The magic of illusion fills the Freed Center

ADA — Kevin Spencer has known since he was 5 years old that magic was his passion. On Sunday, he and his wife Cindy plan to bring a lifetime worth of that passion to his Theatre of Illusion coming to the Freed Center.

Six-time Performing Arts Entertainers of the Year, the couple have been named the international magicians of the year, joining the ranks of Doug Henning, Harry Blackstone Jr., Penn & Teller, David Copperfield and Criss Angel.

“The first ‘magic' show I saw was performed by Harry Blackstone Jr. I sat 10 rows back and three seats in, and I remember being caught up in the wonder. I looked around me and all the adults in that theater were looking the same way I was,” Spencer said.

Later, he met and befriended Doug Henning. “He gave me the best advice. He said to just be yourself and let the audience know you. He was all rainbows and color and his stage was electric. That's how ours is too, there's no darkness on the stage. It's richly saturated with color. Cindy and I want to wrap this show in the theatrics that is Broadway with the energy of a rock show,” Spencer said.

And while on stage the illusions are Broadway-worthy, it's the magic from their off-stage illusions that keep the Spencers continually intrigued.

“Early in my career, I was involved in a bad accident,” Spencer said in a telephone interview this week with The Lima News. Recovering from a head injury required months of rehabilitation.

“During that, I thought it would be more fun to incorporate magic into the therapy and rehabilitation,” Spencer said. Now, he says his rehabilitative magic program is used in more than 2,500 hospitals and rehabilitation centers around the world.

The educational component of the program is called “Hocus Focus” and is now used in schools, including Marimor where Spencer and his wife, Cindy, will work with teachers and students on Friday and Monday.

“This program integrates magic into the core concepts of learning and development,” Spencer said.