Around Chicagowith DON WIBERG
November 2008
The Devil's Daughter is set to open Thursday November 6th for a six week run at La Costa Theatre! If you are in the area, you won't want to miss this production that so purposefully combines illusion and theatre creating a new artform for the Chicago theatergoers and tourists alike. It's a Family Fantasy Magical Experience!!! This is theatre for all ages, young and old alike, so be sure to bring the whole family. The Devil's Daughter is about a professional magician/illusionist who has a full-time gig at his quirky aunt's night club, Club Magique. (read more)
In a nut shell... After working on stage together for years his assistant, Victoria leaves the act to pursue a relationship with her boyfriend (a Chicago baseball player). A distraught Blake then meets a beautiful woman, Casindra, who appears in the club one night and is immediately entranced by her. What Blake doesn't know is that Casindra is the Devil's Daughter! As Blake and Casindra's romance blossoms it is, well compromised, by her father, the Devil and her little brother, Carmichael.
IYQ Entertainment presents: Spreading Confidence -
The History of Gambling & Cheating.
A new one man show presented by Keith Cobb as The Grifter
Friday and Saturday Nights at 11 P.M.
Nov. 7th through Dec. 13th 2008 at:
La Costa Theater 3931 N. Elston Ave. Chicago-2nd floor.
Tickets are $15.
For more info on the show go to: http://www.thegrifter.com/
or call 847-228-0882. Online ticket sales through http://www.ticktweb.com/
(This show will immediately follow the play "The Devil's Daughter".)
Benjamin Barnes and Robert Charles, Producers of Magic Chicago proudly present John Sturk on December 2, 2008
John Sturk formerly of Michigan has relocated to Chicago and will be performing at Magic Chicago: 1020 W. Bryn Mawr, Chicago.
Visit http://www.magicchicagoshow.com/ for more information and to purchase tickets online. (Magic Chicago, the premiere venue for magic and mystery, is the first Wednesday of every month at the City Lit Theatre, inside the historic Edgewater Presbyterian Church.)
A Chicago Area Exclusive!
Come join us for an evening with S.A.M. National President Bruce Kalver sponsored by the S.A.M. Assembly #106 of Joliet, IL
Monday November 17th. 7:30 PM
Admission-Free for SAM members- $10.00 for non-SAM Members
Are you interested in some magic effects that you can actually put into your act? How about some advice on performing for everyday audiences? Bruce Kalver's lectures are filled with practical magic and real world tips and suggestions.
Bruce Kalver's Perfectly Practical is a lecture of magic effects taught to him by his grandfather, Samuel Woolf, who was a builder for Houdini. Bruce's stories about his grandfather will entertain you as well as teach you about the thought process behind each routine and effect. Bruce is a full time magician, magic inventor, theatre producer/director, and popular radio talk show host. His company, Top Hat Productions, manufactures unusual and entertaining magic effects and props for working magicians and balloon artists. He is the author of many books and DVD's on magic, balloon art and the entertainment business.
Location: TIMBERS of SHOREWOOD is located at 1100 N. River Road, Shorewood, IL.
Supernatural Chicago: NOW IN ITS FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR!
In every performance of Supernatural Chicago, Neil Tobin, Necromancer introduces theatergoers to some of Chicago's most well documented paranormal events, brought to life through storytelling and interactive demonstrations of mindreading, magic and other phenomena that involve the audience in memorable ways.
The interactive experience begins the moment audience members enter Excalibur. The building that houses Excalibur has been cited repeatedly by paranormal investigators and such TV shows as A&E's Sightings as one the most haunted locations in Chicago. Asks the Necromancer, "What better place to lift a drink, soak up some haunting stories about our city, and explore the unexplained?"
Excalibur has been called one of the most haunted locations in Chicago, according to several popular books on the subject. In addition, several documentaries on television;s A&E channel and The Travel Channel have featured this haunted building. The Chicago Tribune calls Neil's show, "Intriguing." The Excalibur club has several rooms for dining and for musical entertainment but tucked away in a quiet room, you'll be introduced to the side of Chicago that most people don't know about-strange but true tales of ghosts, curses, ESP, and more. You won't just hear these tales, you'll be personally involved with them through hands-on experiments in mind-reading, magic and other inexplicable phenomena.
