All creative art is magic, is evocation of the unseen in forms persuasive, enlightening, familiar and surprising. — Joseph Conrad
Dear Magical Friends,
Tobias, here, writing again in Jeff and Abbi’s absence.
Lots of news this time!
Jeff and Abbi have just arrived in New York City after an SRO series of events at Denny & Lee’s Magic in Baltimore. Show, lecture and workshop were all overflowing, and already receiving
rave reviews from the attendees.
The good news for those of you in the New York City area are that Jeff is repeating it all at the Fantasma store this weekend – with lots of new material since last year’s appearance there — and there are still some tickets left. He is doing both show and lecture on both tonight and Saturday evenings, and a full workshop on Sunday afternoon for a select few really serious students. This is a great way to experience the workshop / master class experience without having to travel all the way to Las Vegas. You can read more and purchase tickets online by clicking here!
Which reminds me – this will be a great summer for McBride fans on the East Coast, because we’ve just signed for Jeff and Abbi to perform their latest show, “Magic at the Edge†at the Trump Marina Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City from August 2 – September 2nd. See all of Jeff’s greatest hits with masks, cards, coins, etc. – joined by lots of newer material you’ve never seen before – all in an intimate 500 seat showroom. We’ll have the links to the box office site up on Jeff’s calendar within the next week or two…be sure and check it out.
More great news for magicians on the East Coast: Because of the show at the Trump Marina, we’ve moved the August extended Master Class back one week, so it will now take place August 8-14, and, instead of being in Las Vegas, we’ll be in the showroom at the Trump Marina in Atlantic City. For those of you in driving distance from Atlantic City, this will be a great chance to participate in the first ever East Coast Extended Master Class, and to witness the workings of a big casino magic show from all angles.
As a final bit of news, before getting on this week’s special “Muse†piece, you should be aware we still have some spots available for this year’s Magic & Meaning conference, with special guests Robert E. Neale and Dr. Lawrence Hass. We’ve just confirmed our space at the Courtyard Marriott on Green Valley Parkway in Henderson, NV,and we have a special deal with the hotel for those who attend the workshop. Just call 1 (800) 583-0079 and tell them you have registered for “Magic and Meaning†and want to reserve your room at the “McBride Magic group rate.†I believe the rate is $125 a night, which is about a 10% reduction from their regular rates. We’ll be sending this specific information to everyone who has registered as a direct e-mail, as well, so don’t worry if you lose this Museletter.
Okay – today’s Muse piece is a quick optical illusion / magic trick I like to perform when I’m having lunch with a new potential client. Because I’m in the business of providing people with magical experiences, I’ve always felt that my approach to selling should also be magical, and this is just one example:
All you need is two coins. I like to borrow one and use one of my
own, for reason’s you’ll soon see. The two coins should be similar in size. Two quarters work just fine – if you can find someone with a Susan B. Anthony dollar and you have one, that’s even better. You hold the two coins between your thumb and finger, as shown in the image at the right. You can even have your new friend do this for themselves – it’s always more effective when the magic happens in their own hands. Just have them rub the two coins together, while observing them from the edges (their eye should be in the position the camera was to take the photo at the right). As they rub the two coins together, their minds will create the image of a third coin in between these two. It’s only an illusion – until you reach over and produce the third coin (using your favorite sleight-of-hand method – I just push the coin out from a finger-palmed position) right from the tops of the two moving coins.
“See what can happen when we pool our resources?†I say. A minute ago, we barely had two coins to rub together between us – now we’ve already made a profit!†And I give them the coin I produced, along with the one I borrowed from them. “Magic is a lot of fun, and it can really bring about some amazing transformation. I hope we’ll have a chance to make a lot of magic happen together.â€
I hope you all enjoyed this newsletter. We’ll have another one with photos from Jeff and Abbi’s current trip East out in another couple of weeks.
Wishing you a magical summer!
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Greetings, Magical Friends! This is Tobias writing from Las Vegas, as Jeff and Abbi are too fully
occupied with creating and performing new treats for the upcoming summer shows.
We’ve all been enjoying an unusually creative time here in Vegas this summer – and I have a lot of news for you! There’s also something fun for you to try out for yourself at the end of the letter – if you dare. Whether you’re a creative artist yourself, or would just like to experience your own life a bit more creatively, you should have fun with it!
