The Arts Society Dumfries and Galloway is bringing one of the UK’s best magicians to Dumfries, explaining & demonstrating Charles Dickens’ career as a conjuror.
Easterbrook Hall @ 11:00am on Tuesday 12 September The first lecture of the Arts Society’s 23-24 season is “Charles Dickens, Conjuror”.
It will be presented by Ian Keable, one of only a few members of the Inner Magic Circle of magicians. Ian moved from being a chartered accountant into cutting his teeth as a comedian working in the tough world of comedy clubs, alongside comedians such as Lee Evans, Frank Skinner, Harry Hill, Jo Brand and Graham Norton. He’s also a respected authority on the great Victorian novelist Charles Dickens and historical magicians, and has written two well-received books on the subject.
Dickens’ interest in conjuring is a little-known facet of his career, but for seven years, he gave many amateur performances round the country. His best known show was on the Isle of Wight in 1849, for which he wrote a highly amusing playbill to promote his appearance. This playbill, in which Dickens called himself the ‘Unparalleled Necromancer’, is Keable’s focus in explaining how Dickens became a conjurer, what sort of magic he did and how his magic sheds light both on his character and his writings.
Included in the talk are a couple of Dickensian magic tricks performed in Ian Keable’s own inimitable style.
Buy tickets (£10) from the Midsteeple Box Office or on the door More information from:
https://tasdag.org.uk/Lectures/FutureLectures.aspx
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Charles_Dickens
