Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
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Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
I just thumbed through the February 2025 issue and I am disappointed that "Now Appearing at the Magic Castle" is missing from Genii. Yes, I saw the link to the Castle's "Now Appearing" webpage but that only shows the reader the current week's lineup. It is MUCH more helpful to know who will be playing for the entire (next) month.
Please bring back the former "Now Appearing at the Magic Castle".
Thank you,
Mark
Please bring back the former "Now Appearing at the Magic Castle".
Thank you,
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
I'd say the vast majority of genii subs don't go to the castle on a regular basis. Hence, it's wasted on them. Heck, I live in California (Northern) and it's always been pretty superfluous to me.
- Dustin Stinett
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Believe or not, there are people who like to make plans. Travel plans to the L.A. area, coupled with the necessity of getting reservations ahead of time for the Magic Castle, having the schedule for the club--of which one of the perks of subscribing to Genii is a visit there--knowing the schedule well in advance is helpful in the decision-making process. Lest we forget, the publisher does own the place. We're talking about a half-page. Just my two cents, for whatever that is worth.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
The Castle itself could do a better job of publicizing who is performing in the future on their website. I was able to find this week's magicians easily, but nothing for the future. (And do they post initiation fees and dues anywhere? I couldn't find them. The Magic Circle makes it easy to find [£100 to join and £150 annual dues for us Yanks].)
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
This.The Castle itself could do a better job of publicizing who is performing in the future on their website.
And search for MC fees comes up as this:
So if you had a guest pass and wanted to go as a couple, the lowest cost option (dinner) would would be something like:Membership fees for The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California vary depending on the type of membership and the applicant's background.
Associate member
Annual fee of $750 plus a $1,500 initiation fee
Non-magician member
Initiation fee of $6,000 plus a monthly fee of $225
Non-resident applicant
Must audition for membership and have a magician member sponsor them
Magician member
Must have a magician member sponsor them
Guest pass
A magician member can provide a guest pass for an evening event, which includes dinner and a show
Entry fees
Door charge varies by time of day, with weekend brunch costing $25 per person, Monday to Wednesday nights costing $40 per person, and Thursday to Sunday evenings costing $45 per person
Valet parking costs $30
2x door charges ($80) + 2x Dinners ($60 cheapest option) + valet parking ($30!).
So, roughly $170-$200+, which I'd pay, but not very often! Will definitely use my "Geniii Guest" pass thing at some point.
Not sure some of this information is hidden (or hard to find) on the Castle's website.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Of course. But, to my knowledge, the Castle website has never listed more than the current week's roster of performers. A future calendar may be available to members, but it hasn't been available to the general public. Thus, the full month's listing in Genii has been one of the reasons I subscribe to Genii.The Castle itself could do a better job of publicizing who is performing in the future on their website.
And, yes, it can be expensive to visit the Magic Castle. But it's worth every penny, IMHO. YMMV.
BTW, the least expensive way to visit is with a member. No door charge and you are not required to eat dinner. A limited menu is available at the bars for a reasonable cost. On my last visit I enjoyed a delicious Cubano style sandwich and fries for around $30 including tax and gratuity.
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
It certainly seems like something you should take up with Castle folks.Of course. But, to my knowledge, the Castle website has never listed more than the current week's roster of performers. A future calendar may be available to members, but it hasn't been available to the general public.The Castle itself could do a better job of publicizing who is performing in the future on their website.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
The numbers Chris found (thanks, Chris) are vaguely consistent with what I had recalled.
I've mentioned this to Randy Pitchford, and I'll say it again here. I really wish there was a membership class for people like me, who live 2000 miles away and can't take full advantage of the perks of membership. Maybe something that included a visit or two a year, and no guest passes. I'd spend some money just to be a member and have electronic access and the newsletter, but not $750 a year plus pro-rated initiation.