First, allow me to take care of a bit of business: We’ve all heard that word of mouth – also known as “buzz†– is the most effective kind of advertising. Part of the reason we do these muse letters is to generate that buzz — but also to stay in touch with friends, fans and colleagues, and, I hope, to give a little something back for all the inspiration, ticket sales and other ways you’ve supported us over the years. But we can do better. We can reach more of you if you’ll help us. Can you think of someone else you know who would enjoy this Muse letter? Please let them know, and suggest they sign up. You can just forward this to them and if they like it, they can click here: http://www.mcbridemagic.com/magic/contact.html, then fill in their e-mail under the “McBride Mailing List†option.
Jeff continues his popular series in MAGIC MAGAZINE, “Ask the
Show Doctor,†and he’s been busy BEING “The Show Doctor,†as well! Most recently he has been coaching Hans Klok to help him build new manipulation routines to be featured in Hans’ new show, The Beauty of Magic, soon to open at the Planet Hollywood Casino, co-starring Pamela Anderson. It promises to be the biggest magic show in Las Vegas since Siegfried & Roy.
In the meantime, Jeff and Abbi are working hard on a new version of Magic at the Edge, which will be touring extensively this summer, with lots of new material. If you have a chance, do come see it! Just in the next few weeks, the show will be at the Rhinebeck Performing Arts Center in upstate New York (May 25, 26 & 27), Denny & Lee’s Magic in Baltimore (June 5), and the Fantasma Store
in New York City (June 8 & 9). We’ll be taking it
down to the Edgewater Casino Resort in Laughlin from June 15-23, as well – if you’re near Las Vegas, give yourself a treat and make the drive down – the 300 seat showroom in Laughlin is a perfect venue for this intimate but powerful show! You can find more about each of these appearances by clicking their calendar entries at the right, or going to Jeff’s calendar online.
And now, this month’s MUSE offering. I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my first book, (as yet untitled – why is the title always the hardest part?) which is designed to help magicians and other independent performers develop their own creativity and make their presentations more unique and magical. I present many different ideas and exercises in the course of the book, but the following is a basic acting exercise that can bring breakthroughs in many areas of life – not just the creative performing ones. I call it “Putting on the Mask.â€
Think of something you’ve been working on that’s giving you trouble. Maybe your job requires you to make cold calls, and you hate it. Maybe you’re a teacher, and there’s one particular thing you teach that your students just can’t seem to get. Maybe you’re a student, and have been having problems with math, or with history. Just think of some simple thing you know you should be able to do, but, for some unknown reason is giving you trouble. Write it down.
Okay…now think of someone you know, or know of, for whom
this problem would not be a problem at all. Maybe you’ve been having trouble getting inspiration for an art project – and so you think of Pablo Picasso, one of the most innovative and creative artists of all time. Picasso was short, sturdily built but never fat. He was balding from a young age, and notoriously irreverent. He was passionate about life – about great food and beautiful women, often having several mistresses at one time. His work was eclectic and always changing, ranging from Ingress-like classical realism through his blue and rose periods, both analytic and synthetic cubism, which he pioneered, African inspired periods and surrealistic experiments. He created continuously.
Could you step into the persona of Picasso? Try it! See if you can match his facial expression, or perhaps hold your body as he would. He spent most of his life living between Barcelona, where Catalan is spoken – a lovely language with hints of Italian, French & Spanish all mixed in, but a flavor all its own, and in Paris. Can you imagine what his accent must have sounded like? Try and imitate it. Try and get into Picasso’s body, voice…and mind. It doesn’t matter if you’re like the real Picasso. Use your imagination and become the Picasso of your dreams. What must it have felt like to BE Picasso? Imagine you ARE Picasso.
And now, as Picasso, create your own art. Allow yourself to be inspired by his passion, his experience, his approach to life. Picasso was famous later in life for scribbling on a napkin and signing it when presented with the bill for a
particularly lavish meal he was having with friends in a restaurant, and offering it in lieu of cash payment. “That’s worth at least $1,500 in the art market right now, just because it has my signature – do you want that, or shall I just give you money?†That’s confidence, and Picasso had it. Many of those napkins are now on display in major art museums of the world. What will you create now, knowing ANYTHING you put your name on can be priceless?
