March 27-29,1998, Hollywood, California

by Trixie Bond, Houston, Texas

If you are a woman who performs magic and you missed the 2nd annual Women-in-Magic Conference what a shame! Once again, forty women from across the United States and Europe met in Los Angeles, March 27-29, 1998 for three days packed full (If workshops, lectures and camaraderie.

This conference is not so much about "how to do a trick" as it is a sharing of philosophy and ideas. I would also like to point out that the Women-in-Magic Conference is NOT a women against men-in-magic conference by any stretch of the imagination. It's just a special time for women to compare notes, give encouragement, raise each other's self-esteem, and to see our magic from a woman's perspective. As Carolyn Rees, an attendee from Akron, Ohio put it: "The Women-in-Magic Conference had more of a soft sell approach than your typical magic convention; it was a giving of information in a calm, thought provoking, non-threatening environment. It made me feel like part of a powerful group, and no one held back. The best part was there was none of the political garbage we so often see in our jobs. Everyone wanted everyone to succeed."

The conference opened with a cocktail reception in honor of Celeste Evans. How fitting for Celeste to be honored, because on the Monday following the conference, she was inducted into the SAM Hall of Fame. (On a personal note, Celeste was the first female magician I ever saw perform. I remember being 9 or 10 years old and seeing her magically knot silks and do breathtaking dove

her inducted into the Hall of Fame was the icing on the cake to the conference.)

Celeste was also our dinner speaker. As she described her career, which took her around the world several times, one underlying message came through loud and clear: "For a woman to succeed in magic, she needs lots of determination, ambition, self-discipline and high self-esteem." Celeste survived many prejudices as she paved the way for other female magicians and pushed open the door to the traditionally male domain of magic.

Following dinner, Hollywood acting coach Christina Hart, assisted by two of her acting students, demonstrated a series of exercises to learn character development, stage movement and dialogue techniques. She pointed out that we all need a strong knowledge of self to be convincing on stage as we're playing the role of a magician. "When you are confident," she told us, "the audience can relax and enjoy the show."

Saturday morning came all too early for me, since it was my opportunity to lecture. .1 shared how I had been inspired by the speakers at the I st WIM Conference to move from strictly entertaining children to entering the world of corporate magic. I related some of the mistakes I made and solutions found as I made the transition into the corporate market.

Our other morning speakers included Suzanne from Minneapolis, who gave an entertaining, hands-on demonstration of how she approaches the art of restaurant magic, and Jen Adams, whose presentation showed how comedy and magic, two separate voices, can be effectively woven together. Luna Shemada, with her magnetic personality, first showed a video of her act, then gave an extremely moving and thought provoking talk on "Creating More Powerful Magic."

The afternoon's speakers included the eloquent Gay Blackstone, leaving no doubt that she was a pillar of strength and knowledge behind her late husband, Harry Blackstone, Jr. Gay will keep the Blackstone name alive in magic for years to come. Joanie Spina (David Copperfield's choreographer and main assistant for 12 years) gave her first-ever

(top): Joanie Spina advised on "Putting Your Act Together. (bottom): Sarah Stevenson of LA. in WIM's fashion show.

lecture for our conference. She advised us on "Putting Your Act Together," gracefully emphasizing how magic, movement, music and mind must all work together.

Saturday evening, the over-21 participants spent an enjoyable night out at the Magic Castle. Highlights of the evening included getting to know one another in this relaxed social atmosphere; Suzanne's dazzling performance in the Close-up Theater; and for some of the night owl types, a hilarious, bar-side demonstration by one of the women (who shall remain nameless) of "How to Suck the Pimento Out of an Olive"! Oh, my!

Sunday morning we were all assured that the future of magic is in good hands, as we watched New Jersey's Brittany Malatesta, a.k.a. "The Lizard Wizard," California's own Sarah Stevenson, and North Carolina's Katy and Allie Rose (Texans by birth) in "The Next Generation Stage Show." It was astonishing to see the diversity of costuming and characterizations, and all the effort, thought and practice that had obviously gone into their acts, not to mention the fact that they brought in lizards, snakes, frogs, doves and illusions just for us!

The 2nd Annual WIM concluded with a brunch followed by an impromptu presentation of what it takes to get on

television, by Bob Markwood, filling in for our scheduled speaker, Gary Ouellet, who was unable to reach the hotel due to heavy traffic. After Anne White expressed her thanks to everyone and door prizes were given out, our close-knit group disbanded.