#peter samelson

Friday May 16, 2025

11:00 AM CHECK-IN TO PICK UP REGISTRATION PACKETS Registration Opens

11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Flea Market  

12:45 PM Grand Opening / Welcome Greeting/ FREE MAGICAL GIFT

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Show & Lecture #1 - PETER SAMELSON 2:30 PM – 3:00 PM Break  

2:30 PM – 7:30 PM magiK-MART Opens (dealers)

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Dinner on your own  

6:00 PM – 7:30 PM LECTURE (Lecture #2) - ERIC TAIT

7:30 PM – 8:00 PM Break  

8:00 PM magiK-MART closes (dealers) 

8:00 PM – 9:30 PM Show & Lecture #3 - THE COSMIC ROMANTICS

9:30 PM – ???? JOLLY TIME JAM – NEW FOR 2025 Super Special Late Night Jam Session featuring some very popular “name” magicians! If you are a “nite-owl” – you will enjoy “hanging out” with fellow magi trading magical secrets & such.  This special room for late-night jamming of magic is set up JUST for you & your magical friends! Enjoy free flavored popcorns and soda sponsored by JOLLY TIME POPCORN!

Time Stamps: These will be posted after I have gotten some sleep.

An Interview with Peter Samelson

Peter Samelson insists that he doesn’t do magic; he only helps people to see it. He is an illusionist/entertainer/philosopher, blending simplicity and sophistication as he provokes thought and inspires wonder. A recent recipient of a Merlin Award for Lifetime Achievement, and christened “the soft-spoken conceptualist of sorcery” by the New York Times, Peter has distinguished himself not only as…

2019 Convention Schedule - Tuesday August 6, 2019

9:00 a.m. Registration (Kiosk) until 6:30 p.m.

10:00 a.m. General Session for WHITE lanyards (Showroom) until 12:15 p.m.

10:00 a.m. Focus Sessions for BLUE lanyards until 11:00 p.m.

Eugene Burger: From Beyond (Dauphine B)

Making the Magic More You (Bienville G)

You Are All Terrible! (Esplanade L)

11:00 a.m. The Magic Shop (Mardi Gras) until 6:00 p.m.

11:15 a.m. Focus Sessions for BLUE lanyards until 12:15 p.m. (see Focus Session, 10:00 a.m.)

2:15 p.m. General Session for BLUE lanyards (Showroom) until 4:30 p.m.

2:15 p.m. Focus Sessions for WHITE lanyards until 3:15 p.m. (see Focus Session, 10:00 a.m.)

3:30 p.m. Focus Sessions for WHITE lanyards until 4:30 p.m. (see Focus Session, 10:00a)

Live Tonight!

5:00 until 11:00 p.m. - Exhibit: Ambiguous Objects (Dauphine F)

6:00, 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 p.m. - Guess That Gimmick!, 60 min (Dauphine B)

6:00, 7:30, 9:00, 10:30 p.m. - Close-up Experience, 75 min. (Bienville H)

6:00, 7:45, 9:30 p.m. - Little Big Show, 60 min. (Esplanade M)

Time Stamps for this podcast:

00:00:17 - Jade talks about recently attending the Tom Stone workshop on creativity in Sweden

00:05:34 - Peter Samelson talks about some of the days activities plus observations on creativity and today’s audiences

00:17:28 - Joe Turner gives his perspective of some of the convention activities

00:29:58 - Curtis Kam tells us some of his favorite sessions so far

00:40:43 - David “Silly Billy” Kaye

Peter Samelson makes magic happen at Poe’s

Wow!

Peter was amazing! If you were not there, you should have been! He astounded the audience with a magic flair that few can duplicate or should!

Highlights were numerous, but a few included:

A romantic proposal that unlocked a couples hearts!

Mind reading involving multiple books with a startling conclusion!

Wedding rings united in love (or radioactivity?)

The audience experiences what…

Peter Samelson was one of performers and lecturers at the Texas Association of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) convention in Austin, Texas. I have always admired his thinking and perspective of magic. He takes the art of magic very seriously as evidenced by his performance that shows thoughtful scripting, professional choreography and impeccable timing.

During our discussion, Peter talks about his life's journey that led him to creating theatrical effects that resonate with his audience. He talks about the twists he puts on some classics that not only make them "his" but also makes his performance of that effect memorable to his audience.