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The Summer is here!

This year we have been working hard developing our dinner theater “The Magic Soiree”. Only two shows left this season and then we take a well-earned break… by hitting the road!

First stop is The Dickens Parlour Theater in Delaware. One of our favorite theaters in one of our favorite places. Although it is a week of work, it is also a week at the beach, walks in the countryside, and great company with a theater crew who have become good friends. Come and join us if you can, July 4 – 10. They have a variety of great shows, and a rather mean jazz brunch on a Sunday!

Then we head straight to the IBM convention in Pittsburgh and this year may be the best ever. (Check the line up on www.IBMconvention.com). We will be there in various guises, the most important is that we are the official Newbie point people. So, if you have never been to an IBM convention before, our job is to make sure you have a great time. We are also providing some special entertainment in the after-Gala show, and we have some surprises planned.

August brings more fun and more travels. A flying visit to Colon for Abbotts Get Together. And then…

Read more: The Summer is here!

August 7th – 14 takes us to Hollywood for a week performing in the Palace of Mysteries at The Magic Castle. It is always an honor to be asked to do our show and there is nothing like hearing those magic words “welcome home”.

Exhausted yet! I know we will be after 27 shows at the Magic Castle. Exhausted but happy. 

But that is not the end of our travels. We then head to the UK for a quick visit to the Magic Circle in London and, a return visit to the first convention I ever went to (40 years ago), The IBM British Ring convention in Eastbourne. One of the friendliest conventions we have been to. We are looking forward to the fantastic magic but sitting and catching up with old friends over a cup of tea is going to take the biscuit (digestive or rich tea?)

Then the work begins as we reopen The Magic Soiree, from September 16th we will be running shows every week.

Please come and see us and say hello if you do.

And we all enjoy a little magic so here is a promo we did for our dinner show.

Thank you for being a part of our magical family.

The Next Generation of Magicians

I maybe getting nostalgic in my many years on the planet, or it could be the recent loss of several magicians way too early in their lives, but it got me thinking of my early days in magic, my first magic club, my first convention and the impact they had on my life. FYI I joined the Sussex Magic Circle when I was 19 and my first taste of a magic convention was The 1984 IBM British Ring Convention in Eastbourne. And we will be back there this year, but more on that later.

In March, Lady Sarah and I will be at The Winter Carnival of Magic – NO WE ARE NOT PERFORMING, we are doing something much more exciting! We have a couple of magicians from our magic dinner show in Detroit, The Magic Soiree, entering the competition. We are very excited to be able to go and support them. Just as many friends did for me when I entered the International Street Magician of the Year at Covent Garden and Close-up Magian at The Magic Circle many years back (#humblebrag #wonboth).

Below is a little magic from one of these young magicians…. were we ever that young?

AND THEN CHECK THIS OUT….

We are very proud to announce that The Magic Soiree has been awarded the prestigious “Ambassador of Magic designation” from the International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.). So far only a handful of magic theaters have received this award and we are honored to be on the list.

Ken Scott (Past President) said about this distinct honor “The Ambassador of Magic designation is reserved for magic theaters, magic shows, and other magic venues that share the art of magic with the public and have demonstrated a level of professionalism and excellence through their programming.”

NEMCOM & Boston Magic Lab

Sarah has been reminding me to write a newsletter for the past 6 weeks and I promised to have it ready for the 6th March (I was secretly working on “don’t put off till tomorrow what you can put off till the day after tomorrow”). Then I surprised her by having it ready early (brownie points for me). Only to realize that I had missed out two events happening between now and then that deserved a mention (double oops). Anyway that is my long winded excuse for the need of an addendum to my earlier newsletter 😉

So, what are these two things…

New England Magic Conference

We will be lecturing and performing in Connecticut in 15 days at NEMCON (the New England Magic Conference). If you are in the area this is a MUST. I am looking forward to seeing Stuart MacDonald and Eric Dittleman amongst so many others on this stellar list of performers. Check it out at CTNEMcon.com

The Magic Lab

The Boston Magic Lab is an exciting concept. A group of young creative magicians putting on a monthly show creating a space where they could explore and experiment with new material and polish their acts. When we heard about it, we really wanted to visit. When we told them we were going to visit they asked us to do 15 minutes in the show. We jumped at the chance! BostonMagicLab.com

Human Xylophone

About three months ago I went to my workshop with several hundred metal tubes to make some more Human Xylophones, my best selling musical routine for family and children’s  entertainers.  After cutting about 50 bells I picked one up and decided to give it a ring… Instead of going ding it went donkkkkkk!

AAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

The manufacturer had changed the make up of the raw materials, it looked identical but sounded awful!
The last few remaining xylophones quickly sold and I have been receiving begging emails ever since (a wonderful situation to be in).  But I just could not find the raw material that worked.  But yesterday, oh glorious day, I found a new material that creates a clearer and longer lasting sound than the original!

So the good news is the Human Xylophone is back, it is available now, and I am working on an updated video tutorial.
And I am so happy that it is back I will include a free gift worth $25 with the the next 10 xylophones that I ship.
If anyone has any ideas on what to do with a bell that goes donkkkkk do let me know!

CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW TO SEE THE VIDEO AND REMIND YOU WHAT I LOOKED LIKE 10 YEARS AGO!

130

Do you remember the first time you had that feeling of total amazement witnessing an impossible piece of magic?

Now more than ever, people need to experience the feeling of wonder and amazement that magicians can create. Let’s all pull together to spread some joy and laughter throughout the world.

We want to start by saying a big thank you to our magical friends and supporters, for helping us to stay positive. We never imagined how much fun we were going to have with our silly idea of ‘dropping in’ to magic clubs with a show and mini lecture,

We set a target of 100 clubs which we totally smashed.



Our final count approaching 130!!!

Really you folk made our lock-down a little more bearable as Lady Sarah and I ‘dropped-in’ virtually to IBM rings, SAM’s clubs, online conventions and more. It was a delight to see our friends in NZ and make new friends in the Philippines. What an honor to see my old mentor and friend Jack Delvin at my old club in SE London and regardless of the time difference our friends in OZ turned out in force. And we won’t mention the banter with our friends in Scotland. And….

Read more: 130

We know that some of you watched our showlette several times and many of you complimented me on my work on the professors nightmare.

If you missed it, I produced a mini video of the lecture from a recording which you can see here: Drop-in video lecture notes

Another group who helped us through this virtual year was a weekly gathering of magic club/dinner theatre owners (the list is now up to 80 venues worldwide!) The covid pandemic hit our industry hard and as the year progressed this supportive group shared information as there was a lot to figure out – would we ever be able to open safely?

Well it is finally happening and we hope to open up The Magic Soiree in September. Although I look forward to continuing to spend virtual time and hearing what others are doing. Kudos to Danny Archer and Jay Alexander for putting this group together.

So the point is to say thank you and to encourage you to stay positive! Onward and upward

A Women in Action

Last month I asked if a few of you would be so kind as to vote for us as we had been nominated for 2 prestigious local awards. Well thanks to you…

WE WON!

Lady Sarah is now officially a ‘WOMAN IN ACTION’ (Troy Chamber of Commerce 2021 Business Excellence Award). Oh boy she will be unstoppable now! I’m so proud of her, but I know that means we will be taking on even more exciting new projects.

And The Magic Soiree, (our Detroit based comedy and magic dinner theatre) won the award for resiliency. This is a real achievement for us as after 3 years of sold out shows, we had to stop all our live events. The Magic Soiree pivoted to host virtual fundraising shows, virtual corporate events, and virtual private parties. We also developed programs to help teams communicate better over zoom – and that is why we were nominated and have won the Resilience Award.

The awards ceremony was broadcast on Facebook and local TV and we had to do an acceptance speech, needless to say, we took it all very seriously. See links below:

We are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Discussions are in full swing for a grand re-opening of The Magic Soiree. Clubs and entertainment venues will be allowed to reopen soon (with a limited capacity) so look forward to some more exciting news on that front soon. For now we want to thank you for your voting, and support and look forward to seeing you all soon.

Stay positive and test negative!

Have we dropped in to your club?

