754: F.F.F.F. 2023 - Days One and Two Report

Wednesday April 26th

2:00-5:00 Registration & 4F Shop open

6:00 Dealers’ Room opens (closed during lectures/shows)

7:30 1st Show: 4F Opening Gala (MC: Michael Dardant) featuring: Alan Rorrison, Jeff Eline, Clark Payne, Thomas Solomon, Billy Hsueh, Quentin Reynolds, William Watt, and Alfonso Rituerto

9:00 Lecture #1: Clemens Ilgner

10:00 Hospitality Suite opens

12:00 Dealers’ Room closes

Thursday April 27th

10:00-5:00 Registration open (closed during lectures and shows)

10:00 Dealers’ Room opens (closed during lectures and shows)

10:00-10:30 4F Shop open (closed during lectures and shows)

10:30 Lecture #2: Chris Capehart Lecture

1:30 2nd Show: Mini World (MC: Keith Fields) featuring: Rune Carlsen, Ricardo Rosenkranz, John Michael Hinton, Rian Lehman, Jason Michaels, Alexander Great, Eddie McCall, Jeff Christensen, and Lodewijk de Widt

3:30 ED Talks #1 (MCs: Christian/Katalina) with David Coraro (Fooling Penn & Teller), Jason Michaels (Projecting Close Up Magic on Stage), Mark Zacharia (Using Hypnotism in Close-Up Magic) and Paul Richards (Selling Magic)

3:30 3rd Show: Friends Old & New (MC: Lucy Darling) featuring: Joseph Vidal, Sam Slebhin, Rod Chow, ICE McDonald, George Iglesias, Brian Curry, David Parr and Geoff Williams.

7:30 Lecture #3: Mark Mason

10:00 Hospitality Suite opens

12:00 Dealers’ Room closes

Time stamps for this episode:

00:00:18 - leaving Houston and getting excited for this coming trip to Buffalo as we enjoy coffee and doughnuts from Dunkin’ Donuts

00:04:47 - Jason Michael and Scott are awaiting our shuttle outside of the Buffalo airport as Jason tells us a bit about his upcoming talk at the 4F convention.

00:12:24 - Michael Dardant will be the emcee for the opening afternoon show and what he’s doing on Facebook with the I.B.M.

00:18:46 - Paul LeMere is the GM at the M Hotel and he tells us about the hot wings they serve at this hotel.

00:23:04 - Billy Dubu from France talks about his performance at the Magic Castle and now in Buffalo at the 4F

00:27:16 - Doug Gorman, from San Antonio, Texas, is excited to be here

00:31:04 - Marc DeSouza recaps the Wednesday evening gala show

00:49:50 - Eric DeCamps will be delivering his one-man show this week which is the first time someone has been featured as a solo act at the 4F

00:55:58 - we chat with the Guest of Honor, Mark Mason, who was the subject of Episode #557 and he chats about his magic background that brought him to being the Guest of Honor this year.

01:01:52 - Eva May Nicot talks about getting married to Roger Nicot at this convention some years ago. She also marries people at Stone Henge in England.

01:05:13 - Tom Craven talks about this being his 50th 4F convention. Tom is the only person who has attended every 4F from the beginning. He reminisces about some of his experiences.

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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.

691: Rocco - A D'Lite-ful Magician

Conceived in Italy and named after a Saint, Rocco is a winner of several awards including the Golden Lion Award from Siegfried and Roy, among others that launched his international career. Performing from China to Guam and Paris to Monaco, his silent act has kept him in constant demand at all of the top nightclubs and casinos in the world. He was also the creator of the D’Lite which has sold six million across the globe. Rocco is also the “master of the sleeve” who has made a career of shooting items up and down in and out of his sleeve making for “enlightenment in the mind.”

In this week’s episode, Rocco shares stories about how he started in magic and the story of how D’Lites were created and stolen. He also chats about some of his highlights so far in his life from his many experiences of performing from the Crazy Horse in Paris to winning the Golden Lion from Siegfried and Roy. He also talks about his inspiration from Bill Wisch and Slydini that made him the magician he is today.