This seems such a simple thing, but you’ll amaze yourself at the talents you have, well suppressed within your “normal†character, which can be released by the simple act of putting on the mask of another. In playing role games in the class, it’s amazing what fun we’ve had – and what new bits we’ve discovered with such simple things as “Now do it as Daffy Duck. Okay…now you’re Heavy D, the hip hop star. Great.
Now you’re Tony Soprano…and so on. Each performer will do each character differently – and in the context of that character, will discover entirely new and different ways of presenting their magical pieces. Some are great, others not. It doesn’t matter, because by putting on the mask of the character, we’ve broken out of our own ruts and made new creative discoveries.
Oh – I nearly forgot, and promised Jeff I’d remind you – if you enjoy this kind of creative exercise and want more; it’s just one of the things we offer in our Master Classes. There are only three general Master Classes scheduled for the rest of this year: July, August & September. That means only 45 spots available, and over half of those are gone already – so it’s really more like 20. Don’t wait, go to http://www.magicalwisdom.com/ choose a class and register now!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this Muse letter. I’ve certainly enjoyed bringing it to you. If any of you have ideas for a really creative title for a book about creating magic, and would like to give them to me, please send them to tobias@yourmagic.com.
Have a great summer!
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
From Jeff & Abbi:
For deep mystery seekers only!
(You know who you are…)
Fires Rising, Artemas, PA, May 31st – June 3rd
Experience three days and nights of ancient and modern mysteries. Join us for an alchemical blend of fire, drumming, dance, magic, storytelling and song at Four Quarters Farm in Artemas, PA.
Read all about it at http://www.4qf.org/_FiresRising/index.htm
If you’ve been wondering about
what, exactly, happens at one of these gatherings, we’re happy to share this great video on YouTube showing the Alchemical Fire Circle. The video is from a documentary, ENIGMA, produced by Vision TV about Jeff’s magic profession and his work with alchemical fire circle with Abbi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSjnq_ALNVY
Please, tell your friends about it! If any of you have a YouTube account, we’d appreciate you linking to it.
We’ll see you in the spotlight, or by the firelight!
Your friends in mystery,
Jeff & Abbi McBride
“The profession of magician, is one of the most perilous and arduous specializations of the imagination. On the one hand there is the hostility of God and the police to be guarded against; on the other it is as difficult as music, as deep as poetry, as ingenious as stage-craft, as nervous as the manufacture of high explosives….”
— William Bolitho 1890-1930, British Author
Greetings Friends, and Happy Spring!
Abbi here, sending magical greetings and good wishes from warm and sunny Las Vegas!
Playing with Fire
Jeff McBride will be appearing on the third season of Criss Angel’s MINDFREAK show soon! Several years ago, many of you saw Jeff on ABC’s Champions of Magic, where he performed the world’s largest fire stunt at that time, called “Burned Alive!” When Criss decided to do his own version of the burning man, he called Jeff and asked him to consult and appear in this exciting episode of MINDFREAK. Check your local TV listings to see Jeff playing with fire!
Jeff and I both love fire and magic. We’re excited to be hosting a special event called MAYFIRE during the first weekend of May. Read more information about our passion at http://www.vegasvortex.com
McBride Live on the Las Vegas Strip
Jeff returns to the World’s Greatest Magic Show for one week only, from March 25th to April 2nd! If you’re going to be in town, come to the Greek Isles Casino and see Jeff live! Be sure the stick around after the show to meet Jeff and the other performers, including Joseph Gabriel, Kozak and many others!
Home at Last!
Our full evening show, The Secret Art of Magic returned to the United States after a successful performance in Canada! Jeff, Eugene and I had a great time in Edmonton, Alberta, presenting our full evening show and teaching a four day Master Class. Sheldon Casavant helped produce this inspiring weekend, and we three enjoyed Canadian hospitality and the s-s-snow!!