I've mentioned this to Randy Pitchford, and I'll say it again here. I really wish there was a membership class for people like me, who live 2000 miles away and can't take full advantage of the perks of membership. Maybe something that included a visit or two a year, and no guest passes. I'd spend some money just to be a member and have electronic access and the newsletter, but not $750 a year plus pro-rated initiation.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
This how The House of Cards in Nashville does things as well -- their website lists only this week's performers. I live two hours south, and have driven up there a couple times to see acts I know I will like. But there have been even more times that I found out after the fact that I've missed someone I'd have gone to see if I had known they were performing.to my knowledge, the Castle website has never listed more than the current week's roster of performers.
- erdnasephile
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Just a note for members: If you log on to the AMA website and go to the Members Section and then click on the "Now Appearing" icon that is listed in the Members' Menu (It's in the second row, right under the big "Events" button), you can view the next 5 weeks of scheduled performers as well as the upcoming magician lecture schedule.
Also, to Bill's question: I believe the "non-resident magician member" category is the closest to what you describe. The current membership dues for non-resident magician members are $480 annually.
Also, to Bill's question: I believe the "non-resident magician member" category is the closest to what you describe. The current membership dues for non-resident magician members are $480 annually.
- erdnasephile
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Since we are talking, Bernardo Sedlacek is scheduled to be in the Early Close-Up Gallery from Feb 17-23, 2025. That should really be something--he's a very clever person!
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Genii magazine has been providing the feature for quite some time. Why do you seem to have a problem with a subscriber asking for the feature to be reinstated? I'm not asking for something "new", I'm asking for the return of a feature that existed for awhile now.It certainly seems like something you should take up with Castle folks.
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Thank you for the helpful input! Now I know that members have access to the advance schedule.Just a note for members: If you log on to the AMA website and go to the Members Section and then click on the "Now Appearing" icon that is listed in the Members' Menu (It's in the second row, right under the big "Events" button), you can view the next 5 weeks of scheduled performers as well as the upcoming magician lecture schedule.
Also, to Bill's question: I believe the "non-resident magician member" category is the closest to what you describe. The current membership dues for non-resident magician members are $480 annually.
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
I had the pleasure of watching Bernardo perform in the Close-Up Gallery last year. Fantastic!Since we are talking, Bernardo Sedlacek is scheduled to be in the Early Close-Up Gallery from Feb 17-23, 2025. That should really be something--he's a very clever person!
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
1) Surely a private club with membership fees starting at $480 on the low end should be able to directly inform its own members about its own entertainment offerings.
2) Jim Steinmeyer has been speaking and writing repeatedly about expanding Genii's scope far beyond the Magic Castle. He's talked about growing up in Chicago and being alienated by the California-centric viewpoint in Genii.
Should Genii really be the playbill that a particular California magic venue declines to produce for its own audience? The Chicago magic scene is vibrant; should we expect a print magazine to give physical page space to list all the Chicago schedules? And New York? And Madrid? And Munich? And Tokyo? Each month?
That's not a sensible fit for a print magazine where all those pages carry postal cost, but it would be a fabulous fit for an online database, maybe even a special Genii app. (Although it would be in the interest of those venues to have that central database widely accessible from the web at large, not locked up inside any particular app.) Further, the archives of such a database would become a treasure trove for future research.
We know the vision for Genii includes a strong online presence -- that could be a feature that drives traffic there.
2) Jim Steinmeyer has been speaking and writing repeatedly about expanding Genii's scope far beyond the Magic Castle. He's talked about growing up in Chicago and being alienated by the California-centric viewpoint in Genii.
Should Genii really be the playbill that a particular California magic venue declines to produce for its own audience? The Chicago magic scene is vibrant; should we expect a print magazine to give physical page space to list all the Chicago schedules? And New York? And Madrid? And Munich? And Tokyo? Each month?
That's not a sensible fit for a print magazine where all those pages carry postal cost, but it would be a fabulous fit for an online database, maybe even a special Genii app. (Although it would be in the interest of those venues to have that central database widely accessible from the web at large, not locked up inside any particular app.) Further, the archives of such a database would become a treasure trove for future research.
