Hosted by David Kovac & Featuring an Array of International Performances; Asi Wind Being Honored as Magician of the Year
LOS ANGELES — May 18, 2023 — For Immediate Release — The Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) is hosting its 55th annual AMA Awards Show, Thursday, May 25, at the historic Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023, it marks the first time that the The Magic Castle has opened the show to the public. Anyone purchasing a ticket (nearly sold out) will also receive a pass to visit the iconic private club.
Hosted by comedic magician David Kovac, the show will honor close-up magician/mentalist Asi Wind as Magician of the Year. Called “Astonishing!” and “One of the great magicians of our time,” by the New York Times, Wind is considered a “magician’s magician” and is currently starring in Asi Wind’s Inner Circle Presented by David Blaine.
The show will once again feature first-class performances with a global perspective by some of the world’s best magicians—A true celebration of the art of magic and those who preserve the craft for audiences everywhere to enjoy.
PERFORMANCES BY: Cie Alogique’s Laurent Piron, the Belgian magician who was FISM’s 2022 Grand Prix World Champion of Magic; Danish magician Mortenn Christiansen, 2022 FISM winner for comedy (an act he will perform at the awards); world-renowned U.S. illusionist and performance artist Armando Lucero; Spanish singing ventriloquist, whose magical performance made her an America’s Got Talent fan pick, Celia Muñoz; and The Netherland’s award-winning, fantasy illusionism magic troupe Magus Utopia.
WHAT: AMA Magic Awards, Hosted by Comedic Magician David Kovac
WHO: Special Honorees, Performing Magicians
WHEN: Thursday, May 25 — Doors Open/Reception, 6 p.m. / Show, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA, 929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
TICKETS: https://www.axs.com/events/479774/the-magic-castle-2023-awards-show-tickets
2023 AMA Award Honorees & Nominees —
Magician of the Year Honoree:
¨ Asi Wind
Close-Up Magician of the Year Nominees:
¨ Simon Coronel
¨ Bill Goodwin
¨ Jonathan Levit
¨ Armando Lucero
¨ David Regal
Parlour Magician of the Year Nominees:
¨ Alfonso
¨ Jonathan Levit
¨ Mike Pisciotta
¨ David Regal
¨ Arthur Trace
Stage Magician of the Year Nominees:
¨ Juliana Chen
¨ Lucy Darling
¨ David Kaplan
¨ David Kovac
¨ Tina Lenert
¨ Arthur Trace
Lecturer of the Year Nominees:
¨ Lucy Darling
¨ Shoot Ogawa
¨ Tom Stone
¨ Garrett Thomas
¨ R. Paul Wilson
AMA Fellowship Awards & Awards of Merit Will be Presented to …
Masters Fellowship:
Gaëtan Bloom
This is the highest Fellowship Award granted by the AMA. The recipient is selected by the Board of Trustees, whose combined knowledge of the art and history of magic provides the platform for selection. Renowned magician Dai Vernon was presented with the first Masters Fellowship in 1968. Other recipients include Cardini and Slydini.
Lifetime Achievement Fellowship:
William Rauscher
Created in 1985, this fellowship is given to a person whose entire life had been dedicated to magic, either as a performer, a preservationist or a historian. Magic Castle co-founder William W. Larsen, Jr. received the first presentation, followed by Don Lawton, Castle co-founder Milt Larsen, Francis Marshall and others.
Performing Fellowships:
Armando Lucero — Close-up
Juliana Chen — Stage
Recipients of this fellowship are performers – or a team of performers – who have made an impact on the art of magic. Cardini received the first award in 1968, followed by such performers as Frackson, Richiardi and Marvyn & Carol Roy.
Creative Fellowship:
Daniel Sylvester
Presented to people who have made significant innovations and/or whose creativity in magic is beyond that of their peers. The first award was presented to Ed Marlo in 1968. Others include Robert Harbin, Alan Wakeling and John Gaughan.
Literary/Media Fellowship:
J.K. Hartman
Presented to those whose body of magical literary work is both large and important to the art. The first recipient of this fellowship was Lewis Ganson in 1968. Other recipients include contemporary authors Mike Caveney and Jim Steinmeyer.
About the Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.
The Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) is a unique non-profit. The AMA’s membership – including the world’s most pre-eminent and celebrated magicians and illusionists – lives by the “Magic First” creed, devoted to the advancement of the art of magic and preserving its history. Its headquarters and private clubhouse, the Magic Castle, has been an internationally revered gathering place for the magic brotherhood since opening its doors in 1963. Located in historic Hollywood in an elegant, Edwardian-era mansion, the Castle is an experience within itself—a remarkable meeting spot that captures a lost era and is timeless in its appeal, having hosted generations of magic enthusiasts from around the globe, as well as show biz elite from Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Johnny Carson, Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Alexander (all performing members) to Katy Perry and Johnny Depp. The Magic Castle was founded by writer, actor, magician and entrepreneur Milt Larsen and his late brother, Bill Larsen, Jr. Visit us online at: www.AcademyOfMagicalArts.com