One of the UK’s most spellbinding festivals has conjured up a duo of German performers to join its expanding line-up of world-class magicians.

Organisers of the South Tyneside International Magic Festival, which returns to the North East in March 2012, have added mentalist Markus Beldig and card-expert Christian Schenk to the event’s increasingly bumper line up.

The week-long festival, now in its ninth year, is organised annually by South Tyneside Council in partnership with magician and former President of the Newcastle Magic Circle Martin Duffy.

It includes two international Gala Shows and a Family Magic show, which are open to the general public, as well as a series of shows in schools and residential homes and a special Magic Convention, designed exclusively for practicing magicians and the most ardent magic fans.

‘Mind-reader’ Markus, who quit studying law to become a professional performer, is considered the master of the sixth sense and was the first mentalist to perform a full evening show at the Vienna Concert House in Austria since 1918.

The television advisor, who has taught magic at the Magic School in Munich for the past 17 years, will be bewitching audiences at the festival’s first Gala Show at the Customs House, South Shields on Friday, March 9.

Fellow German magician Christian, aka Card Shark, is widely regarded as the worldwide number one in card-based magic and has even created his own range of playing cards – The Phoenix Deck.

He will be appearing as part of the South Tyneside International Magic Festival’s three-day convention, which offers professional magicians and the most dedicated magic fans the opportunity to attend a variety of workshops, lectures and masterclasses featuring leading magicians from around the globe.

Councillor Tracey Dixon, Lead member for Leisure and Community Safety for South Tyneside Council, said: “The line-up for this year’s South Tyneside International Magic Festival is truly extraordinary and offers visitors the chance to see performances by some of the best artists from around the world, including Markus and Christian.”

Tickets for the international Gala Show featuring Markus Beldig are now on sale from the Customs House box office priced at £13 each or £12 concessions. More details can be found online at www.customshouse.co.uk or by calling the venue direct on 0191 454 1234.

Tickets for the magic convention featuring Christian Schenk are also available priced at £65, which includes entry to both Galas Shows, along with a series of lectures, close-up sessions, dealer events and an exclusive Midnight Show. Places are strictly limited and can be booked by visiting www.southtyneside.info/magic, calling (0191) 4247986 or emailing events@southtyneside.gov.uk.

More information can also be found by searching for the event on Facebook.

The organisers of this years Northern Magic Circle Convention are pleased to release the final line-up for the NMC 2012 Convention which takes place 31st March - 1st April 2012, following on from the confirmed booking of Luke Jermay, Matthew Wright and Paul Gordon:

Mark Shortland : Mark will be your host on compere for the evening gala show and will also be performing his stage act. Over the last twelve years Mark has gained twelve National and International Awards including:- Four times winner of the International Brotherhood of Magicians Comedy Award 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2004, Stage Magician of the Year 2001 and Close-up Magician of the Year 2002, culminating in his Membership of The Inner Magic Circle and the title of ‘British Magical Grand Prix Champion 2005-2007’

Lee Thompson : A world renowned pickpocket from the famous Cirque Du Soliel we are extremely pleased to welcome him to the NMC Convention. A mulit-competition award winner including International Buskin Competition and European Festival of Street Entertainers Award. Lee will be performing on the gala show and will then present his lecture with a full breakdown of how he achieves his steels and misdirection, this is the premier of Lee’s lecture at a magic convention and is one not to be missed.

High Jinx : We are pleased to welcome back High Jinx who will be performing their illusion act in the gala show, Michael will also present his juggling act in the first half of the show. Straight from their appearance on Penn & Teller : Fool Us and having achieved second place in FISM Europe illusion category, Michael and Tamsyn are sure to be a big hit, with their act receiving rave reviews and having just been booked for the season at the Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

Make Believe Magic : Consisting of past president Steve Gore and joined by his daughter Deanna, Make Believe Magic have been receiving rave reviews for their relatively new act, and we are sure they will appeal to the whole audience.

Ian Barradell : Ian will be performing in the close-up gala show and will also be presenting his extremely informative lecture about the magic maker Tenyo. Ian has the 3rd biggest collection in the world of these ingenious props and their clever principles are sure to have you puzzled, a thoroughly entertain lecture awaits.

The Childrens Showtime will be held on the Saturday afternoon and we are absolutely delighted to say that the star of the show will be Richard Cadell and Sooty, Sooty will be joined by our regular clown hosts Jeanie and Clivo, along with the perfect manipulations of Brian Sefton and wizardry and magic from Doug Gregg and David Tomkins, a show which we are sure will appeal to all.

Just a reminder that to be in with two chances of winning the £250 worth of magic you need to register by end of January or for one chance to win register by the end of February.

Further information can be found at The Northern Magic Circle Convention site

Approximately 200 delegates have taken advantage of the early bird dsicount and registered for the 2012 British Ring Convention to be held in Great Yarmouth from 26th – 30th September 2012. You can still save money as if you register before 1st April 2012, the members’ convention fee is £105. After that date it goes up to £115. Don’t miss this opportunity!

