Showing posts with label Darcy Oake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Darcy Oake. Show all posts

27 December 2022

ICYMI: Plaque rededication on the 100th anniversary of the International Brotherhood of Magicians

On June 6th, Dean Gunnarson participated in a rededication of a plaque at the building where it all started over 100 years ago.

 

From the June 5th article, "Winnipeg still a magic city 100 years after international organization’s founding" by Sam Thompson at Global News

Internationally-known illusionist and comedy magician Brian Glow says the brotherhood, which is the largest organization of magicians in the world, was founded in Winnipeg in 1922.

The city’s long history of magic — which includes a 1923 performance by the legendary Harry Houdini, who escaped from a straightjacket 30 feet above a downtown building — is largely due to its geographic location.

....

Although the brotherhood became so popular that it moved to the U.S. less than a decade after its founding, Gunnarson said the city has a long history of famed magicians to this day — from himself and Glow to the likes of Doug Henning, Darcy Oake, and Greg Wood.

“Sometimes we don’t appreciate things in our own backyard… and Winnipeg has such a vibrant, rich history of politicians, entertainers — and of course magic,” Gunnarson said.

Read more.

 

From the June 6th article "'The magic city': 100th anniversary of International Brotherhood of Magicians marked in Winnipeg, where it all started" by Devon McKendrick at CTV News Winnipeg:

IBM was started by three magicians, including Len Vintus, who is from Transcona, in 1922, and now the organization has around 15,000 members with local groups in more than 88 countries.

"He created the world's largest magic organization with no computer, no smartphone, no fax machine, all with a typewriter and a mimeograph machine," said Dean Gunnarson, who is a Winnipeg escape artist.

The IBM was created to connect magicians who lived outside major cities and were unable to attend magic club meetings.

"(Vintus) promoted magic, the City of Winnipeg, the Province of Manitoba. He was a real ambassador for this city and province and, of course, magic."

Read more.


From the June 29th article "World’s largest magic club celebrates 100th anniversary, Winnipeg roots" by Cody Sellar in the Free Press Community Review:

To celebrate the anniversary, local members held a ceremony at the original headquarters on June 6, recreating the unveiling of the 1986 historical building plaque by setting the veil ablaze.

Transconian Melvin McMullen, better known by the stage name Len Vintus, founded the organization in 1922 at the age of 19. He rented an office on the seventh floor of the building at Main Street and William Avenue and set to work.

“He was absolutely driven. Wore a suit and tie and vest every day of his life that I knew him, until he went to the hospital with a stroke,” said Dean Gunnarson, a Winnipeg escape artist who became friends with McMullen until his death in 1999.

...

The Winnipeg ring has now morphed into the Magic Club of Winnipeg, run in part by brotherhood member Carey Lauder. He’s helped teach a host of young magicians, including Darcy Oake. He said for some kids, magic provides a crucial confidence boost.

“It’s like kid Toastmasters,” he said, citing parents who told him their children gained the self-assurance to speak up in class and other such things.

Lauder, who also works at the magic counter at Toad Hall Toys, said McMullen’s legacy is a point of pride for the Winnipeg magic community.

...

Gunnarson said his tombstone is carved in the shape of the province and inscribed with the title: “Mr. Manitoba.”


Read more.







11 August 2022

Darcy Oake tour [October]

Buy your tickets through https://darcyoake.com/tour/

 

From the August 9th Instagram post by Darcy Oake:

Canada 🇨🇦 it’s going down!! Couldn’t be more excited to hit the road this October! Ticket presale starts tomorrow using the code ‘DarcyLive’ Link in bio! Tickets officially on sale this Friday (Aug 12)

 

 

 

 

07 January 2022

ICYMI: Darcy Oake received the “Mandrake d’Or”

From the October 12th, 2021 Facebook post by Darcy Oake:

Honoured to receive the “Mandrake D’or” award in Paris yesterday!

 

 

24 October 2021

Saudi Arabia: Darcy Oake joins Champions of Magic - Riyadh

Updated October 26th to add:


 

From the October 20th article "Rap star Pitbull to launch Riyadh Season with sold-out concert" by Lojien Ben Gassem in Arab News:

There will be 16 events this month alone — WWE Crown Jewel on Oct. 21, Rush Gaming Festival from Oct. 22 to 26, the Crystal Maze live experience on Oct. 22, the Global Town Festival on Oct. 27, the Champions of Magic show on Oct. 27, and the Messi 10 Cirque Du Soleil show on Oct. 29.
 
Read more.

 

From the October 23rd Instagram post by Harry De Cruz:

 


09 April 2021

Darcy Oake in the season finale of Hudson and Rex (and interview with Franz Harary)

Updated April 10th to add:

  • screen shots of Darcy's appearance added to the end of the Hudson and Rex segment.

