Body

$50,000 is awarded in five distinct categories celebrating exceptional work in the art of magic. Learn more about each category and nomination eligibility. 

Button Text
Learn More

In contrast to our other show, Hocus Pocus Strolling Sorcery is an intimate magic performance also known as close-up magic. For this show, a professional magician literally strolls through your group, providing several personalized “mini shows” to smaller groups, one after the other.

This is an ideal type of show for large gatherings when several events are planned, like a bar-b-que picnic or open-house format. The magician roams through the event, moving from group to group (or table to table) trailing behind a wave of laughter and fun! The participatory energy is provides a refreshing change of pace and  creates conversations for guests, residents and staff. Over the years, we have had produced Strolling Sorcery for garden parties, open houses, picnics and bar-b-ques and holiday-themed special events.

This show is completely self-sufficient and does not require any special set up. Our magician arrives and within a few short minutes, magic is ready to roll out and sparkle throughout the event.

Magic performed this close is extremely engaging and provides a truly memorable experience. Like Hocus Pocus, it also provides an excellent vehicle for an intergenerational exchange, either with families or even neighbouring schools.

Hocus Pocus is a highly participatory magic show designed for seniors.

The show, in fact, breaks down the traditional “fourth wall” of theatre, so we are able to present magic directly to our audiences. This style of performance injects a different kind of personality and vitality, in contrast to other forms of theatre. The unique interactive nature has strongly resonated with the wide range of centres Magicana has worked with since 2005.

Hocus Pocus is a flexible show. We can present the show in large halls and auditoriums, in multipurpose or media rooms. We arrive self-contained and within 30 minutes of our arrival, we are ready to go.

To make it comfortable for everyone, we strongly recommend setting up “theatre styled” seating, with an aisle down the centre. The aisle is handy as it lets us our magician flow in and around the audience to maximize the interaction, comfort and visibility for the entire audience.

Hocus Pocus also gives seniors and centres the opportunity to invite families together on every level, and a wonderful chance to create a multi-generational gathering – one that creates an environment where each generation can benefit from interacting with the other.

Senior Sorcery is an interactive performing arts program for the Greater Toronto Area designed for and targeted to the senior citizen community.

The goal of the program is to bring live theatre, in the form of magic shows, to isolated seniors. The program also strives to actively engage seniors and to empower by giving residents the opportunity to invite their friends and family to a special event. Additionally, the program is designed to connect generations by offering a group activity that all can participate, enjoy and most importantly, talk about later.

In 2005 Magicana, in partnership with Smile Theatre, launched our inaugural show, Hocus Pocus –  a 45 minute program of mirth, mystery and magic presented to seniors in retirement homes and recreational centers in the Greater Toronto and surrounding areas. Today, the program has evolved and includes additional  programming, Strolling Sorcery, and we aim to present fifty shows a year.

Thanks the support from private individuals and donors like The Slaight Family Foundation, Magicana is able to use a subsidy fund to make this program available to all centres, based on a pay-what-you-can cost model -because, magic is for the young at heart!

So, we invite you to bring some magic to your centre! Contact our program coordinator for show availability.

While the magic art has been blessed with a number of notable historians over the past 135 years, Dr. Edwin A. Dawes may be preeminent among them. In honour of Dr. Dawes, Magicana is pleased to announce the creation of a bursary to assist an individual pursuing doctoral studies related to magic. This bursary is to assist the student with the cost of materials and research pertaining to his or her doctorate.

Apply for the Bursary

Applicants are asked to submit a brief abstract summary of the topic (two-pages), budget summary outlining use of funds (one to two pages) and evidence of acceptance in a doctoral program to info@magicana.com.

Bursaries are awarded based on the recommendation of a committee.

Current committee members are: James Hagy (United States), Jan Janson (France) and Daniel Zuckerbrot (Canada).


About Dr. Edwin Dawes

Dr. Dawes was born in Goole, England in 1925, and cultivated his lifelong passions for science and magic early in his boyhood years. His interest in science led to a distinguished career as a professor of biochemistry, during which, among other things, he led a research group which developed the first completely biodegradable plastic, contributed numerous important research papers, and wrote two textbooks, Quantitative Problems in Biochemistry (1956), which went through six editions and was translated into seven languages, and Microbial Energetics (1986). In 1992, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Hull in recognition of his exceptional contributions to science, and although now officially retired, he continues to serve and participate in the international scientific community in various capacities.

