Welcome to the Fylde Mystics!
promoting the performance of Magic
Tuesday 3rd August - An evening with Al Smith.
Alan Mylecraine notified everyone regarding Mel Wilsons very sad passing and thanked all those who were able to attend the funeral and send messages of condolence to Irene and his family. Alan went on to wish all the members a happy anniversary as we started our third year as the Fylde Mystics. After a couple of parish notices, Alan asked Steve Eastham to introduce our speaker. Steve has known Al for many years and regaled us with some stories about Al and his take on Life, the Universe and Cards. (One and the same according to Al). Well, we may have been low in numbers, but we were high on enthusiasm when Card Legend Al Smith journeyed from the Ridings of Yorkshire to have us sample the delights of a very special kind of card magic. Many of us who have been fans of Al for some time, were delighted to find he was every bit as funny in person as he appears to be in his writings. He inists he is not an avid performer but his insight into the workings and presentation of card effects is indeed legendary. The lecture was euphemistically entitled S.O.S which had various connotations depending on your point of view. Al was very keen to ensure that everyone understood all the subltleties of the card techniques but what made it all the more interesting was the fact that the whole evening was littered with stories, opinions and insights into what is clearly a very clever mind. If may sound strange but Al spent most of the evening presenting just one effect. However, his diversions, tangents and wanderings both verbal and visual were all intended to explain the minutae of the effect and in doing so made clear the premise and the need to appreciate magic from the spectators standpoint. SOS was an object lesson in thinking about the presentation of an effect. What appeared to be minor handling points or the use of certain phrasing were all the gold nuggets of a lifetime spent honing card skills. Along the way we were treated to the delights of the Abacut, a Fylde Mystics spelling bee with a surprise ending and a masterful vanishing ace effect that finished as clean as it started. As if the evening hadn't been entertaining enough, Al then very kindly gave everyone present a compete set of SOS lecture notes with a special Fylde Mystic supplement. A great end to a great night. Photos HERE as always.
Tuesday 6th July - Mentalism evening
Alan Mylecraine opened by informing everyone that Mel Wilson has been taken into hospital. A card was circulated for members to send thier good wishes. This was also extended to Joe Gilmour who had a second knee operation on Monday. Our good wishes go out to both of them and thier families. Alan went on to thank all those members who helped put on a great show at the British Legion Club in St Annes (review below). It was a good night enjoyed by all.
As we had come to the end of our second year as a society, Steve Eastham highlighted our finances and produced a balance sheet for the year. This was found to be in order and passed with thanks to Steve for his diligence in keeping the society solvent. There followed a lengthy discussion regarding subscriptions and ideas for future events. The meeting then got underway proper with Jonathan Joyce who mentally divined a coloured chip from the 'box of mystery' and went on to successfuly predict four freely chosen cards. Paul Joyce was up next with some poetic licence in divining a word chosen from a book of poems. Alan Mylecraine brought out the next book test artistically drawing his mental interpretation of a randomly chosen phrase. Next up was Brian Taylor with an very nice Astor prop where three freely chosen cards were correctly predicted. Jack Clarke used his powers of telepathy to reveal four cards chosen from a card matrix. George Jennings chose the unkindest cut by having a spectator chop through a list of everyday objects only to find that he had predicted the outcome. Allan Clarke demonstrated some real mental agility by correctly determining which spectator held a random selection of cards despite only having a short glimpse of the packs. Stuart Bagot then predicted that despite multiple cuts of a new order deck, the the dealt piles would each be 4 of a kind. To complete the first half, Steve Eastham succesfully determined the location of three unseen banknotes chosen at random by a spectator. After a refreshment break, Paul Joyce hopped through a series of gag cards only to identify a freely thought of card. Alan Mylecraine took out his pad once more with a trio of predictions which seemed to fail although proved to be correct when reviewed. Brian Taylor brought out another Astor prop based on ESP cards but with a clever twist on the usual effect. Jack Clarke once more set out a number of cards in a stand correctly forseeing the freely chosen card. George Jennings used another member of the audience to relay the value and suit of a freely chosen card arrived at from a five way cut of a pack. Despite appearing to get this wrong, it proved to be deadly accurate. Allan Clarke had a spectator secretly choose thier favourite film only to go on and correctly identify it. Stuart Bagot once again got out his cards and with a bit of 'fishing', successfully arrived at the cut to card. Steve Eastham closed the evening with a Peter Duffie Diary trick involving some crossword clues to arrive at a predicted card. A lot of laughs and some great magic closed our second successful year. Photos HERE.
Friday 2nd July - Magic with the Mystics.
An expectant crowd had gathered as we set up for our show at the Royal British Legion Club in St Annes. Members Steve Eastham, Alan Mylecraine, Allan Clarke, Jack Clarke, Mel Wilson, Paul Joyce, George Jennings and guest Brian Berry opened the first half entertainment performing Close-up at tables. Being a club setup meant that performing conditions were not ideal but the audience were generally receptive as a number of stock effects were rolled out by the team. As we settled into the first session, members swapped tables and jokes for a good hour or so before the buffet opened and we broke for refreshments. The second half of the show was to be our cabaret spot. Compere Steve Eastham introduced the first act in the form of Paul Joyce who playfully engaged the crowd with spotted handkerchiefs, a named card effect and a divined card using his grandmothers teeth!. Another compere item from Steve preceded Mel Wilson's first foray onto the stage. Mel sauntered through a multi segment cut & restored rope routine before closing with a clean torn & restored newspaper item. George Jennings took to the floor next with some droll observations and a prediction concerning MP's expenses this was followed with a 'high risk' divination of the contents of an unlabelled can of food. Allan Clarke went mental. Opening with 'X' marks the spot where a freely chosen card is the only one with a cross on the back. This moved onto a Deja Vu effect correctly predicting a chosen card. Allan Closed his set with a take on the lottery prediction. Following a £10 note on a rope effect, Steve introduced Jack Clarke who opened with a Dribeck Die following with a cut & restored rope routine. From here we were treated to a Sidewalk Shuffle and Jack closed a well rehearsed set with the classic Chinese Linking Rings. To close the show, Alan Mylecraine burst onto the stage with some rapid fire one-liners and a host of sight gags. A 'stiff rope' item had the audience in stitches and the comedy continued with a 'domino' eye test. Alan closed his set with a card prediction and the appearance of the 'missing spade'. It was a great night well received by the audience and something we intend to promote further.
Sunday 13th June - Modern Mystic League visit
This extra meeting was set up to allow the Fylde Mystics to provide an afternoon's entertainment at the Modern Mystic League. Last year the MML team came over and gave us a great evenings entertainment and it was our turn to reciprocate. Brian Lead the MMl Concert Secretary gave this review:
"By tradition, June sees Chairman’s Day at the MML., and this year was the 10th such event presided over by Roger Woods assisted by his good lady Joan on refreshments We welcomed our seaside neighbours, the Fylde Mystics, paying a reciprocal visit.
