It’s true!

David Ben, Artistic Director of Magicana, is pleased to announce that Magicana is taking over the stewardship of the Magic Collectors’ Association.

Founded over sixty years ago, the MCA has staged an annual conference devoted to discussing the history of magic as a performing art, profiling its builders and championing its performers. It has published Magicol, a quarterly magazine, for close to fifty years, the last fifteen under the direction of David Meyer of Glenwood, Illinois. David is now retiring from the role, this November issue being his last, and is turning the reins of the publication and the organization over to Magicana.

Magicana looks forward to building on the success of David Meyer and his cast of contributors, and plans to continue the publication of Magicol, stage the annual conference, and harness new technology, particularly as offered on the Internet, to extend the reach and membership of the MCA.

The Board of Directors of Magicana offered their unanimous support for the undertaking seeing it as perfect fit with Magicana’s mandate.

Stay informed! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We’ll keep you up to date with MCA developments and conference news.

Looking for the real inner secrets?

All will be revealed at Magic By Design, The Theatre of Magic workshop to be led by David Ben at the Banff Centre January 4 to 9, 2010.

Here’s a great opportunity to tell your family and friends why you MUST have this trip for your upcoming birthday, Thanksgiving or holiday gift! Where else are you going to get intense and intimate coaching on the real secrets to performing beautiful magic? All this magic will be set against the majestic mountains in the heart of Canada’s winter wonderland at the world-renown Banff Centre, a world leader in art and culture.

David will take participants on an interestingly diverse six-day journey of exploring what constitutes great magic. As the week progresses, students will also learn how to develop their own “critical eye” and leave the program with magic they can proudly perform for the rest of their lives.

There is no doubt, this program is challenging. It’s intense. And, it’s life altering.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up now! Registration has been extended until November 16th.

For more information visit our Workshops page. Or visit the Banff Centre’s website for registration.

Five Star Review!

It’s official…The Essential Stewart James is a five star winner!

REVIEW

“Imagine that for just $35 you could have some of magic’s finest performers and inventors cull through the collected works of a genius and provide you with the very best of the material. Well, that’s no pipe dream, that’s exactly what this book provides. Even if you have the mammoth James publications, consider this took a “reader’s guide” at a bargain price. If you don’t have the publications from which it draws, then consider this a must have addition to your library. The price, production, and quality of material cannot be beat.“

Gordon Meyer, MyLovelyAssistant 10/7/2009 Full review

About the Book

Canadian Stewart James was the most prolific inventor of magic in the twentieth century. Where most magicians invent a handful of magic routines during the course of their life, Stewart James created over one thousand. His prodigious output has been recorded in two mammoth publications totally over 2,700 pages. James’ vast body of work has now been distilled to 50 of his “greatest tricks”, The Essential Stewart James.

Allan Slaight, co-editor of “Stewart James In Print” and author of “The James File”, asked dozens of Stewart James’ aficionados including Max Maven, Michael Weber, Bob Farmer, Stephen Minch, Bill Goodwin, Gordon Bean, David Ben, Roy Walton, Charles Reynolds, Gabe Fajuri, Steve Beam, and Peter Duffie among others, to whittle over 1,000 of James’ creations down to their fifty favourite, in other words, the essential Stewart James.

For those who own the earlier Stewart James tomes (“Stewart James In Print: The First Fifty Years” and “The James File”) but are intimated by the size and scope of the material, this book is for you! The Essential Stewart James serves as a tourist guide through the land of James. For those who are encountering this wily Canadian wizard for the first time, this book serves as a primer to the brilliance of the man, his methods and his magic.

An Interview with A Conjuror

How did this Conjuror get into magic?

Find out, in a two-part interview by The Magic Newswire, why David Ben gave up a career as a lawyer to become a magician.

David has spent a great deal of time seeking out, learning and refining the secrets of his craft. In this in-depth in

terview with Dodd Vickers, he reveals his thoughts, theories and of course, secrets on magic.

Get the inside scoop on his time with Ross Bertram. Find out what motivated the creation of The Conjuror and The Conjuror’s Suite. Learn about his research on Dai Vernon and get the latest on the yet-to-be-released Volume Two on Vernon’s life. The podcast will also talk about his contribution to Genii’s 75th Anniversary salute to The Jinx.

The interview can be accessed from here. Want to more about our projects? Visit magicana.com.

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We’ll let you know when Part Two of this Interview is released.

Let us know what you think! Leave your comments below.