Calgary Police had an entertaining time playing the Humanity First Disaster Awareness Game Show

We had a wonderful time at the fundraising event held by Humanity First on September 28. The dinner event was held at Baitun Nur Mosque and over 300 people attended to support Humanity First!

This year’s entertainment was unlike any other year! To bring awareness to Humanity First and its many causes, we entertained the crowd with a game show reminiscent of  ”Jeopardy” and “Who wants to be a millionaire”. The tickets to participate in the game show were completely sold out and I watched in glee as the audience raised their cards excitedly, hoping they win a chance to play for the big prizes.

Using multiple choice questions, we whittled the crowd down to six lucky contestants who have to compete against each other in order to win a limo ride, dinner and a night stay at the Sandman Hotel! The contestants range from children to adults, but it was a smart teen who brought home the grand prize.

Assistant Elle Nguyen at the Hootenanny

Yeats Wong at The Didsbury Bandstand

Thanks to Shine FM and Calgary’s Child for inviting Yeats Magic Co. to perform at the Hootenanny Days 2011 at Heritage Park.  We had a blast performing at the Didsbury Bandstand, and the audience was absolutely a “hoot”! We had a really enthusiastic crowd of adults and kids!

Elle Nguyen guest starred as our magician’s assistant for the day, and my former student, Chris Johnsen, was featured as a guest performer.  Andrew Chang performed walkaround strolling magic.

The event was run very well, with courtesy trucks to transport our huge load of equipment, a friendly costuming department, and refreshments for the Yeats Magic crew.  It was a pleasure to work with Shine FM’s audio tech crew, as they were professional and helpful.

After the event, we took a stroll through the exhibitor tents, historic villages, the amusement park, and the museums.  I’ve lived in Calgary for over 15 years, and I can’t believe this is my first visit to this quality tourist attraction!

*phhhhhew* I’m exhausted from prep work for tomorrow’s Elle’s Next Top Model Cycle 3!

This is actually about the 5-6th time I’ve had a chance to test out my “customized Game Show” entertainment concept, and it’s grown way beyond my initial vision… but only because of technical genius, Elle Nguyen’s non-stop work on the digital contestant challenges, and finding business sponsors and prizes.  I was only expecting a couple hundred dollars worth of prizes, but somehow Elle managed to find me almost $2000 worth of sponsored prizes for this show!!!

Now that we’ve tested and expanded on my initial gameshow idea, I hope to roll this out this year as my new corporate entertainment package for my December holiday / Christmas shows.If anyone’s interested in checking out the big gameshow tomorrow (and competing for prizes), toss me an email and I’ll get you some details!

Definitely not a magic show for kiddies… and if there are bunnies in it, they’ll probably be corpses.

After the success of previous “Brush With Death” creepy magic shows for adults, I am proud to bring to Calgary the third installment of “Brush With Death… and bunny rabbits” show on July 18.  This evening of morbid comedy and macabre magic will feature a new set of performers; Yeats Wong (me) will be your host and guide through this suspenseful evening, along with my special guests, Michael Berends and Gwyn Auger.  Not for the faint of heart, these odd and slightly deranged performers will explore your inner phobias, contact the dead, and awaken forces better left alone.

For more details on the show, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.BrushWithDeath.ca

Date: July 18, 2011

Location: Club Paradiso (1413 – 9Ave SE, Upstairs, above the new Salt & Pepper, formerly Village Cantina

Tickets: $20, available online at www.BrushWithDeath.ca or by reserving at Club Paradiso (403-265-5739).

Ages 18+ only;  minors will be eaten alive.

Martin Lewis is quite a card!

A fascinating day with Martin Lewis.  Martin is the inventor of many world famous effects, including several that have been performed by David Copperfield.

Martin was charming and a fascinating conversationalist.  Over lunch, we discussed magic, presentation, stage character, and cooking.  Martin’s knowledge of world cuisine was incredible – as a connoisseur of fine cooking, I had an awesome time chatting about recipes, ingredients and odd cooking techniques.