It was a fun afternoon and League members and visitors seemed to appreciate our show. We look forward to providing similar entertainment in the future. Photos HERE
Tuesday 2nd June 2010 - Trick Clinic Plus
This month
saw the Fylde Mystics hosting a ‘trick clinic’,
although it turned into so much more. Steve Eastham spent the first
hour
demonstrating a whole host of varying card sleights to the assembled
members
who each practiced them as we went from member to member. Steve then
proceeded
to teach a number of effects which could be achieved with the recently
acquired
card sleights. Each member left with at least three new card sleights
and two new
effects as a result of this invaluable workshop. Joe Gilmour then brought what
could only be described as medieval torture equipment; well it was
actually a
form of Russian Roulette which he had made with the use of rat
traps!!! It was a
very impressive prop and we all offered tips and advice on how would be
best to
present it. George Jennings
had a number of queries with regards handling spectators and
we all gave our thoughts and opinions on how best to handle certain
situations.
The meeting finished with Steve performing the infamous Multiplying
Bottles by which time
the evening had flown by with thte conclusion that it had been another thoroughly enjoyable
night of magic.
Tuesday 3rd May 2010 - Cards, Cuts, Shuffles and Moves with Brian Glover
Alan Mylecraine opened the meeting by welcoming back Ken Ashburn after a period of illness thanking Brian Berry for helping him to get to the meeting. Ken had located an old certificate given to him as president of the original Society and it had been framed. Alan took time to thank all those involved in the very successful Charity show at the BPL bar on Blackpool Airport which raised over £280 for the North West Air Ambulance (see HERE for letter of thanks). Alan also explained that we had once again been asked to provide some magical entertainment at the prestigious Tinkerbelle Ball in aid of Derian House later in the year. Volunteers should pass their names to Alan for inclusion in the line-up for this as well as the show at the Royal British Legion Club in St Annes. Alan then introduced Brian Glover. Brian is a very well respected ‘card man’ who has published material in several top journals. Having ‘guested’ at four F’s, Brian is highly regarded and recognised to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of magic, especially card work and has built up an impressive array of colleagues in the card world. Brian opened by explaining his somewhat unique approach to card work. It should be gaff free, largely impromptu and direct. He spent the whole lecture demonstrating and explaining many card effects with a minimum of props. His opening effect, based on a reworking of ‘Aces for Connoisseurs’, utilised four Queens rather than four Aces. This effect typified Brian’s approach in that he had added some handling which served to make the effect sleights less obvious while building a much stronger climax. Brian went on to explain in detail the ‘moves’ necessary to make the effect work as well as it does making sure everyone understood the premise and the handling. The evening was spent discussing a vast array of cuts, lifts, culls, shuffles and every manner of card sleight conceived. Brian took time to explain many of the subtleties of the various moves and illustrated them with some great effects. His talk was littered with numerous references on the origins of many of the effects and their creators so we got a potted history lesson as well as invaluable insight into the execution of sleights. Brian is a great ‘thinker’ and this was more than evident in the reworking of many of the effects we were shown. His variations were developed largely to overcome some inconsistency in the handling or premise or to find a conclusion to an otherwise ‘dead’ effect. Along the way we were treated to a puzzling 'Oil & Water' routine, Peter Kanes 'Jazz Aces', a reworking of Paul Harris's 'Reset', an 'Ambitious' opening and a great 'Triumph' handling, a great little 'elevator' routine and a Hofzinser based divination. Brian finished with an 'Amazing' trick which had everybody in stitches. It was a great night with much to be gleaned even for those poor souls who don’t understand the innate beauty of card effects. If you get a chance, his talk is highly recommended. Photos HERE.
Thursday 29th April 2010 - Charity Show at Blackpools BPL Bar.
In a packed Clubhouse overlooking the apron at Blackpool Airport, members of the Fylde Mystics gathered to stage a charity show in aid of North West Air Ambulance. With a packed bill, Steve Eastham, who compered the show, opened the evening by showing the audience how to perform a colour changing silk effect. He went on to introduce Paul Joyce who guided spectators to a meeting with his friendly leprecaun, Seamus, who turned selected cards over to command. Matching cards became the order of the day before a scary credit card routine frightened the card into a sealed wallet. Steve pulled a few more ropes to find himself the winner of a £10 note tied onto the last one. Steve then introduced on stage Brian Taylor. Brian challenged a spectator to find a match to a special card in a sealed envelope which they did with ease. From here he had flying club member MIke sign a banknote which turned out to be a fake. Undeterred, Brian engaged a young lady to read his mind and discover matching sets of Egyptian symbols in the hope of getting Mike his £20 note back. The signed note was eventually found in a stapled envelope inside Brians wallet. Next up was nine year old Jonathan Joyce who moved coins through a sealed brass tube much to the consternation of Robert, the owner of the club. Jonathan then proceeded with a World Cup knockout to show that his England prediction would come true. Jonathan closed his set by correctly divining a freely chosen coloured chip inside a closed bag. To close the first half of the show and make way for a brilliant buffet, Allan Clarke had the audience thinking with a number of mental items including a prediction from random 3 digit numbers and a reality check using coloured marker pens. Allan closed by discovering no less than ten cards freely chosen by spectators from a shuffled deck. While people tucked into the buffet, raffle tickets were sold with over 20 great prizes to be won. Opening the second half was Baggy (Stuart Bagot) who puzzled the audience with a coins across routine before enlisting a spectator to help with a number of card effects. Baggy closed his set with his signature 'Mo and Jo' card routine. Alan Mylecraine burst onto the floor next with a four stage card prediction and a finger chopper routine with stacks of gags along the way. Alan's coin matrix had the punters gasping in astonishment before he went back to the comedy, closing with his signed card 'Star Wars' routine. Last up with a short cabaret spot was 15 year old Jack Clarke who had a dice with a case that fitted inside itself, only to change to a different dice altogether. Jack then enlisted Roberts help with a funny cut and restored rope effect. Jack played follow the Ace with a well executed sidewalk shuffle routine before closing with the famous Chinese Linking Rings. Steve Eastham closed the show by thanking everone involved with making the evening such a great success. Steve then drew the raffle and it seemed that pracically everyone got a prize. Last was an auction for a flying lesson, generously donated by Robert. This raised another £100 which was added to the general collection and the proceeds from the raffle. A good night for a good cause. Pictures can be found HERE.