8 months and counting…
Yes! That is how long our magic clubs have been hosting zoom meetings!
Lady Sarah and me have been dropping in at a few magic clubs around the globe to perform part of our Magic Castle act and a mini lecture. 
Have we dropped in to your club yet?
Paul Romhany (editor of Vanish Magazine) was at a recent drop-in and as a result wrote this review for his magazine. It gives a little insight to what you can expect…

Having had the opportunity to watch a lot of online lectures I can say that Keith Fields was by far one of my top favorites!! Not only did we all learn some real-world material– the balloon gag for me was something that is going straight into my act – pure GOLD! but he also presented one of the best online openings I’ve ever seen. With his truly talented and hilarious wife Lady Sarah they opened the lecture with a performance that we are all still talking about! Together they kept us entertained and it was one of the rare occasions that I actually felt like I was sitting in the front row to a live show. They have honed their online experience through more performances than anybody I know, and it shows. You can learn a lot from just watching a performance and this was a real masterclass in what can be done online.”

Paul goes on for several paragraphs but you get the drift. You will have to read the rest in Vanish Magazine😊.

We are available worldwide and we don’t have to leave our house! The session lasts about 30 minutes and is free of charge for magic clubs. Below is a video montage taken from a zoom recording of an actual drop in…

We would love to drop-in to your club so please pass this information on to whoever organizes it and we hope to see you very soon, even if it is only virtually!Stay safe and wash your hands
Best wishes
Keith Fields

“Your drop in at our club was so awesomely fun. You have such shining personalities, and it shows in what you do. This was something much needed to add to our Zoom meeting and our members are still talking about it. You and Sarah were exactly what our club needed.”Chris Yuill – Canada

“Keith Fields and Lady Sarah dropped in on our local club meeting this month. Not only were they hilarious and knowledgeable, but they brought energy to the meeting, despite it being virtual. I highly recommend inviting them to “drop in” if you would like to add some life to your club’s meeting!”Jake Austin – USA

“Keith Fields and Lady Sarah are wonderful. Their attention to detail was superb, and everything had been thought through. What shone through was Keith’s passion and enthusiasm for magic, and he was willing to answer any of our questions. The lighting, sound and backdrop were all superb. It was a pleasure to watch true professionals in action.”Steve Price – UK

Have you seen our YouTube Channel?

HOLY MOLY have you seen my YOUTUBE Channel???

Lady Sarah has been organizing it!

I thought we would just be doing some house work during this Covid lock down, but she has taken to organizing my channel!


I have over 7 playlists (yes that’s a thing), over 160 videos, and 3 videos entitled “Keith Fields plays the ukulele” (yes I’m most proud of those!) and 26 videos under the title “Magic Creations” – here’s one to whet your appetite.

Then there is our weekly streamed show. It is called ‘A Cup Of T’, a lighthearted talk show and this week we film our 28th episode. Among our guests we have had a Barred Owl and covered topics such as ‘Top Tips on your Google Business Page’.
Every week we have a magician perform, everyone from Steve Valentine and Shawn Farquhar, to Fred Lenter!  If you need something to make you smile, all the back episodes are available now. 
Where? 
Also on our YouTube channel. Here’s one that will make you laugh talking about Improv to Ventriloquism
NEXT (you know I”m going to ask) will you please CLICK HERE AND SUBSCRIBE?
I want to get to 1000 subscribers so I’ll need your help. Feel free to share any of the videos, let me know which ones you enjoy and what you would like to see more of.
The final project that I want to share is our Magic Club ZOOM Drop-Ins. We have dropped into over 30 magic clubs around the world with our mini show and lecture via Zoom. If we haven’t visited your club and you would like a visit please email – it’s free and takes up 30 minutes of your club night. It is fast moving and funny and I guarantee that I will not be pitching any product😊.
Stay safe and wash your hands
Best wishes

Keith Fields

Mask Etiquette

Sleep when you are dead!
We are great believers in being positive, finding new ways to get the magic out there, and spreading a little happiness We all need to smile and laugh more, its good for us! It releases endorphins and helps us cope with stress.
Here is a little educational segment that we produced for WXYZ TV, the second in a series we are doing for them. We hope it makes you smile.

And because we have too much free time of our hands you can now join us twice a week (yes twice!) on our new talk show ‘A Cup Of T’ – Tuesdays and Thursdays at Two from Troy where you can join in with the chat and see a bit of magic. Watch LIVE at 2pm EST or 7pm BST (UK) at The Magic Soiree.com. Or check out The Magic Soiree facebook page for LIVE and past episodes.
Stay safe and wash your hands
Best wishes

Keith Fields

We went to Martinez and learned a new word…

Me and my good Lady have been on the road again, performing at more of our favorite venues – magic theaters! Those special places where the audience are there to see a magic show. This led to us asking a number of questions. Why Castle Rock CO? Why Millville DE? Why Nashville TN? Why Chicago IL? Why Martinez CA? All these places have a magic venue. What makes them special?

