On June 5th, 2025, member volunteers of the Doug Henning Magic Wand Ring 49 club performed two shows for the clients’ of St. Joseph’s Villa in Dundas ON (a neighboring hamlet to Hamilton ON). There are a lot of benefits to a ring for providing such a service.
First and foremost, is simply the charitable intent to benefit of our community. That goes without saying, but beyond that there are many more reasons to host an event. As a ring we have been trying to focus on the various aspects of magic, like: children’s parties, school and/or library programs, fairs/festivals, walkaround, restaurant and/or bars, trade shows and corporate events. In that vein, stage shows have a long history in our art, even if they are less common then in the past.
Presenting a show like this also allows members to gain some experience in both the behind-the-scenes organization and in the ‘back-stage’ considerations such as lighting and sound systems, and this event even included visual projections. For amateur members of the ring a volunteer event also provides an excellent opportunity to get some ‘stage time’ that might be novel for them.
So, with those considerations front of mind, we found a suitable location: a seniors’ facility with a stage available for us to use. This venue already had appropriate stage lighting and one of our members (Scott Hood) lent us an excellent sound system (including mic’s) that perfectly suited our needs.
Peter Wiltshire handled our backstage requirements including adjusting the stage lighting so as to have an attractive red-washed background, not too much lighting on our AV monitor (so as not to wash-out the picture) and plenty of light on the performers from the front. Peter also handled the sound system ensuring level sound settings for each of the mic’s and all the backup music and sound used by the performers, muting and un-muting the appropriate mic’s for the performers, and even handled the AV requirements (PowerPoint based slides with embedded sound and/or video).
Originally there was intended to be four performers, but tragically Victor Staniewski suffered a leg injury just prior to the show date, so each of the remaining three extended their routines to accommodate (thankfully, Victor is recovering well).
With an excellent introduction from our MC’s Doug Hunt (first show) and Travis Halyk (second show) we were ready to go.
Scott Hood opened with the Gypsie Thread routine, then a disappearing Coke Bottle effect, the Vanishing Bandana, and closed with a Silk Fountain. Scott is our area’s Territorial Vice-President for the IBM and the Fan Favorite Winner – Toronto’s Best Magician Contest. He is a real anchor for our ring, and we thank him for his professional contributions to this event.
Barry O (O’Neil) was up next and was a crowd favorite performing his version of What’s Next along with his trusted sidekick George the Lion (Barry combines magic and puppetry). This friendly lighthearted effect really engaged the audience with a friendly personal interaction despite being a stage presentation. Barry followed up with a changing color triangle effect that was equally engaging.
Finally, I (Rene Chouinard) took the stage with a little story telling magic. I started with a rope routine combining it with a sailing themed pater, then a routine involving the appearance, and disappearance of water. With a nod to the classics, I did my version of the Linking Rings and then closed the show with a routine I call The Time Box utilizing a modified Gibson Box, Spring Flowers and a pocket watch with a theme exalting the experiences we gain over time.
We all also did some ‘walk-around’ before and after each show to enhance the experience for people while waiting as facility staff assisted residents in arriving and departing (a nice consideration in facilities like this).
Was it a success? The audiences certainly seemed to appreciate the shows; several people were heard in their cafeteria afterwards making positive comments. The Villa staff (who were all excellent to work with) certainly seemed sincere in thanking us. As a performer I can speak for the group in saying we enjoyed the format and learned from the experience, and I think it’s fair to say that the entire ring has taken some pride in the event as input was made throughout this season towards it. So yes, it was a success.
Submitted by Rene Chouinard
The full crew, Scott Hood, Travis Halyk, Rene Chouinard, Barry O, Peter Wiltshire, and Doug Hunt up front MC’ing