Ring NO. 46, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Seymour Davis Ring
Meets 7:00 pm, 1st Monday of the month at the Contemporary Arts Building, Oklahoma State Fairground.
LEE WOODSIDE, Secretary. Email: WoodsideLee@hotmail.com.
www.okcmagic.club
Prior to our May meeting, Vice President Justin Teeman presented a workshop on card sleights, card controls, and tricks. Justin is a veritable encyclopedia of card magic as well as an accomplished performer.
Our featured magician for May was John Shackelford. Rather than perform magic, John discussed ways to make magic stronger, based on his experience. He also demonstrated a pass, a beautiful color change, and a classic force.
Justin Teeman and Lee Woodside taught self-working card magic, although both agreed that is really no such thing as “self-working.” Justin demonstrated and taught Ed Marlo’s “Perfect Stop Trick” and Bill Goldman’s “One for the Money.” Lee showed a trick that climaxed in a four-of-a-kind production.
President Cassidy Smith had two cards selected, one by sleight of hand and one by mind reading. The climax of the trick was a ten of spades long card.
Following a brief business meeting, we had a discussion of opening routines. Different magicians explained what they were trying to accomplish with an opening routine and the specific opening routines they use in their shows.
We closed the meeting with member performances. Justin Teeman, Terry “T.Lo” Losawyer, David Teeman, Jay Relkin, and Patrick Myers all performed no-sleight card magic.
The evening following our May meeting, we were pleased to host a lecture by the founder of strolling mentalism, Mark Strivings. Mark began by showing a gallon baggie filled with folded playing cards from a red deck and a blue deck of playing cards. We were invited to examine the bag of folded cards. He then brought out a red deck and a blue deck. A participant was invited to select red or blue and then to select a card from that deck, without looking at it. Without looking, Mark plunged his hand into the bag of cards and brought forth a folded card, which proved to match both the back color and face of the selected card.
Mark discussed ways to take the 50/50 forcing principle to a higher level, making the selection of a card seem as fair as possible. He had obviously devoted a lot of thought to this.
Using the old “Will the Cards Match” principle, Mark demonstrated a trick that would play for platform or stage and offer entertainment all the way to the last match, which is ordinarily anti-climactic. He credited the routine to Larry Becker.
Mark performed a multiple key and locked chest routine that was not only baffling, but included lots of bits of business and audience interaction. He chose me to participate. After having me verify that only one of five keys would open the lock, he locked my eyeglasses into a box that had a slot on the top. He mixed the keys and offered me a free choice of any one. Once I had taken the key, he proceeded to drop the other four keys through the slot in the top of the box. Fortunately, the key I had chosen opened the box.
Mark presented what I call a “Chicken Across” routine, where a number of barnyard animals were divided evenly into two groups, leaving one lone chicken, which was placed with one of the groups. Amazingly, the chicken managed to travel to the other group. This was an excellent example of using an old principle and coming up with a baffling and entertaining routine.
Mark showed how using a new deck that is now available can bring the old “PHIL” name on cards routine to a whole new level of deception. I didn’t take a vote, but I’m pretty sure this fooled most of the magicians present.
Mark is a working professional who performs hundreds of shows per year. If you have the chance to experience one of his lectures, do yourself a favor and don’t miss it. It is also a chance to purchase his quality props and utility items that are not available through the normal magic distribution channels.
Lee Woodside