Tuesday 6th April 2010 - Annual Close-up Competition
Hosted by Steve Eastham, we had no less than eight competitors for our 2nd annual event. Quite an audience had gathered to witness what turned out to be a very tight battle of magicians. Three magical judges had been engaged to preside over the evening and deliberate on the winning performance. Norman Langfield a former member of the Fylde Mystics, Paul Guy Past President of the Modern Mystic League in Blackburn and Brian Sefton, one of the UK's foremost manipulators. Steve gave a run down on how the evening would work before handing over to first competitor Paul Joyce. Paul was a worthy winner last year but still managed to pull another great routine out of the bag comprising some dreamy revelations and corny jokes. Next on was Brian Taylor with a great set including an entertaining mental segment using an Alan Warner prop and a signed bill to wallet. Third on was Joe Gilmour, who despite nursing a bad knee, managed to perform a couple of acrobatic tricks, if only with a deck of cards. Joe leapt through a 'do as I do' routine and a nice three way prediciton with some die-cast symbols. Stuart Bagot, (Baggy) filled the stage in his first ever competition, a big character with a big smile quickly won the audience over with some nice coin moves and a great take on 'Sam the Bellhop'. Our youngest member Jonathan Joyce, at only 9 years old, strode out next with a creditable routine with an impossible coin transfer, a world cup knockout competition with cards and a nice four ace closer. Following on came Allan Clarke with a mixed mentalism act including a number prediction and a card divination which at one point involved most of the audience. George Jennings strolled centre stage next with his trademark droll presentation. His observational humour mixed with some classics of magic including a 'dancing hankie' and a great card to wallet effect, all delivered with perfect timing had the audience enthralled. Last up was Alan Mylecraine who ran riot with spectators leading them up the garden path with his frenetic 'Star Wars' named card to impossible location. Along the way we had a four way prediction using cards and a clever Coin matrix with an unexpected ending. Alans act was littered with sight gags and had the audience in stitches with his antics. As the room took a breather and the raffle drawn, all our judges retired to deliberate on what was no doubt a very difficult elimination process. Marking was given for entertainment, magical content and presentation and with such a wide range of styles, it was going to be no easy task. After a short break Steve Eastham asked the chairman of the judges, Norman Langfield to step up and present the awards. After due deliberation the judges gave the following results:
1st Place - Alan Mylecraine
2nd Place - Allan Clarke
3rd Place - Paul Joyce
Award for the best card trick went to - George Jennings
There was also a special award, the 'Tyro Cup' for the most promising Junior This went to Jonathan Joyce.
Another great night at the Mystics with a strong field and some really funny moments. Photo's HERE
Tuesday 2nd March 2010 - Brian Sefton - 'unplugged'.
It
was
another
great
night
at
the
Mystics.
Alan Mylecraine told members about the
forthcoming charity show at the
BPL bar in
Paul Joyce
who is performing in the Children’s Show at the Northern Magic Circle
Convention performed a short item in order that members could
give feedback on
the effect. Paul was undecided about its use but several good ideas
were
discussed and Paul was encouraged to include it.
Alan
Mylecraine then introduced Brian
Sefton, well known to many of us in the
society and as well as being one of the
Brian
then
carefully
reset
his
act
while
explaining
in
great
detail,
how
the
effects
worked
and
how
they
were
loaded
for
performance.
The
attention
to
detail
was
phenomenal,
no
doubt
as
a
result
of
countless
performances,
each aspect
of the
load, steal and routine, perfectly balanced with the music. Brian
explained the
logical thinking which has gone into the careful planning and strategic
placing
of each load. It is evident why it takes so long for a manipulation act
to be
born. He also discussed the music side, which was given as much thought
as the
effects themselves. It was interesting to hear that a number of his
props are
no longer manufactured so he faces a constant search for any that may
pop up at
auction. Brian then went through the performance again so that we could
follow
it and even when you knew what was going to happen next it was just as
astounding. He explained that it took him three years of dedicated
practice, altering
the load location by a few millimetres a time until it all just flowed.
The
second half of the lecture saw Brian explaining his thinking behind a
number of
effects, this included one of the best ‘Vernon’ ball and cone routine
with many
added subtleties I have ever witnessed. There were explanations on how
to make
various load holders and demonstrations of how these varied from those
purchased
from dealers etc. The evening finished with Brian’s presentation of the
zombie
ball, which is a piece of pure magic in itself. There were a number of
displays
which served to obscure the mechanics, once more defeating the trained
eyes of
the audience. It was agreed that the lecture was amongst the best we
have seen
at the Mystics and while many of us would find the work needed to
produce such
a fine display of manipulation rather daunting, we were unanimous in
our
appreciation of a true master of this particular art. Highly
recommended, if
you get the opportunity to see Brian lecture, it is one not to be
missed. Photos HERE.
Tuesday 2nd February 2010 - The Trick Sessions
The trick sessions are always well attended but February's meeting was enhanced by an impromptu audition from Caius DeGuyerin a young magician with a lot of talent. Caius delivered a very fast paced session demonstrating a high level of skill with both cards and coins. He opened with MacDonalds Aces, some nifty coin work including a version of 'Three Fly' and the muscle pass, finishing off with 'Omni Deck'. Given the level of enthusiasm, we were more than happy to welcome him to our ranks. Alan Mylecraine had been busy trying to re-establish links with the Magicians of Man. Contacts have been made with the Society who, it turns out still compete for one of our Trophies. We look forward to renewing long lost links with our magical friends across the Irish Sea. after a couple of parish notices the sessions got under way. Steve Eastham was first up with David Jones' 'Tossed out deck'. Joe Gilmour reluctantly followed with a nice card location and was followed by Mel Wilson with a slick T&R newspaper routine. Stuart Bagot (Baggy) was up next with a nice sucker card trick involving a photo. Allan Clarke almost pulled off a neat prediciton trick with a Rainbow Deck from Colombini. Jack Clarke gave a demonstration of some nice sleight of hand with a 'marked card' patter and was followed again by Caius with a clever matching pairs effect. George Jennings stole the night with his droll delivery of a 'mystery can' prediction. Unfortunately due to problems with a ring pull, we'll never know if he was right. Brian Taylor brought out another clever Alan Warner prop called 'Mini Mental' which went down well, Jared Stoker following with a nice envelope trick. Young Jonathan Joyce pattered along with a sucker die box to good effect, and dad Paul Joyce showed us a nice spiders web production. Alan M completed the first round with a convoluted card in an egg in another egg in a Star Wars toy in a Teddy routine which had us all out of breath. The second round was just as frenetic with effects ranging from vanishing cards, rising cards, card at any number to super culling, a Giobbi classic, a silk puzzler, a book test and a cards across routine. Another great night with lots of laughs. Pictures HERE.
Tuesday 12th January 2010 - DIY Magic
After a false start to the new year when the snow got the better of us, we reconvened a week later for some makeshift magic. But first we were able to welcome new member Ian Birket who travelled all the way from Burton-in Kendall for his audition. Ian ran through some clever card effects including a four Ace routine, a Triumph effect and an ESP experiment with some help and encouragement from an attentive audience. He followed this up with a very polished ring and rope routine, sealing his membership with some self evident skill. After a few introductions and notices, Alan Mylecraine started the DIY session by running through a clever cards across routine which had quite a few members guessing. Scissors, glue and some patient guidance followed as we all battered some spare decks into shape with a number of gimmicked cards and some careful stacking. Several subtleties were discussed in the presentation all of which helped to clarify why the effect worked so well. Given the comments, it would seem a number of members were going to try this out very soon. After a short break, Brian Taylor handed out glue sticks and tissue paper once more before running through a version of 'torn and restored' tissue paper'. The effect was found in several publications from 'Best of Magic' to 'Tarbell' and quite a few in between. After some frantic glueing and tearing, everyone had a set of tissue props to work with as we all tried the routine for ourselves. Steve Eastham demonstrated his own handling shown to him by Harold Taylor (no relation!) and the merits of the placement of the gimmick were tried and discussed at length. It was a promising start to our new year and Alan passed on our good wishes to all who were not able to be with us. Pictures HERE. February's meeting will be a 'Trick Session'. Members should bring along a couple of effects to perform.
