|
73rd British Ring IBM Convention
23rd - 27th September 2009, Southport
Update 5, May 2009
Bob Hayden, British Ring PRO
This year, particularly, for the Children’s Entertainer there will be
not one but two specialist lectures and who better to deliver them than Terry
Herbert and John Kimmons.
Terry Herbert (photo) is acknowledged worldwide as the Crowned Prince of Children’s
Entertainers with a lifelong experience for doing so. It started in 1956 when he
applied to and was appointed by the Butlins Organisation as a Redcoat Children’s
Entertainer at their Cliftonville Hotels. This gave him the great opportunity of
finely honing his already considerable magical skills and to engage with a young
audience on a daily basis. It was a venture that proved to be invaluable. He was
to stay with Butlins for the next nine years working his way up the ranks to be
Resident Compere and finally Entertainments Manager. During the latter period
one of the Redcoats working under him was as then an unknown but up and coming
comic Jimmy Tarbuck. Following his marriage to Averil in 1965 (she was his
Redcoat Secretary) he left the organisation to become the assistant and
promotions manager at the Streatham Ice Rink in South London. It was there he
presented Howard Peters, his enduring friend, escaping from a block of ice in
the middle of the rink.
Another change in career was to take Terry into the toy business where he
remained for the next 12 years combining it with working as a semi-pro magician
until deciding to become a full time professional. It was a wise decision to do
so and one that Terry has never regretted.
Over the next three decades plus Terry established himself not only as the
countries foremost Children’s Entertainer but an International Comedy Magician
gaining a host of prestigious awards along the way including the British Ring
Comedy Cup in 1980, the British Champion of Comedy in 1986, The Magic Circle
‘Carlton’ award for Comedy magic in 1992, and the David Berglas award of the
British Magical Society in 2008. On television he has been a guest artiste on
numerous light entertainment shows and made over 50 programmes that were
screened on the Children’s Channel on Cable and Satellite Television plus a
series of children’s programmes on Thames Television called Five Magic Minutes.
He has produced a number of very successful instructional Videos/DVDs. His video
Children’s Magic – the Herbert Way was a runaway best seller and became a
standard work of reference for the newcomer to entertaining children as well as
for experienced performers.
His latest DVDs Magic for Under 5’s and The ‘Kidabra’ Kidshow Superstars Volume
1 are also best sellers. In the former you see a live show with some of the
tricks Terry regularly uses and those most all important ‘bits of business’
which children loved. Next he explains the tricks and what effect he is trying
to achieve. This and more will be the basis of the lecture Terry is delivering
in Southport and so that you can bear witness to the impact that his work has on
a young audience he is arranging for such a group to be present.
John Kimmons is a Magical Ventriloquist. As Kimmo he has been performing
professionally for over 25 years delighting audiences with his unique blend of
magic, comedy and ventriloquism. At the Blackpool Convention in 2008 he was
awarded the title Children’s Entertainer World Champion and became the first
ever children’s entertainer to pick up the highly respected Ken Dodd award for
Comedy.
A large number of you will remember John from the days when he could always be
found behind the stand of Supreme Magic. How he came to be there happened in
rather an unlikely way. The first magical Convention he attended was at
Blackpool when he was aged 15, and where like many others he was immediately
drawn to the Supreme stand. He was already in procession of the Supreme
catalogue, a catalogue he had studied with meticulous care and intimately knew
every effect it contained. As usual there was a large crowd surrounding the
stand, such was the magnetism and pulling power of Supreme Magic’s proprietor
Edwin Hooper. However Edwin when demonstrating his vast range of effects was not
giving the cost of any individual item. So without reference to the catalogue
John, from the front of the stand, informed the crowd of each effects price.
Edwin was stunned by this young man’s daring interruptions but instead of
rebuking him, invited him to come behind the stand and assist. Thereafter John
was to accompany the Supreme and later the Edwin’s Magical Arts team to all
major Conventions and he was to become a most popular member with the customers.
Coincidentally John had performed his first children’s show at the same age and
has since gone on to work at almost every conceivable type of venue from parties
in private houses to large theatres and large festival audiences.
John firmly believes that the contents of any children’s show should be aimed at
a family audience rather than being just merely a distraction to keep the
children occupied. He keeps his shows devoid of repetitive filler material
instead packing them with stunning magic and hilarious ventriloquism routines.
So in his lecture ‘Talk to my Hand’ he will not only be stressing the importance
of performing visual magic but emphasising the attention that must be given to
ensure it is entertaining. He will also be exploring and showing how the use of
ventriloquism with hand held animal figures can add to and enhance your
children’s show as well as detailing the skills required to master this art
form. It is one that is increasingly becoming popular as an alternative to
ballooning modelling and one you may well want to adopt.
If you are a children’s entertainer these are two lectures you cannot afford to
miss. In all, spread over the period of the Convention, there will be eleven
lectures/workshops. These lectures alone make the registration fee of £125 per
person (£100 for British Ring members and their partners), excellent value for
money. For Juniors of 18 years of age or under there is a reduced registration
fee of £65. So why not make your Registration now and enjoy four packed days of
magic and be in the company of and mingle with many of the world’s Stars of
Magic.
Bob Hayden, British Ring PRO, May 2009. www.britishring.org.uk