The blog was in full force at Mystify Magic Festival. If we did our job right, nobody realized we were super cool magic bloggers, but we were taking notes. We are immensely thankful to all involved for putting on the event. There were a lot of really important discussions going on, and seeing the turnout made me so incredibly proud of the magic community. There really is a first time for everything!
Day one launched with a lot of enthusiasm in the air. There were crowds of people meeting up with friends from previous conventions, and once the event was underway we were free to look around the dealer’s hall. Frankly at this point I was most interested in purchasing water. I was certainly reminded we were in the desert and I would have traded my kingdom for a Lota Bowl.
I appreciated the section dedicated to the history of women in magic. There was not a lot of information, but I do not blame the event for that; rather, I blame how often women have been overlooked over the course of our art. A group of magicians spent some time jamming and did some really fantastic magic, some that had clearly been honed for audiences, some clearly meant for busking, and some just felt like unscripted jamming.
Howling at the moon was an unusual event to have scheduled. And I do mean it very literally. A group of people staring at the moon and howling like wolves. There is something beautifully symbolic about it given the feminine associations of the moon. Unfortunately magicians only seem to understand directions in terms of the stage. After a false start of yelling at the sky from the wrong end of the casino, the wandering band of misplaced theater kids meandered throughout the casino gathering more lost souls for the ritual.
The night was capped off with a brilliant stage show headed by a wonderful speech from Leah Orleans. Juliana Chen was a major highlight for me, I didn’t think I would enjoy card manipulation so much but it really did make me feel like a kid again. Rachel Wax was hysterical and as a cat person, I must concede the pug with a shiny bowtie was absolutely darling.
Day two was really a high point for me. There were plenty of amazing lectures. I am hesitant to mention any in particular for fear of being discovered, but I will say I love the magic community’s dedication to reading and the history of our art… bunch of nerds. The closeup show was full of really incredible talent. I had always wanted to see Fay Presto perform and she did not disappoint, but of course every performer was phenomenal. It really reminded me that magic is the greatest hobby there is. There were fewer people at the second night’s howl, however it is unclear if that is because of conflicting schedules or if they just got lost again.
The cabaret show really demonstrated a diversity of talent. Even my disdain for juggling couldn’t prevent me from laughing at the opening act. There were plenty of sideshow and circus adjacent stunts ranging from sword swallowing to glass walking. Anastasia Synn was kind enough to grace us with perhaps one of the grossest live acts I have ever seen as she impaled her forearm with a skewer and proceeded to play it like a fleshy violin. I hated it, great work. The drag queen MCing the event had a whole magic bit with $100, some envelopes, monopoly money, a lime, and a giant wand with all the jokes you would expect.
Day three featured perhaps my favorite lecture in which a performer gave a very emotional speech about her experience with much tearing up from the audience. Even I as a certified hater was feeling emotional. Naturally, when opening the floor to questioning we were met with the important question of “How do you treat your sponge balls?”
The final show was incredible. Carisa Hendrix (Editor’s note: AKA Lucy Darling.) was a brilliant host, though when Lucy Darling came strolling through the audience looking for volunteers I must confess I felt like a gazelle, the fight or flight instinct in full swing. Meadow Perry has an incredibly unique and refreshing act, I had never seen or heard of anything like that before, and what an amazing bubble magic act it was. Mac King and Rachel Wax were on stage together and left me positively breathless with laughter. Oddly enough the closing act was not a magician at all but the drag queen Scarlett Business doing incredible handstands and cartwheels. While a hard act to top, the crowd was on their feet for the final emotional speech and the final bow of all the performers. The final howl was packed, it seemed everyone finally managed to figure out which parking lot it was and rumor has it that the howl was successful enough for security to take interest.
Mystify was my first magic convention, and I’m glad it was. I didn’t expect to feel so emotional. I teared up at lectures, I hugged strangers when it was time to go. There is something humbling about watching all of the brilliant performers you just saw going about the mundane elements of life after the convention is over. I saw Alyx Hilshey waiting for an Uber and Krystyn Lambert lugging baggage at the airport. The real world was back in effect but we took all of the knowledge and connections we made with us.
Big thanks to Leah Orleans, Chloe Baldwin, and all of the Mystify team.