Tuesday 1st December 2009 - Teach a trick night.
When this meeting was devised, no-one had any real idea how it might work but it turned out to be both a challenge and a fun night. The idea was that each member paired up with another member and in 15 minutes, each member showed the other how to do one of thier tricks. Afterwards this was to be performed in front of everyone. The pairs set to work and soon the function room was alive with laughter and furrowed brows in equal measure, props were bandied around and cards were being dealt, flicked and cut with great abandon. After the turmoil everyone gathered and Steve Eastham who had been paired with George Jennings stepped up to centre table. Steve's card trick involved a numbered card being selected and found to match a freely named card chosen by another spectator. On the spot next was Joe Gilmour who had been paired with Allan Clarke. Joe demonstrated a clever sandwich trick where the selected card is found face down in a deck that had righted itself. George Jennings returned Steve's favour performing a Paul Gordon effect where selected cards were the opposite colour to the rest of a shuffled deck. Jack Clarke, who was paired with Jonathan delivered a nice four aces effect, while dad Allan Clarke tried to follow some difficult patter with Mark Leveridges this, that and the other routine. Jared Stoker who had been paired with Alan Mylecraine gave everyone a laugh with some imromptu juggling before going into a clever prediction effect 'about face'. Paul Joyce took to the table to perform Brian Taylors egyptian effect matching symbols using some nice Alan Warner props. Jonathan Joyce now took centre stage to run through a lottery coin effect, correctly predicting the last coin symbol left on the table. Alan Mylecraine threw off his sticks to play with another great prop recreating Houdini's rope escape with a block and a frame. Lastly, Brian Taylor pattered through Pauls 'Seamus' sandwich effect adding his own brand of humour along the way. The last 45 minutes was spent performing a range of efects using amongst other things, Dice, ESP cards Ribbons and a duff domino. Almost two hours of performing whizzed by again amid bundles of laughter and impropmtu gags. Photo's of the night can be found HERE. January's meeting is to be a DIY night, more details will follow. The Mystics Christmas dinner will be on the 14th January at the Kingfisher Inn, book in with Alan M if you haven't already done so.
Tuesday 3rd November 2009 - The 'Trick Sessions'.
The second outing in our new home attracted a good number of members again, enjoying the pleasant function room at the South Fylde Lawn Tennis Club. Alan Mylcraine hobbled to the front still on sticks after recent knee surgery to give out a few parish notices, not that he got much sympathy! Steve Eastham opened the sessions with a great four of a kind effect from Al Smith. Alan Chester followed with a nifty Brass Tube effect where he successfully predicted the tube that held a £1 coin deposited by a spectator. Mel Wilson was up next with an impromptu variation on the penetrating silks effect but using straws borrowed from the bar. George Jennings ran througha neat prediction effect that had Mel winning a dog, fortunately it was ony one made up with beads! Paul Joyce had been dreaming as he recalled an effect where 'Fred the Red' appeared correctly identifying a selected card. Ken Ashburn 'Hijacked' the next section with a very 'clean' Jay Sankey opener, turning four jacks into four aces with a few turns of the cards. Young Jonathan Joyce performed a slick variation of the 'four robbers' using four Kings. Allan Clarke had a spectator 'Stop Right There! with another Al Smith classic, while Jack Clarke showed everyone who was the top card man from a host of celebrity cardicians. Alan M closed the first half with 'iDeck' a new, clever effect from Noel Qualter. The second round began with Steve Eastham's handling of Paul Gordon's 'Muldoon Match', where the spectator correctly identifies 3 unseen cards. Mel W whipped out a deck of cards to run through a 'William Tell' routine where a card (arrow) shoots through a deck to the position of a selected card. George Jennings 'Triumphed' with a slop shuffle effect and Paul Joyce who had continued to dream, revealed a pair of 'thought of' Queens from a set of Jokers. Ken Ashburn took the imagination further when he ran through Brian Caswells 'Trilogy', a brilliant 3 card prediction which had quite few members reaching for the order book! Jonathan showed his mind reading skills by correctly identifying a coloured tile hidden in a bag, while Jack Clarke used his manipulation skills to remove a selected card from a locked deck. Alan M closed the trick sessions with a card effect called 'one over the eight, where black sevens turned into red sevens with the aid of a ghost. The last part of the evening was given over to Brian Taylor and Jared Stoker who amazed the crowd with a couple of performances of some illusions they had built. Brian & Jared showed off their construction in great detail as well as talking about some of the difficulties in both constructing and performing the illusions. Another magic filled evening passed by very quickly. Photo's HERE.
As a footnote, Alan Mylecraine and Allan and Jack Clarke met up with Maria Felix Vas as part of the John Gillmore show on BBC Radio Lancashire. We had been selected to talk about the Fylde Mystics, having been formed in 1958 which was on Gilly's 'My Favourite Year' programme on Saturday Morning. The interview can be heard in full HERE (if the technology works!).
Tuesday 6th October 2009 - Entertaining Children with Guy de Paul
Paul Guy has been entertaining children for more years than he would like to admit to but theres no getting away from the feeling that he really knows what children's magic is all about. From the ubiquitous David Nixon Magic set to what is now a huge range of magic routines catering for children of all age groups, Paul has spent a considerable part of his life keeping ahead of a fast changing audience. Starting from a genuine desire to give something back to the childrens hospital that nursed his very poorly daughter back to health, Paul has crafted a set of 'standard' effects that can be tailored to suit his many and varied bookings. Although Paul admitted that lecturing wasn't something that came naturally to him, he kept our group thoroughly entertained as he ran through his thinking on how a show should run. What was impressive was Pauls creative variations on what were some very good, if 'standard' effects. He explained his 5 'phases' that make up a successful show carefully outlining all the elements that ensure that his clients come back time and time again. It was a fairly simple formula, but one that had no doubt come from years of experiences, good and bad. Like most of us he has had some awful bookings but he was quick to point out that even these had helped him improve his shows and develop an ability to change a theme or patter at very short notice. As I said earlier, there were a number of recognisable effects but often given Pauls unique twist of presentation. By far the most popular was a cards across routine which until you knew the principle had quite a few of us fooled. Based on Shinkansen by Phil Goldstein but presented in a new Guy's? it played very well. Among the other routines lurked a modified 'Demon Wonder Box' routine, 'Cedric's Hat Trick', jointly developed with Donald Monk of the Modern Mystic League coupled with Anverdi's rising card which was used to good effect. There was also a 'Stratosphere' routine with a cleverly engineered vanish as a kicker finish, a 'Ring on Rose' effect and a lot of themed tricks tailored to involve the 'birthday' boy or girl using a bit of forehand knowledge. Paul closed a great evening with what is fast becoming something of a signature effect for him. A nice idea based on Tony Steven's 'no tear' newspaper effect which Paul very successfully uses some modern technology to peer into the future. Paul produced a copy of the following day's local paper bearing a headline relating to the Fylde Mystics event, complete with a photo of organiser Alan posing with Paul at the start of the evening. This was a fun filled evening with something for everyone and a fitting opener for our new venue.
