Are you ready to be amazed this Holiday season?
From Vincent Van Gogh’s Grandiose Paintings – brought to life on large screens, to unbelievable Stage Illusions and Mind Reading feats at the upcoming Champions of Magic show, get ready to let your eyes soak in incredible sights and let your brain be baffled by the seemingly impossible…
* Below: Exclusive Interview with American Illusionist Kayla Drescher
*** CONTEST: Win a set of family passes to see Champions of Magic this Sunday December 15th at Place Bell in Laval ( see end of article for more details.)
Imagine Van Gogh – The Immersive Exhibition
Let yourself stare up in wonder at the twinkle of a starry night, try to smell the sunflowers …
From its inauguration last December 5th, Montreal, city of international art, is hosting all winter the immersive exhibition: Imagine Van Gogh at which 40 video projectors are working simultaneously to show you over 200 Classic paintings of the Dutch master, presented in a very contemporary setting, at Montreal’s Arsenal Gallery.
Visitors of all ages are invited to discover a new way of reconnecting with the work of this great post-impressionist painter, who is among the most illustrious and influential figures in the history of Western art.
The exhibition does not feature actual paintings, but rather giant projections , enhanced by themed classical music that brings to life the body of work of the Dutch painter by featuring his famed landscapes, still life’s, portraits and self-portraits that are characterized by vivid colors and dramatic, impulsive and expressive brushwork that helped pave the foundations of modern art.
Images are projected on “out of the ordinary” 3D shapes, offering different angles from which to discover Van Gogh’s work. Designed by Annabelle Mauger and Julien Baron, this artistic approach uses the concept of “Image Totale”, which situates the spectator right inside the paintings in order to explore their fine detail. Visitors will be able examine up-close details of selected pieces and also see the variations in color and theme that corresponds to different periods of the painter’s life until his tragic demise by suicide in 1890.
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Imagine Van Gogh will run all winter long until Feb 2nd 2020 at the Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal
> Easy access via Notre-Dame Street West <
2020 rue William
Montréal QC
H3J 1R8
For more information and tickets please visit:
https://imagine-vangogh.ca/en/
https://www.arsenalcontemporary.com/
CHAMPIONS OF MAGIC – Presented for the first time in Quebec!
Sunday, December 15th at 7pm | Place Bell, Laval
Champions of Magic is a family friendly touring illusion and theatrical show, featuring a cast of five world class magicians, each specializing in a different type of magic; from mind reading, close-up hand manipulation and card tricks to full stage, show stopping grand illusions!
Young & Strange (UK), Alex McAleer (UK), Kayla Drescher (USA) and Fernando Velasco (Mexico / USA) make up the cast of talented performers who have been wowing crowds at sold out shows across the globe, receiving rave reviews by critics and enjoying a long run in London’s West End.
Their show is now coming to Quebec for the first time and will be taking place this Sunday December 15th at Place Bell stadium in Laval.
www.evenko.ca / www.placebell.ca
Exclusive Interview with Kayla Drescher (USA)
The world of magic is shrouded in mystery, to help uncover some of its secrets, Gen’s Delights had the pleasure to interview American Illusionist Kayla Drescher, who is ready to offer some insight on the profession.
Kayla has won multiple awards, including the Society of American Magician’s Presidential Citation and being voted “Magician of the Year”. She’s also appeared on television numerous times, including The CW’s Penn & Teller: Fool Us and NBC’s The Today Show, where she won David Copperfield’s “Search for the Next Great Magician.” Her contemporary style of magic uses everyday objects to create unbelievable results, from levitating smart phones to teleporting a borrowed bank note from one person to another. She’s created marshmallow magic with Blue Man Group and even made David Copperfield appear for “The Daily Show’. Having honed her craft at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, Kayla now wows audiences across the world.
Kayla, thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for MLPBS:
- A versatile illusionist can cause jaws to drop and definitely put broad smiles on audience’s faces. How were you personally drawn into the world of magic and what were some of the initial challenges you faced when you started your learning journey?
“As a kid, I loved solving science problems and puzzles as well as performing for people and making them laugh. After walking into a magic shop, something just clicked within me and satisfied all the parts of my brain. As a 7 year old doing magic, I was pretty quickly bullied or told magic wasn’t for girls to perform. Luckily, I didn’t care what other people thought and kept going!
2. What are some of your most memorable career highlights? Best mentors?
“I had an amazing mentor growing up: Bill Andrews taught me all of the classic tricks, techniques and staples of magic. Now, my current mentors, Christian and Katalina, are some of the best magicians I know and I’m lucky to have them as teachers and friends. The biggest career highlight was performing on the Today Show with David Copperfield and winning his search for “The Next Great Magician”. Now, I’m just lucky and happy to be in the touring show Champions of Magic.”
3 They call you fondly the magician in heels … Do you find it daunting to be a female in a traditionally male dominated entertainment field? Are there advantages / disadvantages or persistent stereotypes?
“Magic in Heels is a business name I chose many years ago to separate myself from other magicians and magic related businesses in Google searches. There are advantages and disadvantages to being a women in this industry…however it would take too long to give a complete answer in just a few sentences. In our show, I’m just happy that no one treats me differently because of my gender and I can feel completely at ease with this group. We all have each other’s backs and we’re the Champions family!”
4. Any wise words of advice for aspiring magicians, trends in the industry?
“Find a magician you really respect and ask for help. Study other forms of performance art outside of magic: Comedy, dance, music or others… Learn EVERYTHING you can about theater. Finally, never be just satisfied with your work or have the mentality that once you think it’s done – it’s time to put it away… The world of Magic and yourself keeps evolving. The magicians who keep growing are the most successful.”
Thanks to Kayla Drescher for taking the time to answer my questions.
Champions of Magic takes the stage of Place Bell in Laval next December 15th 2019
Tickets on sale at Place Bell Box Office
By phone: 1 855 634-4472
Order online: www.evenko.ca / www.placebell.ca
*** CONTEST: Win a family set of tickets to see Champions of Magic this Sunday Dec 15th
Please answer in the comments section below the following:
“ What qualities or traits makes a show, performance or experience Magical ?”