735: Magifest 2023 - Day Two Report

Friday 27th January 2023

10:00am - 5:30pm

Dealers Open

10:00am - 11:00am

Kyle Purnell Lecture

See one of the most fertile creative minds in magic…doing his very best material. Kyle Purnell has developed highly innovative ideas with cards, bills, coins, and more, and you’ll see it all in this action-packed lecture. 11am - 12pm

Mortenn Christiansen Lecture

Not only did Denmark’s Mortenn Christiansen win the Comedy Prize this year at FISM, but he also brought down the house with an unusual act that is amazing as it is hilarious. You’ll see that act in the gala show, but in this lecture you’ll see an array of fantastic, original close-up and parlor magic. 1pm - 2:30pm

The Magifest Session

Starring Charles Greene performing and explaining a few pet effects, as well as author Margalit Fox, who will present a captivating 45-minute presentation on her best-selling book, The Confidence Men, the true story about two men who used mentalism to escape from a POW camp.

There will also be a presentation from the Gahana High School Magic Program, which features magic from students with disabilities. We at Magifest are proud to have an ongoing partnership with this important and inspiring program. We are excited to see what magic they do for us. 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Youth Event

For young magicians only! 3:30pm - 4:30pm

Mark Calabrese Lecture

Making his Magifest debut, card-cheating expert and magician Mark Calabrese will share the magic he uses to astound guests nightly at New York’s illustrious SpeakEasy Magic. You’ll learn practical, doable card magic. 5:30pm - 6:30pm

The Matt Pritchard Experience

This event is impossible to categorize, and there hasn’t been anything like it at Magifest before. Pritchard brought the house down at our sister-convention, The Session, with this presentation. Matt Pritchard has a background in science, and during the pandemic he put this background to use making online, viral videos of magic illusions. In this talk he’ll show and (sometimes) tell on the most popular of these illusions. And in most cases, the method behind the trick is as interesting as the trick itself. 8pm - 9pm

Lance Burton Interview

The man, the myth, the legend. Lance Burton sits down for a candid, in-depth interview about his illustrious career. We’ll look at performance footage and find out how one of Las Vegas’s greatest entertainers made it to the top. 9:30pm - 10:30pm

David Gerard Show

Experience this high-energy, astounding mentalism show. Straight from his residency in San Francisco to the Magifest stage… 11:30pm - midnight

You Flash, You Lose with Chris Ramsay and friends

Be part of a social media happening as the Big Trick Energy team invite you to play their "You Flash, You Lose" 10:30pm - 12.30am

Bar Magic with Mark Calabrese

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - The new CFO for Vanishing, Inc., Jeff Kowalk, chats with us about Vanishing, Inc. and the Magifest plus other exciting news

00:15:22 - Roger Nicot from Card Shark and Scott talk about crop circles and Stone Henge

00:22:21 - Marv Leventhal, one of the publishers of the Minotaur and shares his observations about some of the shows from the Day One evening shows.

00:36:43 -Owner of the Chicago Magic Lounge, Joey Cranford, chats about this convention and some news about the Chicago Magic Lounge.

00:47:-5 - Tom Craven has been attending the Magifest for about 60 years.

00:52:15 - Shoot Ogawa was a FISM winner who will be performing, lecturing and doing a private workshop here at the Magifest. He is currently performing a magical mystical show in Hawaii.

00:57:57 _ S.A.M. President Elect John Sturk chats about the upcoming national convention in July in New Orleans.

01:02:17 - John Wolfe and Kyle Purnell chat about this convention and why they like to attend.

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734: Magifest 2023 - Day One Report

Thursday 26th January 2023

5:00pm - 8:00pm

Dealer’s Room Open

5:30pm - 6:30pm

Charles Greene Historical Lecture.

Presenting his groundbreaking research on one of magic’s most elusive figures, Charles Greene will recount the unusual life story behind Ionia. Ionia was a pioneering figure in the world of magic—all the more difficult in her era because of great biases against female performers. She astounded the world and then…disappeared from public view. Greene has uncovered what happened, and how she lived the remainder of her life. This talk will feature many of the astounding visuals we associate with Ionia, including several newly uncovered images. 7:00pm - 7.45pm

Michel Huot Lecture

The creator of the hit trick “Socks” is making his Magifest debut with a lecture packed with unusual, non-card parlor material. Mr. Huot comes from Quebec, and he will astound people with his unique, creative brand of magic. 8:00pm - 9pm

Mark James Show

Straight from a successful tour of the UK, Mark James has a truly “parlor” magic show–a rarity in these times. You’ll be amazed and delighted by his high energy approach to the classics, and you’ll be amazed by the clever twists along the way. 9:00pm - 9:45pm

Youth Program Welcome Event

We invite all young magicians (and guardians) to attend this welcome party. You’ll meet our directors, a couple of our headline performers, and get insider tips on how to make the most of Magifest as a young person. There may even be a surprise or two… 9:30pm - 11:00pm

Peter Turner Show and Lecture

Hailing from the UK, Peter Turner is a radical, disruptive performer and thinker who has taken the mindreading community by storm. He will perform and then speak on his powerful, unique approach to mentalism.

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - Early morning departure from Houston to Columbus. Thank you, Andy Lacky, for the Dunkin’ Donuts gift card! It helps keep my eyes open for the 5:30 a.m. departure.

00:04:58 - Lance Burton and Gwyn Auger chat about his old Kentucky home

00:11:45 - Francois Xavier aka FX discusses this as his second Magifest and why he returned to see some stars of magic

00:16:04 - Nancy Anderson tells why she enjoys the podcast and some of her favorite episodes plus a chat with two other Chicago magicians, Scott Levens and T.J. Tang

00:19:35 - David Williamson is from Ohio and talks about the Magifest and his childhood memories of attending this event, plus what he’s been doing during COVID. He gives lessons through an online community at https://www.sleight.school/

00:22:52 - Jim Krenz is one of the many employees with Vanishing, Inc.

00:27:38 - Mark James is one of the performers who will also be lecturing this weekend.

00:33:14 - Charles Greene III will kick off the convention with his talk about his historical book, Ionia and his journey to uncover her story.

728: Behind the Camera at Masters of Illusion Season 9 - Part Two

It takes a village to produce a successful television series, and the village that produces “Masters of Illusion” has been successful year after year as they go into their ninth season on the CW Network. Last week we released the first of this two part series which gives listeners a peek into the lives of some of those who were involved in the making of this year’s series. We continue this week as we complete the episodic series with more conversations and more insight.

This week we start the episode featuring a chat back stage with Lucy Darling (in full character, of course). Next we catch a few minutes with the “Man of Steel”, the emcee of MOI, none other than television’s Superman, Dean Cain. Then we hear from as well as visiting the dressing room of “the Conjurors” from the U.K., Matthew Pomeroy and Natasha Lamb. We hear from one of the few mentalists on the show, Wayne Hoffman, then we sit down for a bite to eat with Jonathan Levit. One of the unexpected pleasures I experienced was getting to consult with one of the performers, Mai Wynn as I taught her a few close-up and stand-up routines to use on the show. We wrap this two part episode with a visit with the Executive Producer, Gay Blackstone, who finally took a breather after the two week shoot to talk about this year’s experience.