Hi all,
Bryce here.
Before I tell you about the Trunk of Terror, I want to make sure you don’t miss the announcements from Tobias at the end of this email. In addition to two upcoming Locked Room events, Eugene just won a major FISM award. See below for details.
We just returned from the S.A.M. national convention in Las Vegas. Here are the three most important things I learned while there:
Every convention is going to have a few hiccups. This one began with a few sound issues. Our friends Roland & Susan and Christian & Katalina were the first show of the convention, “Magical Duets.” They are full-time pros with their own weekly shows in their respective cities and normally work with their own sound rigs. Knowing that the convention would be fully equipped, they only brought their microphones.
When things started to get tense the morning of the show, I decided to call in the Big Guns: our friend and Monday Night Mystery School co-host, Tim Wise. Tim tours with his own show and is a key player in the monthly Wonderground productions. If anyone was going to be able to help, I knew he was the guy.
You might think that he showed up with a bunch of new equipment and “took charge.” Quite the opposite. He saved the day by simply listening, remaining calm and playing nice with everyone. With everyone focused on the common goal of producing a great event, the problems were quickly solved and our friends’ show, as well as the rest of the events on the S.A.M. Stage, went off without a hitch.
Thank you to Tim and all of the crew of the convention for helping create such a wonderful experience!
The Magic School faculty are constantly espousing the use of a script. We witnessed the real power of a good script thanks to two emcees at the convention:
The first was Whitney Adams, the 13-year-old emcee of the Stars of Tomorrow show. I could barely put together a 7-minute act when I was Whitney’s age! She had clever bits between each act, memorized every introduction (including numerous awards and credentials) and even handled a major mistake like a seasoned pro. Bravo, Whitney!
Ali Shelley, who performs as a magical flight attendant for “Thin Air” airlines, hosted the Close-up Show. It’s obvious that Ali has spent a lot of time selecting great material and writing funny, engaging scripts. Thanks to all of her preparation, she was relaxed, charming, and had sincere (and memorized) introductions for each act.
While both of these ladies presented excellent magic, I’m convinced it was their devotion to a finely-tuned script that made them two of the favorite performers at the convention.
It’s rare to see tears spilling down the cheeks of magic show audience members… especially when the audience is comprised of magicians. I teared up twice, but for completely different reasons.
The first was while watching Boris Wild’s new “Butterfly” act, a sequel to his famous “Kiss” act. Without a word, Boris was able to tell a touching story of lost love. Luckily for you, there is a video of Boris performing the act on YouTube.
The second round of waterworks were tears of laughter generated by our dear friend John Cassidy. We met John and his wife Jen at their first Master Class about 10 years ago. Since then, John has gone on to great success. He works more than any magician I know (over 500 shows a year at last count), has made several television appearances (Conan, the Today Show, Regis and Kelly, etc.) and has worked on stage with both Mac King and The Amazing Johnathan.
John brought down the house in the final night’s show. While he has a lot of props, one of the funniest is the aformentioned “Trunk of Terror.” No, you can’t buy it from a magic dealer.  It’s just a standard ATA road case filled with home-made props. But with John’s comedic genius behind it, he had people falling out of their chairs laughing.
Despite the craziness, even John’s act has some very poignant moments. It may look like he’s just goofing off up there, but if you listen closely you’ll notice that he’s teaching all of us some very important lessons about how to live life to its fullest.
Until next time…
-Bryce
From Tobias:
First, we want to congratulate our friend and the Dean of the Magic & Mystery School, Eugene Burger, on receiving the 2012 FISM Special Award for Theory and Philosophy at the recent Congress held in Blackpool, England. Noted German magician Topas presented the award, and Eugene’s friend Max Maven accepted the Award on his behalf.
Eugene is the first American to receive this award. The two previous recipients were Tommy Wonder from the Netherlands and Juan Tamariz from Spain. In all, there are three FISM Special Awards. This year, along with Eugene, the other two were presented to Teller (for Creativity) and Mike Caveney (for Research and Scholarship).
And Eugene wasn’t our only Magic & Mystery School success at FISM!
Masterclass alumni Matthew Wright scooped second place in the Parlour category behind French sensation Yann Frisch. Matthew, who hails from the UK has traveled to Las Vegas many times and has been a regular at many Masterclasses. He has also been taking regular one-on-one Skype sessions with Jeff to hone his act.
