Congratulations to Sean O’Shea who was accepted into the Inner Circle of the BAM at our November meeting. The Inner Circle consists of magicians twenty years of age and over called from the Outer Circle. These are experienced magicians who have proven themselves at club meetings and public shows to be of a high standard of performance; demonstrable by such things as individual style, speciality acts, originality and showmanship.

Members of the BAM performed a special charity show at Selwyn Village in Point Chevalier in recognition of Houdini Day. The event marks the anniversary of the passing of legendary entertainer Harry Houdini, who died on the 31st of October 1926. Pictured from left are Alan Worman, Gail and Graham Bennett, Tony Wilson GMM, Sean O’Shea, Stan Goudge, Stefan Sageman, Mr Goodtimes, Bill Boyle, Malcolm Silverman and Wayne Rogers GMM.

Congratulations to the recipient of the 2014 Wizard’s Award : Brian Oakes. The Wizard’s Award is presented annually to the BAM member who has won the most monthly competitions for the best magic presented at our meetings, as voted by members.

Stan Goudge was presented with a BAM Presidential Citation in recognition of decades of service for the BAM. Stan has been President of the BAM seven times and served countless terms as Secretary. He remains an important part of the committee as Club Historian. Flowers were presented to Marie Goudge to recognise her contribution.

The BAM committee is proud to announce that the 2015 Wizard’s Award recipient will be presented with a copy of the mammoth Magic 1400s-1950s book.

Thanks to the kind donation of Gene McCarthy from International Entertainment the BAM owns a copy of the original unabridged Taschens 670 page version which is a collector’s edition and now out-of-print.

The Wizard’s Award is presented annually to the BAM member who has won the most monthly competitions for the best magic presented at our meetings, as voted by members.

Magic 1400s-1950s by Mike Caveney (Author), Jim Steinmeyer (Author), Ricky Jay (Author), Noel Daniel (Editor)

Magic has enchanted humankind for millennia, evoking terror, laughter, shock, and amazement. Once persecuted as heretics and sorcerers, magicians have always been conduits to a parallel universe of limitless possibility—whether invoking spirits, reading minds, or inverting the laws of nature by sleight of hand. Long before science fiction, virtual realities, video games and the internet, the craft of magic was the most powerful fantasy world man had ever known. As the pioneers of special effects throughout history, magicians have never ceased to mystify us by making the impossible possible.

This book celebrates more than 500 years of the stunning visual culture of the world’s greatest magicians. Featuring more than 850 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Caravaggio among others, it traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with incisive text, the book explores the evolution of the magician’s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century’s golden age of magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century’s vaudevillians.

The iconic Stevens Magic Emporium in Wichita, Kansas has announced the creation of two international magic industry awards. They are named after two individuals of whose legacies are of the highest order – the award for mentalism is titled the Annemann Award, the award for magic is titled the Robert Houdin Award.

The inductees for 2013-2014 Annemann Award are:

Docc Hilford, Jon Stetson, Ted Karmilovich, Neal Scryer, Richard Webster and Jerome Finley.

The inductee for the 2014 Robert Houdin Award is Paul Romhany.

The BAM send our congratulations to both Richard and Paul for their fantastic achievement. Having two New Zealanders honoured is a wonderful accomplishment for magic in this country.

Congratulations to the newest member of the Inner Circle of the Brotherhood of Auckland Magicians, Richard Webster. Richard is a Past President of the BAM and a recipient of the prestigious Grand Master of Magic Award. Pictured below at our November meeting performing a section of his new mentalism act with the assistance of Jo and Jess from the Andre Vegas illusion show.