Admin: We are very pleased to announce that our next Guest Speaker will be the award-winning Julie Eng, who will be making her appearance on these forums on the 7th of November.

If you are interested in researching a little about this remarkable woman before her visit to these boards you may find this site of particular interest:

http://www.magicienne.com/Home/home.html

We are very grateful to Julie for giving up her time to provide her input to these forums and we keenly anticipate an active week of interesting threads and replies during her time at these boards.

Michael Jay: The cover of the February, 2003 issue of Linking Ring is graced with the beautiful Julie Eng. Inside the pages is a full biography of this excellent magicienne who's roots go deep into magic.

Julie and her father, Tony, are working on an illusion show to tour Canada (and might presently be doing just that), something that they've done together in the past. She keeps herself busy with a terribly full schedule of cabaret shows, close-up, corporate, trade shows, theater shows, grand openings, fairs and even does some work on cruise ships. Again, wow! Still, you can't hold natural talent down.

For a full and fascinating look at the life and times (to date) of Julie Eng, see the Linking Ring issue listed above.

I personally am honored to have Julie with us for the next week. Those who know me realize that I feel more women should be involved in our art. So, it is a special honor to have Julie as our first female speaker here on Magic Bunny. Please join me in welcoming a great talent in magic.

Let me leave you with the quote of David Acer, speaking on Julie Eng:

Admin: I am very pleased to be able to welcome Julie to these forums and I would like to offer her a hearty vote of thanks for taking up her valuable time to provide input to our members' questions. I am thoroughly looking forward to an exciting week of thought-provoking questions and answers.

Thank you so much Julie, in anticipation for your input.

MagicSamX: Welcome to Magic Bunny Thank you for taking the time to come and visit us and answer our questions.

Julie: Thanks for having me as a guest! I look forward to your questions!

Michael Jay: Julie, thank you again for taking time from your busy schedule to speak with us.

First, do you have that illusion show with your dad up and running yet? If so, how is that going?

Second, do you feel that being one of the few women in magic has caused you to have to work harder to get where you are or do you feel that regardless of gender, you would have had to work equally as hard?

Okay, that's three questions...

Julie: Dear Friends,

First, a thank you for your interest in having me onboard this week! I'm very happy to be a part of this community.

Responding to your questions:

Illusion show? Yes, my father (Tony Eng) and I -- alongside my husband and assistant, Suley, and my mother Ann -- have toured across most often Western Canada doing an illusion/magic show called "Mysteries of the Orient". We toured together in 1999 with another magician, Aaron Jones. Then from 2000 - 2001 we toured en famile from Victoria, British Columbia to Brockville, Ontario. We took a break and then did a small tour this fall (Oct 2003). What a great experience! We had a delightful time and had a lot of fun.

The show itself combines classical Chinese magic with contemporary pieces. Some of the illusions we performed included the Temple of Benares and the Sub Trunk. I featured the Checker Cabinet followed by a version of Vernon's snowstorm routine. In the past I've also performed the Linking Rings -- a variation of my father's routine who uses elements of the Vernon Symphony routine -- as well as a combination of vanishing silks and 20th Century routine. It went over quite well with the family audiences we were drawing.

The tour was amazing for the simple reason that it took us, as a family, across Western and Central Canada! I honestly don't think I would have seen some of the towns that we played in, had it not been for the tour. The hospitality shown to us was very rewarding and greatly appreciated. We also got to play in some fabulous theatres.

Next question: being a female in this world of magic. Do I think I have to work harder? No less or no more than anyone who wants to make this field his or her career. It's a tough grind for either gender as far as I am concerned. I would say, that regardless of gender, one must work as hard as the next working pro to get somewhere in this business.

I have been fully supported by my family to pursue this vocation albeit an unusual choice. But they've also supported me to pursue other areas such as post secondary education. My university degree (in commerce) has helped me immensely in building my business. It has also put me in touch with the corporate world, which is my primary target market.

Magic is a topsy-turvy, seasonal business that has its highs and lows -- one must be willing to make sacrifices and to take risks. That being said, I love this work. I love the interaction with people and I love the "high" and the satisfaction I get when performing. I've been challenged a few times in my career and thankfully, those challenges have made me a better performer.