I.B.M. British Ring 82nd Annual Convention

Aaron Calvert originally trained as a doctor before swapping his stethoscope for the stage. In the three years since graduating, his career has rocketed, taking in two sell-out Edinburgh Fringe runs, five-star reviews from the national press and a recent Channel 4 hypnosis TV show. A master of hypnosis known for striking, thought-provoking feats, Aaron brought his show Declassified to the convention on Friday night, and joined Sam Fitton for a Sunday lecture on building close-up material for the stage.

Fifth Dimension is the double act of Jeff Burns and Ivor Smith. Their work as magicians has taken them around the world, from Singapore to Hollywood's world-famous Magic Castle and Las Vegas, entertaining at corporate and private events. Combining humour, sleight of hand, mind reading, illusion and audience participation, they bring their own brand of madness to the stage with style, sophistication and the occasional hiccup. They are also renowned presenters and TEDx speakers, delivering keynotes on safety, leadership, creativity and teamwork. At Southport they lectured on collaboration, creativity and content, and appeared in the first half of the Gala Show.

Growing up in Delft in the Netherlands, Dion van Rijt was fascinated by theatre, discovering magic as the perfect way to express himself and finding that it fitted perfectly with ballet. Building on his success, Dion became internationally known, appearing on TV shows such as the Monte Carlo Magic Stars and in venues including the Crazy Horse in Paris. His Magic Tango act won many international prizes and Dion became European Champion of Magic in 2011. His theatrical combination of surrealism, ballet, imagination and magic led to The Magic White Rabbit in 2013 and the character Mr Purpurs in 2016. Dion performed in the Gala Show and gave a Sunday lecture passing on his skill of creativity, theatre and the manipulation of objects such as roses, fans and cards.

Roy has been involved in magic for nearly 60 years. When performing he specialised in cabaret and children's magic, but now concentrates mainly on researching magical history. He is the author of the official history of the British Ring, Linking Britain, published in 2011. At present he is the lead columnist of the Gallery of Master Magicians in Key Ring magazine, and was given the I.B.M.'s Award of Merit for 2017 for his articles in The Linking Ring. At Southport, Roy contributed a History of Mystery talk on magic as home entertainment.

In 1977 Wayne Dobson jointly won the Zena Bennett trophy in the British Ring Close-up competition, which led to his first TV appearance on Blue Peter — the rest is history, taking in his own TV series, theatre shows, tours, Las Vegas work and an appearance on the Royal Variety Show. A great star of British magic and winner of The Magic Circle's Maskelyne Award for his contribution to magic, Wayne continues to tour with his lecture and to write, invent and produce new magic. His Saturday lecture centred on entertainment as the main message, in a chat with Richard Cadell, and he also had a dealer stand at the convention.

Michael Finney is a stand-up comedy magician. From his childhood years in school to this very day he has always wanted to make people laugh, and as a professional bartender found he could get paid while making drinks and still have fun making people laugh behind the bar — soon the magic took over. He has received awards from Siegfried and Roy, the AMA Magic Castle in Hollywood, and the World Magic Awards, and has travelled the world entertaining troops through a foundation he started to help less fortunate people. Michael served as International President of the I.B.M. for 2018–2019, appeared in the Southport Gala Show, and gave a Sunday lecture on the ins and outs of his life in magic.

Sam Fitton is a national award-winning magician, ideas man, author and magic consultant. His years of experience and ingenuity allow him to create incredible bespoke mini illusions, and he has rapidly carved himself a niche as one of magic's original thinkers. A professional performer in his own right, Sam is also co-writer and director of Aaron Calvert's stage shows and was a consultant on Channel 4's Hello Stranger. In early 2018 he published his first book, Golden Rules of Wedding Magic, the first business book for magicians focused solely on wedding entertainment. Sam joined Aaron Calvert for the Sunday lecture on taking close-up magic to the stage.