Pictures HERE.
Tuesday 1st September 2009 - A Night WITHOUT Cards ....
With
13 members in attendance, Alan
Mylecraine opened with a few notices and a
discussion on an opportunity to move meetings to another venue. The
members
agreed that the suggestion was worth pursuing and Steve Eastham was to make
further enquiries. To get the evenings magic underway, Alan introduced
new
member Stuart Bagot (Baggy to
his friends!) who ran through a number of
impromptu card tricks with a shuffled deck. Baggy started with a Four Ace
production and proceeded through a number of clever tricks with
predictions and
matching pairs being found along the way. There was a feeling that he
could
have continued all evening, but keen to let everyone else have a turn, Alan M
called his audition to a close and opened the meeting to the rest of
the
members. This was to be A NIGHT WITHOUT
CARDS! and it was
not without
significance that Ken Ashburn
stepped up to the plate and delivered a stunning
opener with a cap in bottle effect. Paul
Davis slid onto
the stage with an excerpt from one of his kids routines centred around
a rabbit
in a hat and a sweeties to silk effect. Alan M showed a clever Tenyo item
called the Crystal Pyramid where a coin was transported into the
pyramid under
cover of a handkerchief. Paul Joyce
showed a nice disappearing tumbler effect
with a sucker finish and was followed by his son Jonathan Joyce who demonstrated a
nice multi- coin penetration. Ron
Wilson was again full of DIY magic showing us
a nice paddle item and a variation on ‘Block Off’ he had constructed. Jack
Clarke then went mental with a correctly divined prediction with
three coins.
Allan Clarke ran through
another ‘mental’ item centred on reality and
perception where the colour of a freely chosen pen was correctly
determined.
Mel Wilson then demonstrated
his grasp of the Chinese Sticks with a nice change
in patter which he then followed with a deft T&R newspaper effect. Steve
Eastham performed a Wayne Dobson effect called ‘No Chance’ where
two
spectators freely choose an envelope each leaving the Magi with the
only one
containing real money. George Jennings
was practicing a kids routine using a
block that would stop on a rope at any pre determined position. Next up
was
Kelly Ann Chester who for her
first meeting performed another multi coin
penetration effect. Alan Chester,
Kelly’s
dad
took
to
the
stage
and
showed
another
Tenyo
item
where
a
heart
and
oval
shaped
cases
containing
coloured
balls
magically
transposed.
Baggy
came back to the front and ran through a nice
paper cutting effect with a kicker finish. Ken Ashburn presented his second
effect which was another clever idea from Collectors Workshop using a
pocket
watch which was magically restored from a jumble of bits initially
shown. Paul
Davis then previewed a Square Circle routine from a Christmas
Kids show while
Alan M gave us a nice ‘Uncanny
Silks’ routine. Paul Joyce
made some coloured
ropes magically join together while Jonathan
made a ball in an egg cup
disappear. Ron then showed us
an Xmas version of the Chinese sticks, again made
by his own fair hand. Jack Clarke
followed this with a funny C&R rope
routine while dad Allan
performed a ‘Houdini’s Grandmother’ effect from an Abra
magazine. Steve Eastham
demonstrated another Wayne Dobson effect using some
Chinese coins and American quarters which magically change places in
the spectators hands.
George
Jennings closed another great evenings entertainment with a quiz
routine
heavily weighted in favour of a home made change bag. With so many
members
wanting to perform we are going to have to extend the 2 hour session to
cope,
maybe our new venue will give us more scope. Keep watching this space
for
details. Pictures HERE.
It’s
hard
to
imagine
that
the
thriving
club
that
is
the
Fylde
Mystics
have
come so far in just 12 months. Last
Tuesday
night was the first anniversary of the reformation of the society and
was
celebrated in style with a special ‘birthday’ cake provided by Alan Mylecraine.
Whilst we have no formal committee, we thought it prudent to have a
‘mini AGM’
to receive the accounts from Steve
Eastham who has kept our finances on track
for the last year. All was found to be in order and the accounts were
adopted.
Next was an audition from the society’s newest (and youngest) member,
Jonathan
Joyce. This very confident ten year old had clearly put in a lot of
practice in
a perfect delivery of the ‘cups and balls’ routine, varied on the way
by a neat
production of the balls needed from a drawer box. Jonathans entry marks
the 18th
member to join the society thus far.
Tuesday 7th July - Blackburn's Modern Mystic League Entertain.
A veritable 'coach party' had arrived to sample the delights of a huge 'Jacob's Join' buffet and some first class entertainment. Five intrepid members of the MML had volunteered to join us in Cleveleys and provide the entertainment for what turned out to be a riot of magic and humour. After a couple of 'parish' notices from Alan Mylecraine, the show got underway. Brian Lead, the Leagues concert secretary and strolling Compere, got the audience warmed up with the help of Baskerville the hound. It transpired that Baskervile could speak and not only that, speak in foreign tongue. After a host of corny gags, Brian introduced the first act, Roger Woods, chairman of the League who mesmerised everyone with a special deck of cards all of which had differing back designs. With an uncanny choice, Roger guided a spectator into discovering the only two cards that were identical. Roger then demonstrated an escape trick based on his hero, 'Houdini' who once again managed to free himself of the handuffs, even thought they were only finger sized. From here, Roger armed himself with a regular deck and had the specator discover a chosen card using a 'lie detector' routine. From here the deck was used in a clever diary trick where the spectator managed to find the very card selected from a special day in the diary. Roger closed a very tight set with his trademark Chop Cup routine with a very fruity ending. Brian Lead returned with more laughter as he demonstrated the centuries old 'Indian Rope Trick' and tried his hand at mentalism courtesy of a predicted word and an animal which need to 'look round'. Next act was Past President Ron Baron who was introduced as for better or 'verse' due to the rhyming patter that accompanied his act. Ron opened with a cautionary tale of his schooldays illustrated with a ring and rope to great effect. Next he told a tale of cowboy builders and a chimney that needed a 'Block Off'. Pulling out a piece of rope and a spectator, Ron bewildered the audience with a linking scissor routine culminating in the spectator becoming a real 'star'. At the break, the audience were treated to a sumptuous buffet assembled in a blink by the members of the Fylde Mystics. Opening the second half, Brian Lead checked that the magic was present before bringing on Paul Guy who at first wasn't sure which society he was supposed to be entertaining. All was put right with the help of a few alphabet cards correctly assembled unseen by a spectator. Paul then had the audience in fits with a variety of sight gags from 'Spot On', a sponge ball and silk routine which produced presents from an otherwise empty bag and a very funny rope segment where the spectators eventually managed to 'repair' a cut rope. Brian reappeared, this time with a monkey who had everyone in stitches with his antics. The final act was introduced as 'Donald the Average'. The irrepressible Donald Monk who decided he would show the audience how one of his tricks worked. A piece of tissue paper was torn and restored to demonstrate the trick. Afterwards Donald ran through the trick again, only to bamboozle the audience by restoring the final torn pieces again. Donald moved on to a very funny faulty follower' routine, completely fooling his assistant, even when all the moves were made by him. Next Donald introduced a couple of slates and with the aid of one of the audience, managed to demonstrate how freely drawn symbols could be magically transferred between the slates. Don finished by introducing a new book he had written, 'Slim with Donald'. This funny limerick brought a great evenings entertainment to a humerous close and no doubt had eveyrone laughing all the way home. The MML had set a very high standard and our challenge was to equal this on a reciprocal visit to Blackburn next year. It's not going to be easy! Pictures can be found HERE.