We know the vision for Genii includes a strong online presence -- that could be a feature that drives traffic there.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
A listing of upcoming performers at venues may be a good fit for the Genii Forum. Hmmm....1) Surely a private club with membership fees starting at $480 on the low end should be able to directly inform its own members about its own entertainment offerings.
2) Jim Steinmeyer has been speaking and writing repeatedly about expanding Genii's scope far beyond the Magic Castle. He's talked about growing up in Chicago and being alienated by the California-centric viewpoint in Genii.
Should Genii really be the playbill that a particular California magic venue declines to produce for its own audience? The Chicago magic scene is vibrant; should we expect a print magazine to give physical page space to list all the Chicago schedules? And New York? And Madrid? And Munich? And Tokyo? Each month?
That's not a sensible fit for a print magazine where all those pages carry postal cost, but it would be a fabulous fit for an online database, maybe even a special Genii app. (Although it would be in the interest of those venues to have that central database widely accessible from the web at large, not locked up inside any particular app.) Further, the archives of such a database would become a treasure trove for future research.
We know the vision for Genii includes a strong online presence -- that could be a feature that drives traffic there.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
A central lecture tour database would also be a really useful item.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
And performance tour database...
Okay, so one database properly constructed could be searched by any of:
Venue
City (or State/Region)
Type (Performance/Lecture)
Artist
So it becomes any of... a Magic Castle schedule, or a Rhapsody Theater schedule, or a directory for magic shows in Madrid, or a Pit Hartling tour schedule, or a listing of July lectures in Berlin...
Okay, so one database properly constructed could be searched by any of:
Venue
City (or State/Region)
Type (Performance/Lecture)
Artist
So it becomes any of... a Magic Castle schedule, or a Rhapsody Theater schedule, or a directory for magic shows in Madrid, or a Pit Hartling tour schedule, or a listing of July lectures in Berlin...
- Dustin Stinett
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Pre-COVID, Genii printed the schedules of many venues in the country as well as some internationally. The shutdowns stopped it, and the subsequent inability of timely gathering of that information caused us to stop doing the section. It makes sense for there to be an online source, not unlike the various news-gathering sites with links to various stories but, in this case, links the venue's site/schedules.
As for "Knights at the Magic Castle," which included the schedule, is (was?) a special section, dedicated to the Castle that was part of the arrangement that members of the AMA would get access to the digital edition of the magazine as part of their membership (and non-member subscribers would be allowed access to the club once a year). The AMA usually determined who would write the section and, of course, they would provide the schedule for the month that was on the cover of the magazine. It is a fact that the schedule as printed, while usually accurate, was not always perfect, and more than once there were "TBA" entries. That was just the nature of the two beasts: booking the club and sending a magazine to the printer about six weeks before the month it covers.
All that being said, the link between Genii and the Magic Castle has been there since the place became an idea; well before it was even open. I'm not sure why that should stop, particularly given the ownership of the two entities.
But what do I know?
Stop talking, Dustin?
You bet.
As for "Knights at the Magic Castle," which included the schedule, is (was?) a special section, dedicated to the Castle that was part of the arrangement that members of the AMA would get access to the digital edition of the magazine as part of their membership (and non-member subscribers would be allowed access to the club once a year). The AMA usually determined who would write the section and, of course, they would provide the schedule for the month that was on the cover of the magazine. It is a fact that the schedule as printed, while usually accurate, was not always perfect, and more than once there were "TBA" entries. That was just the nature of the two beasts: booking the club and sending a magazine to the printer about six weeks before the month it covers.
All that being said, the link between Genii and the Magic Castle has been there since the place became an idea; well before it was even open. I'm not sure why that should stop, particularly given the ownership of the two entities.
But what do I know?
Stop talking, Dustin?
You bet.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
The author of the former 'Knights at the Magic Castle' column, Shawn McMaster, has a renamed column regarding the Castle in the Feb 2025 issue. Which only adds to my surprise that "Now Appearing" has disappeared.
