Get your tickets now for South Tynside 2010!    

Taking place Friday 12th March, Saturday 13th March, Sunday 14th March 2010 at the Customs House, South Shields.

TICKETS SELLING FAST

Here are just some of the names confirmed so far:

Lennart Green

The 1991 FISM World Champion Close-Up Magician.  There is no one else in the world quite like Sweden's Lennart Green. He is a true original, both in life and in magic, and this originality really shines through in this incredible and hilarious performances. He is in constant demand all over the world, including his tour de force appearance on NBC's World's Greatest Magic. Lennart Green does things with a deck of cards that no one else has ever done before.
Just how good is Lennart Green? Well, some years ago he competed at the F.I.S.M. World Championship of Magic. He lost! Why? Because his was so thoroughly amazing and impossible that the judges accused him of cheating and using trick cards! Fast forward to the next F.I.S.M. Lennart performed the same act, but this time the judges were satisfied that Lennart was indeed using a straight deck. When the dust had settled. It wasn't even close. They had no choice but to award Lennart Green the title of World Champion Magician!

Witness the most incredibly original display of card magic ever seen!

Joshua Quinn

You will know Joshua from his marketed effects – Conjunction, Paralies and Ascension.

We will see his lecture before he takes it on the road in the US this spring.  Rather than being simply a series of disjointed effects and explanations, it provides an overview of his unusual approach to performing and creating mentalism.  Of course there are effects taught as part of that, including items from his book ParaLies in their most current form; additional work on his "chunneling" technique; his character reading and zodiac sign revelation effect, "Ascension"; and some new, currently unpublished material.

Brad Manuel

Brad Manuel has been a full-time professional magician & comedian since 1993.  He has worked just about every type of function and venue you can think of across 15 countries and has done shows ranging from Comedy Club Shows, Corporate Stand Up Shows, Roving Close Up to Kids & Family shows,.  He recently was booked at The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas to perform his Funny Tricks Comedy Show where in an encore he was challenged to perform in his underwear (who hasn’t done that in Vegas) live onstage – Of course he accepted the challenge AND GOT PAID FOR IT!!  He is internationally renowned as being the original creator & inventor of best selling effects such as: BUCKETHEAD, BOWLING BALL BLITZ, CREDIT CARD FRAUD, THE HEAT IS ON, SCHNAPPS SHOT and more, not to mention his record breaking dice stacking. Brad brings his unique “Aussie”  humour to everything he does and always has a great time doing it!

Wayne Dobson

Wayne is an icon in magic.Michael J Fitch will present an Audience with Wayne Dobson.  This will include a lot of footage of Wayne throughout the years, most of which has never been seen. At the age of 16 Dobson started to pick up work on a semi-professional basis at local clubs. In 1977 he won joint first prize in the close-up competition at the International Brotherhood of Magicians British Ring Convention. This led to his television debut on the BBC show Blue Peter. Encouraged by this success Dobson decided at the age of 21 to become a full-time professional magician.

Wayne had developed a style of magic based around fast-talking patter and one-liner humour. It won him work as an opening act on tours with top UK performers such as Freddie Starr, Shirley Bassey and the Shadows. He also began getting guest slots on television shows. In 1988 he was hired as a support act for Engelbert Humperdinck on a tour of America, where he won positive attention and got experience of major entertainment centres such as Las Vegas. Back in the UK he was asked to perform in the 1989 Royal Variety Show at the London Palladium, where he scored a great success with an act in which he was assisted by boxer Frank Bruno and sports commentator Harry Carpenter. Later that year he made regular guest appearances on the Joe Longthorne television show. This led to him being offered his own TV series. Wayne Dobson - A Kind of Magic was aired nationally on Saturday nights on the ITV network and at its high point had audiences of 11 million. In total, three series were commissioned.

Simon Drake

Simon's TV series – The Secret Cabaret - broke new ground because it was the first to present dark entertainment, a forerunner to the offbeat TV magic of Criss Angel and David Blaine. It has earned him an international cult following and was praised by TV critics and nominated for a Royal Television Society award, unusual for a magic production.

The shows proved to be way ahead of their time and many prominent magicians including the vastly knowledgeable Patrick Page cite it as the best TV magic ever made.

The 12 half-hour programs consisted of a mix of the bizarre and surreal along with traditional magic illusions, often performed with gruesome twists. Originally conceived by Simon Drake, this unique TV series featured some of the most visually stunning and shocking illusions ever to be seen in the history of television.

Simon has never performed at a magic convention and never will – he has even turned down FISM!

Want to know why?  Why did he stop after 2 series?

Simon has agreed to a first; a live video interview in which he will not only talk about the TV series that launched his career but also what he is doing now and take questions from the audience.

Tim Sonefelt

Tim Sonefelt has been performing professionally since 1988 and full time since 2001. His specialties include kid and family shows and his focus is on the school/library and church markets. Tim currently writes for the KIDabra Journal, the official publication of KIDabra International as well as his Kidshows Matter column for MUM Magazine.

Tim has lectured all over the United States and performed across the country for corporate and family audiences. With dozens of original effects to his credit, he launched Wonder Imagery in 2004. Wonder Imagery produces the finest printed silks in the world with the exclusive black hem. This venture also brings to life the possibility for custom silks from your digital artwork.

Tim most recently started CreativityAtSea.com with co-founder Barry Mitchell (although it was mostly Tim's idea!). Tim's performances and lectures will tickle your funny bone, inspire your creativity and encourage you to perform at your very best.

Richard McDougall

He will give the lecture he gave at Magic Live called What Is Magic? There are no tricks in it, and in places it is fairly hard hitting on the general state of magic at present, and the key elements that he feels are missing.  He shows an eclectic range of clips in it, from athletics to Buster Keaton, to show how effective they are because these elements are present.

Jeton, Germany, Juggler

Desired by the ladies, admired by the gentlemen, they have always occupied a special place among variety artists - the gentleman jugglers.

Jeton, who is today probably the only specimen of this elegant breed, takes the trappings of high society and incorporates them into his unconventional performances.

Walking cane, coin, cigar and billiard cues - even a large mirror glides through the air and is caught and balanced in a most extraordinary fashion. The remarkable dexterity with which he juggles balls and top hats proves just how rich and varied a juggler's repertoire can be.

The sensational climax of his act is the ultimate balancing feat - Jeton is the only juggler in the world who balances billiard cues and a billiard ball on his chin. As the discerning eye will recognise: a minor masterpiece.

Roguish charm, champagne and charisma make Jeton a juggler for connoisseurs to savour.

For further details and tickets call Karri Prinn 0191 4247986. Or Visit:

 http://www.southtyneside.info/visitingus/magic-festival/