 

Darcy is guest starring on the season finale of Hudson and Rex, next Tuesday at 9pm EST on CityTV! 

(At the bottom of the post is Franz Harary Talking Magic with Darcy Oake.  They talk about touring Canada, Britain’s Got Talent and his 200 million viewers, The Illusionists on Broadway and oh yes, performing for Queen Elisabeth. )


From the April 7th Facebook post by Darcy Oake:


[with thanks to Peter Mennie for the tip!]

 

 

From the February 16th Facebook post by Darcy Oake:




 

14 December 2020

Darcy Oake: Virtual (Dec 19) and interview with Steve Spade

December 19:  Exclusive UK and North America showtimes.

Go to DarcyOake.com for tickets, more information, and easter eggs!


In addition, Darcy was recently interviewed by Steve Spade on the Deceive Reality podcast.  Have a listen to episode 19:





From Darcy's November 14th Instagram post:




14 March 2020

Darcy Oake in The Sunday Post

From the March 8th article "VIDEO: Illusionist Darcy Oake on how Britain’s Got Talent changed his life and his upcoming Edinburgh and Glasgow shows" by Ross Crae in The Sunday Post:
I started performing magic when I was really young, probably about seven or eight years old. It was actually completely by accident, I was at home and my dad was playing with a deck of cards. He knows zero magic, no tricks or anything. He told me to pick a card, so I picked one, looked at it, put it back in the pack and he was playing it off like he was a pro magician and said he was going to find my card. He did it and I was absolutely blown away, I had no idea how to explain how he did it.

He tortured me, wouldn’t tell me the secret for months and then finally I learned it was a complete accident! That month where I didn’t know how it worked played with my head and I was just so fascinated and adamant on learning how to do it. It’s crazy to look back on, if that trick hadn’t turned out like that…

Read more.

08 December 2019

Darcy Oake: How to do magic on TV

From Darcy Oake's November 19 Instagram post:

A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.



A post shared by Darcy Oake (@darcyoake) on

03 December 2019

ICYMI: Darcy Oake and Chris Ramsay in "A Series of Impossible Events!"

In case you missed this 2016 collaboration between Darcy and Chris.


From Darcy Oake's YouTube channel:
This video was done in one continuous take. No cuts. No camera tricks.


11 November 2019

An Evening with Darcy Oake in the UK

From AXS:
  • SAT 21 MAR - Northumbria Institute, Newcastle    
  • SUN 22 MAR - The Caves, Edinburgh   
  • MON 23 MAR - St Luke's, Glasgow 
  • TUE 24 MAR - The Rescue Rooms, Nottingham    
  • WED 25 MAR - Arts Club, Liverpool  
  • THU 26 MAR - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds   
  • FRI 27 MAR - O2 Academy 3 Birmingham, Birmingham  
  • SAT 28 MAR - Manchester Academy 3, Manchester    
  • SUN 29 MAR - Thekla Bristol, Bristol    
  • MON 30 MAR - Komedia Brighton, The Lanes    
  • TUE 31 MAR -  Islington Assembly Hall, London    
Read more and buy tickets.




10 October 2019

Darcy Oake's "BGT: The Champions" semi-final performance

A reminder that Darcy performs one night only at London’s Leicester Square Theatre on October 31st!

From the Britain's Got Talent YouTube channel, watch as Darcy Oake turns back time to honour his brother:


A note to subscribers: the content of this post is embedded from another website and is not available to preview. To view the content of the post, please visit http://CanadasMagic.blogspot.com. Some of the embedded code may be visible in this notification.




From Darcy Oake's Twitter feed:




14 September 2019

Darcy Oake on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions

From the September 13th article "OAKE DOKEY! Darcy Oake confirmed for Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions – but when was he last on the show and what has he done since?" by Shanique Joseph in The Sun:
DARCY Oake will compete in Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions TOMORROW in the hope of being crowned the ultimate champion.

Read more.


From BGT's Twitter feed:

28 December 2018

Review: The Illusionists

From the November 28th article "'The Illusionists — Magic of the Holidays': Theater Review" by Frank Scheck in the Hollywood Reporter:
Shin Lim, who pocketed a cool $1 million as an America's Got Talent champion, performs sleight-of-hand card tricks. While close-up magic inevitably loses something in a large auditorium (even if you're sitting down front, you inevitably wind up looking at the video screens), the young magician is such a master of his craft that it doesn't matter. His fluid movements are beautifully choreographed and executed, achieving a near poeticism enhanced by his slyly confident manner.

Oake delivers some of the evening's most lavish illusions, including several in which he miraculously appears and disappears. His muscled, tattooed physique and shaved head make him appear far more threatening than he actually is. Plenty of magicians perform a bit in which they make doves appear out of thin air, for instance, but not many seem fond enough of the birds to kiss them.

