October 2006 Truth with Variations

It has been one heck of a month what with the convention, moving house and then being

told a week before the convention that one of the convention lecturers, Oz Pearlman had

flown into the country and then been promptly flown out again after it was discovered he

should have had a work permit. I have to confess that at the time it looked like we would

have to start looking around for a replacement as the tour organiser told me quite

categorically that he wouldn’t be coming back.

Well you all know what I am like. I wasn’t going to let a little thing like that put the

dampeners on our convention. So the next day I phoned Oz (pronounced Oze by the

way), who was in surprisingly good form and contrary to what I had been told, still very

keen to come to England.

So after a few phone calls to fellow committee members and a few hundred phone calls

to Work Permits UK, Heathrow Immigration and of course Mr. Pearlman the impossible

happened. Normally they say three to four weeks to which I say “Pah. I laugh at your

three to four weeks”. In the end we actually got it through in record time and the rest is,

as they say, history.

The Convention has now been and gone and yet I am still completely shattered from the

day and all the shenanigans that went on before hand. For this reason the full review of

the day will in fact be in the next Newsletter. I fear that if I put this one off any longer it

just won’t get produced at all, as it is it is already November and this was meant to be

the October Newsletter.

Other news is that we now have the 20 people we needed to allow us to get MagicSeen

magazine for £2 a copy, so if you have requested it please let me have £20 as soon as

possible, which will cover the next 10 issues. The next one due out will be the November

issue. Incidentally if anyone else wants to take advantage of this great offer then please

get in touch with me and I will see if we can get more than the 20 magazines currently

being supplied.

The next meeting (Monday Nov. 6th) is the “free and easy post convention” meeting.

Please do attend as we (the committee) would love to get some feedback from the

convention day (good and bad – please don’t hold back), plus it will give everyone the

opportunity to show some of the tricks you bought. I know Mark Procyshyn must have a

lot to show because Peter Nardi was there (wasn’t he in good form?) and I have a new

‘Entourage’ move that I wish to show anyone who is interested.

So, all the best for now, and please take note of my new contact details.

Simon

New Tel: 01359 270876, Email: magic@bananafish.org.uk New Address: 3 Kingshall Street, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds IP30 9LH

The last At Home for the Hearing Care Centre was a huge success. It was held at Ipswich

Town Hall, a beautiful venue that housed the 100 guests perfectly. I have always found

these evenings great fun and this one was certainly no exception. Looking around I think

the magicians were enjoying themselves as much as the audience which is always a good

sign.

Both BBC Radio Suffolk and a photographer from the East Anglian Daily Times popped in

who I believe published a photograph of Bill Burch the next day.

So a big thank you to Bill Burch, Nick Chapman, Daren Morgan, Chris Vince, Duane

Tucker, Ken Brown (and of course myself) for putting on another very professional

evening. I think this was the first one that Ted Lumby had missed certainly since I have

been a member, but that was only due to him being at IBM convention that week.

I would also like to thank all members of the society who contacted me asking to take

part in this one. Please don’t be put off as we already have one lined up for next year in

March. These events are always great fun.

The biggest news of the month though is that Michel J. Fitch is going to be a Dad again

and you can’t get any more magical than that. So a huge congratulations to Michael and

Helen.

Stephen Goldsmith auditioned at the meeting on 16th September, which although I can’t

say yet what the results were I have to say that I personally was suitably impressed.

Well done Stephen, it is quite a daunting experience isn’t it?

Three members of our Society, Daren Morgan, Chris Vince and Bill Burch made an

appearance on Kiss Radio on Monday 16th October. Well done guys, you came across

very well. Actually I was a little disappointed as I wanted to be there with them but a

prior engagement kept me away.

The Friday before the convention Richard Whymark was interviewed on Radio Suffolk,

where he talked about the Ipswich Magical Society.

And finally as already mentioned. I have now moved. My new contact details are:

Simon Shaw. 3 Kingshall Street, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, IP30 9LH. 01359 270838

(Email addresses remain the same.)

Monday 18th Sept. President Requests

The President Requests nights are always great

fun, and it’s a credit to the popularity of Richard

Whymark (El Presidente Ricardo) that this one

was such a great success.

In no particular order, Ray Crosbie was there

with his infamous “Drinks Cabinet” and a very

nice three card selection that kept appearing in a

wine glass. If you haven’t already seen that one

it is definitely one of Ray’s best.

Ted Lumby gave a nod to Bob Morse with a few

very nice effects including a jumbo card effect

featuring Kings, Queens and what I can only

describe as an impromptu sex change (the cards,

not Ted).

It was good to see the friendly face of Mark

Emsden again who entertained us with his box of

Smells.

We had Mark Procyshyn playing homage to his

grandfather with three very nicely thought out

and routined effects that included “Grandpas

Deck” and “Grandpa’s Book Test”.