Professor Dawes’ achievements in magic are similarly impressive. To date, he has written or co-written over eighteen books and monographs, and when one takes into account the many hundreds of articles, reviews and other commentary contributed to a wide variety of journals, annuals and periodicals—including “A Rich Cabinet of Magical Curiosities”, the monumental monthly series published in The Magic Circular since 1972—he is probably the most prolific author in the field of conjuring history. While such voluminous output alone would serve to distinguish Dawes in the pantheon of conjuring historians, even more remarkable is the consistent excellence of his scholarship and writing. His work is highly regarded in the international magic community due to a combination of its trustworthiness, which derives from his unflagging efforts to seek and cite credible primary source material in his research and publications, and his flair for weaving facts and broad historical perspective with engaging, gracious prose. Consequently, many of Professor Dawes’ works are considered indispensable components of a complete magic reference library.

In addition to his research and writing, Dr. Dawes has performed and lectured for audiences at universities, professional societies and literary clubs, and has appeared on several British television shows, including “Q.E.D.” and “Take Nobody’s Word for It”, as well as serving as consultant for and participant in television documentaries such as “Mysteries of Magic.” And for well over forty years, he has also been a member of and has held scores of significant leadership positions in nearly a dozen American and British magical societies and associations, including The Magic Circle, the Society of American Magicians, the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Scottish Conjurers’ Association, and the Hull Magicians’ Circle.

For his contributions and achievements in the field of magic, Professor Dawes has received many awards and recognitions, including the Stanley Collins Memorial Award, the John Nevil Maskelyne Prize from The Magic Circle, a Literary Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts, the H. Adrian Smith Award from the Society of American Magicians, election to the Society of American Magicians’ Hall of Fame, both the Maskelyne and the David Devant Awards of The Magic Circle for services to national and international magic, respectively, and membership in the Inner Magic Circle (Gold Star) of The Magic Circle.  In 2006, the Fédération Internationales des Sociétés Magiques named him the inaugural recipient of its prestigious, triennial Award for Scholarship and Research in Magic, and in 2017 he received both a Speical Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts, and the Gold Medal from The Magic Circle for exemplary service. 

It is most fitting that a bursary of this nature be named after Dr. Dawes, for, despite being among the very finest historians magic has ever had, he eschews elitism and remains at heart an enthusiastic, humble student, eager to share with, assist, and learn from neophytes and veterans alike when there is knowledge to be gained or history to be advanced, thus exemplifying the very ideal of scholarship. 

My Magic Hands is a learning program for children ages eight to fourteen. For eight weeks, a professional magician teaches children the secrets of great magic tricks and how to perform them for their family and friends. At the end of the eight weeks, the children stage and star in “The Big Show,” a magic show recital showcasing the children's accomplishments. This program was developed by Magicana, with assistance from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and is now generously funded by the Slaight Family Foundation.

Typically, we start with a group of about 12 to 15 participants. As each class progresses, participants learn and assume the role of a magician. They learn how a magician performs magic tricks through careful planning. And, most importantly, they learn that practice is necessary to create an illusion—one where mysterious and magical things happen. Our course includes magic tricks with cards, ropes, everyday objects, along with special “props.” 

For the first half of the program we work on imparting the secrets of both the magic trick and its successful presentation for the audience. The second half of the program frames the participants with vital performance skills—including scripting and choreography—which are incorporated with the magic trick to ensure success at The Big Show. The program also “employs” magic coaches; this is the role we assign to volunteers of our program. Volunteers are one of the key secrets of success. Participants are also provided with magic kits, affectionately known as their  “Box of Secrets,” to store all of the materials and information necessary for the program. Each week, the Box of Secrets is filled with new magic tricks and instructions. These magic kits are provided free of charge thanks to our donor, the Slaight Family Foundation.

For more information about the program, visit www.mymagichands.com.