David Ben facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Ben
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David Ben in Tricks 2004
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| Born | March 5, 1961 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Education | BA University of Toronto, LLB University of Western Ontario, LLM London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Magician, Keynote Speaker, writer, Magic Historian, Artistic Director |
| Known for | Sleight-of-hand, magic history, magic collection, sole protégé of Ross Bertram |
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| Children | 2 |
David Gordon Ben is a famous Canadian magician. He is known for his amazing sleight of hand tricks. He also writes books, collects magic items, and knows a lot about the history of magic.
Ben is one of the people who started Magicana. This is a group that helps magic grow as a performing art. He learned magic from a great Canadian magician named Ross Bertram. Ben is also known for writing about another famous magician, Dai Vernon.
Contents
Becoming a Magician: David Ben's Journey
David Ben was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 5, 1961. His interest in magic started when he was 12 years old. His dad gave him a book called The Stein and Day Handbook of Magic.
Later, in 1975, he watched a TV show called Doug Henning's World of Magic. This show made him love magic even more. He often visited magic shops in Toronto. He even worked part-time at Morrissey Magic, learning from the owner, Herb Morrissey.
In 1979, David Ben met Ross Bertram, a famous sleight-of-hand artist. Ben studied magic with Bertram for six years. He became Bertram's only student.
Ben went to university and studied law. He got degrees from the University of Toronto, the University of Western Ontario, and the London School of Economics. He even worked as a tax lawyer for a short time. But in 1990, he decided to follow his passion for magic instead.
Helping Others Through Magic
In 2000, David Ben helped create Magicana. This is a non-profit group that supports magic as an art form. It became a registered Canadian charity in 2006. Ben is now its executive and artistic director.
He also helped his first wife, Jan Howlett, start her own school, the Howlett Academy. After she passed away in 2013, Ben became the director of the school.
In 2004, Ben started a program called My Magic Hands. This program teaches magic to young people who might not have many opportunities. It helps them be creative and feel more confident. The program received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
In 2005, Ben created Senior Sorcery. This program brings magic shows to older people who can't easily leave their homes. It helps them share the fun of magic with younger visitors.
David Ben also collects many magic items. He has collections from famous magicians like Sid Lorraine and Dai Vernon. He has helped create online exhibitions for Magicana to share these collections. In 2024, the Lilly Library, Indiana University bought some of his magic books and papers.
Amazing Magic Shows and Plays
The Conjuror: A Trip Back in Time
The Conjuror was a play that brought old-fashioned magic to life. David Ben and Patrick Watson created it. It was like watching a magic show from 1909. The play first opened at the Shaw Festival in 1996. It was very popular and got great reviews.
They made a second part, The Conjuror – Part 2, in 1997. Later, they combined both parts into The Compleat Conjuror. A documentary film called "A Conjuror in the Making" was also made about the show. It won awards!
In 1997, The Conjuror was performed at the Royal Ontario Museum. It ran for four months and then toured around Ontario. The show was brought back to Toronto in 2002 and again in 2014.
The Conjuror's Suite: Close-Up Magic
In 1999, Ben and Watson created The Conjuror's Suite. This show focused on parlor magic, which is magic performed in a smaller setting. It was inspired by famous magicians like Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin. The show was a big success at the Royal Ontario Museum and later at the Charlottetown Festival in 2000.
Tricks: Modern Magic Classics
In 2004, Ben wrote a new show called Tricks. This show featured classic magic tricks with a modern twist. It was presented in Toronto and was very well-received. Tricks was performed again in 2015.
Natural Magick: Science and Storytelling
In 2011, Ben created Natural Magick for the Luminato Festival. This show was inspired by old science books and stories. It combined new sleight of hand tricks with cool visuals and music. Critics loved it!
Card Table Artifice: The Art of Cheating
In 2014, Ben performed Card Table Artifice at the Luminato Festival. This was a unique show about the art of card cheating. Ben performed live card tricks while a string quartet played music and a narrator explained the techniques.
Hocus Pocus: Magic and Words
In 2016, Ben presented Hocus Pocus with Soulpepper Theatre. This show mixed his magic with cinematic clips and spoken word poetry. It explored the connection between magic words and the art of speaking.
Producing Magic Events
David Ben has produced many magic conventions and shows. In 1983, he organized NYCAN '83, a big gathering of magicians. He also helped bring Penn & Teller to Toronto for their show.
From 2003, Ben produced a special conference called 31 Faces North through Magicana. He and Allan Slaight invited 31 of the world's best magicians and young talents to discuss magic. Famous magicians like Max Maven and Jim Steinmeyer attended.
Ben also became the director of the Magic Collectors Association in 2009. He edited their journal, Magicol, and chaired their annual gathering, the Magic Collectors Weekend, until 2017.
From 2010 to 2014, Ben helped program and produce the Masters of Magic series for Luminato, a big arts festival in Toronto. He brought many international magic acts to the festival, including Juan Tamariz and Mac King.
Magic Consultant for Shows and Movies
David Ben often works as a magic consultant. This means he helps make sure magic tricks look real and amazing in plays, movies, and TV shows.
He has worked on many theatre productions, including The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and The Scarlet Pimpernel. He also helped with shows for Soulpepper Theatre and the Shaw Festival.
In movies, he consulted for Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. For TV, he worked on Canada's Walk of Fame (for Doug Henning) and Murdoch Mysteries. He also helped with documentaries like "Martin Gardner Mathemagician" and "The Science of Magic".
Sharing Knowledge as a Speaker
Since 1990, David Ben has given talks to businesses and groups. He uses magic as a way to explain ideas about creativity, new ideas, and solving problems. He even wrote a book about it called Advantage Play.
He also gives lectures to other magicians. He shares his knowledge about sleight of hand and the history of magic. He has spoken at major magic conventions and in places like Hakone, Japan.
Awards and Achievements
David Ben has received many awards for his work in magic:
- He is a Member of The Inner Magic Circle with Gold Star, a very high honor in the magic world.
- In 2013, he received the Masters Award from the Milbourne Christopher Foundation.
- In 2018, he won the Media and Literary Fellowship Award from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle).
- In 2024, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada, which is one of the highest honors in Canada.
Writer and Editor
David Ben has written several books about magic:
- 2002: Advantage Play: The Manager's Guide To Creative Problem Solving
- 2003: Tricks
- 2006: Dai Vernon: A Biography – Artist, Magician, Muse Vol. 1
- 2008: Zarrow: A Lifetime of Magic
- 2013: Slaight: Off Hand, about media mogul Allan Slaight
- 2015: The Experts at the Card Table
He also co-wrote plays with Patrick Watson, including The Conjuror (1996) and Natural Magick (2011).
Ben has edited other magic books, like The Magic of Johnny Thompson (2018).
Publisher
David Ben, with Magicana, has published many important magic books. He helped publish works by famous magicians like Stewart James and Allan Slaight. He also published Magicol, a journal about magic history, from 2010 to 2022.
Images for kids
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David Ben in Tricks 2004
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David Ben animates two butterflies in Natural Magick part of the 2011 Luminato Festival
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Patrick Watson and David Ben 1996 promotional photo for The Conjuror for the Shaw Festival
