617: U.K. Kid Show Magicians

Kids are kids the world over and they all love magic. But there are some subtle differences in how and where magic is presented to children in the U.S. versus how it's done in the U.K. This week we chat with family and children show entertainers from the U.K. about these differences and some of their challenges (i.e. taking the tube and/or train in London between shows) and how they brand themselves by using memorable names for their characters.

Listen this week to our chat with Martin "Mr. Biscuit" Cox, Dave "Magic Dave" Allen and Paul "Colonel Custard" Megram as we hear how it's done "across the pond."

This week’s podcast episode on YouTube.

This week, Paul Megram, Dave Allen and Martin Cox represent a small sample of the complex and multi-levels of children’s show magicians in England. Someone could easily make a podcast devoted to just the kid show industry in the U.K. by featuring a different entertainer each week, but that’s not what The Magic Word Podcast is about. So please enjoy this 35,000 foot (or 10,668 meters) overview of this lucrative industry and accept our apologies if we have left out you as a guest or topics that you think we should have discussed.

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588: Stuart MacDonald - What a Character

Multiple award winner, Stuart Macdonald continues to reinvent himself. From a nine to five job in the corporate world, he developed a contest act that won awards after awards that took him around the world. Along the way, he performed magic on the college circuit and spent many years producing a haunted house that had thousands of visitors annually with a staff of over 50 employees. He developed a character (Richard Presto) for the digital age regularly performing on Zoom meetings with his hip, 1960’s persona.

Cryogenically frozen in 1962 Richard Preston was the greatest entertainer and magician of his generation. Stuart MacDonald, magician / actor www.stuartmacdonald.com

Richard Preston is the first entertainer to be cryogenically frozen in 1962 and was unthawed to bring the world back together. He was the greatest entertainer in history up to 1962 and now he's proving it again with a revival of his 2020 Christmas Capers Holiday Magic Show.

In this week’s episode, Stuart talks about his magical journey from the corporate world to the full time performances as a magician. Alon the way he also fooled Penn & Teller on their television show plus he is in demand giving keynote speeches to corporate audiences. This “chameleon” of a man is constantly reinventing his act and himself to keep up with the times by finding what his audience wants and needs at the time when they want and need it.

516: 2019 T.A.O.M. Update Days Three & Four

Schedule of Events - September 1

7AM-8:30AM Invisible Lodge

8AM-9AM Gospel Magic Church Meeting

9AM-10AM TAOM General Meeting

9AM-6PM Registration

9AM-6PM Dealers Open

9AM-11AM TAOM Magic Camp

10AM-6PM 2020 Registration

10AM-11AM Order of Willard Breakfast

11:30AM-12:30PM David Charvet Lecture

12:30PM-1:30PM Lunch

1:30PM-3:30PM Pro Close-Up Show

4PM-5PM Stuart MacDonald Lecture

5PM-7PM Dinner

7PM-9PM Show at the Magik Theatre

10PM-11PM Bizarre Panel Talk

Schedule of Events - September 2

9AM-12PM 2020 Registration

9AM-12PM Dealers Open

10AM-11:30AM Carol Massie Lecture

Time Stamps for this Podcast:

00:01:50 Kent Cummins talks to the “Order of Willard” group at breakfast about the Fun ‘n Magic Shoppe in San Antonio and its proprietor, Louis Berkie.

00:30:00 - Dal Sanders recently received an Award of Merit from the Academy of Magical Arts for his work on getting a bill passed recognizing magic as an art. In this conversation, Dal gives us an update on what has been done and what yet needs to be done.

00:38:14 - Jay Zugai won the comedy award and was surprised since he had entered the close-up contest. But he was so funny that they split him out to award him in that category.

00:43:05 - Nick Lewin was the evening show’s emcee and talks about his experience on the evening show that ran three and a half hours.

00:49:02 - Stuart MacDonald performed two different stage routines, one close-up show and a full lecture.

01:00:50 - Oscar Munoz was one of the stand-out hits of the Sunday night’s show.

01:09:18 - David Deeble talks about getting through a technically challenging show in a professional way and coming out on “the other side” as another of the stand-out hits of the evening show

01:22:29 - Jamie Salinas and Scott are on the drive home and give a wrap-up of the convention