A Q&A with legendary illusionist Ty Reveen

His father sold out crowds for decades as he travelled the world as the legendary illusionist and hypnotist, Peter Reveen.

For 35 years, he trekked mainly across North America, performing for upwards of six million people.

Even after his death, the legacy continues in his son, Tyrone, performing the ‘World’s Funniest & Most Amazing Stage Show.’

He spoke with Kelowna10 as he passed through the city:

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How did Ty Reveen come to be?

Everything I’ve learned and done in my life has been influenced from my father. He told me at the age of five that one day I would take over his show. And he planted the seed back then.

As I grew up, I decided to work with rock & roll bands, and be a stage designer and a special effects designer. I was able to do that by understanding the principals of hypnosis, that if I focused my mind on anything I wanted to achieve, I could do it, if I get past my conscious thinking, which is the negative part of my brain, and focus on the subconscious.

I focused on that and demanded from my brain that I come up with great ideas for rock & roll bands and I was very successful at it.

What is it like carrying on the legacy of your father?

They were big shoes to fill, and it is no secret to anybody. I toured with him for over 3,000 shows professionally, and I toured with him for decades before that as a child and young teenager and toured the world. I imaged myself on stage many times as I was working with him on stage, because he planted that seed. The transition was quite natural for me to make that jump from stage assistant to centre spotlight.

What do audiences love about your show?

The show lives up to its cliché – it’s called he ‘World’s Funniest & Most Amazing Stage Show’. It is a fascinating show because you are dealing with the powers of the human mind, which are as limitless as the stars. No two shows are the same.

Personalities are as different as fingerprints. From the outside looking far away it looks the same but as you get in and watch the intricate details of every human person, there are some interesting characteristics that are unique to each person.

What is the state of the industry right now and how did your father change things?

I grew up in the inner circle of the biggest magic societies in the world. We were right dead in the centre of it. Everyone we surrounded ourselves with were performers and magicians, some of the worlds greatest, David Copperfield is a good friend of mine. Criss Angel is a good friend of mine.

But hypnosis is a different science. When my father came on the scene, most hypnotists were shows in back alleys, raunchy shows.

But my father recognized it as the most valuable therapeutic science, organic science there was in the medical toolbox and how amazing it was at taking care or helping people overcome nervous tension disorders.

He used his talents as a magician to come up with a show that was based on the scientific application of positive suggestion and perform it in a way that demonstrated the true powerhouse of the mind through positive suggestion.

It’s always been a really popular show because it is fascinating, it shows the true powers of the human mind and it is not based on anything but the scientific application of positive suggestion and it is uplifting to the human spirit.