An afternoon well spent!

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Visual and Dynamic Performances: The secret to a successful multicultural show!

Every year, I’m always heavily booked with shows for Chinese New Year, and 2011, the Year of the Rabbit, was no exception.  Multicultural shows are always an interesting challenge – language can often be a barrier, as well as cultural differences.

Despite my own Chinese heritage, I’ve found that performing for a Chinese audience still requires careful thought and planning.  Calgary’s Chinese community is multi-faceted:  from young asians born in Canada, to immigrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.  Many audience members only speak one language or local dialect, perhaps Cantonese, Mandarin, Toisanese, or English-  effective communication is always an issue at these events.  Jokes and routines that work with one audience may not go over well with another.

Being aware of these issues is the first step to planning a Chinese New Year magic show.  Having many years of experience performing for multi-ethnic audiences is also a huge advantage.  My secret to a fun and interactive magic show that transcends language barriers and cultural differences is to create a visual and exciting magic show filled with effects that avoid the tediousness of requiring translations.

Magician Yeats Wong and assistant Gwyn Auger

It was a tonne of fun performing for 2011 Chinese New Year shows.  Hope you all have a prosperous new year in the Year of the Rabbit!

Yeats Wong performing at the Calgary's Chinese Cultural Center

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Q: What do insulin, zippers, the electron microscope, the Wonderbra, and Richard Sanders have in common?

A: They are all from Canada.

Richard Sanders is arguably one of the top magicians in Canada, and has proven himself as an avid inventor and designer of closeup magic.

Few audiences realize that, like the music industry, there are both performers and creators of magic.  In the music industry, there is often a team of lyricists and songwriters behind many of the top singers and musicians.  Often, a modern day pop idol has never written a single song, but rather sings the songs as written by others.  Similary, most magicians specialize in performing and putting together magic effects into routines, but many have never invented a single magic effect.

Richard Sanders is one of the elite magicians who creates those devilishly deceptive illusions, and has become a well-known name in magic amongst magicians with his incredible effects.  He has also chosen to share and market his effects, putting them into the hands of other magicians – essentially “writing the music” to which many of us perform. I had the privilege of chatting with Richard on his visit to Calgary during his lecture tour across Canada; he was an witty and a blast to hang out with.

Hanging out with Canadian Magician/Inventor, Richard Sanders

No, that's NOT David Hassellhoff!

You’ve probably never heard of him, but I would bet a medium size bag of gold that you have seen some of  Michael Weber’s work.

Together with Ricky Jay, Michael Weber co-founded Deceptive Practices, a magic consulting firm for the film, theatre, and television industry.  Just a small sampling of his work can be seen in The Prestige, The Illusionist, Oceans’ 13, Forrest Gump, Congo, and Martin Scorsese’s Casino.

It’s an honour to meet such an intelligent and talented individual.  I’m glad he wasn’t billing me, but if he had been, the advice he gave me on my show would have been well worth the price.

Over a day of munching sushi, and showing him Calgary, Michael shared with me stories of his life, advice on magic, observations on world politics and finances, and in general knocked my socks off with his neato brain.

It was most interesting to meet a man who has managed to become successful in the field of magic, and hold a full time successful practice as a lawyer.  I had always assumed that one must choose between a professional career and a career in performing arts, and Michael really showed me a new meaning to the word success.

Richard Turner - The Ultimate Card Cheat

Spending an afternoon with Richard Turner was an inspirational life lesson to me.

Though he’s not widely known outside of the world of magic, Richard Turner is utterly amazing at what he does.

Dai Vernon, one of the 20th centuries’ foremost experts on sleight of hand, said of Turner, “Having seen countless numbers of card experts execute for over eighty years, I consider Richard Turner to be by far the most skillful.”

What makes Richard so amazing is not just that he has become a master in his field, and not just that he has surpassed his nearest competition by a mile, but that he did it by using his weakness as his strength.

