Magicana

Magicana

Name	Magicana
Formed	May 2000
Location(s)	Toronto
Artistic director(s)	David Ben
Website	Magicana
Genre(s)	Magic, performing art

Magicana is a Canadian federally incorporated not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to the study, exploration and advancement of magic as a performing art. Magicana is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Julie Eng serves as Magicana’s Executive Director and David Ben as its Artistic Director.

1 History
2 Objectives
3 Board of Directors
4 Productions
5 Exhibitions
6 Conferences, seminars and workshops
- 6.1 31 Faces North
- 6.2 Magic Collectors Weekend
7 Publications
8 Scholarships and grants
9 Community programs
- 9.1 My Magic Hands
- 9.2 Senior Sorcery
10 References
11 External links

History

Magicana was founded in May 2000 by magician David Ben, Canadian broadcasting icon Patrick Watson, and documentary filmmaker Daniel Zuckerbrot. Magicana is funded by donations from private foundations and individuals; and from the sales of tickets and publications on a cost recovery basis.

Magicana received official status^[1] as a registered charitable organization ^[2] in 2006.^[3]

Objectives

The purpose of Magicana as stated in its Articles of Incorporation is:

(a) to educate and increase the public’s understanding and appreciation of the art of magic by providing performances of an artistic nature in public venues;

(b) to provide instructional seminars on topics related to the art of magic;

(c) to stage and produce exhibitions for the purpose of educating and advancing the public’s appreciation of the art of magic; and

(d) to educate artists through participation in such performances and exhibitions and related workshops.

Board of Directors

Chairman Emeritus: Patrick Watson

Chairman: Tim Jackson

Board of Directors:

Michael Gillis
Craig MacPherson
Michael McLaughlin
Bob Weeks
Elizabeth Wilson

Productions

Magicana has produced a number of theatrical public performances on magic including:

The Conjuror’s Suite (2000) - The play - an exploration of parlor magic inspired by the work of Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser and Max Malini - was originally mounted in 1999 at the Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The show was remounted at the Confederation Centre for the Charlottetown Festival in Prince Edward Island for the summer season of 2000.^[4]

The Conjuror (2002) - The show - a theatrical recreation of a performance by a celebrated (but fictitious) Canadian conjuror at St. George’s Hall in London circa 1909 - was remounted^[5] in Toronto at the Isabelle Bader Theatre and ran for six weeks to critical acclaim.^[6]

Tricks (2004) - Differing from its predecessors, Tricks - a post-modern show of classical magic - was designed as an intimate^[7] and interactive show involving a high degree of audience participation. The play was presented for four weeks at the Artword Theatre in Toronto.^[8]

Max Maven: Thinking in Person (2006) at the Al Green Theatre (Toronto) - Magicana invited Max Maven to present his one-man show for a limited, two-night engagement in August 2006.

Luminato 2010 Masters of Magic series featuring: Juan Tamariz of Spain, Mac King from Las Vegas, Max Maven from Hollywood were presented at the Panasonic Theatre (Toronto); and Bob Sheets from Washington, DC performed in various Festival (free) venues around Toronto.

Luminato 2011 Masters of Magic series featuring: Eric Mead in Toast of the Town,^[9] David Ben in Natural Magick^[10]^[11] at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto; and The Great Tomsoni & Co (Johnny and Pam Thompson), Mike Caveney, Tina Lenert, Ardan James, Gaëtan Bloom in Vodavil'^[12]^[13] at the historic vaudeville Winter Garden Theatre in Toronto.

Piff Paff Poof (2011) at the Lower Ossington Theatre (Toronto) - Magicana presented this new work for children^[14]^[15] to invite them to experience live theatre with their families. The show ran for the month of March 2011.

Exhibitions

Online exhibitions on magic and great magicians of yesteryear, developed, hosted and maintained by Magicana include:

Conferences, seminars and workshops

Magicana has hosted a number of artist workshops and seminars by several top-rated magicians and speakers across Canada including:

Norman Beck	Rafael Benatar	Gaëtan Bloom
Eugene Burger	John Carney	Jason England
Roberto Giobbi	Kostya Kimlat	Max Maven
Eric Mead	John Mendoza	Patrick Page
David Solomon	Jim Steinmeyer	Jamy Ian Swiss
John Thompson	Richard Turner

31 Faces North

From 2003 to 2010 Magicana hosted 31 Faces North, a four day think-tank of thirty-one of the world’s foremost magicians. The invitational conference was designed to bring sleight-of-hand experts, magic historians, and magic experts together to network, share, discuss and witness magic performances by masters of the art.

