Lucas Wilson - illusionist and altruist

Lucas Wilson is a name many know in Norfolk County for his illusions, magic shows and accomplishments. Yet, we may not be fully aware of his (potentially even more impressive) outreach and charity within the community. Wilson will be performing March 16 at Lighthouse Festival theatre to benefit the Tumaini Children's Foundation. 

Leah Bauer

Advocate Contributor

If you live in Norfolk County then chances are you have seen one of Lucas Wilson’s shows, or have heard about his many accomplishments. Wilson’s passion for magic, and the local community is truly admirable.  

“I think most people go through a bit of a magic phase… and then they grow out of it,” said Wilson. “I have yet to grow out of my magic phase. My parents are still waiting for me to grow out of it, but it has stuck around and I’ve gotten to do some pretty incredible things because of it.” 

Wilson was born and raised in Norfolk County, and went to high school at Holy Trinity. In this time, he began finding ways to use his talents as an illusionist to raise money, and give back.

“In high school I started doing these fundraiser shows for the drama department, because at that point in time, the drama department and the arts were not getting the funding that they deserved.”

This show continued for 11 years and Wilson helped to fund LED lights, smoke machines and other resources to “elevate the experience for students in the drama department.”

Upon graduation from Holy Trinity, it was clear that his passion for magic wasn’t going anywhere, but Wilson still had some decisions to make regarding his future. 

“I thought to myself, I want to become a professional magician, but I should also probably be slightly realistic about what's going on. So I went to school in Oakville at Sheridan College for Theatre Technical Production and Live Event Coordination. I did two years there and I graduated and I came back to Norfolk County.

“That was the moment, that was kind of the crossroads. It's like, do I go and get a job at the theatre, or do I go down this scary path and do magic instead? And I chose the scary path, and I went and I did magic.”

As is the case with many great artists, his career did not begin with instant success.

“I chose magic, but, you know, that also leads to the situation of ‘how am I gonna get gigs? How are people going to know about my shows?’ I emailed and I called people, and people just were not booking my shows.”

Wilson did not give up, instead he found inspiration from one of magic’s icons, Houdini, who was famous for hanging upside down in a straightjacket. It was a stunt most people would be too terrified to attempt, but Wilson clearly isn't like most people. 

Wilson’s first thought was, ‘How long can I hang upside down in a straightjacket before I pass out?’ which quickly turned into ‘How long does it need to take?’ and then evolved into ‘Is there a Guinness World Record for this?’ 

Wilson has broken four Guinness World Records including fastest escape from a straitjacket in suspension and chains, the fastest escape from a straitjacket underwater, the fastest escape from a straitjacket in suspension (no chains), and most straitjacket escapes in one hour.

Wilson spoke about his experience achieving the world record for the fastest escape from a straitjacket underwater as being one of the “most exciting and most terrifying experiences of his life.”

“This is something that Houdini said he would never do because he thought it was too dangerous.” 

One of the most impressive things about Wilson’s career isn’t necessarily the records, or the TV appearances, or the success. It is how willing and eager he is to use his talents to give back to those in need. At a time in his career when Wilson was doing 200 shows a year, he still made time to go to McMaster Children’s Hospital to perform for the patients. 

Performing for the children receiving treatment at the children’s hospital was something that touched Wilson very deeply.

“To be able to go into the hospital and change your patient's day and have parents come up to you and say, ‘that's the first time I've heard my son laugh in the last two weeks,’ there's no amount of money that can give you that feeling.

“So it just became natural to do that. We started doing more shows and started giving the patients their own magic kit as well, so that they could then go back to their room and learn some magic tricks. And I'm sure to annoy the heck out of all the doctors and the nurses there.”

As a member of the Simcoe Christmas Panorama board, Wilson has used some skills he acquired through his theatre background for the beloved local Christmas displays. While studying at Sheridan College, Wilson gained immense skills in prop design, which he uses to refurbish Panorama displays in his limited free time.

Through his work at the Panorama, he became involved with Tumaini Children’s Foundation (Tumaini means ‘hope’ in Swahili). It led to what he describes as “one of the coolest moments of his magic career” when he performed on Zoom for the children at Tumaini in Tanzania.

MARCH BREAK SHOW

Wilson has joined with the volunteers at Tumaini to host a March Break Magic show every year to benefit the Tumaini Children's Foundation. This year's show at Lighthouse Festival theatre in Port Dover is March 16th at 2 p.m., with ticket prices ranging from $20-$40. You can find tickets online at lighthousefestivaltheatre.com.