Student Spotlight on Sheldon Casavant
We met Sheldon Casavant at a World Magic Summit teen weekend several years ago. Sheldon attended the teen weekend for five years, then came to a Master Class, and has just returned to Canada after six hundred performances of his illusion show. He is an extraordinarily talented performer, and also has a knack for production. You will be seeing a lot more of Sheldon in the future, or right now, at his website http://www.sheldoncasavant.com/
See you soon?
I don’t know about where you are, but here in the Vegas Valley, it’s 85 and sunny, and the roses are starting to bloom! We have two spots left open for the Special Extended Seven Day Master Class coming up in April. You are invited to join Jeff, Eugene and me, along with Tobias Beckwith, Lance Burton and Mac King for a truly magical week!
Yours in the art of better magic…
Abbi McBride
Stuff your eyes with wonder.
— Ray Bradbury
Dear Friends:
Greetings from sunny and rapidly warming Las Vegas (it was 85 here today)! Jeff, Abbi and Eugene left for Canada yesterday
morning, to teach a 3 day Master Class sponsored by our former Master Class Student Sheldon Casavant, along with the Festival Place Theater in Sherwood Park (near Edmonton, Alberta). I’ll be taking off to join them for a special performance of “Magic – The Secret Art” on Saturday evening – but for now I’m left behind here in Las Vegas.
There’s so much going on now, I hardly know where to begin. Last week Jeff, Eugene and I had a fabulous time doing a show for Dr. Lawrence Hass’ group from Muhlenberg College, right here in Vegas for the first time. Many of you will know that Dr. Hass sponsors one of the few (perhaps the only?) sanctioned program for the study of performance magic in a college setting. His annual program at Muhlenberg, entitled “The Theory and Art of Magic,” has featured such magic luminaries as Max Maven, Robert E. Neale, Rene Lavand, Juan Tamariz and many, many more
since the program began in 1999. This year, Dr. Hass brought a group of students and alumni to Las Vegas, the capital of magic here in the U.S., where, besides Jeff and Eugene, they met with Mac King, saw shows, and enjoyed their magical week in Las Vegas. A high point for me was having lunch with a half dozen theatre majors between our tech rehearsal and the show last week. I felt right back at home from my own days as a theater major, back in the early ‘70’s.
Once Jeff and Eugene get back next week from the shows in Canada, we’ll be immediately busy with a couple of corporate engagements here in Las Vegas, and preparing for our first extended master class of this year, from April 23-29th. When we began the 7-day extended classes two summers ago, we wondered if it would be possible to sustain the intensity of the 3 day classes over the longer period. After having done the first 4 or 5 such classes, we’re actually finding it difficult to get everything in! Besides the visits to Mac King and Lance Burton’s shows, and visits with them, we’ve been able to go much deeper in in working with individuals in each class to improve their particular pieces, and to spend more time creating break-out sessions particularly tailored to the wants and needs of the particular students in each class. Beyond that, we’ve found that it’s really a lot of fun to have the additional time to get to know one another and share our magics. For this class, we do still have 2 slots left open. If you want to be one of the 15 people to share this amazing experience, I’d highly recommend you go to www.magicalwisdom.com right now and register.
For those of you in Canada, we highly recommend that you tune in for this week’s edition of “Enigma” on VisionTV. The show will feature our friend Max Maven, and promises to be fascinating. 
Max is, besides being perhaps the best known mentalist in the world today, one of our deepest thinkers and most prolific writers on magic and mentalism – you’re pretty much guaranteed to learn a lot any time you encounter him.
Next week on “Enigma,” Jeff will be featured again, in the “Mysteries of the Tarot Cards.” The hour-long documentaries commissioned for Enigma take an entertaining, contemporary view of historical subjects, investigating everything from Eastern mysticism and secret societies to psychic communication and belief in the afterlife. You can learn more from the Vison TV website at http://www.visiontv.ca/Enigma/.
VisionTV is available as a “basic†service on cable and satellite in approximately 8.4 million households across Canada. One in four Canadians tune in to VisionTV at least once a month. Approximately two million people watch each week; 6.3 million watch every 13 weeks. The producers have assured us that once they have the first 6 episodes completed, they intend to begin the process of finding an outlet here in the U.S. for the show. We’ll let you know when you may be able to see it here.
