EXIT Theatre Announces The 2nd Annual FOG CITY MAGIC FEST

In February of 2016, EXIT Theatre - the original epicenter of indie theatre in San Francisco - presented a brand new experiment: the Fog City Magic Fest, a week of shows from some of the Bay Area's most acclaimed magicians, produced by EXIT Theatre and curated by co-founders, national magicians, and Bay Area treasures Jay Alexander and Christian Cagigal. The Fog City experiment was a smashing success, with attendance topping that of any other first-year festival produced by the EXIT.

In January of 2017, EXIT Theatre will present the 2nd annual Fog City Magic Fest. From January 25th to January 28th, the 2nd annual Fog City Magic Fest will present a series of nine shows and events including performances by international entertainer Robert Strong; featured performer at New York's Monday Night Magic Dennis Kyriakos; the return of Jade; a special family magic event in conjunction with our neighbors at the Tenderloin Museum; and a rematch of last year's MAGIC SLAM! competition, a face-off between two teams of fierce and magical competitors.

- MEET THE MAGICIANS -

Jay Alexander - Co-Founder and Curator
A master magician and comic, Jay is one of the top corporate and society entertainers in the country. His most notable appearances include the Today Show, TEDx Talks, MTV, Good Morning America and many other morning shows. While Jay has performed for many society events and noted entertainers' own private shows, he is best known for creating customized shows for America's most powerful Fortune 500 companies. Jay is the great grandson of legendary vaudeville performer Gentleman Ben Darwin. As a child, he found a trunk in his grandparents' attic that was filled with magical apparatus and escape illusions. His interest in magic was born with this discovery. At the age of fourteen, Jay was honored as the youngest recipient of the Society of American Magicians Gold Medal of Honor. For over 25 years, Jay has pursued his passion of creating unique live entertainment by mystifying audiences, young and old, with miraculous effects of the mind and the hands.

Christian Cagigal - Co-Founder and Curator
Christian has been performing his trademark blend of theatre, storytelling, and magic as an Artist in Residence at EXIT Theatre since 2006 and as an Artist in Residence at Beyond the Mountain in Montréal, Canada since 2012. In 2015, Christian was named a Finalist for Best Solo Performer at the Theatre Bay Area Awards for the second year in a row, he's a recipient of a Mastermind Award from the SF Weekly, and he's a three-time winner of the Best Magician of the Bay Award by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. His works include The Pandora Experiment, OBSCURA (TBA Awards Finalist 2015), the secretive happenings of The Collection, and the critically acclaimed Now and at the Hour (TBA Awards Finalist 2014). Christian has performed in theatres and festivals from New York to Montréal, Chicago to New Orleans, and Minneapolis to Edinburgh. Christian has consulted for A.C.T.'s MFA program, Shotgun Players, Crowded Fire Theater, Marin Shakespeare Company, EXIT Theatre, and he's the new owner of the The San Francisco Ghost Hunt Walking Tour, a 17-year San Francisco tradition loved by visitors and locals alike.

Robert Strong - Headliner
Robert has been crisscrossing the world since 1985, entertaining audiences large and small, young and old, formal and casual, and everything in between! Voted San Francisco's Funniest Prop Comedian and Bay Area's Best Performer, Robert has appeared on every major TV network, taken his act to all 50 states and more than 40 different countries, and taken it twice to the White House.

Dennis Kyriakos - Headliner
Dennis has been a long-time featured performer at and host of Monday Night Magic - New York City's longest running magic show - and Magical Nights at Feinstein's at the Loews Regency. In January of 2009, Dennis was enlisted by The Talking Band to open their 35th season of original and compelling theatre with his show Radnevsky's Real Magic which ran for three weeks in October of 2009 to rave reviews. Dennis has thrice lectured at New York University's Psychology Department on the topic of visual perception in magic and at St. Mary's College in Moraga on the topic of lying and deception. He has also been profiled on the popular blog The Art of Manliness.

Jade - Headliner
Jade took the male-dominated world of magic by storm in 1990, when she won first place in the International Brotherhood of Magicians' World Magic Competition and was honored with the organization's coveted Gold Medal of Magic, a prize awarded only a handful of times in the competition's 35-year history. She has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada. Her accomplishments include a command performance for the Royal Family of Monaco at the Princess Grace Theater in Monaco; receiving the Golden Mandrake Award, France's most prestigious magic honor; as well as being recognized by the International Magicians Society as Best Female Magician of the Year in a ceremony in Las Vegas.

Ryan Kane - Headliner and MAGIC SLAM! Challenger
Ryan is a full-time magician and comedian living in San Francisco. He has performed for such companies as Microsoft, Costco, and Intel. Ryan's magic has brought him from Las Vegas to New York and he is a featured performer at casinos in Reno and at the top destination in San Francisco, Pier 39.

Phil Ackerly - Headliner
Phil combines his experience from the theatre with sleight-of-hand magic, along with good clean humor and a few stories that tug at your heartstrings. Phil is the Bay Area's most popular family entertainer, voted Bay Area's Best five times by Parents Magazine and elected into their Hall of Fame. Phil's act has taken him across the country to off-Broadway at Monday Night Magic, Atlantic City, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and to the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California.
Lynx the Animator - MAGIC SLAM! Challenger
Lynx is a variety performer that has been sharing his unique blend of comedy, magic, hypnosis, and old sideshow stunts for over the last 25 years. He has performed for festivals and corporate events, and has been featured in many publications such as Talent Monthly Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle. Lynx is now a resident of the Bay Area and can be seen in Street Magic Live monthly at EXIT Theatre, regularly at Pier 39, and cabaret shows around town and across the country.

Danté - MAGIC SLAM! Challenger
Danté was born to be a magician. As a child, his father built props for professional touring magicians out of the workshop in their New York home. At ten, Danté began studying his art at the world famous Tannen's Magic Camp. By twelve, he could be seen handing out his business card and performing at local community events. His passion to perform led him to study theatre at New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. After moving to California, Danté's work expanded into television, commercials, and print. He was cast to play himself on the Emmy-nominated television show Hip Hop Harry that aired on the Discovery Kids network. In 2013, Danté was named San Francisco's Performer of the Year by RAW, an international independent art organization. Now living in the Bay Area, Danté continues to enjoy bringing magic to events nationwide.

Brian Scott - MAGIC SLAM! Challenger
Brian is a San Francisco Bay Area based magician, performing for family audiences throughout California. Born and raised in Mystic, Connecticut Brian made his first appearance in the Bay Area in 2002 and has called it home ever since.
Brian has had the pleasure of performing for a wide range of groups and has entertained audiences at the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, Ardenwood Historic Farm, the Filoli House Family Days, and the Lawrence Hall of Science. He is also a featured performer at Oakland's Children's Fairyland and the Buddy Club Family Shows series. One part Elvis impersonation and two parts goof with the facial expressions of Jim Carrey, Brian is a crowd favorite with young and old.

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