Rob Cope was larger than life as usual with his own

variation of the Slydini Silks and an effect he called

Four King Hell (I think that’s what he said), which he

performed to much laughter with the help of his lovely

assistant Carol Johnson (or “Fergie” as he referred to

her on the night).

Nick Chapman previewed for us the new levitation that

he has been working on to enhance his zombie ball

routine. It is still early days yet, but it was easy to see

that he is taking the routine to a whole new level

(literally).

The highlight for me personally though was seeing Paul

Firman again perform his Spanish rendition of Sam the

bellhop. This time he added a whole new twist in that it

was not Sam the Bellhop at all, but instead El

Presidente Ricardo, complete with a Richard Whymark

joker card. I believe everyone in the audience was in

tears of laughter.

Following this Ken Brown performed a three card monte

that Paul also translated into Spanish.

All in all, it was yet another great nights entertainment.

Monday, 2nd Oct 2006. Magini Shield

The Magini shield has always one of my

favourite nights on the IMS calendar and

this night was no exception.

There were a few rule changes at the last

AGM that affected this competition, both in

that the magicians now had seven minutes

to perform and not the usual six, but

perhaps more significant were the changes

to the way the competition was judged.

This year we had two magician and one lay

person judging at each table so hopefully

the results reflected more emphasis on the

magic itself.

I am not saying that it is perfect yet but I

do feel that it is at least a move in the right

direction and certainly for all watching it

was a very entertaining evening.

There was a very high standard of

magicians taking part this year and frankly

I was quite glad that I wasn’t asked to

judge as I would have found it very difficult

to judge between the top four.

Congratulations to all the performers, but

especially to Michael J. Fitch who won and

to Rob Cope who was runner up. After

receiving his prize Michael said a few words

that included a very nice thank you to Graham Clarke who, we were told helped mentor

Michael during his early years of magic (so at least we all know who we have to blame

now!).

Ray Crosby

As always Ray entertained us all with a selection of card tricks from a selection of

different decks using his own inimitable style. He finished with Roy Walton‘s card warp

routine, which has now become one of Rays many signature effects. All in all a very

entertaining performance.

Ken Brown

I have always thought of Ken Brown as

being the James Bond of magic. When

performing he is always immaculately

dressed and ever the professional. It

wouldn’t have surprised me if he had

started his set with a martini in hand

(shaken, not stirred, obviously).

Having said that, I felt that this wasn’t his

greatest performance which was a real

shame as normally I love watching Ken

perform. For some reason he seemed very

nervous and never quite got into his stride.

On the night he performed a Stud Poker

effect and card in box routine.

Mark Kennedy

It could never be said that Mark wasn’t dressed for the part, nor could it be said that his

presentation wasn’t spot on. Mark grows as a performer every time I see him and it is

evident that he is performing a lot these days as his act was well thought out and

presented beautifully. The only thing that I could possible say against his performance

was that perhaps it was all a little too self working for a magic competition, but in the

real world this was a strong performance.

Ally

Ally was one of the surprise entries this year. We all knew that Ally is without question

one of the leading Children’s performers in the area, what perhaps we didn’t know was

that she can also turn her hand to performing very strong close up magic.

Her first effect had me completely stumped, although I did feel that it was perhaps a

little too complicated to follow for a close up competition. The rest of her act though was

both magical and entertaining to the extreme and I have to admit that I thought she was

a real contender this year. She added some extremely nice little touches that were so

“Ally” and it was these touches that made her performance stand out from some of the

others. Her trick with the lock and keys I found particularly enjoyable especially with the

little bag of consolation prize rings. It was genuinely a shame when her time was over.

Rob Cope

Watching Rob cope perform is always like a

breath of fresh air because out of all the

magicians there that night he strength lies

in the larger than life character he has

created for himself when performing.

If the competition was judged purely on

entertainment value then I have no doubt

that Rob would have been the clear winner

as his constant barrage of quick fire jokes

and in your face magic left everyone

watching in absolute tears of laughter.

This year Rob Cope was a well deserved

runner up. I am confident that Rob will be a

winner of either the Hickson Cup or the

Magini shield in future years.

Mark Procyshyn

It is always great watching Mark Procyshyn perform whether it is on stage or close up

because you know you are always going to be baffled by something new. As Paul Daniels

himself said There are two main ingredients to performing good magic. Entertainment

and Bafflement. On the night he performed a variety of effects ranging from a nice Okito

box routine, to a very cutesy effect with a toy dog. He ended with the very strong

Kolossal Killer effect which is always a great pleasure to see performed well. It was

obvious from his act that Mark Procyshyn is performing a lot of close up magic in the real

world at the moment.

