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THE NORTHERN MAGIC CIRCLE CONVENTION
April 2011 |
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Review by Donald Monk
President of the Modern Mystic League
Photographs by Allan Clarke |
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 Having been sorely disappointed with ‘the
biggest convention in the world’ over
the last two, or three years I decided to give one of the ‘little guys’ a try.
This write-up is about my experience of just such a convention. And yes, the thumbs-up sign at the top is a bit of a give-away as to the outcome of this review. To say I was impressed is an understatement. First and foremost,- the impression that the punter comes first is a strong contender, as opposed to what some would see as a money grabbing exercise employed by other conventions. |
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Being much smaller (no more than 200 attendees) meant that the line that is usually banded about i.e. “A place to meet up with old friends.” is much more relevant, as I was tripping over people I knew. Usually I have to hunt them out.
Not only did I meet up with people that I knew, but by the end of the convention I had doubled that list as everyone was so friendly and approachable. The organisers, the punters and the performers alike. |
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The ‘close-up and lecture sessions’ were amazing. Not only with the content (which was top class), but with the presentation. I’d forgotten how visible close-up/lectures could be at such an event. Heck, you could even talk to the presenters if you liked. It was practically like having one-on-one sessions with them.
The lectures were presented almost informally by Will Houston, Luke Jermay, Jay Scott-Berry, Marc Oberon, Ian Keable and Tom Stone. A veritable feast of magical masters from around the world. |
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Because the dealers were limited, you were able to negotiate them freely without having to shuffle sideways, or fight your way to the front. The Children’s Show was equal to any that I’ve seen at any other convention and the Gala Show included all the top class acts that had lectured plus a very entertaining juggler Matt Ricardo, Thom Peterson as the MC and our very own Ben Proos who started the show off in grand style (He gets better every time I see him).
There was also a show put on by the Northern Magic Circle Juniors (where Ben cut his teeth) that convinced everyone that the future of magic is secure.
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Now I don’t know how they did this one,- but the convention organisers even managed to get the sun to shine in Scarborough for the weekend !
My verdict? Well,- this is a tough
one . . . . .
This convention was
superb because it was well organised and it wasn’t big (in attendees
that is).
So, I figure it would be self-defeating if I recommended it to others and the Northern Magic
Circle got
more punters to register next year.
Oh, what the heck,- There is no
contest !
Next time that the Northern Magic
Circle Convention comes around, you
really must make it a
top priority to go . . . I’ll see you there.
Donald the
Average
President
of ‘The Modern Mystic League’,
Blackburn |
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