Their next big class at the Magic & Mystery School is “Mask, Mine and Magic,” which is coming up on Jan. 9 and 10. “This class is for magicians who want to add mime, movement and mask work to their performances. Masked performers, mimes and movement artists who want to add magic skills to their performances,” McBride said. “Anyone who is an enthusiast of magic, mime and mask work, who wants to explore and deepen their understanding of these magical art forms.”
On his plans for 2016, McBride said, “Every year we add new courses because of the popularity of our school this year we are adding ‘Spring Training’ in May. This is for people that are interested in magic to getting the basics or for advanced students to Leap ahead of the rest of the pack. Also our annual conference ‘Magic and Meaning’ will move into a hotel closer to the Las Vegas strip this is one of most popular events and we are really enhancing the events this year.”
When asked about his New Year’s resolutions for 2016, he said, “This year one of our resolutions is to put more focus on the Foundation for Magical Education. This is our not-for-profit branch of the Magic & Mystery school. This new foundation will help us to raise funds to help magicians all over the world.”
Looking back on 2015, one of his proudest accomplishments was seeing his former student and friend Mat Franco win America’s Got Talent, and he was able to open his own show in Las Vegas. “That is big news. It is lovely to see one of our students succeed in such a grand way. We are glad to be a small part of his success,” McBride said.
McBride praised Franco for transforming the art of magic. “His show was the first show on stage that doesn’t use big elaborate boxes! He uses his techniques, talents and sense of humor to engage the audience and uses high-tech cameras and multimedia interface to enhance the magic without losing its credibility. A job well done,” McBride exclaimed.
