Movie Night - The Life and Strange Genius of Stewart James
Date: Wednesday, January 21st, 2026
Time: Doors open 6:30 PM / Event Start 7:00 PM 
Location: Agricola Lutheran Church - 25 Old York Mills Road
Free for Members / $10 for Non-Members

Join us for a special screening of the documentary "The Life and Strange Genius of Stewart James" with writer/director Daniel Zuckerbrot in attendance. We’ll have a Q&A about making the documentary on the reclusive and inspiring magical thinker extraordinaire. And we are asking members to show off their favourite Stewart James’ tricks! Please reach out to us at ibmring17@gmail.com if you are game to join the Stewart James Show & Tell. 

Stewart James was one of the most prolific producers of magic tricks in history. He was an illusionist extraordinaire and inventor of over 1,000 unique tricks, all created with the use of mathematical and scientific principles. Some of his best-known pieces are “ Further Than That,” “Miraskill” and the famed “51 Faces North” plot. James’ book on magic, published in 1989 by long-time friend Allan Slaight, is still the largest book of magic tricks ever printed.

James was born in Courtright, ON in 1908 and lived there until his death in 1996. The youngest child of John W. James, a Welsh-born tinsmith and superintendent of the Stewart Presbyterian Church Sunday School, and Annie L. Stewart, known as an extremely strict and humourless woman who dominated her son’s life until her death in 1972, James had an extremely isolated childhood. His parents kept him out of school for many years and the young boy would spend his days on the verandah of his family home, Aberystwyth, dreaming up magic tricks with three imaginary friends, known as ‘The Deepsters’, named Rigonally, Faxton and Khardova.
 
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