Reminiscing about a magic club in Cambridge

I don’t lecture a great deal and rarely at a magic club in Cambridge. I am always happy to show magicians sleights or techniques if they ask and also enjoy learning from others. Indeed, magicians often gather around a table to share ideas. Sharing is one of the great qualities of those who work in our profession.

I have been asked to lecture for a second time at The Magic Castle. The date is looming in my diary and has caused the odd sleepless night. I’m not sure what magicians expect or want from a lecture.

Having been a Cambridge magician for many years, it is not surprising that one of the clubs invited me to speak. Namely, the Pentacle Club in Cambridge. I had been a member during my childhood when the club met at Fitzwilliam College. I had only returned for the odd event since those golden years.

My Lecture

My lecture was on stagecraft; this is not a favourite of most magicians. This is particularly true of hobbyists. These non-professionals are more interested in tricks and how they work than they are in how to perform them? This is understandable, and I don’t look down on it in any way. People are drawn to magic for different reasons.

I haven’t produced a set of instructional DVDs, so I have nothing to sell. This disappoints those who have come to be inspired by a trick—usually wanting to purchase them to take home. Many magicians make a good living out of selling magic to the masses. I guess it just isn’t my thing.

I have always been a performer. Learning to perform better is far more important to me than learning a new trick or move. So, those who talk about stagecraft fascinate me the most.

Meeting friends at a magic club in Cambridge

When I lectured in Cambridge, many of my old friends from years ago were in attendance. Claude Perry, for one, was a charming man who had been most helpful during my early years in magic.

I don’t know if I quite hit the mark; my close up magic is good, and I demonstrated some skills I have mastered over the years. I remember using PowerPoint to show video clips of performance techniques. Each magician will, I hope, have taken something away with them.

It was great to return to a magic club in Cambridge. Although I work there many times a year, I have yet to meet the magicians who have lived in the county for some time. I am sure I am a better performer and magician now, but I am also aware that I owe some of that success to people like Claude, who took me under his wing all those years ago.