Lighthouse Immersive/Illusionarium, opens July 29, Toronto Star Building, 1 Yonge St. Tickets here.
It ’ s about a bushy andiron story. Production company Lighthouse Immersive has kept running into the juggernaut of COVID-19. Throughout Toronto ’ s million lockdowns, opening dates were set for their extravaganza productions that then had to be cancelled. While their first show, Immersive Van Gogh, finally got a chance to run for a little while between lockdowns, the newfangled show Illusionarium never had the prospect. It was slated to open several times in 2020, but then languished during 2021. now, however, Illusionarium ’ s day is finally at pass .
Lighthouse Immersive shows aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate equitable any shows. They are gigantic epic adventures with the emphasis on the word immersive. They are experiential dramaturgy where the audience is consumed by jaw-dropping effects using 3D projections, 3D map, laser beams, LED walls and synergistic social media. In the encase of Immersive Van Gogh, the watchman is peppered with shock to ceiling, highly imaginatively placed images of the artist ’ sulfur solve that convey Van Gogh ’ s enormous creative endowment overlie with deep psychological and aroused overtones. For its separate, Illusionarium is a magic trick express like no other.
What Is Illusionarium?
british victor magician Jamie Allan is known for blending state-of-the-art engineering with traditional magic to create mind-boggling digital illusions. For exercise, there is his celebrated flim-flam of making audience cell phones carry the lapp message. For Illusionarium, Allan and co-creator Tommy Bond, have imagined an immersive spectacle that takes audiences on a enlistment of the history and evolution of magic ,
The show is spread over four rooms, each from a unlike historic period and featuring unlike high-tech effects. Palais Royale, hosted by Harry Houdini, includes double layer 3D volumetric hologram technologies ( whew ! ) and mind-reading sequences. The egyptian Hall transports audiences rear in time with immersive board effects involving levitations and vanishings. On-Air Studios features beloved magicians who appeared on television in the Golden Age. ultimately, Evo-lusion Theatre gives a glimpse into the future of magic trick and engineering. Whichever the room, however, the heart of the hour-long show remains anchored in up-to-date digital illusions .
How Did Illusionarium Come About?
Corey Ross ( Starvox Exhibits ) and Svetlana Dvoretskaia ( Show One Productions ) are the Toronto producing team that gave us the mega-hit Immersive Van Gogh. jointly called Lighthouse Immersive, their follow-up spectacle is Illusionarium .
As a party, Starvox presents boastful shows, and Ross is always on the lookout for endowment. His care was caught by magician Jamie Allan who was, in Ross ’ words, a very big deal in Britain. In particular, Allan was known for his forward-thinking high-tech magic trick. For the end several years, Ross has presented Allan ’ s one-man extravaganza iMagician in american english cities, with Toronto being the future stop. then the pandemic hit .
Says Ross, “ With his field prove out of commission, Jamie and I were wondering what could we present with social outdistance. Jamie has an encyclopedic cognition of the history of magic trick. His house is filled with magician artifacts, so the theme began to emerge, why not create an immersive historic show ? I showed him the effects used by Immersive Van Goh, and Jamie and his creative partner, Tommy Bond, took it from there. ”
amazingly, Dvoretskaia had initial doubts, but warmed improving to the project when she found out that legendary magicians Penn & Teller wanted to be involved. “ My conserve was very impress by this, ” she says. The turning point for her was Allans ’ s creative presentation of the projected show. “ Jamie envisioned for me the fabulous travel that the audience would undertake. His presentation showed images of the cauterize of witches and that very got to me. I saw the history and evolution of magic trick as a antic theme, ” Dvoretskaia continues .
Where Is Illusionarium Staged?
Ross and Dvoretskaia have breathed new life into the erectile print press rooms behind the Toronto Star build. They already transformed two of the spaces into galleries for the presentation of Immersive Van Gogh and Gogh by Car. Illusionarium occupies the concluding empty separate of the weight-lift rooms, and is adenine large as the two other galleries combined ( 23,000 sq. foot. )
This one-third space, with its observation gallery, includes the honest-to-god Toronto Star gymnasium. They besides found elevators, stairs and walled-up windows. In the transformation, the former gymnasium contains the anteroom and endowment patronize, while the warehouse is where Illusionarium is staged .
End Thoughts And Trivia
- The casting directors had to audition the necessary live magicians on Zoom.
- The technology, props and personnel involved in Illusionarium requires a huge backstage area.
- Illusionarium is a more regimented show than Immersive Van Gogh, as groups of 48 are led by guides through each room. You also have an assigned pod.
- When it was briefly opened between lockdowns, Immersive Van Gogh saw 200,000 people safely pass through the exhibit.
- The producers were prepared to reschedule the premiere of Illusionarium as many times as they had to.
My survive interview to Ross and Dvoretskaia was, “ With two gigantic immersive shows running, are you ridicule building an conglomerate ? ”
To which, they replied, “ Of course. ”
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