Artistes already confirmed include; Nicholas Einhorn, Mandy Muden, Roy Davenport, Steve Hewlett, Chris Woodward, Rajan, John Styles, Richard Cadell, Jason Steele & Joanne, Richard Griffin, Andy Greaves, Matthew Garrett, Mel Harvey and Young & Strange

Further information can be found at - www.magicconvention.co.uk

It would be greatly appreciated if you will book your accommodation directly through Greater Yarmouth Tourism on 01493 846485 as this way it helps the size of the grant the convention receive from the Authority.

The 11th Saint-Vincent Magic Convention will take place from April 19th to April 22th 2012. Last years convention featured Brett Daniels, Peter Marvey, David & Dania, Michael Ammar, Karl Koppertop, Paul Wilson, Roy Davenport, Yann Frish, Vito Lupo, Armando Lucero, Banachek and the special participation of Cyril Takayama.

This year’s convention will other incredible artists including Jeff McBride, René Lavand, The Great Tomsoni, Xavier Mortimer, Dean Gunnarson, Fielding West, Eric Jones, Danny Cole, Andrew Mayne, Mark Mason, Dani Da Ortiz and much more..

The convention features 8 lectures, 5 Gala, 2 International Contests, 5 Workshops, street-magic shows, parties and evening events.

You can see videos from last years convention on the official website

For more information contact: news@mastersofmagic.it or +393480011257

Tomorrow, 18th January 2012, we will be going dark in support of anti-SOPA PIPA along with a number of high profile sites. Don’t get us wrong, we are against piracy and theft, but the SOPA/PIPA bill that may get passed in the USA could adversely effect many innocent websites, including this one, and won’t really address the real issue…

On the Tuesday 24th January 2012, the US Senate will vote on the internet censorship bill. Whilst it is an American law, it has far reaching repurcusions for the web as a whole.

There are many companies against SOPA, such as Google, Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, and we are lending our weight to the argument by taking our site down for the day.

SOPA can effect anyone who links to any type of material on the internet, displays any images or photographs, or uses any sort of ‘fair use’ content. This has far reaching implications for sites that report news, this includes many many magic sites

If you think SOPA doesn’t affect you, please think again. Watch the video below. Linking to an image, a video, text could be deemed illegal by a judge if this bill gets passed in the USA, even if you are not in the USA, this effects everyone, even those outside the USA.

PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting “creativity”. The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites– they just have to convince a judge that the site is “dedicated to copyright infringement.”

The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.

Professionals and enthusiasts from around the world are being given the chance to ensure they have a magical New Year, thanks to the return of one of the UK’s most popular events.

The South Tyneside International Magic Convention, which is held annually in South Shields, near Newcastle upon Tyne, is set to return for a ninth bumper year from Friday, March 9, 2012.

The three day event, supported by MagicBox, will include a variety of workshops, lectures and masterclasses featuring leading magicians from around the globe.

Event organisers South Tyneside Council and magician Martin Duffy, former President of the Newcastle Magic Circle, have already secured an amazing line up of international acts, including Americans David Regal, Rob Torres and Levent and European performers Christian Schenk (Card Shark), Archini & Smith, Mat Ricardo, High Jinx and Ricky McLeod.

Martin said: “The South Tyneside International Magic Convention has become one of the key events in the magic calendar and one which annually attracts professionals and dedicated magic fans from around the world.

“Previous headliners for the event have included multi-award winning American illusionist Latimer, Simon Drake, creator of the London-based House of Magic and magic icon Wayne Dobson. We fully expect the 2012 line-up to be just as popular as previous years and places are strictly limited so we are encouraging people to get their tickets early to avoid missing out.”

The South Tyneside International Magic Convention forms part of a week-long festival celebrating magic in the borough, which also includes a series of performances in schools and residential homes across the North East, along with a Family Magic Extravaganza, again sponsored by specialist retailer MagicBox and two International Gala Shows, which are open to the general public.

Those who attend the convention will receive entry to both Gala Shows, which are held at the Customs House in South Shields, as well as an exclusive Midnight Show, to be held at a secret venue nearby.

The convention ticket price, which has been held at the 2010/2011 rate of £65, also covers entry to all lectures, close-up shows and dealer events that will be held between Friday, March 9 and Sunday March 11, 2012, with various masterclasses being offered for a small additional fee.

Councillor Tracey Dixon, Lead member for Leisure and Community Safety for South Tyneside Council, said: “The South Tyneside International Magic Convention has been a complete sell out in previous years so now is the ideal time for people to secure their tickets early or perhaps even buy them as a magical Christmas present for someone they love.”

Places for the South Tyneside International Magic Convention 2012 are strictly limited. For more information or to book visit www.southtyneside.info/magic, call (0191) 4247986, email events@southtyneside.gov.uk or search for the event on Facebook.