“I have had to work very hard over the past few years to put my act together, and the help and inspiration Jeff has given me has really spurred me on. Many of the highlights and big “wow†moments within my act come directly from the creative mind of Jeff. What Jeff doesn’t know about competition magic really isn’t worth knowing and I know for a fact a large chunk of my successes over the years is down to his and Eugene’s help.â€
Jeff continues on with the tour of The Illusionists in Mexico. During their two weeks in Mexico City, they sold over 45,000 seats, repeatedly filling the almost 6,500 seats to capacity, and winning standing ovations each night. The show has moved on to Monterrey this week, and will continue on to Guadalara before winding up this leg of the tour in Mexico on August 5.  They will start up again in September, with shows in Quito, Ecuador from Sept. 5-8, in Bogota, Colombia from September 13-16, and in Panama City, Panama September 26-30.
So far we’ve been delighted about the reviews for The Show Doctor – so I thought I’d share a couple of clips from them:
Lance Burton:
“If you only read one magic book this year, make it The Show Doctor.â€
Mac King:
“I truly believe that [Jeff McBride] is the best guide to improving your magic show in the world today.â€
Kevin James:
“Jeff’s book is pure gold. If you are looking for inspiration on how to be more creative and a better performer, look no further.â€
Posted at the App Store, June 24:
“Yesterday there was a paradigm shift in magic literature. Did you feel it? It’s a whole new world. I’ve seen some nice looking .pdf magic books on my iPad, but this new format shoots past them. . . .â€
Barry Fernelius, left at The Magic Cafe, June 24:
“The Show Doctor, by Jeff McBride and Lawrence Hass, is the best single resource for improving your magic act that I’ve ever seen. . . . It’s also one of the best uses of the iPad as a teaching tool that I’ve ever seen. It’s beautifully designed, and the multimedia features are seamlessly integrated. . . . And if you don’t have an iPad. . .get the print edition. The material contained in The Show Doctor has the potential to expand your horizons and improve your magic. . . . This one gets my highest recommendation.â€
Steve Bryant, at the Genii Forum, 6/23:
“[The Show Doctor] is a gorgeous work; I’ve been at it all afternoon. . . . Jeff’s advice is some of the best, most specific, dead on I have read. The video additions are excellent as have been the new tricks I have read so far. But beyond the great content of this first effort, the format is awesome.â€
We don’t yet know just exactly how many copies have actually sold…but I know Larry is already wondering when he’ll have to gear up for the second printing, so if you want a first edition, now’s the time to buy! You can get your copy now, either in hardback or for the iPad. Just click one of the links below.
Purchase The Show Doctor Hard Copy
Purchase The Show Doctor Digital Copy
Note: get the free “Magic – Digital Books†app. The book itself is an in-app purchase.
On August 9, at 6pm PDT, Jeff McBride will be teaching a Training Session on Coin Manipulation. Coins are something you always have with you, and it’s hard to find anyone who isn’t truly interested in money! Who has not dreamed of having an endless supply ready at their fingertips? Jeff will teach you how to dazzle with both simple and complex coin effects, all at a moments’ notice. Only 8 spots are available, so sign up early!
On the morning of August 25 (10am PDT), Larry Hass will be lecturing on How to Create Entertaining Card Magic…a favorite of most magicians. Do you love card magic, but hate “card tricksâ€? Do you feel stuck when it comes to presenting card magic that non-magicians will enjoy? Have you ever wanted to learn card magic but feel put off by the culture of obsessive technique and “hot, new movesâ€? If so, this Locked Room Lecture by Dr. Larry Hass is for you. At only $25, the price is right!
Wishing you a magical August!
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
Meet  my roommates in Mexico: Kotkin and his “assistant” Scorpio!
From Bryce: Scott Shelton sent us a wonderful article on how to find inspiration for your magic. Read it in the Secret Art Journal.
From: National Auditorium Mexico City 9,800 SEATS
Opening night ticket sales exceed expectations. The show runs 2 1/2 hours, and is packed with the best illusions from the cast.
One of the creative ideas of producer Simon Painter was for us to create our “character” for the show. Following is the list of archetypal magicians.
Here is a photo from the huge press conference held for the opening of the show.
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.â€
The innovative staging gets all of us working together on stage to create magical moments like this photo from opening night of my “KING OF CARDS” finale, where I am joined by the team of magicians to generate an ecstatic moment of ensemble magic! I have NEVER heard such an amazing audience reaction in my life!
The applause was deafening… almost terrifying!
We are in Mexico City for 2 weeks of shows, then off to Monterrey and then Guadalajara. If you are near any of these cities and love magic – this is a show not to be missed!
Reviews are coming in for my new book.
Lance Burton:Â “If you only read one magic book this year, make it The Show Doctor.”
Mac King:Â “I truly believe that Jeff McBride is the best guide to improving your magic show in the world today.”
We also created a Facebook Page that has “Everything you wanted to know about The Show Doctor.”
Our faculty created a one-hour special episode all about The Show Doctor. Our special guest was Stan Allen who worked with publisher Larry Hass, on creating the iPad version…our book is the 1st iPad magic book in history!