Richard Turner has been legally blind since the age of 8.

Having lunch with Mr. Turner, I had mentioned having difficulty with a particular card move.  He asked me to “show” him the move.  Placing his hands over top of mine, he “saw” my move, and my mistake, and immediately was able to correct it.

As a magician, I can’t even imagine trying to accomplish sleight of hand without my eyesight to check my ever move and angle.  But Richard Turner used his disability as an advantage, honing his sense of touch and feel to a degree that no magician has been able to match.  Richard Turner’s abilities are on par  with the comic book superhero DareDevil – he’s a 5th degree black belt in karate, and has fought against and side by side with Chuck Norris.  He’s a consultant to the U.S. Playing Card Company, and can detect a difference of 1/1000th of an inch in playing card stocks.

It is humbling to meet someone with such incredible drive, determination, and talent.  And incredibly inspirational: after an afternoon with Richard Turner, I realized that there is no hardship in my life that I can’t surpass, and what many see as impossible is just a matter of hard work and determination.

Tom Noddy creates an impossible square smoke filled bubble.

Yeats creating a bubble caterpillar

Tom Noddy is a master of his own unique craft.  In the 80′s I remember seeing him on That’s Incredible:  I had no idea his name was Tom Noddy, nor that I would ever meet him in person, but I remember having the incredible desire to be able to create a smoke filled bubble.

I must have watched hundreds of acts on That’s Incredible, but that is the only act I can recall from my childhood… such is the wonder of bubbles in the mind of a child.  Tom Noddy made square bubbles, bubbles inside of bubbles, bubble carousels, smoke filled bubbles, and bubble caterpillars. He bounced the bubbles off his arms, made them spin and dance. He melded them, and split them, and shrank them and grew them.  An incredible master of the bubble.

Yeats with Tom Noddy - the bubble master!

There are many “masters” in any hobby or profession, but it is really different to meet a person who invented that profession of which he is the master.  He took the time to explore a completely different territory – doing things that no entertainer has ever done before.

Putting a fog filled bubble inside a bubble!

But aside from learning how to create impossible bubbles, I also learned from Mr. Noddy the importance of bringing entertainment and humour to everything you do.  The bubbles themselves are already entertaining, but Tom’s constant patter and silliness is what made him an act to remember.

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Tags: Bubbles, Tom Noddy

Click pic to read the full online article

Thanks to Neighbours  writer, Michael Lau for putting together this very cool article in the Calgary Herald.  Josh Govender was great for patiently sitting around for an hour for the Herald’s photoshoot!

One of my childhood magician inspirations, Harry Anderson

Nurturing my love for magic during the 80′s, Harry Anderson was one of my inspirations.

You may remember him as “Harry the Hat” from the hit TV sitcom, Cheers.  Or perhaps as “Judge Harold Stone” from TV’s Night Court.

But before he was an actor, Harry Anderson was first and foremost a magician.

Harry broke the mold of magicians – showing the world that magicians don’t have to wear tuxedos, or spangly outfits.  They don’t have to be charismatic and charming.  They just have to be entertaining. Harry Anderson created a stage persona where he was obnoxious, half drunk, and hilarious.

Harry’s influence on my performance style was to show me that magic the character that we play on stage is more important than the effects we perform.  Harry personified a con artist, yet the audience still loved him, and cheered for him… far after you forget the miracle he performed on stage, you will always remember Harry’s stage presence.

No that ain't Richard Nixon - that's Teller!

I’m often asked which magician is my favourite.  It’s a difficult question; I have my favourite comedy magicians, favourite manipulation artists, favourite illusionists, favourite presenters.

But if I had to pick an overall favourite of all the magicians in the world, Penn and Teller are the ones I consider to be the “best”.  They combine skill, with showmanship, entertainment, and creativity.