We have discovered one of the secrets to running a successful show, and it is a new word! Watch the video below for a quick tour of The California Magic Club, a magic dinner theater in Martinez CA and we will talk about it after, it’s only a couple of minutes. And regular viewers of my little videos will notice that I have attempted some video editing!

California Magic Club

…so that is one of the most important qualities that you need to promote a regular show! (If you cheated and didn’t watch the video maybe you should go and do it now so the rest of this post will make sense).

Wise words indeed from our friend Gerry Griffin, someone who has done it, and continues to do it, every Friday and Saturday night.

If you have ever thought of putting on a public show then we absolutely encourage you to do it. The first one won’t be easy, but you will learn loads, you will learn that it is not as hard as you think. The most important thing you need to grasp is that it is all about getting an audience, that is the work; putting on the show is the fun bit. I will repeat this statement because it is so important – YOU NEED AN AUDIENCE. Selling tickets to your first show will be easy, you simply contact everyone you know, but you will very quickly run out of friends! For the second and third show it will take a bit more work. To keep it going every month you have to learn the real secret of selling tickets and the magic word is…. MARKETING. And there is a topic we can talk about another time.

How many people does it take to make an audience? Some of the magic theaters around the country have a very small audience, creating more of a close-up environment, others are more parlor style, one or two go full theater. The style of show and the size of your audience will be dictated by your venue. There will be more on finding a venue in my next newsletter.

By applying the technique outlined in the video above (see you are going to have to watch it now!) you will eventually overcome all your problems and achieve success. And if you get that far give us a call as we would love to come and perform at your venue.

Cheers

Keith Fields

The House of Cards

Regular readers will know of our ambition to visit and perform at as many magic venues around the world as we can, here is the next installment of this amazing journey…

Nashville is the home of country music but hidden away beneath the Johnny Cash Museum is a restaurant from a different world. It’s a place where you will see country music stars, but they will be relaxing and having fun.

There are no signs, no advertising, no neon lights pointing to the entrance. The only way to get in is to wander up to the security man (who is wearing a small badge that says ‘House of Cards’), and he will unlock a door, and let you in.

The stairs lead down to a basement, the stone walls feel like a castle dungeon. Then you suddenly enter an extravagantly decorated restaurant. Magic posters adorn the walls (all original!), there is a collection of ancient playing cards (dating back to 1490), the furniture is antique, and the bar is stocked with many fine and rare bottles. I would show you some photos but there is a strict rule about that!

The food is excellent and even though the House Of Cards has only been open a short while it is already listed as one of Americas 100 best restaurants

But what about the magic I hear you ask?

There are 2 close-up stations running continuously and the standard is high. I watched in utter amazement as a rotating group of magicians entertained a dazzled audience.
There is also a 65-seat theater (which is where Lady Sarah and I were working).  A charming venue with comfortable seating and great sight-lines for the audience. 4×30 minute shows a night makes it a grueling week for the performers (and there are an extra 3 shows for the brunch on Sunday). However, it was such a joy to perform for an audience who are there to see a magic show. 

Nashville is a party town, so a couple of the shows were quite rowdy, but even then, the emphasis of the audience was to have fun, and have fun we did! AND we always knew that Joey (the Director of Operations and Entertainment who used to work The Magic Castle) was on hand and keeping an eye on things.Joey gets it. He knows what magicians need to do a great show and he works hard to make that happen

Did you meet any country stars I hear you ask?

I’m sure we must have done because everyone is a country star in Nashville. They are just driving the Uber till the record comes out! Then on the Thursday night an entourage walked in, and they wanted to meet us after the show. We had a wonderful time talking to a chap who was obviously getting the ‘star’ treatment. We chatted for about an hour… we had no idea who we were talking to!!! When I looked him up on google, I discovered that Randy Travis was a huge star who had sold over 25 million records. And won 7 Grammys! Yes, Lady Sarah and I need to brush up on our knowledge of country music. We thought he was a super nice guy, as were the rest of his party.

So, if you like great magic. Great food, great wine and a great atmosphere, do yourself a favor and go to the House Of Cards. You never know who is going to be sitting on the next table.
Cheers

Keith Fields