Richard Whymark

Richard Whymark was another performer who pleasantly surprised me on the night. He is

of course more known for his comedy but in the competition he actually performed a lot

more sleight of hand than some of the other magicians. His routine included an excellent

rendition of the Colour Monte effect, that when performed well (and Richard did perform

it well) is still for me one of the strongest packet tricks on the market. He also did a very

nice two in the hand one in the pocket routine with some gold nuggets that was actually

quite refreshing to watch. Well done Richard.

Daren Morgan

Of all the acts I would have to say

that Daren’s was the most

technically skilled, and it made a

pleasant change to see no card

effects involved at all. Personally I

would have to say I was a little

surprised that Daren didn’t make

the top two, but then again I

thought that this year we had one

of the strongest line ups we have

had for the Magini shield for a long

time.

Daren concentrated on coins and I

found his act was well put together.

The bulk of the act was coins

through table and coins across but

the surprise finale when the four

jumbo Chinese coins were produced

from nowhere was actually one of

the most magical happenings of the

who evening.

Michael J. Fitch

As you would expect from a seasoned performer such as Michael J. Fitch, his routine was

sheer class from beginning to end. It appeared that every detail had been thought about

and the whole routine flowed effortlessly from one effect to the next. He started out with

a quick 4 ace production which was then used for a nice variation of MacDonalds aces

that proved that all magic is in fact done with smoke and mirrors (well smoke at any

rate!). The tempo then changed but even this was something Michael had thought a lot

about as the effect he chose to do this built up to be more and more light hearted as he

went on. His final effect was a very nice version of Michael Close’s origami frog trick

which left every one on a high. All in all this was a stunning routine and Michael J. Fitch

was a well deserved winner of the 2006 Magini Shield.

Monday 16th October. The Vent Boys. Richard Whymark and Karl Jeffery

Unfortunately due to a prior commitment Karl Jefferies had to drop out at the last minute

and consequently this meeting changed to a Pre-Convention free and easy. Apologies to

everyone who turned up expecting to see the vent boys in action, but in the end there

just wasn’t time to get in touch with everyone.

I have to say though that I personally really enjoy these “free and easy” evenings as it

gives us all an opportunity to not only show each other tricks, but to actually talk to each

other. I know there were pockets of sessions going on all over the place and I spent an

enjoyable time talking with Dennis Tubb on a whole variety of subjects.

Don’t worry though, the Vent boy evening will be rescheduled for next year where I am

sure we will see more of Richard’s old man and Karl’s mischievous Willy.

Sunday 22nd October. One Day Convention

Of course the temptation is to write the review of the day, but that will now be saved for

the next “Convention Special Edition” newsletter because if I don’t send this one

immediately it just won’t happen.

I will mention though that Kathleen Harbour gave us all a scare during Oz Pearlman’s

lecture as she fainted and was rushed to hospital. She has since been discharged and is

now doing ok. Our thoughts are with you Kathleen, so please make that husband of

yours look after you and hopefully we will still see you at the next meeting.

Incidentally if anyone else has any thoughts on the convention please let me know and I

will include them in the next Newsletter.

And just one more thing I wish to say a big thank you to everyone from the IMS who

helped out on the day.

The Performers: Michael J. Fitch, Bill Burch, Matt Edwards and Richard Whymark.

The Committee: Bill Burch, Richard Whymark, Ken Brown, Daren Morgan and Alan

Edwards

The Raffle Team: Ally, Sheila and Ron Jamison, Kathleen Harbour, Carol Johnson

and in the evening Sue Edwards.

Bacon Sarnie Man: Roy Riley

The Back Stage Crew: Alan Edwards and Ally

The Day Helpers: Ted Lumby, Rob Cope, Adam Strange and in fact I am sure a lot

more of you who I apologise for not mentioning. We know you

were there and your help was much appreciated.

I would also like to say thank you to Paul Firman for his kind words at the end of the day.

I am sure that everyone on the committee really appreciated them. I know I did.

Monday 6th November. Post Convention, Free and Easy

Please come and give us your thoughts on the day. What can we do better next year?

Who should we get for next year? Plus there will be time for showing off any new

purchases.

Monday 20th November. Paul Stone Lecture

This is a lecture I am particularly looking forward as I am sure Paul Stone will have some

great advice to impart plus many stories to tell. Hopefully he will also bring along a few

items from the Ken Brooke range of magic that he is now the distributor for.

Monday 4th December. All Winners Party

This is the last meeting of the year and a chance to let your hair down. Hopefully we will

have all the competition winners back to entertain us.

Michael J. Fitch in Freaky Magic.

Michael J. Fitch is still on our TV screens on Channel 4 on Saturday afternoons at

12:30pm.

Remember if you have any news about any event you are appearing in soon, why not let

me know so I can include it in the Newsletter.

The Hickson Cup. Stage Competition.

