Capturing Magic - Virtually

 

It seems like forever since I wrote on this blog. Thankfully, I have news to share. I'll be doing my new show, Capturing Magic, virtually for the next few weeks. This was a show that I designed specifically for the virtual world of magic performance. The idea was to have a mixture of interactive magic and highly visual magic. That was my goal for virtual shows all along, however, this time I had a lot of experience doing online magic so it gave me a better idea of what to shoot for.

There is one thing that sets my show apart from others and that is the inclusion of a story, often told without any magic at all, though sometimes I do use magic. I have several stories that I want to include in this show, but I'm still working them out. If you look at the poster image below you'll notice in the upper right hand corner the image of a fairy. This is because I wanted to share the story of the Cottingly Fairies. Take a good look at that poster and see how many fairies you can see in the poster, there is more than one.

If you are unfamiliar with the Cottingly Fairy story, it involves two young girls and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There is a movie called 'Fairy Tale: A True Story', that was made about the whole adventure. I'm not going to tell you the story here, you'll have to wait for the show. And as of right now, the story has not made it into the show, but I hope to have it in there very very soon.

If you are interested in watching Capturing Magic, tickets are easy to come by, just go to ZoomMagicShow.com and follow the prompts to the ticketing page. One ticket per household, quite inexpensive and a fun family activity!

Astonify Run for October is Complete

The run of Astonify Shows for October is complete. We may or may not have one tomorrow Nov 1st. No tickets have sold yet and it's anyone's guess if tickets will sell. If they don't then we've finished the Halloween Season. I've got plenty to complain and rant about, but I'll save that. I'd rather share some stories from the show. 

Spirit Clock

As you may know, a signature piece in my show is the Spirit Clock. This is basically a glass clock face with numbers but no inner clockworks. There is a small protruding rod in the center to place an arrow-like pointer on, but that is it. You spin the pointer and plead with the spirits to stop at a chosen number. To say it works like clockwork, would be a poor play on words, but yes it works every time. Except. Except when Spirits get involved. I always know when spirits are present because the clock dial never lands where it is supposed to. To the audience it looks like I can't do anything right. But I know forces are at work that may make the rest of the show even more fun. THIS is exactly has Saturday night's show played out. The dial would not land on one single number called.  The night before, while rehearsing the show, everything was working fine until I said a rather unusual line, which I thought was funny. Apparently, I was the only one, as this thing stopped functioning. Then when the show was over, I told my brother, "watch, I'll go over there and the thing will work." Ummm, watch the attached video...

The rest of the show, AFTER, the Spirit Clock, went smoothly, and in fact, went better than smoothly. I was almost concerned at how well the spirit trumpet played. And the final routine, which was a bonus really, was a smashed hit. What a night! I think I still like the LIVE -in person version better, but it was great to turn Astonify into a Virtual show. Next up is converting the Christmas version of Astonify into a Virtual show. 

The Virtual Magic Show and Seance

Astonify is BACK! The Victorian style magic show and seance returns in a virtual form. The Virtual Magic Show and Seance includes interactive magic routines, stories, and ghostly mysteries. Yes, there is a virtual seance included at the end of the show. As with the previous versions of Astonify, we gradually build up to the Seance. It is generally the shortest segment in the show, but anything is possible. I am certain however, that no two seances will be the same.

The Virtual Magic Show and Seance is really a new concept for magic. I have seen a few others doing Virtual Seances online, but each presenter is taking their own unique take on the subject. Our version, takes takes it's inspiration from the Victorian world, where the whole concept of Seances really originated. Due to the ONLINE aspect, we do have to alter what we are doing slightly. When we start speaking to spirits, we hope that spectators at home will experience some creepy moments of their own! Because of the psychology involved, there is no way to predict the final outcome. But rest assured it will be a fun night of Virtual Magic and ghostly mysteries!

The Virtual Magic Show and Seance is best suited for ages 16 and up. Tickets are sold per household and are available through ZoomMagicShow.com