THE MAGICIANS' SOCIETY
I.B.M. RING 202
Ring 202 Activities AUGUST - NOVEMBER 2003 11th August 2002 – No Meeting – Summer Break
25th August 2002 – Pick of the props – with Bernard Schembri
8th September 2002 - Free for All - Magic with hi-tech equipment either as props or as gimmicks.
suggestions: Mobile Phones, Pagers, laptops, hidden cameras etc, electro-magnets, LEDs - Open Meeting – No Exposures
22nd September 2002 – Lecture - Ivan Mallia about styles of performance – Open Meeting
6th October 2002 – Parlour Magic Competition – Open Meeting
Time Limit: 8 – 12 minutes
Limitations – The Props used cannot be bulky. The performer has to cater for the possibility of lack of space and possibly wrong angles.
Performance – Has to be Standing up and tricks performed mostly from the waist upward with a possibility of 30 – 60 people seeing clearly even if at floor level.
Points – will be granted on a) Originality, b) Entertainment value c) Magical content d) Continuity e) Communication f) Appearance of person and props g) Skill
Style – Any style can be adopted and presentation can be with music, with patter or with both.
20th October 2002 – Annual General Meeting – Committee Reports – Elections – Proposals
RENEWAL OF FEES & DISTRIBUTION OF NEW MEMBERSHIP CARDS
3rd November 2002 – Free for All - Small Scale Illusions or Illusionettes
10th November 2002 –Selections from the following two lectures by Joe Legari from Canada
"My First" (Members Only)
There is something for everyone in this lecture, fire, silks, ribbon, tissue, beads, etc. and don't forget the Finale . . . A Super Vanish
"The Christmas Magic Show"
The lecture is a complete show consisting of a flashy opening and closing with a finale fitting for the season. In between the opening and closing there are no less than 12 effects, all designed for the holiday season.
TRICKS WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE FROM JOE LEGARI
December Forecast
1st December 2002 - Roderick Stafrace – Pick of the props
15th December 2002 – Magic with a Christmas Theme. Let’s have some really new tricks this time. Christmas Drinks will be served. This will be an open Meeting.
We are trying to stick to these dates as much as possible. But changes may be effected either because of unplanned visits by overseas magicians or circumstances beyond our control. In this case we will inform you as soon as possible. Otherwise all meetings are planned to be held at the St Augustine Doctrine Centre, Old Bakery Street, Valletta.
Mario Galea - Secretary
Next Sunday 12th May we will be again meeting..............and our activity will be Magnets. You will be urged to perform an effect using a Magnet either as a principle, method or gimmick or as part of the effect.
Hope that you will have the right polarity on Sunday so that you will be attracted towards the meeting.
Mario This month we bade farewell to our member Ivan Formosa. We went to a Valletta Trattoria and enjoyed a meal in the company of Ivan who permanently left Malta for Scotland, the home country of his wife Maria. We thank him for his sterling work in the Ring especially his photography and CD recordings and we also wish him and his wife good luck.
Later on that week we had another meal, this time in the traditional Maltese style, to show our gratitude to all the participants in our last successful stage show for the public, Illusions 2001.
During the Members Meeting held 18th November 2001 Gino Gauci started the day by entertainimg the members with his manipulative hands. Coins disappeared and reappeared and his Down’s Palm was perfect. He then changed his silent routine to thimble manipulation and again did a great job. Gino was doing his act for the provisional membership audition and the committee members welcomed him.
Next on the list was The Worst Trick I Ever Bought session. Vanni Pule’ started by showing us his Skeleton in the Closet and explained to us his disappointment with the faulty craftsmanship of this version. Everyone offered comments on similar problems. Karl Spiteri did a twist with the worst trick and ended up tearing tissues to restore them to fivers. Tony Valletta showed us his Gag Bag and here again members offered advice how to include this item into a comedy routine. Brian Role’ showed his Crystal Pyramid and explained how he had to change the gimmick to make the illusion better. Geoffrey Buhagiar explained the Time Machine were a silk placed in a transparent tube disappears mystically. Mario Galea showed his Ching Ling Box where a coin passes through a solid glass. Again here help was given suggestions on how to change the handling to make the effect even better. Joe Pace complained about the Zig Zag Jumbo Card and Noel D’Amato explained a version of doing it in a more convincing way. Finally Ivan Mallia explained to us that he does not really have a bad trick as usually he does lots of research before buying anything. He reads reviews on tricks and asks other magicians about the particular trick. He said that he normally sees whether the trick fits his character and then proceeds to buy it. Good thinking Ivan. The well-attended meeting on 1st December was superb! It started on a sad note when the President paid a tribute to our friend and honorary member from Sheffield Bert Smith who had died recently of a massive heart attack. Bert was a great friend of our ring, paid various visits and shared his highly competent close-up magic with our members. Our library was open and Karl Spiteri did a great job as a librarian helping the new members to choose the best books. Besides this we also had an audition for a full membership by Bernard Schembri and his lovely wife Ingrid. Bernard gave us a well-balanced and confident presentation of parlour illusions. He started with the audience selecting different coloured silks which were placed in a transparent tube. The silks ended up magically tied together. He then presented the Colours of Fortune where 3 members of the audience selected different colours and the fourth colour was left to the magician. These colours were represented with silks of respective colours in each of which there was a present. However it ended up that the colours chosen by the audience had cheap presents but the one that was left for the magician had a hefty sum of money. Bernard finally introduced his wife, blindfolded her and made her sit with her back to the audience. Then with his ESP, Ingrid managed to guess the items that were being pointed out by Bernard. That was a very good show and the members of the committee approved that he should become a full member. Next it was the president's turn. Vanni Pule' delivered a very informative and practical lecture about Basic Psychic Magic. The lecture included lecture notes and a whole array of effects. Vanni pointed out the advantages and disadvantages of doing Mentalism. He explained also some of the basic effects that included Prediction, Telepathy, Psychokinesis, Coincidences, Dermo-optical perception, Teleportation and Materialisation among others encouraging us to vary our effects. He also went into detail to explain styles of performance. The most interesting part came when he started demonstrating his ideas since every member of Ring 202 is familiar with the capabilities of Vanni as a mentalist. These included discussion whether playing cards should be included in a mental act. Vanni also stated that natural looking objects should preferably be used rather than proppish items. He also recommended that all five (not six) senses should be used to maximise the impact of the show. He also asked for our opinions in using psychic tricks in normal magic shows and children's magic. This brought a healthy response from the audience. Then the president gave us examples of doing psychic magic which included forcing, obtaining information secretly, outs, changing results secretly after the event, sleight of hand and a combination of the previously mentioned methods. This led to a whirlwind of impressive tricks that included his no-force version of the Colour Epic, His burglary routine, his variation on Beam Shot etc. Each item was explained as to the various methods used and their development. Mario Galea 6th November 2000
NEWS
It gives me great pleasure to be the second Ring 202 President to welcome you via our web site. Our I.B.M. Ring in Malta has now been active for almost thirty years but it has been during the last few years that it has ventured into cyberspace. My predecessor Alfred Mifsud was the pioneer of setting up the site and he is going to continue to update it and embellish it. So, I hope that we will have more and more visitors from around the world and you are more than welcome to send your messages or give your suggestions.
We are one of the smallest Rings in the World in one of the smallest independent countries in the World. But we strive to be active, innovative and hospitable. This page will give you an idea of our activities and of our visitors. I hope that we shall meet many of you, either at our meetings or via e-mail. Best wishes to all those who are interested in Magical activities all over the world. Vanni Pule` President & Territorial V.P. I.B.M. Ring 202 Malta