Winner: Nick Chapman. Runner up: Michael J. Fitch

The David and Doreen Knott Children’s Entertainer of the Year Trophy

Winner: Bill Burch. Runner Up: Terry Sanger.

The Magini Shield. Close up Competition.

Winner: Michael J. Fitch. Runner Up: Rob Cope

The Ipswich Magical Society Archives

This month I have yet more photos from the personal archives of Dennis Tubb.

The photo above is a young (and dare I say dashing) Dennis Tubb at the IBM Convention

with Dick Evans.

The photo below appeared on the front page of the Evening Star on Tuesday 3rd

November 1959. It was taken at the IMS Annual Halloween dinner. Perhaps this is an

event we should re-introduce? From left to right, we have The Mayor, Mr. Reg Lewis,

Yvonne (aka Terri Rogers), The Mayoress (Mrs Rogers), Dennis Tubb and on the end, Jim

Thurtell.

Thanks once again Dennis, we really appreciate these photo’s. Please remember if you

have any photographs, News cuttings, Articles etc. then we would dearly love to hear

from you. We promise we will copy what you have and give you back the originals. So if

you have anything at all that you feel we may be interested in, please contact myself, or

Ally Riley (01473 626333) who is helping to co-ordinate this vast Exercise.

o I know it seems a long way off at the moment but the first meeting of 2007 will

(more than likely) be a video night again, so please if anyone has any video clips

or DVDs they want to be played please contact Daren Morgan. Remember we

need your help to make nights like this a success.

o Please let me know if you have any notices, articles, items Wanted or For Sale or

indeed if you are doing anything interesting, and I will ensure that they get

included in a future Newsletter.

o Please frequently check the website, http://www.ipswichmagicalsociety.co.uk for

updates.

o If you are a performing magician/comedian, and want a free ‘booking’ page on the

Ipswich Magical Society website, please get in touch with me, and I will happily

create one for you. Remember, you do NOT need access to the internet for this

and it is absolutely free. If you do have access to the internet, and wish to see the

booking pages of existing members, then please go to this link:

http://www.ipswichmagicalsociety.co.uk/booindividual.htm

So far we have pages for 9 members.

o If you have any photographs, News cuttings, Articles etc. that feature the Ipswich

Magical Society or it’s members then we would dearly love to hear from you. We

promise we will copy what you have and give you back the originals. So if you

have anything at all that you feel we may be interested in, please contact myself,

or Ally Riley (01473 626333) who is helping to co-ordinate this vast Exercise.

All the best

Simon.

Contact Details Email Phone No. Richard Whymark President richard@54kiplingway.fsnet.co.uk 01449 770553 Simon Shaw. Secretary. magic@bananafish.org.uk 01359 270876 Alan Edwards Treasurer magic@magical-fx.com 01449 612214 Children’s Competition. as above Daren Morgan Hickson Cup. midas_kid@yahoo.co.uk 01638 507902 Bill Burch Chairman magicbill@hotmail.co.uk 01206 298048 Magini Shield. as above Ken Brown Committee Member kenritabrown@aol.com 01449 613838

Truth with Variations

Date Event Jan 2nd Bank Holiday. No Meeting

Jan 9th Video Night hosted by Daren Morgan (Upstairs)

Jan 16th LECTURE. “Poz at Peterborough”. Children’s Entertainer, Poz.

Feb 6th Sale/Auction Night

Feb 20th LECTURE. Trevor Duffy Lecture.

Mar 6th Workshop. Chris Vince (Cards), Ray Crosbie (Newspaper), Ted Lumby (Balloons).

Mar 20th Presidents Night

Apr 3rd AGM

Apr 24th An Audience with Barrie James

May 1st Bank Holiday. No Meeting

May 15th Dealer Dem. Alakazam

May 22nd COMPETITION. The Hickson Cup

June 5th LECTURE: Losander. Levitations

June 6th Tuesday. Quiz re-match with the Pentacle Club

June 19th Blue Peter Night. Hosted by Ted Lumby. The GEORGE Hintlesham

July 3rd LECTURE: Marc Spelmann (Mentalism).

July 14th Friday COMPETITION. Children’s Entertainer.

July 17th ABC Night

Aug 7th Mentalism Night.

Aug 21st LECTURE: Fay Presto

Sep 4th Charles Gauci Lecture

Sep 18th Your President Requests…

Oct 2nd COMPETITION: The Magini Shield

Oct 16th Karl Jefferies and Richard Whymark. The Vent Boys.

Oct 22nd Sunday. Annual Convention.

�Nov 6th Informal and Close-Up

Nov 20th LECTURE: Paul Stone

Dec 4th All Winners Night

Dec 18th No Meeting due to Xmas This programme is subject to change without notice. On lecture nights visitors will be welcome, but must pay an entrance fee. If you have any ideas for future lectures or IMS events in general, then please contact Simon Shaw 01394 270838, or any other member of the committee.