While the conference recognized giants of the magic community, it was also designed to offer promising young magicians a chance to meet and learn from magic legends. The attendees represented a who’s who of magic including Guests of Honour:

Jay Marshall (2003)
Tommy Wonder (2003)
Johnny Thompson (2004)
Harry Riser (2004)
Billy McComb (2005)
Charles Reynolds (2005)
Max Maven (2006)
Bob White (2006)
Roberto Giobbi (2007)
Stephen Minch (2007)
Ton Onosaka (2008)
Herb Zarrow (2008)
Michael Weber (2009)
Bob Sheets (2009)
Gaëtan Bloom (2010)
Jim Steinmeyer (2010)

Magic Collectors Weekend

Since 2010, Magicana has been responsible for the programming, administration and execution of the Magic Collectors Weekend - an international conference on magic history for 200 participants held in Chicago. The MCW has been staged annually since 1969.

Publications

Magicana’s publications include:

2006: Dai Vernon: A Biography – Artist, Magician, Muse Vol. 1,^[16]^[17] Chicago: Squash Publishing. Toronto: Magicana. ISBN 978-0974468150
2007: The Essential Stewart James by Stewart James. Toronto: Magicana. ISBN 978-0978067526
2008: Spins and Needles: The Magic of Allan Slaight by Allan Slaight. Toronto: Magicana. ISBN 978-0978067533
2008: How Gamblers Win by a Retried Professional. Toronto: Magicana. ISBN 978-0978067540
2010: A Grand Expose of The Science of Gambling by An Adept. Toronto: Magicana ISBN 978-0978067588
2011: A Cut Above by Msgr Vincent Foy, Toronto: Magicana ISBN 978-0978067595
2011: Erdnase Unmaske by: David Ben, Jason England, Martin Gardner, Richard Hatch, Hurt McDermott. Toronto: Magicana ISBN 978-0987868602

Magicana also publishes Magicol (ISSN 0460-5314), a quarterly journal on magic history and collectibles which has been in publication since 1950. Magicana began publication stewardship of Magicol in 2010 starting with issue No. 174.

Scholarships and grants

Magicana provides grants and bursaries related to the study of magic.

The Tony Eng Youth Fund was developed in memory of the late Canadian magician Tony Eng. The TEYF provides financial assistance for young magicians (ages 13 to 18) to attend lectures, conferences, workshops, or acquire books or apparatus related to the performance of magic.

The Edwin A. Dawes Award for Magic Scholarship is a bursary designed to provide doctoral students financial assistance toward the cost of materials and research pertaining a thesis related to the art of magic.

Community programs

Magicana developed and runs two, community outreach programs: My Magic Hands and Senior Sorcery.

My Magic Hands

My Magic Hands, originally launched in 2005, uses the art of magic as a teaching vehicle to reach children in disadvantaged communities in order to build self-confidence and essential life skills such as communication, critical thinking and problem solving. Using the theatrical process involved in staging a magic trick, the program provides a cost-efficient and systematic way for children to learn about the arts in communities that do not normally have access to quality arts-related programming. Magicana received seed funding in 2005 followed by a multi-year grant (2006–2008) from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for the program and continues to currently operate through funding from private foundations and donors.

In addition to outreach programming, My Magic Hands is also a longstanding program staple at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, specifically in occupational and speech therapy programs. The program is recognized and acknowledged by occupational therapists, staff and parents of clients as a unique, successful and motivating tool assisting clients to reach their therapeutic goals.^[18]

The program is administrated by Magicana and is a core activity of the organization.

Senior Sorcery

Senior Sorcery, launched in 2006, is designed to bring live theatre in the form of magic shows to the senior citizen community, particularly to isolated seniors in remote residences and/or community centres. The program engages seniors by breaking the "fourth wall" of theatre and involving their participation in the magic. The program also empowers by giving seniors the ability to invite their family and friends to a special event. The program also aims to bridge or connect generations by offering a group activity that all can participate in, enjoy together and to discuss afterwards.