Entertainment critics have called our monthly event “the coolest nightclub in Las Vegas!” Every month we produce a new show filled with variety, art and magic. This month, Tim Wise will host the 8pm show, Paul Draper will host the close up room and Abbi McBride will host the 10 pm stage extravaganza! This month will feature new variety acts never seen before at the Wonderground!
Come early to get a great seat! See VegasWonderground.com for details.
Magically yours from Mexico!
Jeff McBride
Dear Friends:
Today we hear first from our Associate Dean and favorite book publisher, Dr. Larry Hass, with big news:
It is my deep pleasure to announce that Jeff’s book The Show Doctor has just been released.  This new book includes:  11 previously unpublished routines, revised versions of Jeff’s celebrated advice column from MAGIC Magazine (2007-2010), and over 45,000 new, additional words beyond the original columns, including many interviews and additional writings.
The Show Doctor is the first ever magic book to be simultaneously released in two formats: Â a print version published by my Theory and Art of Magic Press and a digital version designed for the iPad published in partnership with Stan Allen and MAGIC Magazine. Â For complete information about both versions and how to purchase either a print copy, a digital copy, (or both!), please go to www.TheoryandArtofMagic.com and click on The Show Doctor banner. Â One last note: Â Purchasers of the print book will have full access to all the embedded materials created for the digital version, including over 30 minutes of new video content and pop-up materials and essays.
Our guest columnist today is Jordan Wright, a jack-of-many-trades and favorite videographer (who created the videos included as part of The Show Doctor package. This is an article from Jordan’s Red Spade Productions blog, with tips on ways to use your phone or portable video cam more effectively:
Stabilizing
Recently, I talked about a bit about using a Smartphone camera to shoot quality video. If you missed it, you can read it HERE. It can certainly be beneficial to those looking to shoot something on the fly without the need for a lot of expensive equipment. In this month’s newsletter, I would like to add to that and share a few options for stabilizing your camera and preventing your footage from appearing too “handheldâ€.
With your Smartphone, Flip camera, or Vado camera it is so convenient to carry it in your pocket and hold it in your hand once you are ready to shoot. However, shooting video completely handheld will cause it to lack that professional look, not to mention make the video difficult to watch. With that said, for around $20 you can get a tripod adapter case that will hold your iPhone and allow it to be mounted on a 1/4″ screw base. Once you have this there are many lightweight stabilizers that the phone can be mounted to. For travel, I always carry a Joby GorillaPod in my bag. It is small, lightweight, and its legs can either be stood up like a normal tripod or wrapped around a pole, which make it very versatile – especially if you want to film yourself talking.
If I am going to be filming someone or something, I prefer to have more control with being able to give a little movement to the shot. For this, I use a Fig Rig. This device, which resembles a steering wheel, really helps stabilize the shot when standing still (preventing the shakiness of my hands from shaking the camera). By turning it like a wheel, you can also get angles, giving the video a more dynamic look. The Fig Rig also allows for some movement – mostly panning and tilting the camera (side to side and up and down). It is not as desirable if you are going to be moving the camera around a lot as it will not absorb any bounce when walking.
[Read the rest of this article on The Secret Art Journal]
Before we go, we have one more bit of news from Larry Hass:
We are rapidly approaching the July 15 deadline for submitting proposals for both presentations and performances for the Conference (October 17-20, 2012).  For full information about how to make and submit a proposal, please see “Call for Presentations and Performances.â€Â Further:  the Conference itself is rapidly approaching sold-out status and once that happens there will not be additional seats available.  So please don’t delay in registering; now is the time! Visit the website to register.
That’s about it for today’s Museletter.
Jeff will be leaving to tour with “The Illusionists†in Mexico on July 8, with performances in Mexico City from July 12-22, in Monterrey from July 26-29 and in Guadalajara from August 2-5. If you will be near any of those cities, this is a magic show you don’t want to miss!
Wishing you all a magical July, this is:
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
PS: You can get The Show Doctor now at:
www.TheoryandArtofMagic.com
shop.yourmagic.com
and the iPad version at:
http://www.magicmagazine.com/digital-books/
Dealers contact Murphy’s Magic Supplies, Inc.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.â€
— Anais Nin
Greetings Friends,
It seems that I am touring more now than I have in years. And that means there’s a good chance that I’ll get to see you somewhere on my travels. I am fortunate that producers see magic as a potent and viable entertainment form that continues to draw audiences and big box office. Hats off to all the brave and bold producers who are creating magical events to entertain and enlighten the world!
