(Hank) Moorehouse 1934 – 2011 - The Society of American Magicians

Newsworthy
An Open Letter to
All Magicians:
Save money while you’re saving the world! In continuing
efforts to support United States Armed Forces, The Society of
American Magicians has recently begun offering discounted
membership fees to active military personnel. Active military
personnel have the opportunity to join or renew their membership
in the S.A.M. at the reduced rate of $35.00 at www.societyofamericanmagicians.memberlodge.org/memberappSAM.
This
membership includes monthly issues of M-U-M online and other
member benefits.
I was recently appointed by S.A.M. President Mark Weidhaas
to the position of Military Member Liaison. To make the new
program effective, I will need the help of every magician who is
or has been in the military or who knows someone who is.
Additionally, we are making every effort to connect new
military members with the nearest assembly. We encourage those
assemblies to extend personal and financial courtesies to the
military members. Please let us know about any incentives your
assembly offers to encourage participation by military personnel.
Future issues of M-U-M will make special mention of these
men and women who protect and serve Americans. Please help
me with this endeavor by sending me contact information for any
member of your assembly who is connected to any of the Armed
Forces so that I can introduce myself to them personally.
I sincerely thank you for helping us promote
this worthwhile endeavor. I believe this program
offers a win-win-win situation. It benefits the
new members, the assemblies, and magic!
10 M-U-M Magazine
scott hollingsworth,military member liaison
scott@scotthollingsworth.com
Convention in
One Night 2011
Is it possible to have a magic convention in one night? Absolutely!
May 3, 2011, marked the Rhode Island Societies of
Magicians fifth Convention in One Night, and it was a great
success. Bruce Kalver did a fantastic job of organizing the event,
which included close-up and stage shows, as well as lectures and
a dealer area. Many guests were
in attendance, including S.A.M.
President Mark Weidhaas and
Eric Jones, who was recently
featured in an M-U-M cover
story.
The night opened with some
great close-up magic from
Mark Weidhaas and Eric Jones.
Mark, looking very dapper,
performed an excellent set of
magic. His performance was
both baffling and entertaining.
Eric performed some nice card
Alexanderia
magic, and demonstrated his
skill with coins, performing
much of the magic in the
spectator’s hands.
A quick break gave the
crowd some time to shop.
Diamond’s Magic was the
main attraction in the dealer
area, with a large assortment
of books, videos, effects, and
props. Tony Karpinski was
also on hand, displaying his
beautiful hand-crafted effects. As folks shopped, the professional
performers mingled with the crowd. Eric Jones was kind enough
to offer advice on a book purchase, giving his seal of approval.
There was plenty to learn from the evening’s three lecturers.
Mark Weidhaas taught the history and secrets behind his highly
successful character, Inspector Magic. Mark was completely
comfortable going in and
out of character, switching
between performing and
teaching. He touched upon
character development and
the importance of family
magic. Mark also offered
tips on using a common
thread throughout your performance.
Tony Gangi
With twenty-three years
of experience, Bob Carroll
presented a great lecture
on performing school magic. He explained the business side of
magic, as well as audience management and keeping the adults
interested. The final lecturer, Eric Jones, taught some fantastic
close-up magic, including the
Invisible Cigarette, a truly
amazing effect, and a great
three-coin routine using ungimmicked
coins.
During the course of the
evening, Mark Weidhaas
presented Presidential
Citations to Bob Carroll and
Bruce Kalver for their many
years of dedication to the art
of magic.
Updates From oUr
s.a.m. members
Eric Jones
Bob Carroll
The night ended with a great stage show. Bob Carroll opened
with a hilarious ventriloquism routine, even bringing Bruce
Kalver into the act. Vinny Grosso took a more serious approach,
performing magic with cards and silks. Getting back to the
humorous side was Tony Gangi and his whacky sideshow.
Mark Weidhaas brought us back to more traditional magic,
performing magic with money and changing the color of 45-rpm
records. Alexanderia is one of the few female escape artists in the
world, and she was kind enough to take the stage as well. Eric
Jones closed the show with a polished set of magic.
Huge thanks to Bruce Kalver for organizing everything, and
to all of the guests and performers who made this a most enjoyable
convention. —Chris natale