WOMEN-IN-MAGIC CONFERENCE

By Tara Casanova

The second annual Women-in-Magic Conference in Hollywood was once again a monumental experience for those who attended. Anne White, best known for her photos of magicians, organized the conference and put on a series of presentations that kept us running and left us exhausted and exhilarated by Sunday. It was a wonderful weekend worth repeating again and again.

During the days, the group was educated and entertained with impressive lectures. Luna taught us about using an exploration of self to create a powerful performance. Gay Blackstone spoke of the necessity for persistence combined with charm to achieve success as a woman in the world of entertainment. Joanie Spina emphasized the importance of orchestrating an act with peaks and valleys like a rollercoaster, and got everyone up to learn firsthand how to move gracefully onstage. Suzanne demonstrated magic in a restaurant setting, then told us how she uses her magic to help the restaurant staff provide a memorable evening for their guests. Jen Adams spoke on the principles of comedy, then showed clips of some of her favorite comedians. Trixie Bond told us how last year's conference inspired her attempt to break into corporate magic, and detailed what it took to successfully achieve her goals. And Anne White emphasized the importance of effective, professional publicity materials and showed us a range of good and bad examples.

Celeste Evans, 1998 Women-in-Magic Conference honoree, speaks at opening evening reception.
[Right] Sunday morning teen-agers show [left to right]: Allie & Katy Rose, Sarah Stevenson, Brittany Malatesta.

The conference opened Friday evening with a reception honoring Celeste Evans, who was to be inducted into the SAM Hall of Fame the following Monday. Over dinner, Celeste shared stories of her career in magic. She radiates confidence and humor, pro viding a shining example of what women can do in a male-dominated profession. After dinner, we all participated in an acting class, conducted by Hollywood acting coach, Christina Hart. Two of her students demonstrated a series of exercises, then invited the rest of us onstage to try it ourselves, in what turned out to be a hilarious, action packed two hours. The evening concluded with a fashion show of women magicians' costuming options, hosted by Anne White's husband, Bob Markwood. One of the biggest treats of the weekend was the Saturday night at the Magic Castle. Our hostess was the delightful Irene Larsen, who made sure that the women from the conference felt like true VIPs. Suzanne, one of our conference participants, stole the evening as she gave a special performance just for us in the Close-up Room.

Sunday morning, we enjoyed three acts by teenagers. Brittany Malatesta, the Lizard Wizard, produced a variety of snakes, frogs, and iguanas, concluding with a six-foot-long boa constrictor. Then Sarah Stevenson performed some of the classics of magic, including the dancing cane linking rings. The final gypsy-themed act was put on by sisters, Katy & Allie Rose. Unfortunately, Gary Ouellet, who had been scheduled to speak on how to get to get on TV, got stuck in traffic due Marathon, and never made it. But Bob Markwood filled in, and was able to give us many useful tips from his Professional Performer's Workshop. The beautiful thing about the conference was that it was small enough for us to form a tightly-knit group. With 42 participants, all the women were accessible, so I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with several stars of the magic world, women I never dreamed I would be able to spend this kind of time with. Another amazing thing was the diversity of the participants. Women came from as far away as Alaska and Germany, and ranged in age from irrepressible teen-agers to - oh well - an age where you don't ask.

Since women in magic are so few and far between, I believe we will always find unity, strength and happiness spending time together. The Women-in-Magic Conference provides us with this opportunity. It was truly an unforgettable experience.