74th British Ring IBM Convention
22nd - 26th September 2010, Eastbourne
Update 8, May 2010
Bob Hayden, British Ring PRO

‘Richard Bloch – Whatever I Damn Well Want to Do’. That’s what Rich Bloch’s business card reads. He is by trade an Arbitrator and a Magician by hobby. For many he is as much a magician as he is a noted lawyer.

Rich Bloch is no newcomer to British Ring Conventions having been with us on six times, the first being in 1990 and has fulfilled many roles. On some occasions he has acted as the Master of Ceremonies for our final headline show, on others amazed us at the close-up table in the International Close-up Gala and has given some outstanding advice as well as practical tricks in a series of lectures.

Rich has been in magic for over 60 years starting as an assistant to Dick de Buoy, the Magical Clown. He toured and performed with Harry Blackstone Junior and he has been a screen writer for Hollywood legend Orson Wells, who described him as ‘An Edison of Magic’. But his biggest secret must be, and one he has never revealed or is ever likely to, is how he found time to learn and practice two extremely successful but contrasting careers.

At Eastbourne Rich will be filling three roles, as emcee of the International Magic Show, performing in the International Close-up Gala and delivering yet a another lecture. As an emcee Rich is in a class of his own. No one surpasses Rich. There is no doubt he is the best when it comes to hosting a magic show. With his sophisticated ‘laid back’ style of humour, his modulated sense of time and his unembellished filling of any stage waits makes him an admirable compere.

It is not only on stage that he is a clown prince of humour. He is exactly the same at the close-up table where he wows his audience with a very special style jocularity. On the three occasions he has appeared on this show we have been treated to three different acts in which the props he has used have been different for each act. What will he be using in his act this year? You will have to be at Eastbourne to find out!

As a lecturer Rich is a fluent speaker, has an admirable delivery and is meticulous in his explanation of any trick and the method of doing it. Over the years he has given three completely different lectures and if you went away after any lecture without at least one trick you could well do you must seriously ask yourself if you have chosen the wrong category of magic to perform. It is not only tricks that Rich demonstrates and explains. Each of his lectures is packed with useful and common sense practical advice for both the stage and close-up performer. No doubt Rich will have more pearls of wisdom for us to ponder upon when he lectures in September.

Rich Bloch we have a great affection for you, your work and what you can teach us. We are delighted that you will be with us again after an absence of six years.

At a number of our Conventions we have had acts performing the vintage entertainment of shadowgraphs. The presentation of this speciality act were taken to an even greater height in 1998 when The Black Fingers from France gave an unusual visual magic in a fast moving shadowgraph show. Starting with fairy stories the audience were transported through many different scenes from the jungle to under the seas with a multitude of human and animal characters to a stirring musical accompaniment. What rapturous applause erupted in the Congress Theatre at the conclusion of their act.

Who are The Black Fingers? They are a glamorous couple who with two pairs of hands and unlimited talent are masters of shadow sculpture using a poetic style of choreography for their fingers. With 4 hands mixing humour, poetic and realism they bring you into their own world of fantasy. The hand shadows illusions they create belong to the world of magic.

The Black Fingers will be back again at Eastbourne with a completely new act that can only enhance the Saturday night International Magic Show.