“One way can be learned by starting to see the magic in everything. Sometimes it seems to be hiding but it is always there. The more we can see the magic in one thing, a tiny flower, a mango, someone we love, then the more we are able to see the magic in everything and in everyone. Where does the mango stop and the sky begin?”
~~Joshua Kadison
Greetings Friends!
Abbi here, writing in to share the latest updates and news from the McBride Magic team!
McBride and Burger Headline in Las Vegas
Muhlenberg College’s successful program, “The Theory and Art of Magic,” is being brought to Las Vegas, March 5 – 8, 2007, for alumni and other interested people like you! This program explores the deeper meanings, philosophy and psychology of magic on a post-graduate level. Larry Hass, the creator and director of this stimulating program has engaged Jeff and Eugene, Teller, Lance Burton and Mac King for this four day, in depth look at the multifaceted art of wonder-making. For more information, please go to: The Theory and Art of Magic
Attention Canadians!
A special shout out to our friends in Edmunton, Alberta, Canada… Eugene, Jeff and I will be coming your way to see our friend Sheldon Casavant for a public show and Master Class. All the information for reservations and tickets is online at
SheldonCasavant.com.
World Magic Summit News
We had an incredible time at the World Magic Summit here in Las Vegas this past week. Eugene and Jeff, Bill and Becki Wells, along with Jordan Wright and Scott Hitchcock, spent three days leading forty-four teenage magicians from the United States, South Africa, the Czech republic, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, and Japan in the Lance Burton Teen Magic Seminar.
The best part of our time with the teens was on Sunday afternoon, when we got to go to Lance Burton’s castle, and see his amazing new fifteen thousand square foot mountain-top home! He hosted the entire teen group for an afternoon pizza party. Lance invited his superstar Las Vegas friends Johnny Thompson, Fielding West, Mac King, Criss Angel, Nathan Burton, and Gary Darwin to join the fun. They spent the afternoon answering questions and signing autographs, and most importantly, giving encouragement, advice and heartfelt wisdom to the next generation of magic.
During the WMS, we had one of the convention rooms set up as an Open House for the McBride Magic and Mystery School. Many of our friends and students came in to jam, ask questions and say hello. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with so many of you! It was especially great to see our friend Pilou, who won the SARMOTI award, one of the highest honors in magic! Pilou, the reigning grand prix winner of the world championships of magic, said “Jeff McBride is my teacher, and I owe much of my success to him. I learned from watching his DVDs.”
Special thanks to Max Maven, Just Wilbur, Banacheck, Lee Earle, and many of the Magic and Mystery School alumni for sharing your talents and time with us!
McBride Magic School Student Spotlight: Shayna Reed
Congratulations to Shayna Reed, alumnus of the Magic and Mystery School, and winner of the Teen Competition! Her show was an excellent combination of doves, dancing cane, a splendid card manipulation routine, and a surprising production of her sister Mandy as the statue of liberty at the end! We were really impressed with Shayna’s presence and confidence in the interview after her performance. Her commitment to the art of magic and the many hours of practice she’s put in really came through!! Our prediction is that the Reed Sisters Magic Show (Jessica, Shayna and Mandy) will be headlining in theaters across the country one day soon!
Surprising Awards and Accolades
At the World Magic Seminar, all of the awards are not decided by a small panel of judges, but rather, by the entire convention audience, in a voting ballot. Receiving second place in the WMS Teen Competition was Sterling Dietz, and third place was won by Krystyn Lambert. What do all three have in common? They’re all alumni of the McBride Magic and Mystery School, and we will be featuring spotlights on them in future Museletters.
At the finale gala awards ceremony Jeff and Eugene were called to the stage with Lance Burton. All three were presented with awards acknowledging their many years of creating progressive, magical experiences. Bill Wells was quoted saying, “Jeff and Eugene are the best magic teachers and facilitators in the world.” It was a high honor for our school to be acknowledged in front of a gathering of the luminaries of magic, including the show’s hosts, Siegfried and Roy.
So, as you can see, we’ve been thoroughly engaged in creating magic, not only for ourselves, but assisting and empowering the magical visions of others. If you, friend, need to re-charge your magical batteries, consider visiting us out here in sunny, warm Las Vegas for a rejuvenating and life-enriching magical experience.
Yours in the art of magic,
Abbi McBride