Tuesday 2nd June - The Trick Sessions
Alan M opened the meeting with a discussion on the naming and logo of the society. Having found an original image it was decided that we would incorporate elements of this with our current design and felt it was important to bring back the genie's lamp. It was also discussed and agreed that the name would revert to the original founding name i.e. The Fylde Mystics. Having sorted this out, we got on with the usual round of tricks. Ken Ashburn took to the table with Liam Montier's 'Superstition' involving a 'Lucky Card' transposition which changed places in a locked deck. Next came Steve Eastham who enlightened with an old David Jones routine called 'Umph' Joe Gilmour launched into Paul Gordons 'incredible card trick' before Ron Wilson waved the credit crunch goodbye with a series of money based effects. Ron started with a blank paper to note transpo using a self made prop following quickly with a very nice money box routine. New member Mel Wilson (no relation!) opened with a nice prediction before rattling his way through a Wayne Dobson effect with a coin in a bag discovery. Allan Clarke proceeded with a double card location based on a Michael Weber stack. Alan M closed up the first leg with a presentation of 'Tagged' by Richard Sanders. The second round commenced with Ken Ashburn performing Devin Knights 'Insight'. Steve Eastham followed with a four Ace puzzler from Paul Gordon Joe Gilmour tested his ESP skills with Hen Fetch's 'Symbologic'. Ron Wilson continued his money theme with a betting game where even the odds of 5:1 didn't get any winners. Mel Wilson followed with a 'blind man's card trick' revealing all the cards to be blank. Allan Clarke went on to perform Peter Nardis version of Adrian Sullivan's 'Eliminator' effect. Alan M brought round two to a close with a very funny finger chopper routine. Ken Ashburn opened the final round with Ted Leslies 'Impossible', an effect that truly lived up to it's name. Steve Eastham puzzled everyone with Roy Johnson's 'Cased' while Joe Gilmour had us all laughing with Thom Peterson's 'Chapstick' routine. Mel demonstrated his rope skills with his version of the 'Professors Nightmare'. Allan Clarke concluded his set with an Aldo columbini effect making the cards match, while Alan performed 'Haunted' using a borrowed deck. We may have been short on numbers, but we weren't short on magic! Pictures HERE.
Tuesday 5th May - Shawn Farquhar - Three times World Champion of Magic.
What can you say about this guy? There aren't enough superlatives in the dictionary to describe what a great performer he is, but more than that, he genuinely wants to share his hard earned knowledge with all the magic fraternity. Right from the word go, his energy and enthusiasm for magic burst out of him, carrying all those present on a wave of wonder and excitement. It's easy to see why Shawn is three times world champion, his Cups & Balls routine opener set the stage for an evening of pure astonishment (with sincere apologies to Paul Harris). Everybody present has seen the Cups & Balls done hundreds of times but Shawns award winning take on this classic literally had to be seen to be believed. The kicker finish was just the beginning of an evening full of surprises from his Coin Matrix, to Torn and Restored photo stopping at his Omni Deck, 'Magic CD', 'Card in Wallet' and 'Tagged' along the way. The overriding feature of his lecture was an almost childlike mischievousness that pervaded every take on some of magic best known effects. His lecture tour is called 'Bread & Butter' tour, not because it earns him money but because the effects and presentations he gives away have been his 'Bread & Butter' for many years. I can't think of many other performers who would happily reveal their 'trade secrets' in this way. The depth of explanation of the subtleties of these real world effects are priceless. My own favourite was his 'Deck Switch' which was so perfect, no-one in the room had spotted it without being told! Shawns by-word seemed to be 'I like easy'! and he demonstrated this to great effect all evening. Every effect was 'do-able' and workable by anyone present. Don't get me wrong, if you have seen Shawns 'Shape of my Heart' routine you know what a skilled slight of hand worker he is. But this was different and it was one of the most enjoyable three hours I have spent in the company of any magician. Everyone in the room was laughing, smiling and nodding sagely at the words of wisdom gained from a long career in Magic. Shawn started by saying he wanted to give something back, on Tuesday he did this in spades. For all those on his tour this year, you are in for a real treat. Pictures HERE.
Tuesday 6th April - Close-up Competition
The Fylde Mystics got competitive last night when 8
members
threw
down the gauntlet to find out who would reign supreme in the first ever
re-formed Mystics Close-Up competition.
Paul Davis
AKA ‘Chubbz’ drew first out and had the difficult task of warming up
the
audience. Paul opened with ‘Jam Jar coins’, ‘twins’ and Nicholas Paul’s
‘13’. Paul was followed by our
youngest member Jack Clarke who only
turned 14 last week. Jack opened with Lewis Ganson’s ‘Tiny Trio’, a
close up
linking ring routine, a nice version of a Cut & Restored rope, the
‘Sidewalk
Shuffle’ and closed with a classic Cups and Balls routine. Alan
Mylecraine hit
the ground running with a load of gags and a ‘Cell out’ opener, swiftly
moving
onto a diary trick combo. His closing Chinese coin matrix was perfect. Allan Clarke opened with some classic
‘Ring & Rope’ through to a mentalism item called ‘X’ marks the
card, an ESP
card effect using a couple of spectators and closed his set with a
‘memory
deck’ card routine. Ken Ashburn
engaged a couple of spectators and opened with a card to money effect
before
going on to a wide ranging card trick set comprising "Pimpin", ‘White
Trash’, ‘Back to Earth’ and ‘Lazer Aces’ along with his trademark
‘Poppit’ bead
routine. George Jennings dry humour
supplemented a patter set with a ‘Phil’ type named card effect and
another nice
‘Diary’ effect. Paul Joyce set the
scene for a closing mentalism effect before working a reversed card
revelation,
a matching card routine using Tarot cards and a very funny credit card
transpo.
Paul closed by correctly ‘reading’ the selected card from the beginning
of his
set. Ron Wilson drew the last spot
but first showed us a small ‘automaton’ he had made some years ago, it
showed
of his woodworking skills and attention to detail. Ron went on to
perform some
very funny sight gags with hand made props notably a clever ‘propeller’
effect
and a nice ‘This, That and the Other’ card routine.