Completely different from the classical magicians, they don’t bother much with fancy boxes, and the pretty showgirls.  Penn & Teller created their own style of magic, using psychology, misdirection, and a quirky sense of humour. Moreover, they are in an elite class that creates and innovates unique magic effects.

Penn Jillette

Most magicians perform shows where 90% of their material was invented by other people.  Many will put their mark on an effect by giving it a little twist, or with their unique presentation of character.  But Penn & Teller, elevate the entire profession and give new meaning to “thinking outside the box”.  They deliberately shun all the classic routines, except to make fun of them.  They perform magic in a way that is unlike any magician out there, and they do it with a flair and style that is completely unmatched.

Penn & Teller are the best!

Matt Wright (center) poses after escaping from a mailbag and chains.

Ryan Pilling (Left… the one without the pigtails) assists.

CMC President Shawn Maloney presents Member of Year Award to me.

Thank you very much to the Calgary Magic Circle for this great honour!

I’ve been a member of the Calgary Magic Circle since 1994, and have since then become heavily involved with the running and organization of this fine magicians club.

You often hear the phrase “A magician never reveals his secret”.  But then how does a magician learn his secrets in the first place??

The Calgary Magic Circle 2010 Member of Year Award

For years in my childhood, I studied the arts of magic and legerdemain from books at my local library.  But nothing replaces the interactive critique and advice of real magicians.  books cannot accurately describe the fluidity and impeccable timing required to properly execute sleight of hand.

When I moved to Calgary, I discovered the Calgary Magic Circle.  This organization of magic enthusiasts embraced me as one of their own – helping and nurturing my study of magic.

Over the years, most of the members that I knew from those days have moved away, passed away, or left the club for other endeavors.  I greatly admired what they had built, and quickly realized that it was my fellow members that made the club what it was – their love of magic and passion for helping fellow magicians is what made it such a fine organization.  And one day I realized that if I wanted this club to succeed, it would be up to newer members like myself to put energy and initiative back into this club so that future generations of young magicians will have a place to nurture their talents.

With my work on such endeavours as the club’s website, newsletter, events, lecture series, and Junior school, I hope to repay, if only in some small part, what the past members gave to me.

Yeats challenges Suzanne of City TV Breakfast Show to a race! Who will escape first? Notice how Suzanne is a little too distracted to note Yeats’ multiple escapes

Wow!  I’ve had a tonne of fun as Producer of the Afternoon of Magic 2010 charity fundraiser, but equally it’s a tonne of work.  Luckily I’m working with the fine folks at the Calgary Magic Circle.  Stage manager Malcolm Russell has been a huge help, as well as my media comms specialist, Olympia Wong, and my ever present assistant/girlfriend, Elle Nguyen.

The show is on June 13, 2010 at the Lantern Church in Inglewood, and headlines pro-illusionist, Michael Berends, accompanied by the great guys from the Calgary Magic Circle.  Portion of proceeds goes to benefit Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

Many thanks to Ed Top at The Lantern for donating the churche’s facilities for this event!  Ticket Info at www.calgarymagic.com

Myself, as well as Malcolm Russell interview with Shaw TV, plugging the upcoming Muscular Dystrophy Canada fundraiser show.

My childhood idol, Las Vegas Illusionist, Lance Burton!  I first saw Lance Burton on TV on an 1982 episode of Knight Rider, as magician/villian Austin Templeton in 1982.  At the time, I had no idea who Lance Burton was.

Years later, I saw Lance on TV, performing his now famous FISM award winning manipulation routine.  I didn’t remember his face, or his voice from the TV show; but I had a vivid recollection of the specific routine that he performed.  That brought back a long-forgotten childhood memory of Templeton, and I was shocked to later discover that he was indeed the evil villian from Knight Rider.

Thanks to Las Vegas illusionist, Jonathan Silver, for arranging this meet and greet with Lance!

Oh, and the chick in the pic is Elle, my girlfriend.  Sorry Elle, you’re hot, but Lance totally steals the scene this time.