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Hamner and Barber to receive International Magicians Awards
July 12, 2006
Branson entertainers Dave & Denise Hamner and Jim Barber
will each be honored as recipients of the “Merlin Award” by the
International Magicians Society (IMS). The prestigious awards will be
presented to the stars of The Hamner Barber Variety Show in person during
their August 12th, 8pm show by the World President of the IMS, Mr. Tony Hassini.
 The Hamners are being honored with their second Merlin Award as
“Entertainers of the Year.” In 1999 they received the coveted award for
“Best Manipulation.”
Making this year's presentation even more special, Jim Barber is receiving
his Merlin Award for “Ventriloquist of the Year,” being the first entertainer ever to receive this award for ventriloquism in the
society’s 38 year history.
The International Magicians Society (IMS) is the world's largest magic
society as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The IMS began
in 1968 and now has over 37,000 members worldwide. It was created to help
promote and preserve the art of magic and provide a format where magicians
(and magic hobbyists) could share their secrets and ideas.
In the profession of magic, the Merlin statuette is the equivalent of the
Oscar for film, the Emmy for television, and the Tony for theater. It is
presented only to those entertainers who have achieved the highest level
in their craft. The voting members begin with approximately one hundred
names and narrow the list down to a select few. The criteria considered
for a winner include talent, showmanship, originality, skills, and above
all, the rare ability to entertain under any conditions.
The Merlin Award statuette was commissioned to over 100 art students from various colleges across the country. The winning design was carved and created in 1968 by
New York University art student Carol Michaud.
Some of the more famous winners of the
Merlin Award for excellence in magic include: Harry Blackstone, Doug
Henning, Siegfried & Roy and David Copperfield.
Related websites:
Hamner Barber Theater
www.HamnerBarber.com
International Magicians Society
www.magicims.com |
