shop open
7:45 Tribute to our Guest of Honor: Pit Hartling
8:00 8th Show: 4F Closing Gala (MCs: Obie O’Brien & Joan Caesar)
11:30 Hospitality Suite (Crystal Room) opens
12:00 Dealers’ Room closes

Time stamps for this podcast:

00:00:17 - Marc DeSouza and Scott review yesterday's shows.

00:20:57 - Steve Bargatze talks about his son, comedian Nate Bargatze and what Steve is doing now in his son's show.

00:30:42 - Howard Hamburg just returned from lecturing in China, Austria, Norway, Mexico and lots of other international locations.

00:35:54 - Eric DeCamps was one of the presenters in yesterday's "TED Type Talks" where he talked about "Achieving Clarity in Conjuring"

00:45:36 - Paul Gertner chats about his FFFF memories plus tells us about his new one-man show in Boston, MA

00:52:36 - Boris Wild was a former Guest of Honor and tells us why this convention is so special

00:56:24 - Mark Leveridge is the editor of Magic Seen magazine in the U.K. and he talks about that plus his podcast and his online magic shop that has undergone changes to eBooks now.

01:09:11 - Marc DeSouza and Scott give a final analysis and wrap up of this year's 48th convention

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289: F.F.F.F. 2016 Day Three

Day Three with even more great shows and more great chats with some of the attendees.

Friday April 29:
8:00 - Bob Little Open Golf Tournament11:00am: Pat Page Workshop
11:00 - Pat Page Memorial Workshop (Teach-A-Trick hosted by Mike Powers) "Ring Magi"Noon:
1:30pm: 4th Close-Up Show "Magical Moments" (Christian Painter emcee)

3:30pm: 5th Close-Up Show "Italian Gala" (Alain Iannone emcee)
5:30pm: Dinner Buffet
8:00pm: 6th Close-Up Show "Finger Flicking Friday" 9Meir Yedid emcee)
11:00pm: Hospitality Suite

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:00:00 - Kieron Johnson from the U.K. talks about this being his first 4F convention

00:10:00- Will Fern has attended three times and discusses some of the shows we've seen so far.

00:16:31 - Bill Evans plays a new composition on his ukulele "Don't Get Banned For Life"

00:19:17 - Neil Stirton from Scotland talks about this being his first 4F convention and how it differs from other conventions he's attended.

00:28:46 - Raj Madhok has attended 20+ years and takes time away from his medical practice to attend this convention. He talks about the quality of the shows this year.

00:35:37 - Joe Monti and Christian Engbloom talk about the convention

00:38:12 - Eric DeCamps will be on the final night show with something special, but here he talks about his personal friendship with Rene LeVand.

257: Magic Chat at the Chateau du Magique

As an attachment to a recent podcast, I gave a link to my irregular, half hour podcast, "Meals With Magicians" which was recorded at the riverside home of Trixie Bond in the Texas Hill Country. Also sitting outside on the veranda for breakfast and joining the conversation was Jay Scott Berry, Suzanne the Magician, and Don Wiberg.

After the 30 minutes was over, I felt that we were just getting started with an intensely deep and interesting conversation. So, I turned on the microphone and recorded a second half. I know that "Meals With Magicians" is not widely heard but I felt that what we discussed warranted a larger audience. So, I have included that podcast as the first half of this longer one. If you already heard that podcast on Spreaker.com, then you might want to either hear it again to get the context of the latter half of this podcast, or you might wish to skip forward to about the halfway mark to hear the last half hour of our conversation.

Suzanne is the only woman to win the coveted "Close-Up Magician of the Year" award from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle). In this 2-DVD set, you will learn Suzanne's valuable secrets on how to properly structure a magical performance to create a standout show, as well as some fabulous magic.

Take a front row seat at Hollywood's famed Magic Castle. Known as "The Carnegie Hall of Magic", its 3 main theatres showcase the world's finest magicians. At 19, I was the youngest magician to ever perform there. Some years later I joined the very few who have presented 1000 shows in these hallowed halls. From The Close-up Gallery to The Palace of Mystery, my favourite room has always been The Parlour of Prestidigitation. With that thought, I invite you back to January 27, 2013...Enjoy.

“Suspicion and wonder cannot exist simultaneously in the mind of the audience.” – Jay Scott Berry

This is just one of the great ideas discussed in this week’s podcast that includes Preparing your lecture, dealing with hecklers on stage or at a restaurant table, the story about a heckler in Shawn Farquhar’s show many years ago who burned down his home, getting the attention of children for your kid’s show, and Suzanne recommends listening to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who looks at those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow." Trixie also talks about how to mentally prepare for performing whether it is before a birthday party or a stage show and the life-changing results it could bring (the power of the experience).

Jay Scott Berry also shares a key element from his lecture – A.C.E. which stands for Attitude, Charisma and Enthusiasm. He goes into detail about each of these areas that will help you with your show, too.

Don Wiberg talks about the importance of knowing how to give a lecture, what is the first thing you should NOT say when you come on stage, and how to structure an interesting opening line. We also talk about bringing the awe and wonder back to our performances.

MagicPad is a versatile, packs flat, plays big effect (performed at the Magic Castle) AND it's a very useful iPad case for daily use!

421: 2018 Obie's F.F.F.F. Day Four

289: F.F.F.F. 2016 Day Three

257: Magic Chat at the Chateau du Magique

The Magic Word