In 1986
Magic Unlimited produced a ‘Festival of Magic’ at the
Caulfield Arts Centre featuring shows from Tim Ellis, Duck
Cameron, Terry McSweeney, Elio Simonetti and Andrew Gill.
The event was hugely successful and proved that the public
had an appetite for magical entertainment.
In October
that year, the
festival formed the basis for the first Magic Week.
This 10 day set out to
promote public awareness of magic and to showcase some of our
Melbourne's marvelous magicians. It clearly demonstrated to
the public that magic wasn't just children's entertainment,
therefore creating a new market for magicians in the
corporate arena. The first week featured 10 major activities
including ‘The
Ultimate Magic Show’ at the Palais starring Doug Tremlett,
Terry Dansic assisted by Christine Hutchinson, Super Hubert,
Sam Angelico, Ricki Ozimo, Ray Crowe, Duck Cameron, Tim
Ellis, and Harry Houdidn’t - quite a line-up! Tim also
produced a mini-magic convention called ‘The Halloween Hop’
over the first weekend of Magic Week. With a trio of PR mad
magicians appearing on TV, radio, and everywhere in the
press, (Duck Cameron even leapt handcuffed into the Yarra
River!) Magic Week #1 still cost Tim over $10,000. But it
was well worth it.
To
promote Magic Week 87, Tim drove
a $100,000 Mercedes Benz while
blindfolded. The car was driven around the carpark of Westfield's
Doncaster Shoppingtown with radio personality Darren James
riding nervously beside Tim. The incredible Tom Ogden
was brought out from the US as a special guest, and Magic
Week held a magic competition which saw the
successful competitor (Ricky Ozimo) win a week's engagement at Hollywood's Magic Castle,
performing alongside Tim and Tom Ogden. Other highlight's
included Tim's
“artistic” magic show ‘Illusion - The Ultimate Fantasy’ at
the Caulfield Arts Centre, 'The Ultimate Magic Show 2' at
The Athenaeum Theatre, and dozens of magicians performing in
all manner of venues all over Melbourne.
1988
Magic Week based itself
back at the Caulfield
Arts Centre
where Tim was Buried Alive on National TV to
promote the event. Over 100 shows were performed including
'The Ultimate Magic Show 3'
1989
Magic
Week 89 hit the headlines with Tim's infamous Yarra River Trunk Escape,
where he was chained and locked inside a wooden trunk and lowered by
crane into the murky depths of the Yarra River, Melbourne. The fact
that there was zero visibility in the water hadn't occurred to Tim in
training. A shiver of panic shot through his body when the muddy
waters rose around him but, in seconds, he focussed on the job at
hand and thankfully escaped unharmed. Tim also escaped from a
straitjacket 100' high above Melbourne's CBD. Once again
there were dozens of performances of magic taking place all
throughout the week including shows at the Comedy Cafe, in
the front window of the Virgin Megastore, on city railways
stations for the MET, and the Victorian Arts Centre hosted
the inaugral 'Magic Funday Sunday' which was a massive
success.
1990
The 1990 Magic Week program included
repeats of last year's hits like the Magic Funday Sunday at
the Victorian Arts Centre and Magic on the Met, but also
included a whole season of different shows at the Ateneaum
Theatre, a Close Up Magic Festival at the Prince Patrick
Hotel, and a Halloween Night Magic Party.
This is the year that Magic Week went
national with events being staged all over Australia
including, NSW: Children's Day in the Park in Newcastle,
Family Magic Show at Marrickville Town Hall. TAS: Royal
Hobart Show with a magic theme and special guest acts. WA:
Peter J Shield headlining a magic show at the Burswood
Casino. QLD: Dave Lord with a special escape, a Halloween
Dinner at Circus Circus. SA: A Magic Week opening in the
Mall, exhibits in the Performing Arts Museum and the State
Library, shows in the Festival Centre, and a Halloween Night
party.
1991
This year's Melbourne events were
sponsored by and mostly held at Melbourne Central. The CBD
centre had spectacular shows daily including a special
Halloween night tribute to Houdini. Other events took place
around Melbourne including the Magic Funday Sunday at the
Victorian Arts Centre and 'The Mega Magic Show' at The
Concert Hall.
Around Australia Perth was busy with
events including 'Magic in the Malls', Sydney had the show
'Houdini Lives On' and the Darling Harbour Magic Weekend,
Adelaide held a Magic Conference, and their were over a
hundred other shows Australia-wide.
1992
Magic Week was starting to lose momentum
as other festivals started to emerge in October. A blindfold
walk was stage in Melbourne to promote the shows on the
Swanston St Walk stage, and the Funday Sunday returned to
the Victorian Arts Centre. The highlight this year was the
very first Magic Week Halloween Ball.
Perth was very busy with events including
'Magic in the Malls' and a Blindfold Drive, Sydney staged
it's 'Houdini Lives On' show and the Darling Harbour Magic
Weekend, and again their were many other smaller shows
throughout the nation.
1993
Magic Week #8 was a great hit with the 'Festival of Family
Magic' and the hugely successful Halloween Ball combining
magic with fashions. To help promote the week's events
Graham Etherington ever performed the legendary 'Catching a
bullet in the teeth'.
1994
The
final Magic Week. Magic had come full cycle and the
excitement and support for the event had diminished
considerably.
It was a Melbourne only event this year with Tim Ellis
staging his 2 hour show 'Illusions of
Grandeur' at the Darebin Arts Centre, along with the Funday
Sunday, The Magic Unlimited Course in Magic, a Magic Jam
Session, and the Halloween Ball.