Mark
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
There used to be three or four weeks visible for everyone. I believe the reason it is no longer shown is that the performing artists are bombarded by random people, asking them to put them on the guest list "because they are such fans of their work and want to see their show". I got several such requests the last times I was performing there.The Castle itself could do a better job of publicizing who is performing in the future on their website.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Well, the obvious solution for this is for the Castle to only book magicians who have no fans.I believe the reason it is no longer shown is that the performing artists are bombarded by random people, asking them to put them on the guest list "because they are such fans of their work and want to see their show". I got several such requests the last times I was performing there.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Well, since obviously members can get the same information from the AMA site (5 weeks out), it seems sort of silly to expect Genii to favor one venue in that way just to please members who are simply used to it being there.The author of the former 'Knights at the Magic Castle' column, Shawn McMaster, has a renamed column regarding the Castle in the Feb 2025 issue. Which only adds to my surprise that "Now Appearing" has disappeared.
Mark
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
In case it wasn't clear, those emails are simply from local laypeople who want to have a way to get into the Castle.Well, the obvious solution for this is for the Castle to only book magicians who have no fans.I believe the reason it is no longer shown is that the performing artists are bombarded by random people, asking them to put them on the guest list "because they are such fans of their work and want to see their show". I got several such requests the last times I was performing there.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
It's disappointing that neither Julie or Jim have responded to this thread. I'm sure they've got their hands full but it's still disappointing.
Mark
Mark
Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Why would either of them bother to respond to this thread?
A bunch of miscellaneous pundits (myself included) rendering their personal opinions on something is hardly anything that requires a response from the new editorial team.
A bunch of miscellaneous pundits (myself included) rendering their personal opinions on something is hardly anything that requires a response from the new editorial team.
- Dustin Stinett
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
We have quite a few members here. On February 1 they will get the February schedule via the newsletter, which will be more current that the one that would have been sent to Genii around January 1. Perhaps one of those members can share it here on the Genii Forum (and then each subsequent first of the month). Problem solved.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Or members could just get it from the AMA website, correct? And that would be the most up to date and 4-5 weeks out?We have quite a few members here. On February 1 they will get the February schedule via the newsletter, which will be more current that the one that would have been sent to Genii around January 1. Perhaps one of those members can share it here on the Genii Forum (and then each subsequent first of the month). Problem solved.
- Dustin Stinett
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
Sure, it's probably already there in the member side of the site. I suppose it's just a matter of which is easier to copy and paste here without too much rigmarole in the formatting for this site (since this is about non-members seeing who is there several weeks out). The other thing is, since the newsletter comes out on the first of the month, some enterprising and helpful member could make it a regular post around the beginning of each month.Or members could just get it from the AMA website, correct? And that would be the most up to date and 4-5 weeks out?
- erdnasephile
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
But if we posted the information here, would we just be exacerbating the problem for performers like Mr. Behr?In case it wasn't clear, those emails are simply from local laypeople who want to have a way to get into the Castle.Well, the obvious solution for this is for the Castle to only book magicians who have no fans.I believe the reason it is no longer shown is that the performing artists are bombarded by random people, asking them to put them on the guest list "because they are such fans of their work and want to see their show". I got several such requests the last times I was performing there.
- Dustin Stinett
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
I suspect that these people who do that are getting their information from the Castle website. I doubt if it will exacerbate the issue.
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Re: Now Appearing at the Magic Castle?!
I was also surprised to find the Now Appearing at the Magic Castle section missing from the February 2025 edition of Genii. I am not a Castle member, nor do I live in California. I visit the Castle maybe once a year. It's always an event spurred on because I want to see a certain magician perform. Visiting the Magic Castle entails a bit of trip planning on my part and the more time I have for that, the better. Please bring back the monthly calendar format to Genii.
Thank you -
Kevin Hurley
Thank you -
Kevin Hurley