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For the month of May we launched a special series of interviews with the founders of The Leicester Magicians Network (LMN). A series of four interviews to celebrate the excellent LMN club and the first birthday of Magic Seats.
The Leicester Magicians Network is a new club that launched in 2020 for magicians and those with a genuine interest in magic.
This second interview coming this Friday is with Ian Gamage (Magic-Ian). With over 25 years' experience in performing, Ian is a member of the elite Magic Circle, the world's premier magical society. Ian is also a Merit Cup winner of the Leicester Magic Circle, and a member of Equity.
Working in and around Leicestershire, Ian has been a working magician for over twenty years, specialising in close-up magic and children's parties. Ian has worked in a wide range of venues, adapting as necessary to each particular situation.
Ian is able to draw on years of practice, experience, and expertise, which includes being advised by legendary TV magician Paul Daniels. This has all allowed him to hone his skills, both as a magician and as a performer. Ian's particular brand of laid-back, comedy magic puts the audience at ease and is designed to both amaze, amuse and - above all - entertain.
To book Ian Gamage aka Magic-Ian or learn more about his services, take a look at his website and social sites below:
See below for details about the Leicester Magicians Network:
The Leicester Magicians Network
As part of this series of interviews with the founders of the Leicester Magicians Network, I sat down with them and asked some questions about the club.
Magic Seats - What’s the story behind the Leicester Magicians Network. How did the idea come about to form a new club?
Whilst we all love and respect the traditions of ‘older’ magic societies, they can be sometimes intimidating to new members. The four founding members all shared a similar philosophy and it was something that we are all passionate about, particularly in bringing on the next generation of magicians.
This is why we thought long and hard about our mission statement:
“To Create A Magic Community Where Everyone Who Is Passionate About Magic Is Welcome, Built Around Trust, Friendship and Support, And Aiming to Help All Members to Be the Best They Can Be.”
Magic Seats - With many magic clubs to join, what is different about Leicester Magicians Network. Why join your club?
When founding The Leicester Magicians Network, the philosophy was to create a modern forward-thinking Club that was not constrained by out-dated ideas or principles. Unlike traditional magic clubs we have dispensed with the requirement for an audition in order to join. We do not want in any way want to preclude anyone from joining such as the hobbyist magician. Our desire is to promote a relaxed, friendly environment which allows members of all abilities to share ideas, ask questions without fear, or perform if they feel comfortable.
We also have what we believe to be a unique membership model where for when a small set annual fee is paid, it gives you access to many members evenings, workshops etc which occur average twice a month. On top of that, we of course have Professional Lectures which operate on a pay-as-you-go basis members are able to pick and choose which ones they wish to attend.
Magic Seats - How did you come up with the name of the club?
We had a bit of a brainstorming session and obviously creating a new magic club in the midst of a pandemic was a challenge. With the name we wanted to convey a message of ‘connectivity’ even though none of us could initially meet in person.
For information about the club, events or membership details, please visit the website here.
