Browsed by
Author: Rick Carruth

Grand champion magician honored at the 2016 Academy of Magical Arts awards ceremony in Los Angeles (USA).

Grand champion magician honored at the 2016 Academy of Magical Arts awards ceremony in Los Angeles (USA).

Hollywood, California – May 16th, 2016 EST – The Academy of Magical Arts delightfully announced Greg Frewin as the 2015 recipient of the Performing Fellowship Award. Established in 1968, the award recognizes outstanding achievement and significant contribution to the performance art of magic.  Frewin is the 2nd Canadian in the Academy’s history to have won this award.

“We were honored to bestow Greg with the Performing Fellowship for his great work in his Niagara Falls theatre,” commented Academy of Magical Arts President, Randy Sinnott. “Greg has done a tremendous job advancing the Art, and with his creativity and energy and his year round/full-evening show has created a positive image of magic for the thousands that have seen him perform.“

Frewin performs nightly at his own theatre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He and his long-running production have become one of magic’s great destinations in the world.

Previous to owning and running his own theatre in Canada, Frewin appeared on stages all over the world, including Caesars Palace, Tropicana and Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas, Showboat in Atlantic City, Crystal Palace Casino in Nassau, Bahamas, the fabulous Genting Resort in Malaysia, Kaula Lumpur, Malaysia. He has also appeared on over 35 television programs, including NBC’s World’s Greatest Magic, ABC’s Champions of Magic, CW’s Masters of Illusion, and his own three-part CBC special Magic Man: Home for the Holidays.

"It’s a great honour to be singled out by the Academy of Magical Arts & Magic Castle,” Frewin remarked after learning of the award. “Bringing the prestigious fellowship home to Canada means so much to me, my family, and those who share my vision at the theatre. Moreover, I feel extra special to win because world renowned Illusionist Doug Henning, my childhood hero, is the only other Canadian to ever win this award. I’m in excellent company!”

“Greg Frewin’s influence on magic is deep and broad,” said Vittoria Wikston, the General Manager of the Greg Frewin Theatre. “He performs nightly entertaining thousands of people from different walks of life, all while creating lifelong devotees of magic in the process. Additionally, Frewin tirelessly demonstrates that if you keep focused, committed and true to yourself then you will attain your dreams. Now that’s real magic!“

Among Frewin’s awards are ‘Magician of The Year’ from the World Magic Awards, First Place in the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) competition of professional magicians, The Gold Medal of Excellence, First Place at the Society of American Magicians (SAM) annual magic convention competition, and First Place at FISM, the Olympics of magic.

Driven by the promotion and development of the art of magic, The Academy of Magical Arts is the proud founder of the Performance Fellowship award. Since its inception almost fifty years ago, the AMA has continually been a passionate advocate for the magical arts.

###

For more information about the magic of Greg Frewin visit the official website:
www.gregfrewintheatre.com

Contact Information:
Vittoria Wikston, CMP, CMM | Strategic Partner & General Manager
905.356.0777 ext 225
[email protected]

Greg Frewin Theatre – 5781 Ellen Ave, Niagara Falls, ON L2G 3P8

3 Female Magicians Tell Us What It’s Like To Be A Woman In That World..

3 Female Magicians Tell Us What It’s Like To Be A Woman In That World..

When you picture a magician, what comes to mind?

Is it a fictional character like Steve Carrell in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, or Edward Norton in The Illusionist, or Adrien Brody in Houdini? Or is it contemporary real-life magicians David Copperfield, Criss Angel, or David Blaine?

One thing you more than likely will not picture is a woman. But, perhaps it’s time we did…

Women were the earliest sorceresses, muses, and practitioners of magic. They dealt cards in parlors, they tricked audiences, and they entertained. One such woman was Adelaide Hermann, who rose to fame in the late 19th century. Starting off first as an assistant to her magician husband, Alexander Hermann, she took over the show after his death. Nicknamed the Queen of Magic, she proved to audiences, night after night, that a woman’s place was in the spotlight, not in the shadows.

Yet for some reason, men have primarily represented the world of magic. The brief glimpses of women in films about magic paint them as minor or supporting characters, or the damsel in distress. At best, they’re the stage assistant, done up in overly sexualized outfits, adding little, to no fervor to the performance.

Even the recently released film, Now You See Me 2 couldn’t get it totally right. The movie’s poster was mocked on social media for its glaring lack of women. It featured a sole female, Lizzy Caplan, promoting people to rename the film Now You See Men 2.

Caplan told Refinery29 that while preparing for her role in the film, she tried to find female magicians to talk to with no avail. “There are so few of them,” she told us. “Not only are their numbers small, but the vast majority of them have to incorporate this overly sexualized thing, which is really strange.”

Once a woman successfully makes a name for herself in the magic business, she is often faced with a series of choices on how to be perceived. There is an ongoing controversy within the industry itself because women are not sure how to be participatory in magic without capitalizing on sex. The common question seems to be, How can I be a female magician without doing a sexualized performance? And the answer, like a magic trick itself, is not obvious. These are gray areas of the magic industry that only women have to deal with. Read more..

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/06/113081/female-magicians-illusionists

Derek DelGaudio blurs the line between Artist and Magician..

Derek DelGaudio blurs the line between Artist and Magician..

In Las Vegas, it’s as easy to take in a big magic show as it is to lose big money at the casino.

The most popular acts include Penn & Teller, David Copperfield, and Criss Angel. Magic is even dominating the box office with “Now You See Me 2,” which opened to good box office returns this past weekend.

Now, magic takes center stage at the Geffen Playhouse. Derek DelGaudio’s “In & Of Itself”  is dedicated to the most intimate aspects of illusion and sleight of hand.

Like a lot of performers doing so-called “close-up” magic, DelGaudio works in front of only about 100 people, and this intimacy actually makes his illusions more amazing. But “In & Of Itself” is as much a piece of theater as it is a magic show. The director is the filmmaker and muppeteer Frank Oz, best known for his work with Jim Henson. And the show is filled with stories about DelGaudio’s childhood, a legend of a man who cheated death playing Russian Roulette. Read more…

http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2016/06/14/49709/derek-delgaudio-blurs-the-line-between-artist-and/

8 MAGICIANS WHO DAZZLED US ON TV AS CHILDREN..

8 MAGICIANS WHO DAZZLED US ON TV AS CHILDREN..

Magicians are hot again in Hollywood. The blockbuster Now You See Me spawned a sequel, and Marvel’s Dr. Strange is on his way. On television, The Magicians offers an adult twist on Harry Potter. Speaking of which, J.K. Rowling’s empire is still chugging along.

While there is no shortage of magician characters, actual working stage magicians are not as common as they used to be. Prior to the television age, illusionists were the ones delivering awe-inspiring visuals to audiences in theaters. They were the perfect subjects for the small screen, too, where master mystics could trick the camera and dazzle us as we sat in our living room in our pajamas.

Dozens of magicians appeared on talk and variety shows, and some of them earned their own series. Here are some notable magicians from the golden age of TV.

http://www.metv.com/lists/8-magicians-who-dazzled-us-on-tv-as-children