Over the coming months, I will be co-starring in The Illusionists. Some are saying that this may be the biggest tour in the world of magic. The tour continues in Mexico and South America, with rumors of Europe, Broadway and Las Vegas in the future… I will have updates each week of my tour in future Muse Letters and on the show each Monday evening on www.mcbridemagic.tv.
Take a look at the news here: http://tinyurl.com/itrickillusioniists
The popularity of our “Mystery School Mondays†continues to grow: Over 5,000 people a week, from 78 countries are watching our show! If you have not seen our new episodes on Houdini, Magic and Medicine, and Magic with a Message, you can catch a few of the back episodes here: http://virtual.magicalwisdom.com/tv/episodes
“’Why not?’ is a slogan for an interesting life.â€
–Mason Cooley
What do Siegfried, Lance Burton, Criss Angel, Mac King, Johnny Thompson, Kevin James, Murray, Luna Shimada, and Amazing Jonathan all have in common? They are all frequent guests at what is being called “The Coolest Show in Las Vegas!†It is a mega-magic party extravaganza, and it happens only once a month. Be part of the fun; attend in person! Details at http://www.vegaswonderground.com or watch live online at http://www.mcbridemagic.tv 10pm, Thursday June 21st.
“Fortune favors the brave.â€
–Virgil
The big inside news is that my new book will be available around July 1st. You can get information at www.theoryandartofmagic.com.
Due to my intense touring schedule, we will only have one summer Master Class this year. There are currently five spots left for this year’s extended class in August. For more information: http://www.magicalwisdom.com/
Note: Our other classes for the year – Focus on Street Magic, Magic & Mentalism, Magic & Medicine and Magic & Meaning are still on…and filling fast!
Wishing you all a magical summer!
Sincerely,
Jeff McBride
“We are limited, not by our abilities, but by our vision.â€
Jonathan Swift
Greetings magical friends,
Abbi here, writing from the House of Mystery while Jeff is touring the East Coast. I was reflecting recently on the magic of one voice. It has been said that real magic is the “art of transforming reality according to the will.â€Â On-stage, we set our compass to amaze, astound, delight, and perhaps educate our audiences. Through our will, we focus our practice, sharpen our scripts, set up our performances, and change the reality of those we perform for, whether it’s in the supermarket, the bar, or the theater.
As a trained and licensed massage therapist, I occasionally utilize magic to make a point to my clients; for instance, I’ll use the Arm Twister illusion when demonstrating a shoulder stretch, or Spinner’s Magic Bubbles when discussing the power of positive visualization in the healing process. Part of how I take care of my body is to get regular massages for myself.
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. “
George Bernard Shaw
Recently, while at my local massage place, I noticed that all their linen sets were individually wrapped in plastic. Ewww. As a person who is concerned about the well-being of the planet we live on, I have a problem with gratuitous plastic over-use. So, I talked to the front desk clerk on my way out, who told me “Oh, that’s just the way we do things.â€Â I asked to speak to the owner, and had a productive conversation with her, and using a version of Samina’s Trash to Treasure routine, got her enrolled in the idea of making a magical change in the “way we do things.â€Â Within a week, the policy was changed, and now the clean linens have little paper bands wrapped around them, to show that they are freshly laundered and ready to use, and no plastic, hooray!
One person, with awareness, courage, creativity and a little magic, can make a positive change in the world. If I can do it, you can too. How do you use your magic to improve the world around you? If you’re not, what’s preventing you, and how can we here at the Magic and Mystery School help? Classes are listed for the rest of the year, and there are a few spots open for the August Master Class…. Perhaps we’ll see you here soon!
Your friend in magic,
Abigail McB.
From Tobias:
Wow…what a great piece of writing from Abbi! If some of you were unaware, Abbi is busy changing the world in many ways, and one is through her music…and more recently through the creation of the audio book version of Anne Key’s book “Desert Priestess – A Memoir.â€Â Want to hear and learn more? http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/AbbiSpinnerMcBride
As we go to send this, Jeff has completed the first couple of legs of his spring tour on the East Coast. In Maine, he generated a great story for the local paper by visiting the gravesite of Dr. James William Elliott, the original “King of Cards.â€Â If you missed it, check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/mcbk-of-c
If you are near Asheville, NC, or Akron, OH in the next week or so, be sure and come out for Jeff’s show, lecture, workshop…or all three! I understand there are still a few tickets available, but they are going fast:
Asheville:Â http://www.vanishingwheelchair.org/?p=29
Akron: http://mcbridemagic.eventbrite.com/%3Cbr%20/%3E
Later this month, we get to take our latest version of “Magic at the Edge†to the island of Trinidad. I get to go along with Jeff, Abbi & Jordan on this one to oversee the tech. Can’t wait! I’ll make sure we bring home some great photos for the July 1 Museletter.
Best to all!
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com