Beginning on Dec. 14, patrons in Toronto will have yet another opportunity to enjoy a socially distanced live event experience. The producers of Immersive Van Gogh and its sister exhibit, Gogh By Car, have announced Illusionarium, a massive magic exhibition conceived by British magician Jamie Allan, who is known for fusing magic and technology.
Illusionarium is to be presented in a “labyrinth of mysterious rooms transporting you to different eras of illusions,” boasting live magicians, 3D projections and life-size holograms on an immersive journey through the evolution of magic. Patrons will enjoy everything from levitation and vanishings to mind reading, card tricks and more, all in a socially distanced setting with mandatory masks.
“Illusionarium is an exhibit meets a magic show,” Corey Ross, co-producer of Immersive Van Gogh, told INTIX. “For the last three or four years, [my production company has] done a magic show every Christmas. It’s usually in multiple cities, and we do different magic shows. One of the magicians I was working with was wondering what we could do this year because we can't go into a theater and create a big crowd, so we came up with a concept to adapt magic into an exhibit and allow the public to move through it.”
The experiential exhibit is currently being built out at 1 Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, in an adjacent gallery to the vast spaces where Immersive Van Gogh and Gogh By Car are presented.
“There will be a series of rooms and each room will feature a moment in the history of magic,” Ross says. “We've come up with a concept to take the public, in a socially distanced way, through this experience. They'll get to see illusions demonstrated by magicians in a safe and socially distanced way, and then we're going to integrate the video and the immersive approach similar to Van Gogh into the concept. It is completely reconceiving what we do.”
Ross says, “We looked at what we've learned on Van Gogh and how to keep a crowd socially distanced, and figured out how we could convert the show into being something that can work during COVID … We're building a brand new show as opposed to just running a show that we've done before, but these are the types of adaptations that I think performers, artists and venues are going to need to start to find.”
Timed-entry tickets and gift cards for Illusionarium go on sale Nov. 14, 2020, for exhibition dates from Dec. 14, 2020 to Feb. 15, 2021. The “Basic Magic Circle” offers entrance to a basic viewing area, “Premium Magic Circle” offers a premium viewing area as well as a souvenir laminate and limited edition poster and the “VIP Magic Circle” experience combines the premium-level perks with exclusive backstage access, a VIP magic trick performance and socially distanced meet and greet. Prices range from $99.99 for a pair of “Basic Magic Circle” tickets to $199.99 for two VIP tickets.