Supernatural Chicago begins promptly at 7:30pm every Friday night (plus Saturday nights in October) at Excalibur nightclub, 632 N. Dearborn at Ontario, and lasts approximately 90 minutes. Admission is $25, which includes two free beverages (courtesy Supernatural Chicago) and general admission to Excalibur nightclub for the evening. Tickets are available at the door; however, seating is limited to only 50 attendees per performance.
Be sure to click on http://www.supernaturalchicago.com/ for ticket information and latest news about this exciting, long running, haunting experience. There's nothing like it anywhere!
MAGIC MASTERS OF CHICAGO - NOVEMBER MEETING
The Magic Masters of Chicago will be presenting a lecture by Ed Ellis on November 20th. The lecture will be held at the Tinley Park Methodist Church Social Hall located at 6875 West 173rd Place, Tinley Park, Illinois. This is ½ block west of Oak Park Avenue or approximately 4 blocks east of Harlem Avenue on 173rd Place. Parking is available in the lot behind the building. Members are free, guests are $10.00.
Ed Ellis is a full time professional magician who resides in the Football Hall Of Fame City, Canton, Ohio and travels the globe performing magic. For over twenty-five years, Ed Ellis has been performing close-up magic, sleight of hand illusions, and full time tableside magic for Hollywood and TV stars as well as famous sports figures. Ed has also performed at Las Vegas's Caesar's Palace, lectured at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, and in 2005 was the star of the Ed Ellis TV Show.
Ed opens his lecture with a 5 minute "mind blowing" display of card magic from his 2008 Magic Castle Routine. He then follows the opener by explaining each of the effects in detail. Presentation and connection with the audience is emphasized throughout his lecture. Coin and rubber band magic is touched on with the finale of the lecture being his "You Blue It" routine. Ed is known for his excellent card handling, presentation, and teaching skills which will help make your event a well rounded learning experience.
In addition, Ed will give you tips on how to get hired and how to make that first impression. Ed will also discuss how you can present yourself as a well-rounded performer. This is a lecture you won't want to miss.
For more information about Ed Ellis, go to: click here
The lecture will begin at 8:00 PM. Members Free, Non-members $10.00
I.B.M. RING 43 - PAUL DRAPER LECTURE - NOV 21st
Paul Draper, anthropologist, magician, and "mind reader" has performed all over the world. He has appeared with David Copperfield, Lance Burton, and Teller as an expert on the History Channel. Paul's other TV appearances have included: Criss Angel's Mindfreak on A&E, House Hunters on HGTV, and several other programs on ABC.
Paul has performed at the Magic Castle, and recently lectured at MindVention, Fantasma Magic, and countless other clubs around the country. This is a must see lecture for anyone interested in the art of mentalism. Paul Draper is considered one of the best mentalists working today. He performs regularly at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and is constantly in demand for corporate functions.
The lecture will be held on Friday November 21st at 7:30 PM at the Trinity Lutheran Church at 3637 Golf Road, Evanston Illinois
Guests only $10
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN MAGICIANS ASSEMBLY #148
SAM #148 is pleased to announce a lecture by renowned magician JIM KRZAK. Jim is one of our very own from the Chicago area and has many years experience as an entertainer for corporations, trade shows, and restaurants. Jim currently is the house magician at Donovan's (the old Schulien's) and Hackney's on Harms Rd. in Glenview, Ill.
This lecture promises to be fun and information filled for all magicians. Jim's easy manner and vast magical knowledge will appeal to all attendees. The lecture is free to SAM #148 members; guest cost is $10.00 per person.
The lecture will be held NOVEMBER 17, 2008 at EPIPHANY EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, 314 W. VALLETTE ST., ELMHURST, ILL. (The southwest corner of Spring Rd. and Vallette St.) The lecture will start at 7:30 P.M.