Since retiring, Paul, an Associate of The Inner Magic Circle, has spent many years researching the history of magic and has spoken at international conventions both in the UK and in Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg and Turin. He gave his very first talk for the British Ring of the I.B.M. at Southport in 2003 and was delighted to return in 2018, contributing to the History of Mystery session with a talk on an iconic poster.

Perhaps Andi Gladwin's greatest trick is how he divides his time between being a professional close-up magician, magic creator, author, co-founder of Vanishing Inc. Magic and lecturer. His Master Pushoff and Multiple Revelation Project DVDs were best-sellers and received rave reviews in all major magic journals, and his effect 'Magic Squared' is a genuine show-stopper. His books 52 Memories and Blomberg Laboratories are among the biggest-selling magic books of the last decade. Andi has lectured at the biggest conventions in the world, and was recently featured on UK TV's Next Great Magician, Penn & Teller: Fool Us and Masters of Illusion. He performed in the Stars of Close Up show and gave a Friday afternoon lecture.

Amethyst are international illusionists Danny Hunt and Stephanie Clarke. Highly acclaimed as one of the UK's top magic and illusion acts, they lead the way in cruise ship, corporate and private events with their fresh and dynamic approach, and their unique shows have attracted worldwide acclaim. Danny opened the Southport convention with a daring escapology feat performed outside the Atkinson Arts Centre on Lord Street, and Amethyst appeared in the second half of the Gala Show.

Michael Jordan is an established variety artiste whose speciality act, High Jinx, features a wide range of live, visual family entertainment including magic, illusion, juggling, unicycling, escapology, stilt-walking and much more. At Southport he appeared in the Sooty & Friends Show and the Gala Show, ran a Friday juggling workshop, and closed the convention with a family performance of High Jinx on the Sunday.

Magician Dean Leavy is a young, up-and-coming performer based in Windsor. At the age of 8 he began performing simple tricks to friends and family as a hobby; his interest and skill grew quickly, and at 18 he became the youngest member of the prestigious Magic Circle and its most recent recipient of The Young Magician of the Year award, received in April 2017. Most recently his performances have taken him to Amsterdam, Chicago and Las Vegas to hone his skills alongside some of the most knowledgeable magicians in the world. Dean appeared in the first half of the Southport Gala Show.

Graham has been in the entertainment business for over 28 years and is an experienced professional entertainer, delighting family and young audiences all over the world with his magic and balloon art. At Southport he ran the Balloon Workshop on Thursday and Saturday, teaching balloon creations for everyone to learn, and had a stand at the Dealers' Trade Fair.

Darren Mac blends magic and comedy to entertain audiences right across the country, bringing over 25 years of performing experience to the stage to amaze and delight audiences of all ages. His lecture featured tricks with cards, business cards, impromptu effects, coins and children's tricks for the stage, along with hints and advice about performing for children in the modern day, business branding and choosing the right material for the right occasion.

Jon has been involved in magic and theatre all his life. A member of The Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, Jon, with his Magic Carpet Theatre, takes magically-themed plays and circus workshops to schools and venues throughout Britain and abroad. His keen interest in sideshow illusions means he is constantly touring with these to festivals and seaside resorts around the country. At Southport he lectured on The Magic of Sideshows, drawing on his research and restoration of showman Jon Gresham's 1950s sideshow illusions, and presented Professor Jon's Flea Circus as a lighthearted re-creation of an Edwardian flea circus.

Anthony Owen is recognised by his peers as one of the world's most creative magicians. He is a past winner of the David Berglas Award and a Member of The Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star. He has worked behind the scenes as a creative consultant and/or Executive Producer with many of the world's top magicians, including Derren Brown, Penn and Teller, and Dynamo, winning multiple awards including BAFTAs, a Rose d'Or and a Royal Television Society award for his work as Creator and Executive Producer of UK television magic shows and specials. Author of over twenty books on magic, Anthony presented the Jeffery Atkins Memorial Lecture, Anthony Owen's Secrets, at Southport, and had a stand at the Dealers' Trade Fair.

