HomeConference 2021

Conference 2021 - Was held between the 15th to 18th February

Now completed the conference was free to view virtualy due to the Covid pandemic to UK, US and German members. Take a look at the great program we had below. We hope to be back with our usual face to face conference in 2022. This will be more of the same, but with a promise of hugs from Audrey!

Your 2021 Virtual Lecturers were.....

Duane Laflin

Duane is... Well if you have never heard of Duane where have you been? One of, if not THE Christian magician of the last few decades, Duane has entertained in both christian and secular shows. A magic creator, author and true professional who has inspired and mentored hundreds of magicians over the years.

Matt Prtchard

Dr Matt Pritchard is different, good different. If you want to remain stuck in your ways then give this one a miss. If you want to see one of the world's best communicators, make sure you're there. If you want to witness a mind that makes Matt consistently rank in the finalists of the global optical illusionist competition every year, make sure you're there. If you want to challenge how you can best create the gift of wonder to your audiences, make sure you're there. This might just be the must-see event of our conference.

Morgan and West

More info when we have it from this very much loved UK double act. Their book on performing magic called "Parlour Tricks" is one of the outstanding books on magic of the last few years. Magicians, time travellers and all round spiffing chaps. The performing duo known as Morgan & West met at Oxford University. Since then they have been travelling the world (and through time) with their gentlemanly acts of legerdemain. Their latest book: Parlour Tricks is set to be a modern classic amongst magical texts as it explores the construction of a unique magical act. Their eccentric style appeals to all ages, with several tours of theatre shows for families under their waistcoats. Their magical cleverness is hidden behind their tea drinking façade, as seen in their brilliant two person code act, including on TV for shows such as Penn & Teller Fool Us and The Slammer.

Harry De Cruz

A magician, comedian and the “King of Party Tricks”. Is there anything Harry can't do? Yes: resist eating the whole box of Jaffa Cakes in one sitting. Harry has created a refreshingly unique and unforgettable performance style by combining his contemporary approach to magic along with comedy, storytelling and a never ending list of party tricks. Harry is at the forefront of the new generation of creative minds in performance theatre, making him one of the the most in-demand consultants. He writes and creates for TV shows and theatre productions. Harry spent 7 years working for Dynamo, most recently as the Lead Consultant for the much anticipated comeback TV series, “Beyond Belief”, which aired on Sky One in April 2020 , he also consulted for Dynamo’s:Seeing is Believing Live - Worldwide Arena Tour and Groundhog Day the Musical which won the Best New Musical, Olivier Award in 2017.

Jon Allen

Penn and Teller Fool Us loved him. You will love him too! British close-up magician and magical creator, Jon Allen is based in Hertfordshire. Jon is the only magician to be both British and World IBM close-up magic champion and The Magic Circle close-up magic champion. He creates all his own effects for his shows, many of which have gone on to become staple items in other magicians’ repertoires, such as ‘The Silent Treatment’. Jon has made numerous performances on TV including Penn & Teller Fool Us.

Masterclass: Mark Shortland & David O'Connor

Following last years' hugely successful masterclasses we have brought them both back for more of the same please! Mark Shortland is a British Magical Champion, Member of the Innner Magic Circle with gold star, a regular at the Magic Castle and has appeared on TV including Penn and Teller Fool us. David O'Connor has a silly moustache and owns a wooden duck. They have two classics that anybody would be capable of performing this year, with all the nuances that make their performances special. Two effects will be taught, a card effect that requires no slights and a mentalism experiment that.... well they have so many variants on this one it's got to be worth the suspense of not telling you!
Useful items: Pack of cards, a handful of coins

Jamie Doyle

A regular at our Clubhouse monthly events we are delighted that Jamie can join us. We were going to fly him over for the week, but unfortuantely that can no longer happen. So instead he will weave his magic from some exotic location in the US. Jamie has so much material of such variety that this is definitely a lecture not to be missed. Jamie Doyle has been impacting audiences of all ages with fun and exciting ministry and family entertainment for over 30 years. As a teen, he kept himself busy performing in churches, schools daycare centres and anywhere there was a community event. Since then he has travelled to minister at camps, churches, community events, and even on television. His travels have taken him all over the United States as well as special engagements around the world.

"An Evening IN of Deception" conference finale show

To finish our conference in true style, Christian Magicians UK is proud to present "An Evening IN of Deception". This is the top virtual magic show of 2021 in the UK and is a live interactive zoom show for all ages. With three stunning magic circle magicians, Richard Parsons, Kerry Scorah and Mark Shortland you will be both amazed and entertained. The night will be hosted excusivly for conference attendees plus a couple of invited guests in the UK. This show runs on a different zoom link and codes and will only be made available immediatly before the performance. US and Germany groups will be directed on how to join from their own websites. We will update this information later

Workshops & Multi Lecture Gospel Sessions

Kids Workshop

A storyteller at heart, Mark Stickland is as much at home using magic, story and drama to entertain a huge group of children at a birthday party with The Magical Storybox as he is doing so at the front of church and school assemblies to explain the Christian faith or helping secondary students understand the idea of conservation of mass and diffusion of gasses!

Mark's session will begin with a look at a recording of his child-friendly magic show and will be followed by an interactive 'Wizard Factory', where children (and young at heart) can learn some simple beginners magic and performance tecniques using everyday objects!

Workshops: Three different types

Come and choose from three different subjects from the UK and abroad. In order to join these sessions you must arrive within the first five minutes of the session opening. You will then be assigned to your breakout room where your chosen session will be presented. You will only be able to take part in one of the three workshops and will not be able to move between rooms once the individual sessions have started.

This had contibutions from Torjborn Lindblad, Roger Dunlop and Joe Ridgely

Tried and Tested Gospel Routines

Exactly as stated on the tin! Yes, it's tried and tested gospel routines for you to place straight into your shows, sermons or give you some extra ideas on how to tweak your own presentations. There are two of these sessions with multiple presenters so that we can give as much variety to suit the different environments that Christian magicians find themselves in.

Performances/Lectures by Cam Welsh, Tony Maidment, Mark Harrington and Simon Faulks

...and don't forget the Masterclass

Mark Shortland and David O'Connor are presenting two classic effects, details in the above lecturers' section. Please be assured that these have been selected so that magicians of all abilities can get the most out of the effects. The two chosen tricks will be presented, pulled apart, discussed in detail. There are no sleights to learn. The aim is that everybody can go from the session with a top level effect to spread wonder in the world. From the feedback last year this was the highest scoring workshop event we have ever had by miles. It's great to have them both back with us.

PLUS ...

Morning Prayer

We would like to give you the oportunity to join with us in morning prayer. Come and start your day right with us. We have a dedicated team just for these four very special sessions.

After Show Party

Straight after the shows in the evening we will be having an after show party. Please be aware that this may open a bit later than advertised if the lecture/show goes on slightly longer than expected. Please just wait and somebody will be along later to let you in as soon as we can.

Also please note that this has a different start time each day.