Magic and Meaning 2009

October 21 - 24, 2009

Tuition: $395.00 ( $200.00 minimum deposit )

Register online now!

New for this event only

This is our Mystery School Reunion and tribute to Bob Neale, who turns 80 this year!  Dr. Larry Hass has done a wonderful job organizing new presenters for this year.  Jeff will be hosting an evening of his new works in progress; Fred Turner is back this year, coordinating the Works in Progress.  If you would like to present a PEP talk, or would like to present your Work in Progress for feedback, get in touch with Fred or Larry.

To those of you registered for Magic & Meaning (or thinking of registering – the event is filling fast!):

We have a slightly discounted rate available for attendees at the Courtyard Marriott, Green Valley, where Magic & Meaning will take place.  To get the discount, please call Marriott reservations at 1 (800) 321-2211 or (702) 434-4700.  Be sure to mention you are part of the Magic & Meaning Conference being put on by McBride Magic, Inc.

Should you encounter any difficulties, please write to tobias@yourmagic.com or call me at (702) 697-7002 and I’ll talk with the hotel on your behalf.

DESCRIPTION

The Magic and Meaning Conference is a distinctive, annual small-group conference that focuses on creating meaningful magic routines, effective scripts, and new venues for performance. If you love magic, storytelling, motivational speaking, the philosophy of magic, or want to learn more about it -- this is the place to be!

The 2009 conference will feature Keynote Addresses by Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, Robert E. Neale, and Lawrence Hass.  The conference also features a number of Short Talks by conference attendees on subjects relating to the themes of the conference.  To submit a proposal for a Short Talk, please go to the "Call for Presentations" for complete information.

Beyond the conference presentations and special shows, the conference will offer interactive small group sessions as well as "works in progress" shows where we create a safe and fun space to try new ideas and get valuable feedback on your magic.

In addition, Las Vegas guest magicians will stop by to offer their advice. You are also invited to attend 2 of the Las Vegas Magickal community's annual events: THE LAS VEGAS WITCHES AND WIZARDS BALL, and BONE DANCE -- an evening of storytelling, drumming, and dancing around a sacred fire circle in the Nevada desert!

Preliminary Schedule (subject to change)

Day 1: Wednesday, October 21, 2009

8:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m.: Opening Night party at MCBRIDE'S HOUSE OF MYSTERY
(Feel free to bring one guest of your choice.)
Meet and greet our magical community!

Day 2: Thursday, October 22, 2009

9:00: Arrival at the hotel meeting room
9:00-9:30: Registration and greetings
9:30-12:15: Conference events and programming
12:15-1:30: Lunch break
1:30-5:00: Conference events and programming
5:00-7:00: Dinner break
7:00-?:  Evening events and SHOWTIME:  MAGIC WITH MEANING, starring Jeff McBride, Eugene Burger, Larry Hass, and other guest performers.

Day 3: Friday, October 23, 2009

8:00-9:00: Acbrabreakfast! Meet friends in the hotel lobby or at Blueberry Hill across the street.
9:00-12:00:  Conference events and programming
12:00-1:15: Lunch break
1:15-4:30: Conference events and programming
4:30-10:00: Dinner break and evening activities (to be announced)
10:00-2:00: Las Vegas WITCHES AND WIZARD'S BALL. (Costumes encouraged but not required, and may be worn to the show.)

Day 4: Saturday, October 24, 2009

9:00-10:00: Acbrabreakfast!  Meet friends in the hotel lobby or at Blueberry Hill across the street.
10:00-12:30: Conference events and programming
12:30-1:30: Lunch break
1:30-4:15:  Conference events and programming
4:15: Closing, early dinner with friends, and safe travels!

Saturday evening events: your choice of:
* BONEDANCE: an all night drum and dance fire ritual under the desert stars.
* Or go see a Las Vegas Show on your own, or with your friends and family!

Saturday evening events: your choice of:

* BONEDANCE: an all night drum and dance fire ritual under the desert stars.
* Or go see a Las Vegas Show on your own, or with your friends and family!

Register online now!

Teachers
Jeff McBride

Widely acclaimed as the most innovative and exciting star of magic in our time. In addition to his work as a performer, McBride is in demand as a teacher and lecturer for magicians and lay audiences. With Eugene Burger he conducts regular intensive Master Class session in Las Vegas, and has lectured for groups as diverse as the Smithsonian and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

For more information about Jeff McBride, visit http://www.mcbridemagic.com
Eugene Burger

When the leading international trade journal MAGIC magazine compiled its list of the most influential magicians of the twentieth century, Eugene Burger was included for his ability to "arouse feelings of astonishment, as well as a host of other indescribable sensations." He has written sixteen best-selling books for magicians, starred in five critically acclaimed instructional video tapes, and lectured to magicians’ groups in over a dozen countries.

For more information about Eugene Burger, visit http://www.magicbeard.com
Larry Hass, Ph.D.

Dr. Lawrence Hass is Professor of Humanities at Austin College (in Sherman, Texas), where he teaches classes in aesthetics, phenomenology, the history and theory of magic, and magic performance.  He is also an accomplished performer who has worked his artistic wonders from coast to coast in such leading venues at the world famous Magic Castle and the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas.

Larry is also a columnist for MAGIC magazine and the author of the acclaimed book for magicians, Transformations:  Creating Magic Out of Tricks.  Finally, Larry is the Founding Director of the Theory and Art of Magic, an enterprise that creates magic events-performances and lectures-to educate the general public about the depth, complexity, and artistry of magic and produces books, workshops, educational programs, and conferences for magicians designed to help them achieve excellence in their work as performers.

Robert E. Neale

Robert E. Neale is a free-lance writer, magician and author of numerous books and essays on psychology and religion, as well as a prolific inventor and author of magic tricks and origami folds. Among his publications in magic are Bunny Bill; Transaction; Trapdoor Card; Tricks of the Imagination; Folding Money Fooling; Life, Death & Other Card Tricks; and with Eugene Burger, Magic and Meaning. He has also just completed an instructional video, Celebration of Sides: the Nonsense World of Robert Neale. Dr. Neale lives and invents in Vermont.