Magic Shop Grand Opening this weekend

Posted by admin on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 in Ring Member Activities, Upcoming Events | 0 comments

Ring 101 member Ray Cerio is having a Grand Opening at his Magic Shop this Friday and Saturday, April 1st and 2nd.  Don’t be an “April Fool” — come on out to 1001 E. Genesee Street in Chittenango and save 25% on everything during the Grand Opening! There will be a drawing for a magic set valued at $50.

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It’s all about Practice

Posted by admin on Tuesday, March 29, 2011 in Being a Magician | 0 comments

Editors note: the following article was presented as an open letter to all members of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Don Connelly RIng 101, by Ring member Leon Etienne at our March 2011 meeting.

In recent years many of the younger members of our club have approached me for help with their magic acts, shows and performance ideas. Helping them has always been a very rewarding experience, and I enjoy passing on my knowledge and expertise through Ring 101, as others through the years have done for me.

Recently it has been brought to my attention that the club would like to start putting on public shows again to add to the treasury as well as to complete our obligations as an IBM ring.

Let’s face it, we all know where to get tricks and effects! I personally believe that putting on a great performance has absolutely nothing to do with the tricks you perform, yet everything to do with how you choose to perform them! A large part of being able to successfully represent our skills to the community is to be proud of what we are performing. To do this, a wide variety of performance skills come into play including; stage presence, routining, music selection and appearance.

Several of the younger members have asked how to develop these necessary additional skills in order to be able to present magic effectively for real public audiences. It is my intention in writing this to provide some resources that I have personally found useful for those of you who wish to study the subject further and who truly care about taking their magic acts to the next level.

I will only add that reading the suggested material will give you a starting point. You will have to practice and apply the techniques hundreds of times before being ready to present in public. Seriously! If you want to be proud performing your tricks in public for interested people you need to take this subject matter seriously! If you don’t you are not only hurting and embarrassing yourself, you are hurting and embarrassing Ring 101, The International Brotherhood of Magicians, magic as an art, magic as a profession and the people who make there living performing magic.

Suggested Resources:
I list these in no particular order. There are several other good resources available. Here I list the resources that I have used with success. Don’t stop your own study and research with just this list.

• - Take an acting class! Seriously! In school or a community class.
• - “Magic and Showmanship: A Handbook for Conjurers” by Henning Nelms (This is a absolute must.)
• - “Foundations” by Eberhard Riese
• - Anything by Juan Tamariz especially: “The Five Points in Magic” by Juan Tamariz
• - “Absolute Magic” by Derren Brown
• - “Win the Crowd” by Steve Cohen, The Millionaires’ Magician

Good Luck!!!

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He Smelled Like Cookies

Posted by robtarry on Sunday, March 27, 2011 in Being a Magician | 0 comments

I recently had one of the best magic lessons I’ve ever had in my life. I was talked into going to see the show Jesus Christ Superstar starring Ted Neeley (star of the 1973 movie version of the musical). Here is a guy that is twice the age of Jesus when he was crucified. Neeley has played this part longer than Jesus was alive. That being said, it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a very long time.

I sat in the theater, the lights dimmed, and the overture began. When Neeley walked out on stage, the audience went nuts. He is one of the most magnetic actors I’ve ever seen, and is a truly gripping vocalist.

The next day I went on the Internet because I wanted to find out more about this guy. What I found was fan site after fan site. Each site had an array of pictures of Neeley meeting and greeting fans. I discovered that after each show he spends at least an hour meeting fans. The pictures were not of him aloofly signing an autograph for the umpteenth time. The pictures were of him hugging fans and, something that struck me like a Mack truck, listening. It looked like he was really listening. I read comments on what a nice guy he is, and how he’s so down to earth. Someone commented that “he smells like cookies.” In an interview I read, he said he takes the time to meet fans after the show because they have stories and experiences they wanted to share with him about the show, and how the show effected them.

This made me think in ways I have never thought before. Ted Neeley is an incredible performer, and he realizes the responsibility he has playing Jesus Christ. The show invokes such powerful emotions that audience members are compelled to share their thoughts and feelings with him.

You are an actor, and you star in a show called Your Magic Show. You play the lead role: The Magician. I now realize the effect that role has on people. There are three icons in our culture that have a very strong, positive effect on people: Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, and the magician. That is something we as magicians need to understand. The magician taps into a part of us that is forever young, childish, and full of wonder. How many times has someone come up to you after a show that wanted to tell you about a magic show their grandfather took them to as a kid, or a card trick their father taught them? They are not making idol chit chat. You (the actor) and the part you are playing (the magician) effects people. Don’t take that lightly. I myself have been guilty of packing up the show while an audience member was trying to share a story with me. What I should have done was stopped and listened. Would it have killed me to have seen the Twenty-one Card Trick for the millionth time? No. I’ve learned my lesson.

Here is my new resolution: I will keep a deck of cards in my back pocket before I walk on stage. After the show, I will listen to anyone who really wants to talk. If someone sheepishly tells me about a card trick their grandfather taught them, I will reach into my back pocket, take out the cards, and politely ask them if they would be willing to show me their card trick. After, as a token of my appreciation, I will give them the deck as a gift. What a powerful, meaningful moment that will be.

One day I want to go on the Internet and see pictures of me greeting people after the show and really listening to what they have to say. One day, I want someone to say that I smell like cookies.

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New Meeting Location

Posted by admin on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 in Ring Meeting Notes, Upcoming Events | 0 comments

Our meeting location has moved to the VFW in Rome, NY – located at 315 North Washington Street.

Meeting details including a map where you can get driving directions is located at the meetings tab at the top of this page.

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Will Houstoun to Lecture in Rome

Posted by admin on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 in Upcoming Events | 0 comments

Ring 101 will be hosting Will Houstoun from England for his magic lecture entitled “Out with the New, In With the Old” on April 20th at 7pm.  Cost for the lecture is $10 for IBM Members and $15 for Guests.

The lecture will be held at our new meeting location, the VFW in Rome at 315 North Washington Street, Rome, NY.

A 1Meg PDF flyer for this lecture is located here.

More information about Will Houstoun.

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