(April/May 2008 • By Mike Durant • Web Notes on: http://www.theory11.com/) Here is another site for you to explore and it is aptly named Theory 11. When you first open the site and see all the black backgrounds, black cards and dark tunnel vision, your initial thought might be "another Elusionist wanna be" trading on a very current and successful concept in the magic community. But, in the interest of fairness, I decided to poke around. And, after reading this, it may be well worth your time to do the same... (read more)

The Home page is just a bit dark and busy with flash graphics packed into every nook and cranny for my tastes, but if I was ten years younger, I am sure the MTV appeal would skyrocket in my eyes and my brain. The style won't appeal to all.  Even if it is not your ‘cup of tea', if you are a card fan, it would be worth spending a bit of time exploring the place on your computer.

In one sense they are very much in the same vein as Elusionists.  But that is not the same as saying that they are just another clone any more than comparing "Silverado" to "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".   There are similarities but each site does project their own separate ‘personalities'.

The ‘mission statement' in their ‘about' link states: "Theory11 is a group of 11 individuals united in a strategic alliance under one goal, one mission, and one objective: to advance the art of magic."

That, I think is the most important concept found here and it does seem to capture the essence of what the minus-one-dozen is all about on this World Wide Web Site.

You can click on the ‘Products' section where they sell their own ‘branded' decks produced by USPC, the Centurion and the Guardian decks.  These are dark black and white decks, but the artwork is very striking.  I will likely get a few of the decks just because I like the graphic vision they present.

The ‘Tricks' section lists seven effects (would that be a baker's half dozen?)  Each one has a short presentation video that shows off the effect.  There are some old standards, including a "torn and restored card", TnR, that looks interesting in the clip and a "copper silver" effect Digital Dissolve ... as well as some very different things like Control the sort of thing you might get from Chris Angel or David Blain - you ‘stop' your pulse.

My only complaint about the ‘demo videos' is that they are more like ads then demonstrations.  I would have liked to see more of the effects.  For example, in the four plus minutes devoted on TnR, there was not a complete presentation of the effect, just bits and pieces of it.  Now I have to tell you that those bits were VERY intriguing, but I would feel a lot better if I could have seen an entire performance. 

One of the most interesting sections is the "1 on 1" area.  This is a section where you can learn individual ‘moves' ... for a price.   It seems that the various members of the team keep adding bits from time to time.  As of this writing, there are over 2 dozen items ... for the most basic things like how to hold the deck and shuffle to some amazing ‘slights' like the Tres Pass.  Almost all of them are $4.95, even a couple of 20+ minute "getting started" clips.

There are a few other areas, like the "gear" section that has tee shirts.  All told it is a well-put together site packed with visuals and very little free space.  And while the stage performer may have some difficulty finding something useful here, they really do have something to offer just about any close-up, walk around or street performer. 

Oh, and for the record, here are the infamous 11: Aaron Fisher, B.J. Bueno, Chris Kenner, Dan White, Dana Hocking, Daniel Madison, Dan Buck, Dave Buck, Jonathan Bayne, Lee Asher, Mathieu Bich, Tom Isaacson and Wayne Houchin.  There is some serious talent here!!  Just imagine all of them in one windowless room with a 15-watt night light... I recommend that you check it out and see for yourself.