Gil Beaulieu has been involved in magic since the age of seven.
“I was your typical wide-eyed boy,” recalls Gil, who received his first children’s magic kit as a birthday gift. From that time forward, he remembers being the fascinated child in the front row watching the carnival and county fair magicians – and remembering wanting to perform just like them.
Gil still remembers the day he was inspired to buy his first magic trick – a trick deck of cards – with his own money. It was at the county fair and the magician performing did several routines with this ‘trick’ deck of cards. Gil was thrilled to be invited to participate in the trick. He was small for his age and the magician asked if he was “standing in a hole” while doing the trick. Everyone looked at him and laughed with him. He recalls feeling so very special to be pointed out and the center of attention at that moment. It was his first lesson in magic and a wondrous memory for a young boy. He bought a deck of “trick” cards that day with money he’d received from his grandparents the week before.
Now Gil knows why the magician wanted everyone to look at him at that point in time, and he realizes that this was his first lesson in magic: misdirection – a trick he uses expertly now.
This started a love affair with magic. Christmas brought a Blackstone Magic Kit from Santa; his second, even better magic kit.
At first, this new interest was just for fun, but as magicians such as David Copperfield and Doug Henning started having yearly TV magic specials, Gil remembers wanting to be just like them. “That is when I started looking more seriously at performing as a magician, and not just have an interest. I was 15 at that time,” Gil recalls. By age 16, Gil was performing at holiday parties, birthday parties, special events, and seasonal summer shows at venues like children’s camps, etc. He has been performing ever since.
From full scale stage shows, to walk-around street magic (and everything in-between), Gil loves performing at them all.
“The magic for me now, is seeing the smiles, and looks of wonder and happiness, as I entertain.”
Gil is still goes to see magicians perform and is still that wide-eyed boy in the front row. He loves magic that much.
In 2007, Gil took his then 9 year old nephew to see his first large scale illusion show. They sat in the audience together, and afterwards, Gil still remembers his nephew’s comment to his father: “Daddy I thought Uncle Gil did magic too, why is he having as much fun as me?” Gil has no idea what his brother said to answer the child because he was thinking to himself “Because I am just a great big kid who will always love magic!”
To this day Gil still brings this to his magic – that wide-eyed wonderment and enthusiasm of a child.