The London Festival of Magic 2011

Tuesday 15 Nov - Advanced Card Technique

This will be a day of lectures and discussion aimed at those who are fully conversant with card technique. There will very much be a slant towards the crossover of magical sleights and gambling techniques with the world-class line-up of talent we have for the day. Between the artistes they have a fund of knowledge and technique that has been exploited fully in TV, theatre and as casino consultants.

Guy Hollingworth has just returned for LA where his one-man show “Expert at the Card Table” received rave reviews.  As creator of Reformation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN-OfsWZLz0) he spawned a whole new generation of Torn and Restored cards, and his book Drawing Room Deceptions has become a modern day classic.

Jason England

Paul Wilson is probably the most recognisable artist of the line up amongst the public, having presented and been involved in all 10 series of BBC’s ‘The Real Hustle’ He has been studying sleight of hand since he was eight years old after his grandfather taught him how to cheat at Gin. During the 1990s, Paul spent several years playing against casinos employing advanced methods of “advantage play” such as “card counting”, “shuffle tracking” and “spotting”. In May 2000, Paul retired as a player to become a professional consultant. In 2002 he moved into the film and television industry where he now works as an actor, presenter, writer, producer and director and has created shows for Court TV, NBC and CBS in the US.

Ben Earl has in just a few short years has gained a massive reputation as one of the new generation card handlers. His background in sports, and the training required in that field, has led to a level of discipline to create a remarkable fluidity in every thing he does. Link this with the psychology he studied at University and it explains the vision he has of how things should look, seem and ultimately be done.  As passionate in his thinking as his performance, Ben normally shuns Convention appearances and we are delighted that he has agreed to join us for this very special day.

Wednesday 16 Nov - Mentalism

Mentalism and mind reading has become, without a doubt, the fastest growing genre of magic in the last few years and this day plans to look at where it is now and the possible directions it may go in the future. There are many people who say that successful mentalism is 95% performance technique, and to this end we have lined up some of the crafts most notable thinkers and practitioners to provide a day of stimulating thought and discussion.

Andy Nyman is as at home performing as he is creating. With his background in acting, Andy brings something unique not only to his performances but also to the day, and with his work on Derren Brown’s TV and Stage shows he has been one of the major forces in the revival and upswing of mentalism in modern times.

Luke Jermay in just a few short years has produced an astounding amount of material, much of it based on his use of suggestion and the apparent use of covert forms of psychological influence with his seminal work ‘7 Deceptions’ being written when he was only 15. His work in this area has led to consultancy work for Derren Brown, Criss Angel and Marco Termpest, and a distinctive style that has led to his own one-man show in Las Vegas

Mark Elsdon is proud to be launching his new book on Equivoque at the Convention, and will be lecturing on this much misused and maligned technique. When used properly it is a reputation maker of the highest order and Mark will be releasing his thoughts on techniques and tips on how to best utilise this powerful tool

Thursday 17 Nov - Making Magic Meaningful

Across all genres of magic there is a divide between just doing tricks and performing magic. This day in the company of two of magic’s most respected analysts and thinkers will discuss those elements that can make magic meaningful, and how to inject them into your current performances. Creating emotional connections within the framework of what you’re doing can elevate a performance to an entirely new level, and this Seminar will help to encourage you to add those components to your show.

Eugene Burger. By definition, magicians are pretty special people, but Eugene is considered exceptional, even by other magicians. He has written fifteen best-selling books for the trade and his writings have been translated into several languages. His deep understanding of the psychology and philosophy behind the magic have won him international accolades, cover stories in conjuring magazines, and four awards from the famed Magic Castle in Hollywood. Mixing deception and perception in equal measure Eugene has become renowned for his ability to "arouse feelings of astonishment, as well as a host of other indescribable sensations."

Larry Hass believes it is important to blend meaningful presentations with exquisite sleight-of-hand to create astonishing entertainment for grown-ups. Shortly after completing his Ph.D., Larry was watching magic on television one night and realized that magicians were creating a kind of perceptual and aesthetic experience that, to his knowledge, traditional philosophers had entirely ignored. He asserts that magic can still be fun while being meaningful and his extensive background in teaching and studying philosophy enables him to fully investigate the process and themes of plot formulation to create magic that is truly meaningful and magical

Friday 18 Nov - Creativity

We are currently told that if you want to stand out the marketplace you have to be different. This full day Seminar will look at different ways of doing this whether it’s creating new effects and methods, new routines for existing effects or changing elements of current effects in your repertoire. With a line up of talent that covers all these spheres, this Seminar will spark your creative juices and inspire to think of your magic in a new and exciting way

Lubor Fiedler is one of the most creative magicians of the modern day. With an inventory of hundreds of inventions using diabolical and ingenious methods, Lubor will be making his first Convention appearance for well over ten years and this will be an unrepeatable chance to listen to his knowledge and stories as he describes some of his most famous inventions (Coin thru Rubber, Gozinta Boxes, 4-D, Invisible Zone). Still as productive as ever, Lubor will be also talking about some of his newest creations.

Tom Stone is one of Sweden's finest professional magicians and one of the world's most wildly innovative magical thinkers. Currently writing a regular column for Genii which features his original thinking both in terms of plots and material that cuts a swath across the entire map of magic, from close-up to platform and stage, he shows a level of professional thinking that leaves no area of magic untouched, from close-up to stage, from manipulation to psychology, routining to prop construction, presentation to stagecraft. In the last couple of years he has released just some of his thinking in his critically acclaimed tome “Vortex”

Mark Setteducati has created many effects for Tenyo and many other games companies. He believes that great magic is always conceptual in nature and always based on great design. Concentrating on the scientific principles involved in each scheme of deception has allowed Mark to take the art into new areas, best illustrated by his ground breaking “Magic Book” where it is the book itself that performs the tricks!

MARKETING FOR MAGICIANS with Bob Yelland