Read more.

17 July 2018

Windsor: Darcy Oake at Caesars Windsor

From Caesars Windsor:
Darcy Oake ALL AGES (RESCHEDULED DATE): Thursday, August 16, 3 pm & 8 pm.

Finalist in 2014 Britain’s Got Talent, entertaining performance artist and talented illusionist, Darcy Oake performs his logic-defying act live at The Colosseum for an ALL AGES show.

Over 200 million viewers tuned in to Britain's Got Talent to witness the birth of a phenomenon: the unveiling of an electrifying new illusionist, Darcy Oake. From sleight of hand to death-defying escapades, this master magician grabbed the world's attention, ushering in an exciting new era of an age-old art form. Oake is a performance artist whose modern interpretation gratifies the hunger of audiences seeking spectacle and nail-biting feats of illusion. Inspired by classic sleight of hand techniques, Darcy transports the crowd to another dimension with exhilarating visuals and logic-defying exploits. After being baffled by an accidental card trick his father - award-winning Canadian sportscaster Scott Oake – showed him at eight years old, Darcy delved into the craft.

Read more and buy tickets.

27 November 2017

Darcy Oake in the Toronto Sun


From the article "Keeping the magic during holiday season" by Joanne Richard in the Toronto Sun:
Darcy, along with his parents, veteran Hockey Night in Canada sportscaster Scott and his wife, Anne, committed themselves to helping others struggling with the same demons that claimed Bruce – raising $1.6 million to open the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre in Winnipeg. The non-profit facility will provide treatment, resources and skills necessary for residents to successfully re-enter society.

Today, the electrifying illusionist (who is actually preparing a mind-blowing act for The Illusionists show running through the holiday season Dec. 12 to Jan. 7 at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto) says he found wonder and purpose not only in his career in magic, but in working with his parents to keep his brother’s memory alive through helping others.

Read more.


07 October 2017

Toronto: "The Illusionists – Live From Broadway" buy 1 get 1 for only $1!

From Mirvish.com:
December 12 to January 7, 2018

This year's illusionists: Darcy Oake (The Grand Illusionist), Jeff Hobson (The Trickster), An Ha Lim (The Manipulator), Charlie Frye (The Eccentric), Raymond Crowe (The Unusualist), Colin Cloud (The Deductionist), and Jonathan Goodwin (The Daredevil).

Read more.


From Smart Canucks:
Mirvish Toronto are celebrating Thanksgiving by offering a promotion on tickets. Buy 1 get 1 for only $1! But hurry because only 100 tickets per selected performance are available. Use the promo code GIVE17 to get this deal.

Included in this promotion:

The Illusionists – Live From Broadway
Princess of Wales Theatre
DECEMBER 12, 2017 – JANUARY 7, 2018
Valid on price 1 and 2 for the following performances:
DECEMBER 12, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 13, 1:30PM
DECEMBER 13, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 14, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 19, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 20, 1:30PM
DECEMBER 20, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 21, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 22, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 23, 1:30PM
DECEMBER 23, 7:30PM
DECEMBER 24, 1:30PM

This offer ends Sunday October 8 at 11:59pm EST or while quantities last. All prices are in Canadian dollars and include 13% HST and $3.25 CIF. Seating restrictions apply. Offers are not valid on premium seats.

Click here to buy your tickets at Mirvish.

Read more.

17 June 2017

Calgary and Orillia: Darcy Oake

From the Calgary Herald:
Oake’s final appearance that won him the contest is not actually an illusion.

He is strapped into a straitjacket and suspended by his ankles with a rope attached to a massive human bear trap that is programmed to snap shut in 58 seconds.

Watching him struggle to escape is truly nerve wracking.

Oake insists that mind-boggling escape pales in comparison to the water escape he will do when he appears at the Grey Eagle Casino Event Centre at 8 p.m. on June 23.

Read more.


From Darcy Oake's Facebook page:
Pre-sale on NOW for the show at Casino Rama Resort in Ontario Sept 23rd!







13 April 2017

Darcy Oake in CBC News Manitoba

See Darcy June 6 and 7 at the Burton Cummings Theatre in Winnipeg.

Watch Darcy's segment on CTV Morning Live.

From CBC News Manitoba:
Illusionist Darcy Oake will wow fans at two shows in Winnipeg in June, and 100 per cent of the proceeds will go toward the construction of a new addiction treatment centre he says his hometown sorely needs.

Oake skyrocketed to fame three years ago after appearing on Britain's Got Talent, and now he's turning his attention toward an issue that is close to his heart.

Oake's brother Bruce Oake died after an overdose six years ago. The family started the Bruce Oake Foundation to raises awareness of addiction issues and fundraise for a long-term treatment centre like the one Bruce attended in Alberta.

Read more.