Achieving any single dream requires a huge amount of effort and time; it’s no surprise then that people find it easier to get a steady job rather than run after their dreams. Vitaly Beckman, a Vancouver-based illusionist, hopes to inspire people to take the hard path by sharing his story through his imaginative illusions and magic.
“The show is really about making the audience feel anything is possible,” says Beckman. “I hope when the audience goes home, maybe it inspires them to think of what they thought in their life impossible or difficult. Maybe even so, they can follow their dream. I really try to encourage them to follow their own personal dreams because a lot of people are afraid to do that, so they go for security.”
Beckman was one of these people who chased after security. Before he became a creative and well-known illusionist, he went to study engineering and he worked as an engineer. But he never liked it. As a result, he decided to pursue his own dream of being an illusionist, which he had wanted to be after watching David Copperfield’s show. He succeeded in achieving his special dream.
When he was 15 years old, Copperfield’s illusions really made him wonderÉ then made him try his hand at illusions. “I tried, but I couldn’t,” he says. “I sat at the table for a couple of days and I just thought, ‘How would I do it if I had to perform it for somebody?” says Beckman.
Beckman tried very hard to figure it out, and he eventually did it. He started showing his family and friends. He truly enjoyed performing in front of people because they loved it and also wanted to see more his magic and illusions. As he was learning, he discovered he would rather invent his own magic and illusions than copy others.
“Coming up with new stuff that I’ve never done before excites me,” he says. “All of the magic in the show comes from my own imagination. It’s really exciting for me to try new things. [At the Victoria show] I am going to attempt to make people disappear from their driver’s licences. I will try to put someone else on it instead, anybody you want. It could be a very famous person, like George Clooney. I’ll put it on your licence and you can take it home. Just make sure that you bring a bus pass or another driver’s license,” he says with a laugh.
For Beckman, there’s a strenuous effort not only to achieve his dream, but also to show the audience new illusions. The amount of time and effort he puts into practicing and creating new illusions are quite astonishing.
“I try to think about new illusions all the time,” he says. “I try to get inspired by everything all the time on a daily basis. I think about it 24-7. I always try to come up with new ideas all the time and everywhere. I just never stop thinking.”
Vitaly
Saturday April 6
CANCELLED