Theatre of Illusion is a spectacular production filled with never-before-seenillusions. For the Spencer's, magic is no longer merely about baffling the audience by doing something seemingly impossible.

Magic, these days, is about drama, spectacle, interaction, danger and personality. And that's exactly what separates the Spencer's from every other magical performer in the field. The husband-wife team can penetrate through walls and levitate with the best of them, but they do it with world-class charisma and style, packing one of the biggest, most state-of-the-art illusion rigs in the business.

Be prepared to experience the magic yourself because the Spencer's don't want you to just sit in your seat and watch – they want you to participate! In one magical experiment, the entire audience is asked to get involved in a stunning, interactive mind reading experience! You won't believe your eyes!

SpencersMagic.com

Theodore Svea will be performing manipulative magic in the Variety Show at the Waukesha Civic Theatre on March 15th, 2012. The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $8:00 for student/senior.

Shake off the winter blahs and spring into Waukesha’s community of talent. We’ve got singing, dancing, acting, improvisation, and more! And all of the talent you are going to see is homegrown! We all know someone in the community with some kind of hidden talent, but they just don’t get the chance to show it off. Well, this is the night we give them the spotlight! So come down and support your friends and neighbors in the community and see how much talent Waukesha has to offer!

misc note here

Bruce Bernstein Lecture
At Big Guy's Magic
March 3rd At 5:30 Pm
$20.00 at Door $15.00 In Advance

If you’re into Mentalism or Magic, then you’ve heard of Bruce Bernstein. His products have gained great acclaim from around the world, and his routines are used by many of today's top working pros. Among his critically acclaimed creations are PSI-TECH, PSI-KICKS, CLASSICS, PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING, PSYCH-OUT, THE BERNSTEIN CENTER TEAR, COUPLES, THREE, LINKING PINS, and PSI-DECK, of which Max Maven said, "If Machiavelli had wanted to do Card Mentalism, he might of come up with something like Bruce Bernstein's PSI-DECK.”

He “paid his dues” as demonstrator at Frances and Jay Marshall’s famous Magic Inc. in Chicago for almost 17 years. Bruce either lectured and/or performed at all of TONY ANDRUZZI’S legendary “INVOCATIONALS”, and received the Psychic Entertainer’s Association’s “BLACKWOOD AWARD” for OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS to the ART of MENTALISM as well as the “LEDERMAN AWARD” for OUTSTANDING CREATIVITY. His lectures on Magic and Mentalism have been critically acclaimed throughout the country, and Bruce has lectured at the famed “Magic Castle”, as well as being a featured performer/lecturer at the “05 Abbott’s Close Up Convention”, the “Magic In the Rockies”, and, of course, the “Mindvention.” In addition to his onstage appearances, he serves as a consultant and has developed material for some of the biggest names in the field.

Get your front row seats . . .

Purchase your tickets in advance and save $5. That's a real "Big Guy" deal! What are you wating for, stop in today . . .

Houdini comes to Madison, WI...

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art will present Houdini: Art and Magic from February 11 to May 13, 2012, in the museum’s main galleries. Organized by The Jewish Museum, New York, Houdini: Art and Magic is the first major art museum exhibition to examine Houdini’s life, legend, and enduring cultural influence. MMoCA will be the only Midwest venue for the exhibition, which illuminates Houdini’s evolution from fledging circus performer to internationally renowned escape artist to muse and inspiration for contemporary artists

The public is invited to a magical MMoCA Nights opening celebration for Houdini: Art and Magic from 6 to 9 pm on Friday, February 10. The evening will include a talk by the exhibition’s curator, Brooke Kamin Rapaport, at 6:30 pm in the museum’s lecture hall, followed by live music from Yid Vicious, roaming magicians, Fresco hors d’ouevres, and a cash bar. The evening is free for MMoCA members and $10 for nonmembers.

I.B.M. Ring 41 will have it's next meeting on Wednesday February 29th., 2012 at the Tripoli Shrine Temple. We will be having a member lecture by young Gregory Dobbs.

Please check the Events listing for dates and times of Ring 41 meetings.

Greetings SAM 61 members and friends,

Our Wednesday, February 15nd, 2012 meeting at 7:00 p.m. At Dicken’s 9646 W. Greenfield Avenue, West Allis, WI 53214

Please check the Events listingfor dates and times of SAM 61 meetngs.

The next Houdini Club of Wisconsin activity meeting is set for Saturday January 21st., 2012

The theme of this month's meeting is Bring your BEST magic routine. You won't want to miss the fun and magic!

• Board Meeting 5:30pm
• Cocktails 6:00pm
• Dinner 7:00pm
• Program after dinner...

