656: Megan Swann - Madam President...Finally

Megan Knowles-Bacon, best known by her stage name Megan Swann, is the first female president of The Magic Circle in their 116 year history. She was 28 when she gained the position in 2021. Until 1991 the Magic Circle did not admit women at all. Megan has been performing magic since she was five years old. Her career began via the Young Magician's Club, a youth initiative of The Magic Circle. She became a member of The Magic Circle at 18. In 2014, she became the first woman to be elected as an officer of the society and was elected as Vice-President in 2019.

Swann is passionate about nature, so she uses her magic performance skills to promote environmental issues. She performs and tours the UK with her ‘Green Magic Show’ for children. In this episode, she also talks about her interest in ballet and the stage magic show she designed around her dance. She has a degree in Wildlife Conservation from University of Kent in Canterbury and performs 'environmental magic' which she describes as 'a powerful tool for sharing important messages in a fun and engaging way'.

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638: Ian Keable on Hoaxes

Cons, scams, switches and swindles have been around for centuries and unfortunately have been associated with magic and magicians. How often have you heard, “watch your wallets and watches, he’s a magician!”? Perhaps it dates back to the street magicians as seen in the iconic painting from the 16th century, “The Conjuror” by Hieronymus Bosch.

This week we chat with Ian Keable from London, England, who has recently completed a book on hoaxes in the 18th century England. It is a rather specific area of interest and point in time, but nonetheless interesting and important. I believe this will have interest to all magicians, historians and the general public that will make for intelligent conversation at the right time when you need to pull out some bit of pre-Victorian trivia.

Ian shares some stories from his book this week as well as talking about his previous ventures as an author and performing magician in England.

622: Michael Chaut - Monday Night Magician

Michael Chaut is one of the co-producers of Monday Night Magic in New York City. After 25 years, it is the longest running magic show in NYC. In this week’s episode, Michael shares the history of Monday Night Magic along with a brief history of some of the other magic venues and performers during the 20th century in NYC.

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