Marco Pusterla AIMC is a well-known magic historian, publisher, author, lecturer and performer. He publishes the quarterly magazine Ye Olde Magic Mag and organised the 2017 European Magic History Conference in Turin, Italy. As a speaker he has presented his research in Los Angeles, Paris, Hamburg, London, Rome and elsewhere, and he performs his own brand of close-up and cabaret magic in the East Anglia region. At Southport, assisted by Stella, he presented the fascinating history of Bert Powell as seen through the memories of his long-standing assistant and partner.

In his own country, Vanni Pulé is a household name thanks to his hundreds of TV appearances. His forte was cabaret, and together with his wife, Mary Anne, and other box-jumpers, he entertained holidaymakers and locals in most hotels and clubs. He also performs close-up magic for conferences and corporate events. For magicians he has published various ideas in magic magazines on both sides of the Atlantic and won the Howard Bamman Trophy twice; he has also lectured to various societies, and was International President of the I.B.M. between 2011 and 2012. At Southport he performed in the Stars of Close Up show and chaired the judges for the British Ring Close Up Competition.

Quentin has performed in almost all possible performing venues — from parties in private homes to the theatre stage, including performing outdoors in a field, in a goat barn for the McDonell family (who make yoghurt up the Wicklow mountains), and, most memorably of all, at the Charleville Cheese Festival when a bus broke down in the middle of the audience. His Thursday lecture covered close-up, children's magic and mentalism, drawing on his knowledge and experience in real-world situations, and he also performed in the Stars of Close Up show and compered the Southport Gala Show.

Safire have worked in theatres all over the world, including The Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas, and have worked with many of the top names in show business including Joe Pasquale, Peter Kay, Ken Dodd, Richard Branson, Danny La Rue, Jimmy Tarbuck, Bradley Walsh and Joanna Lumley. Stuart & Libby also run a successful production company, Magic Light Productions, producing pantomimes every Christmas and touring children's shows across UK theatres, along with Magic Light Puppets, supplying special effects and UV puppet sequences for productions and events across the UK and internationally. At Southport they ran a Thursday puppet workshop, appeared in the second half of the Gala Show, and judged the British Ring Shield Competition.

Richard has presented The Sooty Show on stage and television for over 25 years. He is also an award-winning illusionist, having performed all over the world, and an established pantomime star. As President of the British Ring for 2018, Richard opened the convention alongside International President Michael Finney and the Mayor of Sefton, introduced the Jeffery Atkins Memorial Lecture, and brought Sooty, Sweep and Soo to Southport for The Sooty & Friends Magic Show on Saturday morning.

Mike Sullivan is best known as the other half of DTRICK: The Magic of Wayne Dobson — Wayne describes Mike as his right (and left) hand man. Mike is also an accomplished professional close-up magician who has worked for some of the biggest blue-chip companies all over the world; a busy boy, he likes dynamic and to-the-point magic that amazes and bemuses his audiences. At Southport he performed in the Stars of Close Up show and staffed the DTRICK dealer stand.

Alexander has spent the last ten years creating and performing original and imaginative magic on stages around the UK and Europe. Beginning as a street performer, he moved on to work in cabaret and variety in theatres and clubs around the country, and in 2015 joined the cast of the House of Illusion magic theatre in Spain as compere, before taking on the role of Head Magician. He now works for private clients around the UK and performs on cruise ships. Alexander opened the Southport convention with his show 'Been Around a Bit', gave a Saturday lecture, 'Modest Proposals', on his professional repertoire, and judged the British Ring Shield Competition.

Southport Dance Academy is one of the most successful theatre schools in the north-west. Pupils have appeared on ITV television, Sky 1, BBC, the Disneyland Paris spring parade and on the stage of Cinemagique, with many past pupils now working in the West End and on TV. The Academy was delighted to appear alongside the magicians of the I.B.M. British Ring in both halves of the Southport Gala Show.

Eddie Dawes has organised and chaired what became known as the History of Mystery session at British Ring conventions for many years. At Southport in 2018 he brought together contributions from Paul Freeman, Marco Pusterla and Roy Field for the Friday afternoon session, 'More History of Mystery'.