Check out the Event List for other Houdini Club events.

Hannah Crist Variety Show Fundraiser

The Al. Ringling Theatre and Circus World will jointly host a variety show fundraiser for fallen trapeze artist, Hannah Crist, who was injured in a fall at the end of the 2011 performance season.

Magic! A great gift...

For that hard to buy for Magician in your life...

Greetings SAM 61 members and friends,

Our Wednesday, January 18, 2012 meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Dicken’s  9646 W. Greenfield Avenue, West Allis, WI 53214, will have as it’s topic our annual card clinic.  Bring a deck and we will roundtable any moves or problems you may be having.  Show us a great rick you have been working on.  If you need a suggestion, this year’s theme is gaffed cards.

February will be elections and our annual business meeting where we plan for the next year.  Any suggestion, please show up and voice them.

We had quite a bit of fun at our Christmas party.  See the SAM61Milwaukee Facebook page for photos. 

Thanks to Bob Rath for catering the event.  Great work as always.  Thank's to Gerald Michaels for helping Santa find his way to our event.

Thanks to Linda Schmidt who provided Christmas trivia questions and to all who brought bonus gifts.  A great time was had by all!

This past year we had some new members.  A big hearty welcome to Anthony, who has proven to be a valuable volunteer, performing at our Halloween show.  We will try to highlight some of our newer members in the next newsletter. Check out some of the events coming on up. 

Use our Facebook page if you’d like to roadtrip to any of them

Please check the Events listingfor dates and times of SAM 61 meetngs.

December 28th. 2011 at 6:30, Dick DeYoung is going to be performing his Royal Family of Magic Review show in Oostberg, WI at the Oostburg High School. 410 New York Avenue, Oostburg, WI 53070-1229

A show for all ages, an unforgettable experience.

DeYoung weaves a spell of enchantment with intriguing mystery, bubbling over with delightful comedy, exciting audience participation, special music, scenery, striking lighting and beautiful costumes plus live animals and birds. Fun for all ages.

For tickets and more information please contact Dick DeYoung at (920) 467-8414

Naughtly or Nice? Santa knows Magic!

Seriously, Santa know's what you want, and he's ready to deal...

Camera Dies, Houdini Appears; No Film at 11

—Carte Blanche Studios, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dec, 7, 2011

Something strange happened the opening night of “Houdini’s Vaudeville and Magic Show.” Until the headliner himself appeared, all seemed normal: The audience enjoyed performances by a classical guitarist, close-up magicians, comedian, Cher performer, poet, and the headlining act of the evening, Harry himself. The camera recorded every performance… except one.

Because of technical difficulties the camera did not record the return of Houdini. And this is not the first time this has happened.

What is “Houdini’s Vaudeville and Magic Show?”

Imagine entering Carte Blanche Theater and traveling back in time 100 years, mingling the past and the present to experience vaudeville like it’s never been done before. Jugglers, singers, dancers, comedians, artists and magicians all perform for you in an intimate theater setting. To top off the evening, the legendary Houdini appears on stage to perform the magic and escapes that made him the most popular entertainer of the early 20th Century.

Dan Pollack, Owner of BestEverMagic.com got his ideas for the “Houdini Vaudeville and Magic Show” from several sources. Old movies of Vaudeville acts. Having seen and performed in countless magic and variety shows. Most notably, Dan is modeling one of the hottest shows in Vegas; Jeff McBride’s Wonderground. Jeff, along with his manager Tobias Beckwith, have also been consulting with Dan on the show.

“Houdini’s Vaudeville and Magic Show” is designed to give performers in the Milwaukee area an opportunity to showcase their talents in a safe and friendly home-town atmosphere. As Pollack says, “We’re hoping to revive a lost art – and at the same time give locals a chance to experience the best of local variety entertainment in a way that’s really fun for all. These entertainers make most of their livings performing at parties and special events, but when they come to our show, audiences get to experience them in a new and exciting way.”

Doors at the Carte Blanche Theater open at 7PM and the first act performs in the bar/reception area. Musicians play while close-up magicians perform magic within inches of the audience. At 8PM, the Cabaret Show starts. Variety performers and magicians fill the next hour with entertainment delights.

At 9PM, for the third and final act, participants enter into the theater and the Stage show begins. An ever changing array of variety performers from the region proceed to delight and amaze. The last act of the show is Dan Pollack portraying the “Return of Houdini.” The audience gets to experience what it would’ve been like to have seen Houdini perform.

What are you waiting for?

Get in the car and drive, don't walk, to Big Guy's Black Friday sale before someone else buys your new act!