COME JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF MAGIC AND FUN
An Evening with John Calvert!
Whenever you're lucky enough to see John Calvert in person, you are not only joining a worldwide audience of hundreds of thousands, but in a very real way, you are witnessing living history...a link to magic's golden age of opulent vaudeville productions, and a vital inspiration to the magicians of today and tomorrow.
You can only imagine the impact that Thurston's incredible "Wonder Show of the Universe" must have made on an eight year old boy in the audience, who, not too many years later, as Calvert the Magician, would create his own large stage show, an extravaganza that became the first big magic show to play on Broadway, breaking their all time house records. Moving to a worldwide stage, Calvert would mount a decades long series of successful international tours, with his elegant production of "Magicarama" now widely acknowledged as the world's longest touring magic show.
John Calvert would also become famous as a movie star and filmmaker, an air pilot and yachtsman, an adventurer and an ambassador of good will warmly welcomed everywhere in the world where he's performed.
This fall, John Calvert is in the midst of a national tour with highlights that include an exclusive engagement at Hollywood's famous club for magicians, "The Magic Castle," and mark his return to Las Vegas, for a very special tribute honoring Calvert as IBM Magician of the Year... a truly historic occasion, since John Calvert was the first to bring a large scale magic production to play the city that is now known worldwide for it's magic spectaculars.
In his private lecture appearances for magicians, Calvert is known for his ability to convey not simply the workings of a routine, but, for those who are astute and observant, the real performance secrets that have brought this master magician many years of fame and success in his travels around the world.
Along with performance highlights taken from his full evening show, Calvert has recently included a selection of his most sought after routines for presentation to magicians in a program known as "The Five Keys to Fame and Fortune."
In these lively appearances, Calvert blends inside stories from decades of successful world tours with large stage productions, with practical demonstrations that reveal his own special methods - the time AND audience tested "secrets" of showmanship that make for surefire, crowd-pleasing entertainment and reputation-making shows. In other words, a lecture by John Calvert could well be considered as a "master class" in magic from a master showman!
A chance to enjoy a performance by John Calvert should never be missed...and the chance to learn from John Calvert in person could be a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Long sought out for his professional advice, and acknowledged as an inspiration by many of today's top working professionals, it's easy to believe that future stars of magic will recall when they saw John Calvert in person, reflecting the spark of imagination that first took hold of that eight year old boy at Thurston's show, all of those decades ago.
DO NOT MISS YOUR CHANCE TO SEE
A TRUE LEGEND OF MAGIC AND FILM!
When: Monday, November 24, 2008
Where: American Legion Hall on 6431 Pershing Road, Stickney, IL
Admission: FREE SAM 3 members, $20 non-members
From the Illinois Beacon News...
Scott Lebin , president and CEO of Lebin Financial Planning and Chairman of the Geneva Chamber Board of Directors, was named the 2008 recipient of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce Wood Community Service Award . Gordon Hard, former chairman of the chamber Board, surprised Lebin with the honor during the Annual Dinner and Awards on Nov. 11 at the Eagle Brook Country Club. The award is presented each year to an individual who has made significant community contributions in business, education, youth involvement, civic organizations, art, recreation, charity or government. Lebin, the twenty-fifth award recipient, was recognized for his contributions and involvement in touching the lives of people in the business district, school system, Lions Club, theater, and the Geneva Chamber of Commerce.
A former teacher at Elk Grove High School, Lebin's other accomplishments include: Registered Principal and an Investment Advisor Representative with InterSecurities Inc. and member of the International Association for Financial Planning, co-founder of the Geneva Downtown Partnership group, elected member of the Board of Education of the Geneva School District, member of the board of regents of The National Heritage Foundation, former president of Geneva Lions Club International, former president of the Illinois Theatre Association for eight years, and a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.
[Be sure to watch this space for ever changing news of what's happening Around Chicago. Leave me a comment by clicking the link at the bottom. . . or send me an email: Don Wiberg]
