SOCORRO, N.M.  – Rarely are audiences outside major cities treated to the magic and illusion of incredible stage craft and visual art, making the Performing Arts Series (PAS) show at 7:30 pm on Friday, April 5 at New Mexico Tech’s Macey Center an opportunity you don’t want to miss.

Hailed as an extraordinary entertainer who has entertained audiences worldwide, Vitaly Beckman is known as one of the most unique and innovative illusionists in the world, and is bringing his latest and most ambitious production to town, An Evening of Wonders.

Speaking of which, the show dovetails with the annual N.M. Science and Engineering Fair on Saturday, April 6, hosted by N.M. Tech, which always brings hundreds of students and their families to Socorro.

“This is an incredibly great show, and we hope our visitors will join Tech students and others for an amazing evening of entertainment,” PAS director Ronna Kalish said. “Vitaly combines breathtaking visuals as part of an interactive theatrical experience that takes the audience on a magical journey.”

And that’s not all. Tech Club Macey (TCM) will host its Schmooze, Booze and Bites get-together from 6 to 7:30 p.m. featuring Tarot card and psychic readings (!), a peach schnapps creation and munchies of quesadillas, nachos and chicken skewers with sauces, free to members and $10 for non-members.

Vitaly’s acts are so astounding that he has fooled famous Las Vegas duo Penn & Teller in their hit TV show "Fool Us." Most recently, Vitaly’s show was produced off-Broadway by the man whose credits include Tony winners such as "Kinky Boots" and "Indecent."

Click here to watch Vitaly on "Fool Us"

Never one to rest on his laurels, Vitaly is constantly inventing new illusions. He is willing to risk arrest and imprisonment for identity theft by promising that he will channel his powers to make the photo from your driver’s license disappear. So, if you're brave enough to surrender your ID to him, you will have to expect the unexpected.

Will he restore your photo, or will it come back with a different face, say of Marilyn Monroe or George Clooney? Is it magic or trickery? The only way to be sure is to catch this PAS performance before tickets have disappeared into thin air.

“Seriously, Vitaly is known as one of the most captivating and enjoyable illusionists performing in the world,” Kalish said. Born in Belarus, and raised in Israel, Vitaly began practicing magic at the age of 14. He has lived in Vancouver since 2008.

As part of his performance journey, he blends art and illusion to illustrate the story of his transformation from a boy with a dream to a man with a vision—the vision of a world where the rules of reality do not exist.

In this world, paintings spring to life, photographs become mini-movies, and audience members see their faces vanish from their own driver’s licenses. Even time itself reverses, as bare broken branches visibly repair and renew themselves with the green leaves of spring, so fitting this time of year.

“Vitaly’s performance – and it is performance art – touches on issues that affect us all, such as love, loss and growing old,” Kalish said. It moves and inspires to allow its audience to experience a renewed perspective on life and a greater realization of a world of beauty and wonder.

Sponsors for the performance are the City of Socorro, AUI (NRAO), Catron Courier, IRIS-PASSCAL, N.M. Tech Student Government Association and Orbital ATK.

Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and $10 for youth. Tech students will be admitted free with their student ID at the door, or can pick up one ticket each at the New Mexico Tech Bookstore.

Tickets also can be purchased online or at the PAS office, New Mexico Tech Cashier (Fidel Center) and Sofia’s Kitchen.

– NMT –