After some no doubt difficult judging and collating of marks, Steve Eastham announced the award winners as Ron Baron congratulated everyone on a good nights entertainment and handed out the trophies. It was another magic packed evening which everyone seemed to enjoy. Pictures are HERE.
1st Place - Paul Joyce2nd Place - Alan Mylecraine
3rd Place Ken Ashburn - who also took the trophy for the Best Card Trick of the competition.
Tuesday 3rd March - Grand Auction.
The hustle and bustle in the Community Centre gave the game away. Piles of magic books, media and props were laid end to end along several tables. Tellers and runners waited patiently as eager buyers purused the array of magical wares on offer. It could easliy have gone on for hours, but our able auctioneer Steve Eastham didn't take any prisoners and rattled through the lots at breakneck speed. Thanks to the unequalled scrounging by our esteemed co-ordinator Alan Mylecraine, we had a large lot of donated material from a range of big names in the magic community. There were signed photos and posters from Derren Brown, The Great Soprendo, Mac King and Michael Ammar. Books and DVD's from David Acer, David Williamson and Thom Peterson. DVD's and effects from Aldo & Rachael Columbini and Kevin James as well as a fabulous signed poster from Norm Nielsen. Over 200 items were given close scrutiny before going under the hammer to an eager audience, some of whom had travelled a considerable distance to be with us. At the end of a very enjoyable evening, the Society was better off to the tune of almost £200 and more importantly, a happy band of buyers got thier hands on some real bargains.
Tuesday 3rd February - Workshops Galore!
The
Fylde Mystics welcomed not one but two new members through its doors
this
month. Ron Wilson who had popped in to see us last meeting and Joe
Gilmour who
had been invited along by Steve Eastham earlier. It’s reassuring that
the
performance of magic is still highly regarded by the members. Alan Myclraine outlined plans for the
forthcoming auction and confirmed the Shawn Farquhar lecture in May.
The
planned competition for April will be limited in the first instance to
Close-up
work. After a couple of parish notices Alan handed over to Allan
Clarke for the first of the two workshops. Ring and Rope
routines have been popular with magicians and laypeople alike so Allan
ran through the routine he had put together for his Magic Circle
audition last
year and went on to explain some of the moves and the thinking behind
them.
Starting with a classic ‘hunters bowline’, ‘threading the needle’ and
onto a
number of on and off rope moves attributed to a variety of magicians
including
Vernon, Darryl, Tony Griffiths and others. Brian
Taylor then took to the floor and in true Blue Peter style had
packets of
papers, tapes and glue for all the members to have a go at the classic
Torn
& restored newspaper routine. Brian performed the effect first and
then
went on to explain in detail not only how to make the props but also
the
subtleties in his own particular presentation. Great fun was had by all
as
reams of paper and glue flew in all directions culminating in a
synchronised
Tear and Restore by all present. A great spectacle unfortunately not
captured
on camera. The fun continued as members then performed the usual round
of
effects. Joe Haslem demonstrated his
card following skills, correctly identifying a thought of card in a
matrix fashion.
New member Ron Wilson, gave an
impromptu display of a number of effects using objects from his pocket.
A nice
selection of Coin effects, rubber bands, Safety pins and string. Jack Clarke came up with a prediction
effect where the selected card was found to be one of a number of cards
on his
prediction. Applying a little heat then revealed the true selection as
the
others vanished. Allan Clarke
demonstrated a poker effect where the choice of hands was entirely with
the spectator who promptly loses. Jared
Stoker went into a nice Egyptian prediction using Tarot cards and
an Ankh
mirror to foretell a chosen card. Paul
Davis demonstrated an impromptu prediction using a shuffled deck
where the
spectator selects two cards that are shown to match the two
predictions. Joe Gilmour had a slick routine
combining a diary trick with a very clean selection of a card
which
proved to match a card displayed in the diary. In a night of
predictions Steve Eastham had not one but three
predictions as the spectator managed to choose a card that matched the
three on
the table. George Jennings tiptoed
through a nice bit of patter with a card effect originally marketed as
‘Escort
Cards'. Alan Mylecraine closed
another great night with a very clever coin and card matrix where cards
then
coins vanished and re-appeared building to a giant coin production at
the
climax. Photo's as always HERE.
Tuesday 6th January 2009 - A Quiz too far...
The
January meeting proved to be a puzzling time for the Fylde Mystics. Not
the
usual, ‘why are we here’ or ‘what’s it all about’? More along the lines
of ‘who
is credited with inventing ‘Mental Epic’’? or who’s real name was David
Wighton? The
new year quiz, developed my Brian Taylor was a real brain teaser. After
the
usual parish notices from Alan Mylecraine and a short video of Jared
Stoker
performing Cliff Lount's "This
is the Queen",
the quiz
began. Sixty
questions
ranging from sublime to ridiculous split into several categories. There
was a
section on Magic Posters another section focussed on negative images of
well
known magicians while another featured Magic Book
authors. There was a great deal of ‘Oh I know this one… now what was
his name’?
After the answers were revealed, the winners received grand prizes,
generously donated by
Alan Mylecraine and Brian Taylor. Top of the list was George Jennings
with 35,
closely followed by Steve Eastham with 34 and in 3rd place
(with a
bit of help from his dad), was Jack Clarke. Booby prize went to Joe
Haslem, our
new Junior for his valiant attempt. The rest of the meeting was spent
performing magic. We welcomed a prospective new member Ron Wilson who
offered
up a nice version of ‘Dots Impossible’. Steve Eastham spent a few
minutes with
a dual prediction effect called Nomen Omen. Alan M
followed
this with a short routine based on Bill Thompsons diary trick, which
started out
by changing the colour of the deck then having had
a diary date
selected, proceeded to find the predicted card at a freely named
number. Joe
Haslem then showed everyone his latest effect, the classic ‘Cards
Across’.
Allan Clarke then demonstrated a prediction effect using a set of
dominoes to
determine the final two digits identified in a prediction. Paul Davis
then
ran through a nice routine with a packet of sweets and a few silks. The
sweets
vanished from a tube and were replaced by a chosen silk. The sweets
were then
found in the silk bag. A nice routine that should play well.
George
Jennings had us in stitches again with a ‘blind date’ routine,
successfully
identifying the name of Brian T’s blind date. Jack Clarke demonstrated
a nice
‘Egyptian’ effect using 3 mummies and a wooden sarcophagus. The freely
chosen
mummy was correctly identified by Jack. Brian Taylor closed the
evening’s
performance with another Alan Warner item, a transposition effect
called Pharoe's Curse. Well, 2009 had opened with
another
good nights entertainment flashing by in no time at all. Workshops
next
month by Allan Clarke and Brian Taylor. Pictures as ever HERE.
Tuesday 2nd December - Mentalism for Dummies...
Christmas came early to the Fylde Mystics, when the season kicked off with a prediction that everyone would have a good time! And so it was. Despite a couple of absences, many a varied effect was performed by all and sundry. All in this case was All-an Mylecraine who opened with the fabulous 'Chinese Menu' item from John Archer using half the audience to run the effect. Sundry followed in the guise of Paul Joyce who performed a clever book test found in '13 steps to Mentalism' by Corinda. Brian Taylor went Astra-Mental with some very nice props and Jared Stoker showed off the first of the evenings Alan Warner items. Jack Clarke hammed it up with the mental 'divination' of a freely selected card using his best body language detection and NLP skills to good effect. Joe Haslem demonstrated mental co-incidence when two random cards selected by spectators matched perfectly. Allan Clarke closed the first round with an old Abra item based around zodiac signs, successfully reading the spectators freely chosen sign. Alan M then continued the John Archer theme with a classic on the spot magic square cleverly assembled from a freely selected number. Paul Joyce then showed the crowd a comedy mental effect he was working on where a pair of chattering teeth chewed a piece of paper representing the selected card. Brian T showed the next Alan Warner item where the spectator this time correctly matched Egyptian symbols comically transmitted by Brian. Jared moved the evening on with a version of Stephen Tuckers 'Mind Map'. Jack C then continued the mind reading with some mind reading cards, correctly identifying a thought of card. Joe then performed a Tenyo item where he identified a symbol concealed in a closed box. Allan Clarke then closed the second set with an old Anneman book test with a few twists. There was still a little time left so we were treated to a Max Maven book test, a Cluedo based effect, a PATEO force effect and a closer look at some of those Alan Warner items. Look at some pictures of the evening HERE to see how seriously we took it! Another great evening was brought to a close as Alan announced details of the forthcoming Auction Night in March which will contain more than a few items of donated Magical Memorabilia. January's meeting will have the usual performing sessions coupled with a themed quiz. Bring it on!
Tuesday 4th November - Classics of Magic
Another effect packed meeting opened with the audition of two more prospective members, Brian Taylor and Jared Stoker. Brian opened with a nice card switch followed by a convincing Torn & Restored newspaper routine, he continued, playing up the comedy angle, with a 'mental epic' routine and closing with a nice head chopper effect. Jared was up next and ran through a version of 'Professors Nightmare' with some nice handling, he followed this with the ESP matching card effect 'Perfect Match' and closed with a very nice Mikame Mirror incorporating a 21st Century Silk finish. Both auditionees acquitted themselves very well and were subsequently elected to membership. The evening continued with an effect by Alan Mylecraine based on Al Koran's classic, 'paper under cup'. George Jennings,with his dry sense of humour, milked the classic Carmo Bead effect, something not seen for a long time. Paul Davis was up next with an entertaining Square Circle routine followed by new junior Joe Haslem who ran through 'Hunters' bowline knots and O'Connells Aces. Allan Clarke demonstrated another classic with the 'Hastings Prediciton' albeit with some subtle changes in presentation. He was followed by his son Jack who delivered a smooth Dribeck Die routine. Ken Ashburn as ever, was determined to impress and he did so with the clever Simon Aronson effect 'The Worlds Greatest Card Trick' where the instruction card turned out to be the selected signed card. Steve Eastham performed the classic 'Proudlocks Aces' and was followed by Brian with Geoffrey Durhams 'Magic Square'. Alan M started round the members again with Juan Tamariz's very bold 'Cards Across' routine, he was followed by Paul who ran through another kids classic, the Sucker Die Box. George Jennings then regaled everyone with Vernon's sponge ball routine, while Jack Clarke demonstrated his handling of Cliff Lounts original 'Scarlet Pimpernel'. His dad Allan then performed some more 'Vernon' with a classic Ring and Rope routine, followed by Joe Haslem and another version of the 'long & short ropes'. Steve Eastham closed a packed night of magic with Hen Fetch's 'Card in Balloon' and Jack Hughes's 'Nest of Boxes'. With membership now growing, there promises to be a lot more magic performed in the coming months. We can already see that 'Mentalism for dummies' will be good! Some photo's HERE if you want to see who did what.
Tuesday 7th October - Steve Eastham Presents:
The evening drew a record attendance and was bolstered with a good number of guests. After a welcome by Alan Mylcraine, a prospective member, Paul Davis AKA 'Chubbz' ran through his audition pieces. Although understandably nervous, Paul performed an off-beat children's effect based on 'Stratosphere'. The patter, of his own devising, played well and would no doubt prove popular with the Christmas children's party scene which Paul works in. He followed this with the puzzling Nicholas Paul close-up card effect, 'Thirteen'. The rest of the evenings entertainment was organised by Steve who opened with a sucker silk effect. He went on to explain about the 'family connections' running through the planned show, before introducing Allan Clarke who performed a number of effects which had a common thread in that they were all DIY props. Next up, in this 'mini' Gala Show, was Jack Clarke who opened with a couple of silk effects culminating with 'Symphony of the Rings', Jack's own linking ring routine. As a special treat, Steve introduced a youngster who he has been tutoring for a couple of months. Joe Haslem was billed as the 'New Kid on the Block'. This was Joe's first 'public' performance and was watched by his nervous Mum and Gran. They needn't have worried as Joe effortlessly ran through a wide range of entertaining effects demonstrating a good grasp of the basics. Steve continued as compere for the evening seamlessly linking the different segments. Last but by no means least, Steve introduced Ken Ashburn who confounded everyone with his 'Magic in the Classic Style'. Ken served up a stunning array of what he called the 'Ultimates'. Card at any number, 'thought of' card revelation and 'Card under Glass' transposition, all delivered in that classic style that has long been his trademark. Steve had one last trick up his sleeve in which he presented all the performers with a small gift in token of appreciation. As another good night of magic drew to a close, Alan M thanked Steve for his organisation of the evening and all the performers for their input.
Tuesday 2nd September - Members Workshop.
The second meeting of the society took place on the 2nd September with a members workshop. First off though, each member opened with a short trick. Allan Clarke showed a novel effect using a magic square principle in cube form. George Jennings demonstrated a ‘holiday postcard’ effect using the ‘out to lunch’ principle with suitable patter. Jack Clarke was up next with a smooth classic cups and balls routine. Paul Joyce ran through a funny routine with a credit card ‘crunched’ out using an envelope switch. After this, the workshop proper got under way with a couple of nice effects from Alan Mylecraine. The first was a routine based on a combination of effects by Ali Bongo and Simon Aronson where a series of card predictions came true even though a deck was thoroughly shuffled and mixed. The second effect was Henry Evans ‘perfect triumph’, well executed and the performance pitfalls explained. Next came founder member Ken Ashburn who ran through his version of the Al Koran Blindfold routine that won him the Close up competition earlier this year at the Manchester Magi. This was explained in detail outlining the subtleties required for the presentation, as Ken said, this is a great effect not seen enough. Last on was Steve Eastham who showed his version of a card to wallet effect and an alternative handling for a cards across routine which could be adapted for kids or adults. This short write up can’t do justice to the discussions that took place regarding various handling suggestions and opportunities to improve effects. Another good night of fun and magic.
Tuesday 5th August - Re-Founding Night.
After a brief welcome by Alan Mylecraine, Steve Eastham and Ken Ashburn gave an overview of the founding and history of the Society.
Following this, each of the members performed a couple of effects to establish the missions of the Society.
For a photo of the members present that evening click here.